November 25, 2025

Title: FALLING STAR

Constructor: Darby Ratliff

Editor: Amanda Rafkin

Theme synopsis:

• SUPPORT SYSTEM (8D: Network of people who are there for you)
• HOLLYWOOD SIGN (16D: Los Angeles landmark blown away in "Sharknado")
• ROCKET POWER (17D: Former Nicktoon about a group of preteen extreme sports lovers)

FALLING STAR: The last word of each vertical theme answer can be paired with the word STAR: STAR SYSTEM, STAR SIGN, and STAR POWER.

What I learned from today's puzzle:

• ROCKET POWER (17D: Former Nicktoon about a group of preteen extreme sports lovers) The animated TV series ROCKET POWER originally aired on Nickelodeon from 1999 to 2004. The main characters are Otto ROCKET, Regina "Reggie" ROCKET, Maurice "Twister" Rodriguez, and Sam "Squid" Dillard. The group's adventures usually involve extreme sports such as skateboarding, surfing, biking, etc.

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• LAP CAT (18A: Feline who's fond of pets, perhaps) A LAP CAT may be fond of "pets" of the stroking of the fur variety, while not being fond of "pets" in the sense of other animals. This is definitely the case with my LAP CAT, Willow. Although we had another CAT and a dog when we first adopted Willow, she is now an only pet and is quite happy with that status. Aptly, Willow was on my LAP when I wrote this.

• SALLY (25A: Astronaut Ride) Thanks, Darby, for putting my name in the puzzle! I'm always happy to see SALLY Ride get a puzzle mention, and not only because she has an amazing first name. Dr. SALLY Ride (1951-2012) was the first female American astronaut in space, as a crew member on Space Shuttle Challenger in 1983. She also wrote children's books about space aimed at encouraging children to study science. 
• KAT (26A: "Thor" actor Dennings) KAT Dennings portrays Darcy Lewis in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). To date, she has played the character in Thor (2011), Thor: The Dark World (2013), Thor: Love and Thunder (2022), and in the TV series WandaVision (2021) and What If...? (2021-2024, voice role).
• SLY (42A: Like the Smirking Face emoji) 😏
• LEGO (44A: Brick that hurst to step on) My foot hurts just from reading this clue.
• TESSA (46A: "Passing" actor Thompson) Passing is a 2021 movie based on Nella Larsen's 1929 book of the same name. In the movie, TESSA Thompson and Ruth Negga portray Irene and Clare, Black women who were childhood friends. When the two reconnect as adults, Irene realizes Clare has been "passing" as white, and has married a wealthy, racist, white man.
• TERPS (55A: Univ. of Maryland athletes) The University of Maryland, College Park is a land-grant research university founded in 1856. The sports teams of the University of Maryland are the Terrapins, or the TERPS, for short. The abbreviation of university in the clue alerts solvers the answer is going to be a shortened form. A terrapin is a type of tortoise. The University of Maryland's mascot is a diamondback terrapin named Testudo, which is the Latin word for tortoise.
• APR (62A: Autism Acceptance Mo.) Autism Acceptance Month celebrates the talents, contributions, and diversity of people in the Autism community. Of course, acceptance and celebration of the Autism community is a great thing year-round, not just in April.
• HONORS (2D: Magna cum laude and summa cum laude, e.g.) Magna cum laude and summa cum laude are Latin HONORS awarded by colleges and universities in the United States (and in some other countries). "Magna cum laude" means "with great praise," and "summa cum laude" means "with highest praise."
• BRAIN (7D: Pinky's animated partner in crime) Animaniacs (1993-1998 and 2020-2023) is an animated comedy TV series produced by Warner Bros. Pinky and the BRAIN are genetically altered anthropomorphic laboratory mice. Pinky and the BRAIN appeared in a recurring segment on Animaniacs, and the pair got their own spin-off series – Pinky and the BRAIN – that aired from 1995-1998.
• HOLLYWOOD SIGN (16D: Los Angeles landmark blown away in "Sharknado") The HOLLYWOOD SIGN is, of course, the large SIGN overlooking HOLLYWOOD in Los Angeles, California, that is composed of 50-foot tall letters spelling out the word HOLLYWOOD. Sharknado is a series of six made-for-TV comedy disaster movies. As the name suggests, the movies are about "sharknadoes" - tornadoes filled with sharks. The first movie, Sharknado, was released in 2013, and in that movie the HOLLYWOOD SIGN is blown away.
• VAN (29D: Liv's "Yellowjackets" character) The TV series Yellowjackets tells the story of a high school girls' soccer team whose plane crashes in the wilderness. The show recounts the time of survival after the crash, as well as events that occur 25 years later. Liv Hewson portrays Vanessa "VAN" Palmer, the soccer team's goalkeeper.
• TALE (34D: "Attend the ___ of Sweeney Todd…") "Attend the TALE of Sweeney Todd..." is the opening line of "The Ballad of Sweeney Todd," the first song in the 1979 Sondheim musical Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. "Attend the TALE of Sweeney Todd / His skin was pale and his eye was odd / He shaved the faces of gentlemen / Who never thereafter were heard of again..."
• SELA (56D: "The Fugitive" actor Ward) The Fugitive is a 1993 thriller movie about Dr. Richard Kimble (played by Harrison Ford) who is framed for the murder of his wife. SELA Ward portrays the wife, Helen Kimble.
• OBO (57D: "The price is flexible" letters) OBO = or best offer
• A few other clues I especially enjoyed:
• GOSSIPED (20A: Gabbed with pals about other pals)
• YEE (31A: "___-haw!" (exclamation that might be sent with a cowboy emoji))
• ERR (32A: Spell "something" wrong)

A FALLING STAR is considered a sign of good luck. If you successfully solved this puzzle, I'd say you're entitled to make a wish. (No guarantee on it coming true, but you never know!) Thank you, Darby, for this shining puzzle.