November 26, 2025

Title: THE IRONY! (Freestyle)

Constructor: Rafael Musa)

Editor: Amanda Rafkin

Theme synopsis:

THE IRONY! (Freestyle): There's no theme today, as this is a freestyle, or themeless, puzzle. The title is a nod to LOOK WHO'S TALKING (34A: "That's rich coming from you!").

What I learned from today's puzzle:

• NET (42D: Padel court divider) Padel is a racket sport that originated in Mexico. It is played on a court divided by a NET. The court is slightly smaller than a doubles tennis court. Although padel has the same scoring system as tennis, the rules are different.

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• SHE'S (4A: "Lately, ___ been dressing for revenge") "Lately SHE'S been dressing for revenge," is a line from Taylor Swift's 2022 song "Vigilante Shit." 
• ONO (16A: Fish also known as wahoo) ONO is the Hawaiian name for the wahoo, a fish found in tropical and subtropical areas. In Hawaiian, "ONO" means "delicious," or "good to eat."
• YEAST (21A: Fungus that makes bread rise) Fungi (also pluralized as funguses) are a fascinating group of organisms. The group includes microorganisms such as YEAST and molds, and also mushrooms. Although these organisms share some characteristics with plants, they are genetically more closely related to animals.
• WITCH (52A: Each of the Sanderson sisters in "Hocus Pocus") The 1993 movie Hocus Pocus features a trio of WITCHes named the Sanderson sisters. The WITCHes are portrayed by Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy. The three reprised their roles for Hocus Pocus 2 (2022). 
• RICE CAKE (56A: Starchy food like tteokbokki) Tteokbokki, also known as simmered RICE CAKE, is a food in Korean cuisine. Cylinder-shaped RICE CAKEs are paired with other ingredients and seasoned with spicy red chili paste.
• NPCS (61A: Modern term for people who can't seem to think for themselves) In video games, NPCS are non-player characters or non-playable characters. NPCS are controlled by the computer game rather than by the players of the game. Their actions and dialogue are prescribed. NPCS has come to refer to real people who can't seem to think for themselves.
• AIMEE (1D: "The White Lotus" star ___ Lou Wood) The White Lotus is an HBO TV series about a fictional resort chain called White Lotus. The show, which premiered in 2021, is an anthology series, one that presents a different story or may have a different cast or be set in a different location each season. AIMEE Lou Wood is part of the cast for the third season of The White Lotus, which is set in Thailand.
• PINK DRINK (9D: Rhyming Starbucks drink also known as a Strawberry Acai Refresher) We saw PINK DRINK as a theme answer August 4, 2025. In addition to strawberry and açaí, PINK DRINK also features passionfruit and coconut milk.
• RIGA (12D: Latvia's capital) Latvia is a country in Northern Europe with coastline along the Baltic Sea. Latvia and its neighbors to the north (Estonia) and south (Lithuania), are together referred to as the Baltic states. RIGA is Latvia's capital and largest city. About one-third of Latvia's residents live in RIGA.
• NOLLYWOOD (29D: Industry that includes Igbo-language films) The term NOLLYWOOD, used to refer to the film industry in Nigeria, first appeared in a New York Times article in the early 2000s. NOLLYWOOD has become the second largest film industry in the world (between Bollywood and Hollywood) in terms of movies produced each year. Igbo is the language of the Igbo people, and is a national language of Nigeria.
• A few other answers I especially enjoyed:
• COMING IN HOT (14A: Approaching a situation with a lot of energy)
• OLD NEWS (41A: Something that's no longer exciting to hear)
• GOOD VIBES (30D: Positive aura)

I was recently asked in a comment why themeless puzzles had titles. Actually, it may have been meant as a rhetorical question ... but I replied anyway. It's a fair question, so I thought I'd give my answer here as well. Each publication makes their own call on whether to give themeless puzzles titles, and I, of course, can't speak for them. Some publications have no titles for any puzzles, some simply title their themeless puzzles as "themeless," and others give their themeless puzzles a "vibe-based" title. Personally, I wish all crosswords had titles, because I do think it adds something to the solve. I don't have a strong opinion on titling themeless puzzles, but I do enjoy when they have titles. It adds a layer of discovering what answer(s) the title is pointing to. Today, for example, when I uncovered LOOK WHO'S TALKING, I immediately knew that's what THE IRONY! was referring to, and that was a fun "Aha!" moment. Thank you, Rafa, for this delightful puzzle.