November 11, 2025

Title: IT'S RAINING MEN

Constructor: Zhouqin Burnikel

Editor: Amanda Rafkin

Theme synopsis:

• CRIME NOVEL (3D: "Gone Girl" and "Then She Was Gone," for two)
• GAME NIGHT (20D: Opportunity to play Scrabble)
• PRIME NUMBER (24D: 11, 13 or 17)

IT'S RAINING MEN: Each vertical theme answer contains the letter string MEN: CRIME NOVEL, GAME NIGHT, and PRIME NUMBER.

What I learned from today's puzzle:

• EELS (54D: Fish enjoyed on Midsummer Ox Day) In Japan, Midsummer Ox Day is in late July (occasionally it occurs in early August) when the weather is hot and humid. It is a tradition to eat grilled unagi (freshwater EELS) on Midsummer Ox Day. EELS are believed to give one the energy needed to make it through the heat of summer.

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• EARRING (13A: "Girl With a Pearl ___") Girl With a Pearl EARRING is an oil painting by Dutch artist Johannes Vermeer (1632-1675). The 1999 Tracy Chevalier novel, Girl With a Pearl EARRING, is historical fiction about the circumstances of the painting's creation. The book was adapted into a 2003 movie of the same name. This clue works whether a solver is familiar with the painting, the book, or the movie.
• STL (43A: City with the Muny theater (Abbr.)) The St. Louis Municipal Opera Theatre, commonly known as the Muny, is located in St. Louis (STL), Missouri. The Muny is an outdoor theatre located in Forest Park, a large city park in western STL, which is also home to the city's zoo, art museum, and science center. The Muny's season, which runs from mid-June to mid-August, includes an average of seven musicals each year. One of the Muny's hallmarks is that for each show, tickets for the last nine rows of the theater (about 1,500 tickets) are available free on a first come, first served basis.
• USO (50A: Grp. with troupes for troops) USO here stands for United Service Organizations Inc., a nonprofit organization that provides live entertainment to members of U.S. Armed Forces. The USO was founded during World War II in 1941. Many celebrities have performed with USO. Bob Hope (1903-2003) did 57 tours for USO between 1941 and 1991.
• DEGAS (1D: Impressionist Edgar) Edgar DEGAS (1834-1917) was a French artist. He is known for his pastel drawings, oil paintings, and sculptures. More than half of his works depict dancers. Although Edgar DEGAS is associated with Impressionism, he preferred the term "realist." 
• CRIME NOVEL (3D: "Gone Girl" and "Then She Was Gone," for two) Gillian Flynn's 2012 CRIME NOVEL Gone Girl is a psychological thriller about a woman who disappears and her husband who is suspected of murder. Then She Was Gone is a 2017 CRIME NOVEL by Lisa Jewell.  The story focuses on the disappearance of a teenage girl.
• GEICO (9D: Company with a spokeslizard) One of my favorite pieces of trivia is that the GEICO gecko has a name; it's Martin.
• GERI (14D: Spice Girl Halliwell) The Spice Girls were an English girl group popular in the 1990s. GERI Halliwell was nicknamed Ginger Spice.
• ABA (15D: Grp. promoting pro bono legal work) The American Bar Association, or ABA, was founded in 1878 and is a national association of U.S. lawyers and law students. As the clue informs us, the ABA advocates for pro bono legal work and encourages its members to aspire to provide at least 50 hours of free legal service each year. Additionally, the ABA provides resources to aid law firms and bar associations develop pro bono programs.
• PETS (33D: Adoptathon picks) An adoptathon is a special adoption drive held by animal shelters and rescue groups to find homes for as many PETS as possible. My cat, Willow, encourages the adoption of PETS.

• RAITA (34D: Dahi-based Indian dish) Dahi is a yogurt product that originated from the Indian subcontinent. RAITA is a dish of seasoned dahi with raw or cooked vegetables, often cucumber and onion.
• CUBA (35D: Country west of Haiti) The island of CUBA, Isla de la Juventud, and several smaller islands comprise the country of CUBA. The island of CUBA is located in the northern part of the Caribbean Sea, and with an area of just under 41,000 square miles, it is the Caribbean's largest island. The second largest island in the Caribbean (just under 30,000 square miles) is Hispaniola, which is home to Haiti and the Dominican Republic. CUBA is a little over 700 miles west of Haiti.
• AS A (58D: Happy ___ clam) Are clams particularly happy? The saying "Happy AS A clam," is a shortened version of a longer saying that gained popularity in the United States in the 19th century. The original saying was "Happy AS A clam at high tide." At high tide, clams are safe from predators (including humans), and therefore are presumably happier.
• A few other clues I especially enjoyed: 
• BAD IDEA (17A: "I wouldn't advise it")
• SPARE ME (64A: "I don't need to hear this!")
• EARTH (2D: Planet where we live)

"IT'S RAINING MEN" is a 1982 song by the Weather Girls. That's such an apt song for a duo with that name; it always makes me smile. The song's title makes a great theme for today's puzzle, with the word RAINING serving as an indicator that the word MEN is found vertically in the puzzle. Thank you, Zhouqin, for this enjoyable puzzle.