September 20, 2025

Title: RULE OF THREE

Constructor: Kiran Pandey

Editor: Amanda Rafkin

Theme synopsis:

• ALL TIME LOW (20A: *First is the worst...")
• CREME DE LA CREME (*...second is the best...)
• DAVID HASSELHOFF (56A: *...third is the one with the hairy chest!)

RULE OF THREE: Each of the THREE clues is part of a childhood rhyme.

What I learned from today's puzzle:

• BRETT (65A: "Shrinking" co-creator Goldstein) In the TV series Shrinking (2023-present), Jason Segel portrays Jimmy Laird, a therapist who is grieving the death of his wife. The show centers on Jimmy as he becomes increasingly involved in his patients' lives. The show was created by BRETT Goldstein, Jason Segel, and Bill Lawrence. BRETT Goldstein is also known for his portrayal of Roy Kent in the TV series Ted Lasso (2020-present).
• EMILIA (2D: Actress Clarke) EMILIA Clarke's roles include Daenerys Targaryen in the HBO series Game of Thrones (2011-2019), Sarah Connor in the movie Terminator: Genisys (2015), and Lou Clark in the movie Me Before You (2016).

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• VERBS (1A: Action words) Well, this seems like a great opportunity to link to the Schoolhouse Rock song about VERBS. "VERBS! That's what's happening..."
• TURK (15A: Resident of Istanbul) Istanbul is the largest city in Turkey. It's not the capital of Turkey though, that's Ankara.
• TONY (19A: One of eight won by "Hadestown" in 2019) The musical Hadestown tells a version of the Greek myth of Orpheus going to the underworld to rescue his fiancée, Eurydice. As the clue notes, Hadestown won eight TONY Awards in 2019, including Best Musical and Best Original Score.
• LIL (23A: Rapper ___ Kim) LIL' Kim is the stage name of Kimberly Denise Jones, who has also been referred to as the "Queen of Rap." LIL Kim released her debut album, Hard Core, in 1996. Her most recent album, 9, was released in 2019.
• SMH (27A: Tester's "i can't believe u") SMH = shaking my head or smacking my head
• RADON (37A: Dangerous gas) As RADON occurs naturally, some level of RADON is present in all buildings. Exposure to high levels of RADON has been linked to lung cancer. (According to the EPA, RADON is the number one cause of lung cancer in non-smokers.) RADON is odorless and colorless under standard conditions. Therefore, its presence must be detected by testing. If high levels of RADON are detected, RADON mitigation systems can be installed to decrease the RADON level in the building.
• SAG (45A: ___-AFTRA) The Screen Actors Guild–American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) is a union that represents media professionals.
• DAVID HASSELHOFF (56A: *...third is the one with the hairy chest!) DAVID HASSELHOFF is an actor whose roles include Dr. Snapper Foster on the soap opera The Young and the Restless (1975-1982), Michael Knight on the TV series Knight Rider (1982-1986), and Mitch Buchannon on the TV series Baywatch. He is known for his open collar looks that show off his hairy chest.  I have previously written about the Hoff crab, which was named after DAVID HASSELHOFF because it reminded scientists of his hairy chest.
• I, TOO (61A: Langston Hughes poem with the lines "They'll see how beautiful I am / And be ashamed") Langston Hughes (1901-1967) wrote the poem, "I, TOO," in 1925. The poem begins with the line, "I, TOO, sing America," and ends with "I, TOO, am America. As the clue informs us, the poem also includes the lines, "They'll see how beautiful I am / And be ashamed." If it's been some time since you've read "I, TOO," I encourage you to do so.
• ISN'T (67A: "___ She Lovely") "ISN'T She Lovely" is a song from Stevie Wonder's 1976 album, Songs in the Key of Life. The song celebrates the birth of Stevie Wonder's daughter, Aisha. Fun fact: "ISN'T She Lovely" was never released as a single, because it was over six minutes long and Stevie Wonder was unwilling to shorten it to fit the single format. 
• BART (4D: Brother to Maggie and Lisa) This is a reference to the animated TV series The Simpsons (1989-present). The children of Homer and Marge Simpson are BART, Lisa, and Maggie.
• PAY PHONE (13D: Coin-operated device for making a call) This clue and answer made me think, "Oh, do PAY PHONEs still exist?!" The number of PAY PHONEs has decreased due to the prevalence of cell phones. Apparently there are still some PAY PHONEs around, though I couldn't find an exact number. 
• MARON (33D: Podcaster Marc) Marc MARON is a stand-up comedian, actor, musician, and podcaster. Since 2009, he has hosted the podcast WTF with Marc MARON.
• CHAPATIS (38D: Unleavened Indian flatbreads) A CHAPATI is a variation of the flatbread roti, and the two words are sometimes used interchangeably. As the clue notes, CHAPATIS are unleavened. This is a difference from naan, another flatbread variety, which contains yeast.
• TAHITI (44D: Most populous island of French Polynesia) TAHITI is an island in the central Pacific Ocean that was formed from volcanic activity. It is the largest and most populous island in French Polynesia. Papeete, the capital of French Polynesia, is located on TAHITI. 
• HERA (59D: Queen of Mount Olympus) In Greek religion and mythology, the Olympians were the twelve major deities. They were called the Olympians because they were thought to reside on Mount Olympus. HERA is the goddess of marriage, women, and family. She is also considered the Queen of Mount Olympus, the Queen of the Olympians, and the Queen of the Gods.
• A few other clues I especially enjoyed:
• IT DEPENDS (6D: "Maybe yes, maybe no")
• OM NOM NOM (12D: Cookie Monster's cookie-eating sound)
• FORCE (26D: "Use the ___, Luke!")

Today's theme is found in the clues. The theme answers, denoted by asterisks, make up a childhood rhyme, "First is the worst. Second is the best. Third is the one with the hairy chest." I was only vaguely familiar with this rhyme, as I don't remember it being a thing when I was a kid. (It might well have been, and I just wasn't aware of it.) In learning about it, I discovered that some remember the rhyme as finishing with "third is the one with the treasure chest." At any rate, it works as today's theme. I like an occasional clue-based theme. Thank you, Kiran, for this enjoyable puzzle.