September 10, 2025

Title: BABY ON BOARD

Constructor: Bill Conner

Editor: Amie Walker

Theme synopsis:

• INCOGNITO TAB (20A: Subwindow that allows for private web browsing)
• FARM-TO-TABLE (37A: Locally sourced food movement)
• INTO THE WOODS (54A: Sondheim musical based in part on fairy tales)

BABY ON BOARD: The word TOT is found in each theme answer: INCOGNITO TAB, FARM TO TABLE, and INTO THE WOODS.

What I learned from today's puzzle:

• MARC (14A: Composer Shaiman) MARC Shaiman is an award-winning American composer who writes music and lyrics for movies, TV, and theater. Even if, like me, his name is not familiar to you, I realize from looking at his credits that we've likely heard his music. His movie credits include When Harry Met Sally (1989), Sister Act (1992), Mary Poppins Returns (2018), and many more. And then there's his TV and theater credits...

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• CEDES (9A: Formally gives up) and SECEDE (43A: Officially withdraw) When I came to the clue for SECEDE, I thought, "Wait, didn't I already fill in SECEDE?" Close, but the previous answer was CEDES. The words CEDE and SECEDE are both derived from the Latin word "cēdere," meaning "to go."
• AGILE (16A: Like a parkour athlete) Parkour is a type of movement and a training discipline in which practitioners attempt to get from point A to point B in the most fluid way possible. Usually carried out in urban spaces, Parkour involves navigating over, under, and across various obstacles. Being AGILE is definitely a requirement.
• INCOGNITO TAB (20A: Subwindow that allows for private web browsing) When you don't want your browsing history and cookies saved on your device, use an INCOGNITO TAB to conduct your Internet searches. (Maybe you're looking for a birthday present for your significant other and you don't want them to be able to see what you've been researching...) Although the use of private browsers and INCOGNITO TABs hide your activity from other users, they do not hide your activity from your Internet service provider or from the websites you visit.
• NITRO (23A: Style of beer or cold brew) NITRO brewing is a method of making beer or coffee that  uses nitrogen gas.
• ETS (28A: "Independence Day: Resurgence" beings (Abbr.)) Independence Day: Resurgence is a 2016 movie that is a sequel to the 1996 movie Independence Day. Both of these movies feature extraterrestrials (ETS). This answer reminds me of the July 5 crossword this year that was titled "Independence Day: Resurgence."
• PAGODA (33A: Tiered place of worship) A PAGODA is a tiered, multiple-eaved tower. Most PAGODAs are built as religious structures, often Buddhist or Taoist.
• ETSY (36A: Website where one might order custom dice) This clue had me heading over to ETSY to check out the selection of custom dice. There are quite a number of choices and many options for personalization. It occurs to me there are some people I know who would appreciate a gift of custom dice.
• FARM-TO-TABLE (37A: Locally sourced food movement) FARM-TO-TABLE is a social movement that promotes the use of locally-sourced foods. The term is often particularly associated with restaurants and school cafeterias. I am a huge fan of eating local food and supporting farmers when possible. This time of year is "stock the freezer" season for me, and last weekend I made stuffed peppers using ingredients from two of "our" farmers.
• CATFISH (50A: Minnow relatives whose "whiskers" are actually barbels) Barbels are the appendages on a CATFISH that resemble a cat's whiskers. This resemblance is how CATFISH got their name. Barbels contain taste buds and CATFISH use them to search for food in murky water. This is a fun FACT (37D: True statement). 
• INTO THE WOODS (54A: Sondheim musical based in part on fairy tales) INTO THE WOODS is a 1987 musical by Stephen Sondheim that intertwines the plots of several fairy tales, including "Jack and the Beanstalk," "Rapunzel," and "Cinderella." 
• CAPER (63A: Piccata sauce morsel) A CAPER is the edible flower bud of the CAPER bush. Piccata sauce contains lemon juice, butter, parsley, and CAPERs.
• FAST (7D: Like Sonic the Hedgehog) Sonic the Hedgehog is the title character of SEGA's video game and media franchise. Sonic is an anthropomorphic blue hedgehog, known for being FAST. He is named for his supersonic speed.
• DIA (11D: Lunes o martes) "Lunes o martes" is Spanish for "Monday or Tuesday." DIA is the Spanish word for day.
• SAY (27D: "___ My Name" (Destiny's Child hit)) "SAY My Name" is a single from Destiny's Child's 1999 album, The Writing's on the Wall. Destiny's Child – whose final lineup was Beyoncé Knowles, Kelly Rowland, and Michelle Williams – was active from 1997 to 2006. On a recent road trip, my husband and I listened to the audiobook Matriarch by Tina Knowles (Mother of Beyoncé and Solange). Among other things, we learned a lot about Destiny's Child. The book was really interesting; I recommend it.
• INDOOR (48D: Like some indoor cats) I've had some INDOOR cats who would try to venture outdoors if given the opportunity. My current cat, Willow, however, is contentedly an INDOOR cat.

• DESERT (49D: Atacama, for example) The Atacama DESERT is located along the Pacific coastline of Chile, west of the Andes Mountains. Atacama is the largest fog DESERT in the world. In a fog DESERT, the majority of moisture needed by plants and animals is provided by fog drip. Average rainfall in the Atacama DESERT is about 15 mm per year (that's just 0.6 inches). The only place drier than the Atacama DESERT is the McMurdo Dry Valleys in Antarctica.
• THAI (55D: Tom yum cuisine) Tom yum is a hot and sour soup in THAI cuisine.
• ACA (58D: Healthcare law since 2010, for short) ACA stands for Affordable Care Act. This legislation is also referred to as Obamacare.
• I AM (59D: "Therefore ___" (Billie Eilish) song) "Therefore I AM" is a 2020 song by Billie Eilish, from her album Happier Than Ever. The song's music video was filmed in Glendale Galleria, a shopping mall in Glendale, California. At the time of filming, the mall was closed to the public as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The words "ON BOARD" in the title are a good hint that this is a hidden word theme – a classic USA Today theme type. I quickly realized the hidden word here is TOT after uncovering INCOGNITO TAB. We've seen this theme before, but it's been a couple of years, so I'm guessing most of us don't remember that puzzle. The title of that puzzle is "Inner Child," and only one of the theme answers is the same as today's puzzle. Thank you, Bill, for this enjoyable puzzle.