November 19, 2025

Title: GROUNDBREAKING

Constructor: Emily Biegas

Editor: Amanda Rafkin

Theme synopsis:

• LABOR DAY WEEKEND (20A: Holiday period marking the end of summer)
• LARRY LEGEND (35A: Nickname for Celtics legend Bird)
• LAB-GROWN DIAMOND (53A: Sustainably sourced wedding ring option)

GROUNDBREAKING: The word LAND (a synonym for GROUND) is broken by each theme answer: LABOR DAY WEEKEND, LARRY LEGEND, and LAB-GROWN DIAMOND.

And now a word from our constructor:

Emily: This week, my debut crossword book written with Sala Wanetick was released! It's called Block Party: Detroit Edition and it's just what it sounds like - hyperlocal, Detroit-themed puzzles. There are minis, midis, 15x grids and oversized grids, both themed and freestyle, all with fill and clues that pay tribute to the Motor City. If you live in the area, check in with your fav local bookseller or gift shop to grab a copy. Or if you're living elsewhere and homesick for the D, you can order it directly from here. 

What I learned from today's puzzle:

• CLOAK (40A: ___ of Levitation (Dr. Strange accessory)) Dr. Strange is a Marvel Comics character. He's a neurosurgeon who became a Master of the Mystic Arts after a career-ending car accident. (This much I knew.) The CLOAK of Levitation is a mystical relic worn by Dr. Strange. The CLOAK gives him the ability to fly, and it also has the ability to move and fly on its own. 

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• OSAKA (13A: Tennis champion Naomi) I have previously written about Naomi OSAKA. Although she has lived in the United States since she was three years old, Naomi OSAKA represents Japan, her birth country, in sports. At the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo (held in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic), Naomi OSAKA lit the Olympic cauldron during the opening ceremony.
• SAY (26A: "___ It Ain't So" (Weezer song)) "SAY It Ain't So" is a 1995 song by Weezer. I'm a fan of using song titles to add interest to clues for three-letter words. It's nice, also, that this answer is inferable even for solvers not familiar with this song.
• AED (34A: Emergency device found in most public places (Abbr.)) An automated external defibrillator (AED) is a portable device that can diagnose life-threatening cardiac arrhythmias, and treat them through the application of electricity that then allows the heart to re-establish an effective rhythm. As the clue notes, AEDs are found in many public places. The devices utilize simple commands that allow them to be used even by people not trained on their use. Cardiac arrhythmias can be deadly within minutes, so quick treatment is lifesaving.
• LARRY LEGEND (35A: Nickname for Celtics legend Bird) LARRY Bird played for the NBA's Boston Celtics from 1979-1992. During his time on the team, the Boston Celtics were NBA champions three times. LARRY Bird coached for the Indiana Pacers from 1997-2000, and served as the Pacers' president of basketball operations from 2003-2012. LARRY LEGEND, as he is sometimes called, is considered one of the greatest basketball players of all time. Here's a video compilation of 50 LARRY LEGEND plays that gives a sense of his skill. (I was a little confused by the appearance of the word "legend" in the clue. That made me think the answer must not be LARRY LEGEND, but crossing answers confirmed that it was.)
• RUMORS (41A: They're heard through the grapevine) and GOSSIPED (36D: Exchanged some 41-A) RUMOR has it that this puzzle is full of GOSSIP. I quite enjoyed this tell-all pair.
• IPA 48A: Bell's Two-Hearted, e.g.) According to the Bell's Brewery website, Two Hearted IPA is "named after fishing waters in Michigan's Upper Peninsula." If you'd like to learn how Bell's Brewery "Started In a Soup Pot, Now We're Here," I recommend checking out the history section of their website.
• LAB-GROWN DIAMOND (53A: Sustainably sourced wedding ring option) A LAB-GROWN DIAMOND, also referred to as synthetic or artificial or cultured DIAMOND, is pretty much what it sounds like. There are a couple of processes used to produce LAB-GROWN DIAMONDs: high pressure high temperature (HPHT) and chemical vapor deposition (CVD). These processes can produce DIAMONDs in three to four weeks, compared to the billions of years it takes for a naturally formed DIAMOND. LAB-GROWN DIAMONDs have increased in popularity and decreased in price in the last few years.
• LIEU (57A: Parisian place?) This is a tricky question mark clue. It's not referring to an actual place in Paris, but to the French word meaning "place," which is LIEU.
• LION (62A: "Cowardly" character in "The Wizard of Oz") Even though I've done so the last two days, I was not planning on mentioning the upcoming release of the movie Wicked: For Good today. I really wasn't. But the Cowardly LION is in the movie, so when I'm handed an opportunity like this I couldn't pass it up. Anyway, if you are a Wicked fan, I hope you have a plan to see this movie. I have tickets to see it next week, and – just in case you couldn't tell – I'm looking forward to it. My cat, Willow, is indifferent about Wicked, but she is a fan of seeing her big cat cousin, LION, in the puzzle.

• ARIANA (2D: Broadway star DeBose) ARIANA DeBose's Broadway debut was as Nautica in the musical Bring It On (2011-2012). In 2018, she portrayed Disco Donna on Broadway in Summer: The Donna Summer Musical.
• ASIA (6D: Continent where Earth's highest and lowest elevation points are both found) The highest point on Earth is the peak of Mount Everest with an elevation of over 29,031 feet above sea level. The lowest point of land on Earth is on the banks of the Dead Sea, which is about 1,300 feet below sea level. (This is not to be confused with Earth's lowest point, which is the Mariana Trench in the western Pacific Ocean.) Mount Everest and the Dead Sea are located in ASIA. Our crossword friend ASIA is making its second appearance of the month.
• HALO (32D: Angel's ring of light) HALO is making back-to-back puzzle appearances. We saw HALO yesterday clued as [Head light?].
• LIMA BEAN (35D: Legume that was discovered in Peru) LIMA BEANs were discovered in Peru, a South American country whose capital is LIMA. Although the BEANs are named for the capital, their names are usually pronounced differently.
• RRR (42D: 2022 film with the Oscar-winning song "Naatu Naatu") RRR is a Telugu-language movie that tells a fictional story of two revolutionaries in India that fight against British rule.  "Naatu Naatu" is a song in RRR that was written to showcase the dancing talent of the heroes. "Naatu Naatu" won an Oscar for Best Original Song.

As I've mentioned before, I like puzzles that require me to take an extra step to uncover the theme. That extra effort results in a rewarding payoff. Today I was able to guess from the title that the theme would be a word "broken" by the theme answers. The broken word is not GROUND, however, but LAND, resulting in a nice "Aha!" moment. Thank you, Emily, for this enjoyable puzzle.