October 26, 2025

 Title: The SATs

Constructor: Kareem Ayas

Editor: Amanda Rafkin

Theme synopsis:

• SURF AND TURF (16A: Steak-lobster combo, for example)
• START A TAB (34A: Put your card down at the bar, say)
• SO ABOUT THAT (59A: "Speaking of...")

The SATs: Each theme answer has the initials SAT: SURF AND TURF, START A TAB, and SO ABOUT THAT .

And now a word from our constructor:

Kareem: My GF and I spent last weekend in a small beach town in New Jersey and we ate a TON of SURF AND TURF - well, we mostly had "surf and surf." The crab-stuffed flounder was one of the best things I've ever tried in my life.

Here is a picture of Kane wading in the Manasquan River. I hope you enjoyed the puzzle!

What I learned from today's puzzle:

• PAT (62A: ___ Dubek (Molly Shannon's role on "The Other Two")) The Other Two is an HBO Max sitcom that originally aired from 2021-2023. The show follows two millennial siblings whose 13-year-old brother experiences overnight fame after a video of his goes viral. Molly Shannon portrays PAT Dubek, the mother of the three siblings.
• ECUADOR (1D: "The country of four worlds") ECUADOR is a country in northwestern South America. Its nickname, "The country of four worlds," is a reference to its geographic diversity. ECUADOR is about the size of the U.S. state of Colorado, and it contains four main geographic regions: La Costa (the coastline along the Pacific Ocean), La Sierra (the highlands of the Andes mountains), La Amazonía (the jungle including part of the Amazon rainforest), and Las Islas Galápagos (the Galapagos Islands that are about 620 miles west of the ECUADOR mainland).

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• APE (10A: Mojo Jojo from "The Powderpuff Girls," e.g.) The Powerpuff Girls is an animated TV series and media franchise about Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup, who are genetically engineered little girls with superpowers. Professor Utonium is a scientist, and the girls' father. An anthropomorphic chimpanzee named Jojo was Professor Utonium's lab assistant, but the same accident that gave the Powerpuff Girls their superpowers gave the APE super-intelligence. He is now Mojo Jojo, a mad scientist and the main antagonist of the Powerpuff Girls.
• OPERA (14A: "The Barber of Seville," e.g.) The Barber of Seville is an 1816 OPERA by Gioachino Rossini. The OPERA tells the story of a whirlwind romance between Count Almaviva (a Spanish nobleman) and Rosina. The difficulty is that Rosina's guardian, Dr. Bartolo, is set on marrying Rosina himself. Count Almaviva enlists the help of Figaro, the titular barber, to assist him in his quest to marry Rosina. Antics, ensue, as they usually do in such a scenario. Although it is over 200 years old, The Barber of Seville remains popular. The OPERA even inspired a Looney Tunes short, Rabbit of Seville, in which Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd feature.
• CAT (19A: Pet that may fear cucumbers because they look like snakes) It's true that many CATs are afraid of cucumbers. CATs tend to be startled by the sudden appearance of objects they're not expecting. CATs dislike surprises. I also am not a fan of surprises. Perhaps that's why CATs and I get along so well. I have never attempted to scare my CAT, Willow, with a cucumber. But here's a picture of her hiding under the blankets – just being generally cautious.

• CRANES (26A: "Sandhill" birds) Sandhill CRANES live in North America, where they frequent the edges of water. A great place and time to view sandhill CRANES is in Nebraska in early April. Up to 450,000 sandhill CRANES migrate through the central Platte River Valley annually. I once happened to be driving across Nebraska during the first week of April. The farm fields at the sides of the roads were covered with sandhill CRANES. It was an amazing sight. (Some of my uncles who are farmers are not fans of the birds...)
• DEITIES (29A: Allah and Vishnu, for two) Allah is a term for god used by followers of Islam, Judaism, and Christianity. Vishnu is one of the principal DEITIES of Hinduism.
• ATM (38A: Right now, to a texter) ATM = at the moment
• SAAG (41A: ___ paneer (Indian dish with green sauce)) SAAG is a South Asian dish made with leafy greens such as spinach. It is often served as SAAG paneer, accompanied by fresh cheese made from cow or buffalo milk.
• REO (57A: ___ Speedwagon ("Can't Fight This Feeling" band)) "Can't Fight This Feeling" is a 1984 song by REO Speedwagon. Thanks for the earworm, puzzle. "I can't fight this feeling any longer / And yet I'm still afraid to let it flow..." This song was part of the soundtrack of my undergraduate college years.
• EUROS (63A: Money in Portugal) Portugal is a European country on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is one of the 20 European Union members that use EUROS as currency.
• MARTINI (2D: Drink that can be dry or dirty) A classic MARTINI is made with gin and vermouth and generally served with an olive garnish. A dry MARTINI has only a dash of vermouth added. A dirty MARTINI contains a splash of olive brine.
• IVF (3D: Reproductive option, for short) IVF stands for in vitro fertilization. It involves fertilizing an ovum with sperm in a lab, and then transferring the embryo into a uterus. This assisted reproductive technology may be used for infertility treatment and gestational surrogacy. The first successful birth after IVF treatment occurred in 1978. In 2010, the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded to Robert G. Edwards for the development of the IVF technique.
• TEAR (4D: Eye drop?) Not a drop that you add to an eye, but rather a TEAR, a drop that comes out of an eye.
• ZEUS (7D: King of the gods on Mount Olympus) In Greek mythology, Hades, ZEUS, and Poseidon were brothers. Their parents were Cronus and Rhea. The three brothers defeated the Titans and claimed rulership over the Cosmos. Hades became the god of the underworld, while ZEUS ruled the sky, and Poseidon ruled the sea. ZEUS was considered the king of the gods. It was thought that the gods resided on Mount Olympus.
• ARSENIC (10D: "___ and Old Lace" (1941 play)) ARSENIC and Old Lace is a 1941 play by Joseph Kesselring. The play was adapted into a 1944 movie directed by Frank Capra and starring Cary Grant. Fun fact: Although the movie was originally scheduled for release in 1942, the contract with the play's producers stipulated it wouldn't be released until the play closed on Broadway. The Broadway production of ARSENIC and Old Lace proved to be successful, running for three and a half years, thus delaying the movie's release.
• NERD (17D: Many a character on "The Big Bang Theory") The Big Bang Theory is a TV sitcom that originally aired from 2007 to 2019. Characters on the show include an experimental physicist, a theoretical physicist, an aerospace engineer, and an astrophysicist – fair to say many of them are NERDs, I think.
• TARA (55D: Skater Lipinski) TARA Lipinski is a retired competitive figure skater. Representing Team USA, she won a gold medal in figure skating at the 1998 Olympics. She is currently a figure skating analyst for NBC.
• A few other clues I especially enjoyed:
• AGE (51A: Number that changes annually)
• SAFARI (9D: Trip that's Swahili for "journey")
• ALL CAPS (38D: WHAT THESE WORDS ARE WRITTEN IN)
• GOOSE (52D: Bird whose egg represents "0")

I enjoy initial clues. It's fun to take a common acronym and explore what else it could stand for. SAT generally refers to a standardized test used by some colleges for admission purposes. The test's acronym used to stand for Scholastic Aptitude Test, and then the Scholastic Assessment Test. Now the exam is simply referred to as the SAT. But enough about that SAT, today we're redefining it to be about SURF AND TURF and other things. Thank you, Kareem, for this Splendidly-Acronym-Themed puzzle.