October 19, 2025

Title: CLAMSHELL

Constructor: Amanda Rafkin

Editor: Amanda Rafkin

Theme synopsis:

• CLOSED BOOK EXAM (19A: Test during which a student can't consult class materials)
• CLAIRE BLOOM (34A: Actress who played Queen Mary in "The King's Speech")
• CAREER GRAND SLAM (51A: Golfing achievement in which one wins each of the four majors)

CLAMSHELL: The word CLAM encases (is a SHELL around) each of the theme answers: CLOSED BOOK EXAM, CLAIRE BLOOM, and CAREER GRAND SLAM.

What I learned from today's puzzle:

• LORI (12A: Alan who voices Pearl Krabs) On the animated TV series SpongeBob SquarePants, LORI Alan voices the character Pearl Krabs, a teenage sperm whale who is the daughter of Mr. Krabs, the owner of the Krusty Krabs  restaurant. LORI is making back-to-back puzzle appearances, as we saw it yesterday clued as ["Orange is the New Black" actor Petty].
• EAT (26A: Enjoy some borekas) Borekas are a baked pastry in Jewish and Israeli cuisine. Borekas are made with puff pastry or filo dough and filled with a variety or sweet or savory fillings.
• ARMORY (3D: Red building unlocked on the military track of the game Tapestry) Tapestry is a board game published in 2019 by Stonemaier Games. It is a strategy game in which players build civilization. There are four advancement tracks: science, technology, exploration, and military. Although I haven't played Tapestry, the hint of "military track" allowed me to figure out the red building is an ARMORY with a little bit of help from crossing answers.

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• EMU (15A: OstrichLand USA bird) OstrichLand USA is an ostrich and EMU ranch in Santa Barbara County, California. The farm is currently home to over 80 ostriches and 70 EMUs. Visitors to the farm can feed the birds as well as purchase edible ostrich and EMU eggs when they're in season.
• CAT SAT (17A: Gave Fancy Feast to a friend's pet) My CAT, Willow, is not a fan of being CAT SAT, but she does approve of CAT content in the puzzle.

• CLAIRE BLOOM (34A: Actress who played Queen Mary in "The King's Speech") The King's Speech is a 2010 movie starring Colin Firth as the future King George VI who seeks help for a stammer. As the clue informs us, CLAIRE BLOOM portrays Queen Mary in the movie. The King's Speech won an Academy Award for Best Picture. 
• CAREER GRAND SLAM (51A: Golfing achievement in which one wins each of the four majors) The four major golf championships are The Open Championship, U.S. Open, PGA Championship, and Masters Tournament. A CAREER GRAND SLAM involves winning all four major championships within a player's CAREER. Six golfers have achieved a CAREER GRAND SLAM: Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, and Rory McIlroy.
• ODE (55A: "___ to the Loop-de-Loop" (Clint Smith poem) Clint Smith is a poet and a staff writer for The Atlantic. "ODE to the Loop-de-Loop" is a poem from his debut collection of poetry, Counting Descent.
• CO-HOST (56A: Jason, to Travis Kelce on "New Heights") Jason and Travis Kelce CO-HOST the podcast New Heights. Jason Kelce is a former NFL player; he spent his 13-year career with the Philadelphia Eagles (2011-2023). Travis Kelce plays for the Kansas City Chiefs, and has done so since 2013.
• ETAS (60A: BUR figs.) BUR is the code for Hollywood Burbank Airport in California.
• DST (61A: "Spring forward, fall back" letters) DST stands for Daylight Saving Time. For those in the U.S. who observe DST, it will end this year on November 2, when we will "fall back" to standard time. 
• SESH (63A: Quick meeting?) Not "quick" as in lasting a short time, but quick as in a shortened word that means meeting – that is SESH, short for session.
• LEAKS (8D: Gets out early?) The question mark in this clue alerts solvers to expect trickiness. "Gets out early" isn't referring to getting out of school or a meeting early, but rather hinting at information that LEAKS or gets out before it's supposed to.
• AC/DC (13D: "Thunderstruck" band) "Thunderstruck" is a 1990 song by the hard rock band AC/DC, from their album The Razors Edge. It is used as a theme song by the WNBA's Seattle Storm.
• STEPS (14D: "On the ___ of the Palace") "On the STEPS of the Palace" is a song from the 1986 Stephen Sondheim musical Into the Woods. It is sung by Cinderella as she leaves a slipper as a clue for the Prince.
• EUROS (26D: Swiss cheese?) The question mark in the clue is a hint that this Swiss cheese is not edible. "Cheese" here is being used as an informal term for money. The Swiss use EUROS as their currency.
• TIBET (28D: Everest's land) Mount Everest, Earth's highest peak, is located in the Himalayas on the TIBET-Nepal border.
• IRONY (48D: Naming a tiny dog "Bruiser," e.g.) Naming a tiny dog Bruiser – as Elle Woods does in the 2001 movie Legally Blonde – is indeed IRONY. 
• AMISH (50D: Rumspringa participants) Rumspringa is an adolescent rite of passage in some AMISH communities. Beginning sometime between the ages of 14 and 21, and ending when a youth decides to be baptized in the AMISH church, Rumspringa is a time when enforcement of some AMISH rules may be relaxed, as the AMISH accept that some amount of rebellious behavior and resisting parental authority is normal during adolescence. From Pennsylvania German, the word "Rumspringa" means "running around."
• ROAN (53D: "The Subway" singer Chappell) "The Subway" is a 2025 single by Chappell ROAN. 
• A few other clues I especially enjoyed:
• MISS ME (4D: "Glad I'm back?")
• PUP (11D: ___ cup (whipped treat for dogs))
• SPECS (41D: Construction (or crossword construction) details)

This is a fairly straightforward theme (nothing wrong with that!), and I was able to correctly guess the theme from today's title. One cool thing about this puzzle is that the grid has collections of black squares in the center that resemble a CLAM's SHELL. That's really cool! Thank you, Amanda, for this delightful puzzle.