December 11, 2025

Title: THAT'S DELISH-ISH!

Constructors: Katja Brinck & Shannon Rapp

Editor: Amanda Rafkin

Theme synopsis:

• CHEESE DANISH (20A: Breakfast pastry with a creamy filling)
• TATER TOT HOTDISH (37A: Midwestern casserole topped with crispy potatoes)
• SWEDISH FISH (55A: Chewy candy that's usually red)

THAT'S DELISH-ISH!: Each theme answer is a food item whose name ends with the letter string I-S-H: CHEESE DANISH,  TATER TOT HOTDISH, and SWEDISH FISH (double ISH here!).

And now a word from our constructors:

Katja and Shannon: This idea came about when Shannon and I decided to make a puzzle together, and we started going through backlogs of ideas to see what might work. I first had an idea inspired by ice cream (because duh ice cream is delicious), and then a follow-on idea where the title was “Kinda Sorta” with entries containing ISH. One of Shannon’s best tips when brainstorming theme ideas is to create a complete list of *all* the possibilities (not just taking the first three or four you think of) - so using spread the wordlist and wordlisted, we downloaded a list of every entry containing ISH. Upon review, Shannon noticed that there were a lot of food items in the longer entries. This helped focus a rather broad idea into a more elegant one, and then we had fun going through all the food items containing ISH, and deciding on a final set of three to use. Some that didn’t make the cut were PICKLE RELISH, HORSERADISH, and DAIKON RADISH, as well as multiple types of FISH. After settling on the idea, the next step was brainstorming a title. We thought of “A Little Bit Tasty” or “Kinda A Snack” and the very simple “That’s Del-ish!”  Amanda’s final suggestion was to title the puzzle “That’s Delish-ish!” and really lean into the silliness of it. We hope you enjoy solving...and maybe get a snack after!

What I learned from today's puzzle:

• PIANO (14A: Instrument in the "A Real Pain" soundtrack) A Real Pain is a 2024 movie starring Jesse Eisenberg and Kieran Culkin as cousins who embark on a Jewish heritage tour through Poland in honor of their late grandmother. The movie's soundtrack is composed primarily of PIANO pieces written by Polish composer Frédéric Chopin (1810-1849).
• AISHA (2D: "9-1-1" star Hinds) 9-1-1 is a TV series that follows the personal and professional lives of Los Angeles first responders (fire fighters, police officers, and paramedics). The show premiered in 2018. It was the first show of the 9-1-1 franchise that now also includes 9-1-1: Lone Star and 9-1-1: Nashville. AISHA Hinds portrays Henrietta "Hen" Wilson, a firefighter and paramedic. 
• OTAMATONE (34D: Instrument shaped like an eighth note) The OTAMATONE is an electronic musical synthesizer. It does indeed look like an eighth note. I also saw its shape described as a tadpole or a ladle. There is a pressure sensitive controller on the stem of the instrument, and the sound comes out of a speaker in the instrument's head (which is squeezed open to allow the sound out). The OTAMATONE is new to me – and now I kind of want one! (The way the head opens to release the sound reminds me of the Muppophones played by Marvin Suggs on The Muppet Show.)

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• ALOO (16A: Indian buffet potatoes) Here is my occasional reminder to you that ALOO is the Hindi word for potatoes.
• ESPNU (17A: Channel for a Mizzou volleyball game) ESPNU is a channel that primarily airs college athletic events. I like the choice here to highlight a particular university and sport in the clue. Mizzou is the University of Missouri, which is located in Columbia, Missouri. I have a soft spot for Mizzou, since I went to high school in Columbia. I didn't attend Mizzou, but my daughter did (although she didn't play volleyball).
• TIARAS (24A: "The Princess Diaries" headpieces) The Princess Diaries is a series of young adult novels by Meg Cabot. The novels have been adapted into two movies (with a third in the works) starring Anne Hathaway as Mia Thermopolis, the Princess of Genovia (who, of course, wears a TIARA).
• AMA (31A: Reddit Q&A) AMA = Ask Me Anything
• MYA (35A: "Lady Marmalade" artist aptly hidden in "Grammy Award") "Lady Marmalade" was a hit for Labelle in the 1970s. In 2001, the soundtrack for the movie Moulin Rouge! included a cover version of "Lady Marmalade" by Christina Aguilera, Lil' Kim, MÝA, and Pink. Interestingly, all four singers recorded their vocal parts in separate sessions. Their version of "Lady Marmalade" won a Grammy Award for "Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals." (Oh, look, MÝA is hanging out in the Grammy Award.)
• MEMES (44A: Images like "Distracted boyfriend") If you've been on social media at all, you've likely seen a version of the extremely popular "Distracted boyfriend" MEME. You know the one: a couple is walking down the street and the man is looking over his shoulder at another woman. The "Distracted Boyfriend" MEME is based on a 2015 stock photograph. It has been shared numerous times with a variety of labels. The website Know Your Meme has a 4-minute video that tells you more than you ever want to about this particular MEME. (I found it interesting.)
• RAT (54A: Chef Remy in "Ratatouille," e.g.) Remy is the RAT chef in the 2007 animated movie Ratatouille. I enjoyed the fact that RAT was clued in reference to Chef Remy to go along with the food-related theme.
• OREO (62A: Cookie with a Blueberry Pie flavor) Blueberry Pie OREOs were a limited release flavor in 2016, and they were rereleased this year. They feature vanilla cookies filled with blueberry pie flavored creme. This is the second appearance of our crossword friend OREO this month and its 26th appearance of 2025. OREO is currently ahead of both ASIA (23) and ERIE (21) for 2025 USA Today crossword appearances. Will it be able to hold onto that lead? Stay tuned...
• ENDOR (63A: "Return of the Jedi" moon) Return of the Jedi (1983), also known as Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi is the third movie of the Star Wars franchise and the sixth movie chronologically. ENDOR is a fictional moon that features in the movie. The furry, bipedal Ewoks inhabit the forests of ENDOR. 
• TAPED (3D: Recorded "Wheel" on the VCR, say) This clue made me smile. I imagine the number of people who TAPED Wheel of Fortune on their VCRs was higher in the 1980s and 1990s than it is currently, as VCRs haven't been produced since 2016. 
• ANNE (4D: "Mad About You" actress Ramsay) Mad About You is a sitcom about a couple – Paul Buchman (Paul Reiser) and Jamie Buchman (Helen Hunt) – living in Greenwich Village in New York City. ANNE Ramsay portrays Lisa Stemple, Jamie's older sister. The first seven episodes of Mad About You originally aired from 1992-1999. An eighth season aired in 2019.
• HATHA (10D: Type of yoga) HATHA yoga is an umbrella term used for multiple yoga styles including Vinyasa and Iyengar. HATHA yoga practices focus on attaining balance by pranayama (focusing on breath) and asana (body posture). 
• ALI (11D: Tony winner Stroker) In 2015 ALI Stroker played the role of Anna in the Broadway show Spring Awakening, making history as the first actress that uses a wheelchair for mobility to appear on a Broadway stage. She won a Tony Award in 2019 for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for her performance in Oklahoma. I have not seen ALI Stroker on Broadway, but I do know her from her appearances in the first two seasons of Only Murders in the Building. She played an enthusiastic fan of the Only Murders in the Building podcast.
• DOS (13D: "Por que no los ___?") "Por que no los DOS?" "Why not both?" This phrase, which is featured in many MEMES, became popular following a 2011 Old El Paso commercial.
• ISIS (19D: Ancient Egyptian goddess) ISIS was a major goddess in ancient Egyptian religion. She was believed to help the dead enter the afterlife, and was considered to be the divine mother of the pharaoh. Eventually she came to also be associated with fertility.
• THEMED (28D: Like this crossword) I always enjoy a self-referential clue.
• THE (38D: "___ Naked Gun" (2025 comedy)) THE Naked Gun is the fourth movie in THE Naked Gun franchise, which is based on the 1982 TV series Police Squad! The other three films in the crime parody franchise are THE Naked Gun" From the Files of Police Squad! (1982), THE Naked Gun 2½: THE Smell of Fear (1992), and THE Naked Gun 33⅓: THE Final Insult (1994). The first three movies starred Leslie Nielson as Detective Frank Drebin. THE Naked Gun stars Liam Neeson as Frank Drebin Jr.
• A few other clues I especially enjoyed:
• FLOW CHART (58A: Diagram with arrows)
• MOUSE EARS (35D: Headwear seen at Epcot)
• TOE SHOES (40D: Footwear with "fingers")

I found this puzzle to be kinda sorta delightful-ISH.  As a Midwesterner, I particularly enjoyed the theme answer TATER TOT HOTDISH. In some parts of the Midwest, HOTDISH is the term used for a casserole. It's also (kinda sorta) fun that SWEDISH FISH has a double dose of ISH. Thank you, Katja and Shannon, for this excellent puzzle.