November 7, 2025

Title: THIN ICE (Freestyle)

Constructor: Willa Angel Chen Miller

Editor: Amie Walker

Theme synopsis:

THIN ICE (Freestyle): There's no theme today, as this is a freestyle, or themeless, puzzle. The title is a nod to WATCH YOUR STEP (35A: "Careful now!")

What I learned from today's puzzle:

• AMA (27A: Japanese divers famous for collecting pearls) The Japanese practice of pearl diving dates back to the eighth century. The majority of pearl divers, known as AMA, are women. AMA dive without scuba gear or air tanks, and learn the craft as teenagers, instructed by elder AMA. In addition to pearls, the free diving AMA collect seafood and seaweed from the ocean floor.
• ETHAN (49D: "Gattaca" actor Hawke) Gattaca is a 1997 science fiction movie. The movie's title consists of the letters G, A, T, and C, which stand for the four nucleotide bases of DNA: guanine, adenine, thymine, and cytosine. The movie is set in a "not-too-distant" future in which eugenics, conceiving children through genetic selection to achieve the best hereditary traits of their parents, is common. Those conceived naturally are referred to as "in-valid," while those conceived through eugenics are known as "valid." ETHAN Hawke stars as an in-valid, but through a series of circumstances begins impersonating a valid.

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• BIDET (1A: Bathroom feature whose name is a French loanword for "pony") Word etymology is fascinating, isn't it? 
• BORAT (12A: 2006 mockumentary about a Kazakh journalist) Kazakh journalist BORAT Sagdiyev is a fictional persona created and performed by comedian Sacha Baron Cohen. BORAT is the title character of two mockumentaries: BORAT! Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan (2006) and BORAT Subsequent Moviefilm: Delivery of Prodigious Bribe to American Regime for Make Benefit Once Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan (2020). 
• ALL-STAR (17A: 3-Down member) and DREAM TEAM (3D: Ideal squad) I think it's fun that these two answer are crossing so that the first "A" in ALL-STAR is quite literally part of the DREAM TEAM.
• EMMY (20A: Award usually presented at the Peacock Theater) The Peacock Theater is in Los Angeles, California. It was previously called the Nokia Theater (2007-2015) and the Microsoft Theater (2015-2023). Since 2008, the Peacock Theater has hosted the EMMY Awards, with the exception of 2020 and 2021. After the Emmy Awards presentation, a ball is held at the Los Angeles Convention Center, which is located across the street from the theater.
• NEW (25A: Start of four U.S. state names) Pop Geography Quiz: Can you name the four U.S. states whose names begin with the word NEW? I'll put the answer at the end of this blog post.
• CHE (47A: Revolutionary Guevara) CHE Guevara was a major figure in the Cuban Revolution. He served as Minister of Industries of Cuba from 1961-1965, and was executed in Bolivia in 1967. As a historical figure, CHE Guevara is revered by some groups, and reviled by others. Time magazine named CHE Guevara one of the 100 most influential people of the 20th century.
• CEMENT (50A: Powder used to make concrete) I think I was an adult when I realized there was a difference between CEMENT and concrete. Prior to that it seemed to me that the two words were often used interchangeably. As the clue informs us, CEMENT is a powder; it's the base ingredient that's mixed with sand, gravel, and water to make concrete.
• COUSINS (55A: Parent's nieces and nephews, to you) These kind of clues make my head hurt! I had to think about this one for a minute, but eventually got there. Ah yes, my mom's nieces and nephews are my COUSINS. My dad's nieces and nephews are also my COUSINS. Got it.
• ALPHA (67D: Generation after Z) Generation Z, aka Zoomers, refers to those born between 1996 and 2010. Generation ALPHA is the generational designation for those born in the early 2010s to the mid-2020s (in other words, around now). Generation Beta will include those born this year, as well as those born until approximately 2039. 
• GLORIA (6D: Steinem who co-founded Ms. magazine) Ms. magazine was co-founded in 1971 by GLORIA Steinem and Dorothy Pitman Hughes. GLORIA Steinem also served as one of the original editors at the magazine. Ms. began in 1971 as an insert in New York magazine. In January 1972, the first stand-alone issue of Ms. was published, featuring Wonder Woman on its cover.
• DST (14D: "Spring forward, fall back" letters) We saw DST (daylight saving time) three days ago clued as ["Spring forward" letters]. And yes, I'm still grumpy about the time change, and I don't want to talk about it.
• STEADY (16D: Like a professional cardstacker's hands) When I first read this clue, I thought it was referring to someone stacking a deck of cards in order to (illegally) win at poker. Well, ideally such a person's hands would be STEADY. Upon rereading the clue, I realize that a professional cardstacker (or card stacker) is actually one who literally stacks cards to build card houses. Oh! That definitely requires a STEADY hand. When I was a teenager, I spent hours building card houses. I got quite good at it, but my creations were minor compared to those of professional cardstacker Bryan Berg, who holds multiple Guinness World Records related to his craft. He's even built a replica of Cinderella's Castle out of cards for Walt Disney World. Now that required STEADY hands! I spent quite a bit of time exploring Bryan Berg's website. It may have inspired me to brush off my cardstacking skills.
• MEOW (21D: "Listen up, human, Kitty speaking!") I hear this sentiment multiple times a day! My cat, Willow, has a lot to say, "MEOW, MEOW, MEOW, MEOW, MEOW!"

• TUT (36D: Boy with a tomb in the Valley of the Kings) Valley of the Kings is an area of Egypt where, from about 1500 BCE to 1000 BCE, rock-cut tombs were excavated for pharaohs and other nobles. The Valley of Kings is known to contain at least 65 tombs and chambers. One of those tombs is that of the pharaoh Tutankhamun, who is commonly referred to as King TUT. Ruling in the 1300s BCE, King TUT was nine years old when he assumed his reign. King TUT ruled for nine years, dying unexpectedly at the age of 18. The tomb of King TUT was discovered in 1922.
• URANUS (37D: Planet between Saturn and Neptune) Multiple mnemonic devices exist to remember the names of the planets in order, such as "My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Noodles." The sentence can help one remember the order of the planets: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, URANUS, and Neptune.
• INCA (56D: Quipu maker) Quipus are knotted strings used by the INCA as a means of collecting data and keeping records. They are sometimes referred to as "talking knots." The word "quipu" comes from the Quechua word for "knot." Quipus were used to store numeric information, with clusters of knots and the types of knots representing digits.
• A few other clues I especially enjoyed:
• FREE (40A: Word on a curbside giveaway sign)
• IT HAPPENS (57A: "Welp, that's life!")
• SMARTIES (63A: Intelligent-sounding candies)

I enjoyed this breezy themeless puzzle, and never once felt like I was in danger of falling through THIN ICE. There's a lot of lively fill here – so much that I'm looking back over the grid and realize that I haven't yet mentioned SLAPDASH, SPORTS CAR, LEMON SNAP, or SAME HERE. Thank you, Willa, for this enjoyable puzzle.

Geography Quiz: The four U.S. states whose names begin with the word NEW are NEW Hampshire, NEW Jersey, NEW Mexico, and NEW York.