October 4, 2025

Title: MR. BOND

Constructor: Kapil Mehta

Editor: Amie Walker

Theme synopsis:

• PLATINUM RECORDS (17A: Albums that have sold 1 million units)
• WARM REGARDS (38A: Kind email sign-off)
• MUSHROOM RISOTTO (60A: Creamy, umami Italian dish)

MR. BOND: The letters M and R form a BOND of sorts between the two words in each theme answer: PLATINUM RECORDS, WARM REGARDS, and MUSHROOM RISOTTO.

What I learned from today's puzzle:

• DOHA (58D: 2022 FIFA World Cup host) DOHA is the capital city of Qatar, a country in West Asia. As the clue informs us, DOHA hosted the 2022 FIFA World Cup. The FIFA World Cup is the world championship for men's national teams of the members of FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association). Qatar was the first Middle East and Persian country to host the FIFA World Cup. To avoid the extreme heat and humidity of Qatar's summers, the 2022 World Cup was held in November and December. The FIFA World Cup is held every four years. In 2026, the FIFA World Cup will be jointly hosted by 16 cities in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Everything I know about football (aka soccer in the United States) I learned from crossword puzzles.

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• HAYEK (1A: "Frida" star Salma) Frida is a 2002 biographical movie about artist Frida Kahlo. Salma HAYEK portrays the title character. Several scenes in the movie start as a shot of one of Frida Kahlo's paintings, which then dissolves into a live-action scene.
• OCEAN (14A: Olive ridley sea turtle habitat) The olive ridley sea turtle, also known as the Pacific ridley sea turtle, is the most abundant species of sea turtle. This species lives in the warm tropical waters of the Pacific OCEAN and Indian OCEAN, and is also found in the warm waters of the Atlantic OCEAN. Many olive ridley sea turtles exhibit synchronized mass nesting behavior. Females return to the same beach where they hatched to lay their eggs. 
• BIB (21A: It might keep a baby clean during dinner) Just yesterday we saw the plural BIBS clued as [Baby body guards?]. 
• WEST (24A: India-to-United States direction) This clue made me smile, as I happen to know that Kapil, today's constructor, lives in India. I appreciate when constructors are able to use personal angles for their clues.
• ANORA (34A: Mikey Madison film that won Best Picture in 2024) In the movie ANORA, Mikey Madison stars as the title character, ANORA "ANI" Mikheeva, a stripper who lives in Brighton Beach, a Russian American neighborhood in Brooklyn. In addition to ANORA's Best Picture Oscar, Mikey Madison won an Academy Award for Best Actress.
• DIE (47A: "Live and Let ___" (1973 Bond film)) Live and Let DIE is a 1973 James Bond movie, the eighth film in the spy series. It was the first James Bond movie to star Roger Moore as 007. It's such a nice bonus to include a reference to a James Bond movie in this MR. BOND-themed puzzle. This definitely brought a smile to my face. And now I have the movie's theme song, "Live and Let DIE" as an earworm! The song was written by Paul McCartney and performed by his band Wings.
• CARDIGANS (56A: Open-front sweaters) and KNITWEAR (5D: Most 56-Across, e.g.) This is a nice pair. I am a fan of CARDIGAN-weather.
• ACL (2D: Knee stabilizer, for short) The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is one of the ligaments in the human knee. It plays an important role in the rotational stability of the knee. The ACL is the most frequently injured ligament in the knee.
• MRS (13D: "___ Harris Goes to Paris") MRS. Harris Goes to Paris is a 2022 movie adapted from the 1958 book MRS. 'Arris Goes to Paris by Paul Gallico. The movie is set in 1957. Its protagonist, MRS. Ada Harris (played by Lesley Manville) is a widowed cleaning lady living in London. After coming into some money, she travels to Paris to buy a Dior dress.
• CELL (19D: "The mitochondria is the powerhouse of the ___") The phrase "the powerhouse of the CELL" as a description of mitochondria was coined by cell biologist Philip Siekevitz in a 1957 article. Mitochondria earned this nickname because they take in glucose and oxygen and generate adenosine triphosphate (ATP), which is a source of chemical energy for CELLs. More recently, the phrase "the mitochondria is the powerhouse of the CELL" has become a meme. The phrase is typically used at the end of a list of things titled something along the lines of "what I learned from school," as a way of poking fun at the sometimes seemingly useless information taught in schools.
• LES (28D: "___ Miz") LES Miz is the informal name for the musical Les Miserable, which is based on an 1862 novel of the same name by Victor Hugo.
• MID (60D: "___-Century Modern" (2025 Hulu show)) MID-Century Modern is a TV series that premiered on Hulu in March of this year. Nathan Lane, Matt Bomer, and Nathan Lee Graham star as three best friends – "gay gentlemen of a certain age" – who become roommates. 
• USA (61D: "Born in the ___") "Born in the U.S.A." is the title track of Bruce Springsteen's 1984 album. While the song is often used as a flag-waving tribute to the U.S.A., its verses tell the story of a Vietnam veteran who is alienated upon returning home after the war.
• A few other clues I especially enjoyed:
• EEL (36D: Slippery fish that rhymes with "meal")
• IDLE (37D: Not up to much)
• ONE (65D: Number of players in solitaire)

The key to understanding today's theme is to parse the abbreviation "MR." not as "mister," but as "M-R." The theme answers all demonstrate an M-R BOND. That's really clever, and I had a nice, "Aha!" moment when I caught on. Thank you, Kapil, for this delightful puzzle. 

One more thing today: Today is the Midwest Crossword Tournament in Chicago, Illinois. If you happen to be at the tournament, please find me and say hello! (And grab a Sally's Take sticker if you'd like one.)