November 8, 2025

Title: HALF MOON

Constructor: Matthew Luter

Editor: Amanda Rafkin

Theme synopsis:

• MOUNTAIN LION (19A: Cat also known as a cougar or puma)
• MORNING PERSON (34A: Someone who's eager to rise and shine)
• MOLLY SHANNON (52A: "SNL" alum who played "Superstar" Mary Katherine Gallagher)

HALF MOON: The word MOON is split in HALF by each theme answer: MOUNTAIN LION, MORNING PERSON, and MOLLY SHANNON.

And now a word from our constructor:

Matthew: One thing I’m trying to do more often is get interesting mid-length entries into a grid. The theme entries remain the focal points, but evocative 6-letter to 8-letter fill can really help a grid sing. Yes, sometimes we need a less-than-exciting RECALLS or SULTANS, but I hope multi-word fun things like USER ID, OH BABY, RED PEN, TEAM UP, and I MEAN IT add some interest. Thanks for solving!

What I learned from today's puzzle:

• NATURE (21D: State of ___ (hypothetical society predating government)) Today I learned the phrase "state of NATURE," a term used to describe the way of life before humans organized themselves into structured societies. It's difficult for me to imagine such a state, though I admit the idea intrigues me.

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• ARIEL (13A: "Part of Your World" singer) ARIEL is the title character of Disney's 1989 animated movie The Little Mermaid. She sings "Part of Your World" to express her desire to become human. The song is sung by Jodi Benson, who voices ARIEL.
• HAHN (14A: "WandaVision" actress Kathryn) WandaVision is an MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe) TV miniseries set three weeks after the events of the 2019 movie, Avengers: Endgame. Kathryn Hahn plays the role of AGATHA Harkness, a witch that masquerades as nosy neighbor, Agnes.
• NEPAL (16A: Kathmandu's country) NEPAL is a landlocked country in South Asia. Kathmandu is NEPAL's capital and largest city.
• ELBA (17A: "The Wire" actor Idris) The Wire is a crime drama TV series that originally aired from 2002-2008. The show was set in Baltimore, Maryland, and each season of the show centered on a different institution of the city (illegal drug trade, the port system, city government, education, and print news media) and its interactions with law enforcement. Idris ELBA played the role of drug kingpin Russell "Stringer" Bell.
• URDU (18A: Language of Pakistan) URDU is a language spoken mainly in South Asia. It is the national language of Pakistan. Farsi, which is predominantly spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, and Tajikistan, played a significant role in the development of URDU, resulting in URDU having a large number of loanwords from Farsi though they are distinct languages.
• MOUNTAIN LION (19A: Cat also known as a cougar or puma) My cat, Willow, is always happy to see her big cat cousin the MOUNTAIN LION (by any of its names) in the puzzle. Sometimes Willow will sit with her front legs hanging down; I call this her "big cat pose" as it reminds me of a MOUNTAIN LION in a tree.

• TALES (30A: "The Canterbury ___") Geoffrey Chaucer wrote The Canterbury TALES between 1387 and 1400. The TALES are presented as a storytelling contest among pilgrims traveling from London to Canterbury. I have a vague memory of reading The Canterbury TALES in high school English class.
• OREO (32A: Cookie brand that partnered with Selena Gomez in 2025) Earlier this year, OREO and Selena Gomez worked together on a limited-edition OREO variety inspired by horchata, a drink made with nuts and flavored with cinnamon. The Selena Gomez OREOs have two layers of filling, a chocolate and cinnamon creme layer and a sweetened condensed milk and cinnamon sugar layer. The filling is sandwiched in chocolate-cinnamon cookies. The OREOs are embossed with six different, Selena Gomez-related designs. Our crossword friend OREO is having a good month. This is the third time we've seen OREO this November, and the 22nd time we've seen it this year. For those who like data as much as I do, OREO is currently ahead of both ASIA (19) and ERIE (18) for 2025 appearances.
• RUN (33A: Try to get a seat, in a way) The seat here is a political office, which one would attain via a RUN for office.
• MORNING PERSON (34A: Someone who's eager to rise and shine) Oh, hi, it's me! (It is not my husband, however.)
• MOB (41A: Group of kangaroos) A group of kangaroos is referred to as a MOB, a court, a herd, or a troop. The word MOB is definitely the most evocative of these collective names.
• MARCO (43A: Start of a pool game?) This clue is not talking about billiards, but is a reference to the game "MARCO Polo," that is played in a swimming pool.
• IAGO (47A: "Othello" antagonist) I recently wrote about IAGO.
• MOLLY SHANNON (52A: "SNL" alum who played "Superstar" Mary Katherine Gallagher) MOLLY SHANNON was an SNL (Saturday Night Live) cast member from 1995 to 2001. During her time on SNL, she performed several sketches as the character Mary Katherine Gallagher, an awkward Catholic school student who aspires to be a musical superstar. MOLLY SHANNON starred in the 1999 movie Superstar, which was based on her character.
• ERNIE (63A: Orange Muppet) Today's constructor and I are both Muppet fans, so this reference to Sesame Street's ERNIE makes me happy.
• WALT (7D: Whitman who wrote "I contain multitudes") "I contain multitudes" is a line from the poem "Song of Myself" by WALT Whitman (1819-1892). " Do I contradict myself? / Very well then I contradict myself, / (I am large, I contain multitudes.)"
• SERIAL (10D: Peabody-winning investigative podcast) SERIAL is an investigative journalism podcast that narrates a nonfiction story over several episodes. Sarah Koenig hosts SERIAL, which first aired in 2014. In 2015, SERIAL won a Peabody Award "for its innovations of form and its compelling, drilling account of how guilt, truth, and reality are decided." SERIAL is the first podcast to receive a Peabody Award, which honors excellence in radio, TV, and online media. 
• SULTANS (15D: Ottoman Empire leaders) The Ottoman Empire was founded around 1299, and existed in some form until 1924. In the 16th and 17th centuries, the Ottoman Empire controlled areas of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa. The leaders of the Ottoman Empire were referred to as SULTANS. 
• ONIONY (32D: Like a bialy) A bialy is an ONIONY roll that originated in Poland. Jewish immigrants brought the bialy to New York City.
• ATHENA (46D: Goddess who guided Odysseus) In Greek mythology, Odysseus is a legendary king of Ithaca. He is the hero of Homer's epic poem, the Odyssey. ATHENA was Odysseus's divine patron and protector who helped him throughout the Odyssey.
• ISLAM (49D: Religion with five pillars) The five pillars of ISLAM are the foundation of Muslim life. The pillars are basic acts considered mandatory by believers. The five pillars of Sunni ISLAM are: Shahada (Profession of Faith), Salat (Prayer), Zakat (Almsgiving), Shawm (Fasting), and Hajj (Pilgrimage). Shia ISLAM has the same basic acts, but they differ in the naming and numbering.
• A few other clues I especially enjoyed:
• OH BABY (8D: "Wowie zowie!")
• RELATE (45D: "I can ___")
• INN (58D: Word after "Days" or "Holiday")

With respect to lunar phases, the term HALF MOON is used to refer to the first quarter or third quarter, the phase halfway between the full MOON and the new MOON. I looked up to see when the next HALF MOON will be, thinking it would be fun if it were tonight, but it's not until November 12. Obviously, that doesn't really matter, since today HALF MOON is our puzzle theme, and that works during any lunar phase. Thank you, Matt, for this enjoyable puzzle.