October 9, 2025

Title: SPIN JOBS

Constructor: Sala Wanetick

Editor: Amanda Rafkin

Theme synopsis:

• PRIMA BALLERINA (20A: Misty Copeland, famously)
• DISC JOCKEYS (38A: Turntable operators)
• CYCLING TEACHER (60A: Many a Peloton employee)

SPIN JOBS: Each theme answer is a JOB that requires SPINning. A PRIMA BALLERINA does a pirouette, which is a SPIN. DISC JOCKEYS SPIN records. A CYCLING TEACHER teaches SPIN classes (indoor cycling classes).

What I learned from today's puzzle:

• BECK (63A: "Sexx Laws" artist) "Sexx Laws" is a song on BECK's 1999 album, Midnite Vultures. The song's music video features Jack Black as a member of the "Vision Warrior Men's Circle."
• STEEL (9D: Blue ___ (Zoolander's signature look)) In the 2001 movie Zoolander, which is a satire on the fashion industry, Ben Stiller portrays the title character, fashion model Derek Zoolander. Although I have heard of Zoolander, I've never seen the movie so I needed the help of crossing answers to discover that "Blue Steel" is Derek Zoolander's signature look.
• GAYE (61D: "Blood and Bone" actress Nona) Blood and Bone is a 2009 movie. Michael Jai White portrays Isaiah Bone, a martial artist who enters the underground fighting scene after he is released from prison. Nona GAYE portrays Tamara, Bone's landlady. This movie was Nona GAYE's last movie role before retiring from acting.

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• TRAIT (15A: One might be dominant) The idea that there are dominant and recessive TRAITs was introduced in the 1860s by Gregor Mendel, who is known as "The Father of Genetics." Brown eyes are an example of a dominant trait. If a person has one brown eye allele (a form of a gene), their eyes will be brown. Blue eyes, on the other hand, are a recessive trait. A person must have two blue eye alleles – one from each parent – in order to have blue eyes.
• AAVE (17A: Dialect in the Black community) African American Vernacular English (AAVE) is a dialect of English spoken by many Black people in urban U.S. communities. I have previously recommended this Lingua Obscura article about the importance of AAVE.
• LILO (19A: Title role played by Maia Kealoha in a 2025 remake) The 2025 movie LILO & Stitch is a live-action animated remake of Disney's 2002 animated movie of the same name. Maia Kealoha makes her film debut in the movie as LILO Pelekai, an orphaned six-year-old Native Hawaiian girl.
• PRIMA BALLERINA (20A: Misty Copeland, famously) PRIMA BALLERINA is the title given to the principal dancer of a ballet company. Misty Copeland is a principal dancer for the American Ballet Theatre. The 2015 documentary, A BALLERINA's Tale, tells Misty Copeland's story and discusses the challenges she's faced as a Black woman in the ballet world. This clue feels timely, as Misty Copeland has announced her retirement from the American Ballet Theatre, and will give her farewell performance on October 22.
• BORED (32A: "break up with your girlfriend, i'm ___" (Ariana Grande song)) Ariana Grande's song, "break up with your girlfriend, i'm BORED," was released in 2019 as a single from her album Thank U, Next. As you might guess from the song's title, the lyrics are about convincing a man to break up with his girlfriend.
• NPR (57A: "Planet Money" network) Planet Money is an NPR podcast with the tagline "The Economy Explained." Since it was launched to cover the 2008 financial crisis, Planet Money has produced over 1000 episodes, ranging in length from six minutes to half an hour. Covering a wide range of economic topics, Planet Money episodes aim to make economic journalism understandable for those without an academic background in economics.
• CYCLING TEACHER (60A: Many a Peloton employee) Peloton Interactive, Inc. is a company that makes stationary bikes and other exercise equipment. The company's name is a term used in road cycling races to refer to the main group of riders. For a monthly membership fee, users can access classes led by various CYCLING TEACHERs.
• DEALT (64A: Gave a hand to?) The question mark in this clue is the hint that it is not referring to "gave a hand to" as in "assisted," but rather as in "DEALT a hand of cards."
• CHAPEL (1D: "___ of Love" (song with the lyric "Gee, I really love you / And we're gonna get married") Thank you for the earworm, puzzle! "CHAPEL of Love" is a song made famous by the Dixie Cups in 1964. "Goin' to the CHAPEL / And we're gonna get married / Goin' to the CHAPEL / And we're gonna get married / Gee, I really love you / And we're gonna get married..." Several other singers and groups have recorded versions of "CHAPEL of Love," including Bette Midler (1972), the Beach Boys (1976), and Elton John (1994 for the movie Four Weddings and a Funeral).
• CALICO (10D: Tricolor kitty) The three colors in a CALICO cat's fur are white, orange, and black. You know my cat, Willow – who is a CALICO – is delighted to see this clue. Here she is stretched out to give you a nice view of her white, orange, and black fur.

Willow

• RELATED (12D: Like a person and their "23andMe" matches) 23andMe is one of several companies that offer personal DNA testing. It was the first company to begin offering DNA testing for ancestry purposes. A database allows users to find people to whom they are RELATED.
• CGI (28D: Tech used in MCU films) MCU is the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The abbreviation of MCU in the clue alerts solvers the answer will be an abbreviation. Many MCU films utilize computer-generated imagery, or CGI, to produce special effects.
• DAIRY COW (38D: Elsie is one) Elsie the DAIRY COW is a cartoon mascot developed in 1936 for the Borden Dairy Company. The success of the cartoon COW led to a real life version of ELSIE being used as Borden's spokesCOW.
• PLACEBO (43D: One of about seven in many packs of birth control pills) There are many different formulations of birth control pills. The pills contain a progestin and an estrogen, and – when taken correctly – eliminate ovulation and prevent pregnancy. Many packs of birth control pills contain 28 pills, one to be taken each day, ideally at the same time every day. The last seven pills in such packs are PLACEBOs and contain no hormones. The PLACEBO pills make it easier for women to keep track of the days they've taken a pill.
• BOB (63D: Signature haircut for Anna Wintour) Anna Wintour was the editor-in-chief of Vogue from 1988 to 2025. As the clue informs us, the pageboy BOB is her signature haircut.
• A few other clues I especially enjoyed:
• LOCATE (25A: Use the "Find My Friends" app)
• ORGANS (6D: Hearts but not souls)
• EXTRA (40D: Word yelled by a newsie) 

Were you going around in circles trying to figure out the theme of this puzzle? From the title, I wondered if this might be a hidden anagram theme. It seems like the word "SPIN" could work as an anagram indicator. However, when I filled in PRIMA BALLERINA, I discovered that was not the case. Then I had a nice "Aha!" moment as I realized that BALLERINAs SPIN. It was fun to uncover the other two SPIN JOBS. Thank you, Sala, for this delightful puzzle.