September 24, 2025

Title: AIRPORT TERMINALS

Constructors: Adrianne Baik & Aidan Deshong

Editor: Amie Walker

Theme synopsis:

• FOR THE RECORD (20A: "Just so you know...")
• SIT BACK AND RELAX (38A: "Make yourself comfortable")
• QUETZALCOATL (55A: Deity whose name means "Feathered Serpent" in Nahuatl)

AIRPORT TERMINALS: An AIRPORT code is found at the end of each theme answer: FOR THE RECORD (O'Hare International Airport in Chicago), SIT BACK AND RELAX (Los Angeles International Airport), and QUETZALCOATL (Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport).

What I learned from today's puzzle:

• CLARINETIST (3D: Musician such as Doreen Ketchens) Doreen Ketchens is a jazz CLARINETIST who has been performing on the streets of New Orleans since 1987. She earned the nickname "Lady Louis" for her ability to hit and hold high notes. She's also known as "Queen of the Clarinet." Doreen Ketchens has played for four U.S. presidents (Bill Clinton, George H. W. Bush, Ronald Reagan, and Jimmy Carter) and has performed at the Kennedy Center. 

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• STATS (9A: Mean, median and mode, e.g.) This clue reminds me of the March 27, 2025 puzzle that was titled, "An Average Puzzle." If you're in need of a review of these STATS, the write-up for that puzzle is a good place to start. 
• HULU (14A: "Only Murders in the Building" streaming service) I'm always happy to see an Only Murders in the Building reference in the puzzle. The fifth season of this TV series began streaming on HULU earlier this month. I am a fan of this show, which stars Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez, as well as a stellar support cast. If you've been watching Season 5, please don't tell me what happens! My husband and I decided to wait and watch the show after we've gotten through the next few busy weeks. This is the right move, but is taking a lot of willpower on my part.
• YEN (24A: Currency in Hokkaido) Hokkaido is one of the four main islands of Japan. It is the second-largest of Japan's islands, following Honshu. The currency on Hokkaido, as in the rest of Japan, is the Japanese YEN.
• ANGER (29A: Friend of Joy and Sadness, in "Inside Out") Mentions of Only Murders in the Building and Inside Out in the same puzzle? It's a good day! Pixar's 2015 animated movie, Inside Out, centers on the emotions of a young girl named Riley: Joy, Sadness, Fear, ANGER, and disgust.
• ONE (47A: Product of any number and its reciprocal) The reciprocal of any number is ONE divided by that number. For example, the reciprocal of 3 is 1/3 and the reciprocal of 11 is 1/11. Therefore, any number times its reciprocal will result in the answer ONE.
• QUETZALCOATL (55A: Deity whose name means "Feathered Serpent" in Nahuatl) QUETZALCOATL is a deity in Aztec culture and literature. QUETZALCOATL was a god of wisdom, learning, and intelligence and was the patron god of the Aztec priesthood.
• ERIN (66A: Environmentalist Brockovich) ERIN Brockovich's lawsuit against Pacific Gas and Electric Company of California was the subject of the 2000 movie ERIN Brockovich. The case involved groundwater contamination in Hinckley, California. ERIN Brockovich is the author of two books, Take It From Me: Life's a Struggle But You Can Win (2001), and Superman's Not Coming: Our National Water Crisis and What WE THE PEOPLE Can Do About It (2020).
• THEFT (1D: Jean Valjean's crime) Jean Valjean is the protagonist of Victor Hugo's 1862 novel Les Misérables. The novel has been adapted for film, TV, and stage. Jean Valjean spent 19 years in prison for the THEFT of a loaf of bread (taken to feed his sister's starving children).
• AURORA (2D: "Sleeping Beauty" princess) Princess AURORA is the title character of Disney's 1959 animated movie Sleeping Beauty. Here's a fun fact: With only 18 lines (after all, she spends a bit of time sleeping…), Princess AURORA has less dialogue than any other animated main character in a Disney feature-length film.
• RATE (7D: Give stars to on Letterboxd) Letterboxd is a social website that advertises itself as the "Goodreads for film." (Goodreads is a social website that allows users to RATE and review books.) On Letterboxd, which was launched in 2011, users can RATE films on a scale of one to five stars.
• HYENAS (21D: "Laughing" scavengers) HYENAS are scavengers that have characteristics of both dogs and cats. Like animals in the dog family, HYENAS run after their prey, and catch it with their teeth rather than their claws. However, when it comes to grooming, scent marking, and mating and parental behaviors, HYENAS are similar to felines. HYENAS have an extensive vocal range and make a variety of sounds, including giggles, grunt laughs, and maniacal laughter. 
• MILLIONAIRE (26D: "Phone-a-Friend" game show, informally) Who Wants to Be a MILLIONAIRE, also known simply as MILLIONAIRE, is a TV game show that premiered on ABC in 1999. Contestants on the quiz show compete to win one million dollars by answering a series of multiple-choice questions. Contestants are allowed to use "lifelines" to answer questions they don't know. One of the available lifelines is "Phone-a-Friend;" this allows a contestant to call a pre-arranged friend and discuss the question with them for 30 seconds.
• ANNE (32D: "___ of Green Gables") That's "ANNE with an E," as fans of this book series will know. ANNE of Green Gables (1908) is the first in a series of books by L. M. Montgomery. The stories have been adapted into movies, stage productions, and TV series. 
• IRON (39A: Fe on the periodic table) Fe is the chemical symbol for IRON, which is a nod to the Latin word for IRON, ferrum.
• EGO (41D: "Saturday Night Live" star Nwodim) EGO Nwodim recently announced on Instagram that she wouldn't return for the Saturday Night Live's 51st season, saying "The hardest part of a great party is knowing when to say goodnight." EGO Nwodim was a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 2018 to 2025.
• LATVIA (49D: Country between Estonia and Lithuania) LATVIA, Estonia, and Lithuania are countries in northern Europe. As the clue informs us, LATVIA is located between Estonia and Lithuania. Let's do some word capital review while we're at it: The capital of LATVIA is Riga, the capital of Estonia is Tallinn, and the capital of Lithuania is Vilnius.
• PASTA (52D: Capellini or cavatappi) Capellini (Italian for "little hairs") is a thin, spaghetti-like PASTA. Cavatappi (Italian for "corkscrews") is PASTA formed in a helical tube shape.
• A few other clues I especially enjoyed: 
• IDEA (27A: It might be bounced off someone)
• SEQUEL (46D: "Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again," to "Mamma Mia!")
• ZONE (57D: "I'm in the ___!")

I enjoyed this theme a lot. I recognized ORD at the end of FOR THE RECORD as the AIRPORT CODE of O'Hare, and I suspected that might be a theme element. Confirmation came when I filled in SIT BACK AND RELAX and recognized LAX as an AIRPORT code as well. Then I was intrigued to discover the third AIRPORT TERMINAL. Ah, ATL in QUETZALCOATL. Very nice. Congratulations to Adrianne Baik making a USA Today crossword debut! Thank you, Adrianne and Aidan, for this excellent puzzle.