November 17, 2025

Title: SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES

Constructor: K.J. Sarr

Editor: Amanda Rafkin

Theme synopsis:

• DEAD RINGER (16A: *Double)
• TWO-BASE HIT (27A: *Double)
• WORK HARD (46A: *Toil)
• DIRE STRAITS (60A: *Trouble)

SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES: Taken together, the clues of the theme answers form a line said by the witches in William Shakespeare's play, Macbeth, "Double, double, toil, and trouble."

And now a word from our constructor:

K.J.: This was my first time trying this kind of theme, and the puzzle is also an inadvertent tribute to my high school English teacher (whose enthusiastic recitations helped me retain many phrases from Macbeth & more over the years).

What I learned from today's puzzle:

• ROE (53A: Eggos on Toast Skagen) Toast Skagen is a Swedish dish consisting of toasted bread topped with shrimp salad and ROE. 

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• ARENA (13A: Destination for a rock lover, maybe) That would be a lover of rock music, attending a concert in an ARENA, rather than a geologist.
• INCA (14A: Tawantinsuyu, aka the ___ Empire) In the late 1400s and early 1500s, the INCA Empire incorporated a large part of western South America, including portions of the modern-day countries of Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia, Argentina, Chile, and Colombia. The official language of the INCA Empire was Quechua. In Quechua, the INCA Empire is referred to as Tawantinsuyu, which translates to "Realm of the Four Parts."
• NAP (24A: Word after "cat" or "power") and CLAW (32D: Sharp cat part) My cat, Willow, is always happy to see cat references in the puzzle. She considers herself somewhat of an expert on the subject of cat NAPs.

• CAPER (32A: Pickled bud) A CAPER is an edible flower bud of the CAPER bush, also known as Flinders rose. The fruits of the bush are referred to as CAPER berries. Salted and pickled CAPERs are often served on bagels with lox and cream cheese.
• DUMAS (42A: Alexandre with a home named Chateau de Monte-Cristo) Alexander DUMAS (1802-1870) was a French author whose works include The Count of Monte-Cristo (1844-1846) and The Three Musketeers (1844). This clue made me wonder which came first, The Count of Monte-Cristo or the Château de Monte-Cristo. It appears that the book came first. It was serialized from 1844 to 1846, and then published as a novel in 1846. Alexandre DUMAS built the Château de Monte-Cristo in 1846 as a country house outside of Paris. Unfortunately, he had to sell the house two years later when faced with financial difficulties. This is a story with an eventual happy ending, however, as the Château de Monte-Cristo is now a public historic museum. I read The Count of Monte-Cristo when I was in high school, and I remember it as an amazing story of revenge. I've considered rereading it; I wonder how my view of it would hold up.
• OREO (2D: ___ cows (cookie-inspired nickname for Belted Galloways)) Belted Galloways are a traditional Scottish breed of cattle. I have to admit that they indeed look a bit like an OREO, with a black front and rear and a white stripe around their middle. This is a fun take on an OREO clue. Our crossword friend OREO is having a good month; it's making its fourth appearance of November, and its 23rd appearance of 2025.
• MARIA (5D: Song in "West Side Story" and "The Sound of Music") Here's another fun clue! In West Side Story, the song "MARIA" is song by the character of Tony after he learns it is the name of the girl he has fallen in love with. "The most beautiful sound I ever heard / MARIA, MARIA, MARIA, MARIA..." In The Sound of Music, the song "MARIA" is sung by the nuns at the abbey about their young wayward friend. "How do you solve a problem like MARIA? / How do you catch a cloud and pin it down?" Two great – and quite different – songs.
• ANGELOU (6D: "On the Pulse of Morning" poet Maya) Maya ANGELOU (1928-2014) published seven autobiographies, multiple collections of poetry, several children's books, multiple plays, and even a couple of cookbooks. She read her poem, "On the Pulse of Morning" at the first inauguration of President Bill Clinton on January 20, 1993. Maya ANGELOU's audio recording of "On the Pulse of Morning" won a Grammy Award in the "Best Spoken Word" category.
• EVEN (11D: Like well-trimmed bangs) Oh my, this clue evoked some memories of not-at-all EVEN or well-trimmed bangs from my childhood!
• HOMER (29D: Credited author of "The Odyssey") The Odyssey is a Greek epic poem composed around the 8th or 7th century BCE. The poem follows Odysseus on his journey home after the Trojan War. As the clue informs us, The Odyssey is accredited to the Greek poet HOMER.
• REDHEADS (33D: Anne of Green Gables and Pippi Longstocking, e.g.) I enjoyed the mention of these two literary REDHEADS. They are the title characters of Anne of Green Gables (1908) by Lucy Maud Montgomery and Pippi Longstocking (1945) by Astrid Lindgren.
• AD CREEP (44D: Increased presence of promotions) The term AD CREEP has been used since the 1990s. It particularly refers to the appearance of ADs in places where they weren't previously seen, such as in bathroom stalls, in elevators, on vehicles, on ATMs, etc.
• OHIO (52D: Only state with a non rectangular flag) This is a fun trivia tidbit to have in your back pocket to pull out at dinner parties when there's a lull in the conversation. "Hey, did you know the flag of OHIO is the only non-rectangular U.S. state flag." As your companions' eyes glaze over you might add, "The triangular swallowtail flag features 17 stars indicating OHIO was the 17th state admitted to the union." 
• REY (62D: Jedi from Jakku) Four days ago, we saw REY clued as ["Star Wars" heroine played by Daisy Ridley]. Before she became a Jedi (training under Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa), REY was a scavenger on the desert planet Jakku, where she was abandoned as a child.

In William Shakespeare's play, Macbeth, as the title character is about to approach the witches, one of the witches says, "By the pricking of my thumbs, SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES." It's a classic line, and it was fun to see it as the title of today's puzzle. I did not have a guess about the theme from the title (well, not one that ended up being correct anyway...). However, as soon as I encountered the 16-Across clue of [*Double], my mind immediately went to the witches' line of "Double, double, toil, and trouble," and it was fun to see the rest of this quote emerge in the remaining clues. It's not as common to have the theme in the clues rather than the grid, but I quite enjoy this occasional change-up. Thank you, K.J., for this delightfully WICKED puzzle.

P.S. The title of this puzzle also reminds me that the movie WICKED: For Good is being released this week. SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES indeed!