December 15, 2025

Title: HOLDING IN LAUGHTER

Constructors: Shannon Rapp & Will Eisenberg

Editor: Amanda Rafkin

Theme synopsis:

• HETEROFLEXIBLE (16A: 1 or 2 on the Kinsey scale, perhaps)
• MICROFLEECE (34A: Warm-but-breathable synthetic material)
• THE POWER OF LOVE (55A: No. 1 hit from "Back to the Future")

HOLDING IN LAUGHTER: Each theme answer is HOLDING the letter string ROFL, an acronym for "Rolling On the Floor Laughing": HETEROFLEXIBLE, MICROFLEECE, and THE POWER OF LOVE.

And now a word from our constructors:

Shannon & Will: The string hidden in this puzzle's theme entries, ROFL, seems at first blush like one that wouldn't be found in any entries. Turns out, there are a few good ones—just a few, but that's enough to make a puzzle. Don't give up on looking for something just because you think it might not exist. We're also happy to debut MSP for USA Today in this one, a hometown connection for Will but a pretty major Delta hub! Tomorrow, you can find us over at the Universal Crossword.

What I learned from today's puzzle:

• COFFEE (26A: Drink that can be made in a siphon brewer) A siphon brewer has two glass chambers, an upper chamber and a lower chamber. As heat is applied to the lower chamber, water in that chamber is forced into the upper chamber where the COFFEE is brewed. Once heat is removed, the brewed COFFEE returns to the lower chamber, leaving the brewed grounds behind. I don't drink COFFEE, but I think the science geek in me would enjoy using a siphon brewer.
• REY (57D: ___ Mysterio (WWE wrestler)) REY Mysterio is the ring name of Óscar Gutiérrez Rubio. REY Mysterio wrestles for WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) and is considered one of the greatest luchadors of all time. Luchadors are lucha libra wrestlers, a style of wrestling characterized by high-flying maneuvers and the colorful masks worn by the wrestlers.

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• MSP (10A: Twin Cities airport (Abbr.)) MSP is the airport code of the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. I enjoyed seeing this clue, as MSP is an airport I have flown through many times (There are very few places one can fly to directly from where I live.)
• HETEROFLEXIBLE (16A: 1 or 2 on the Kinsey scale, perhaps) The Kinsey Scale, named for sex researcher Alfred Kinsey, is a way of representing sexual orientation on a spectrum between homosexuality and heterosexuality. The Kinsey Scale ranges from 0 (exclusively heterosexual) to 6 (exclusively homosexual). HETEROFLEXIBLE is a term used to describe someone who is primarily heterosexual with minimal homosexual feelings, desires, and behaviors (about a 1 or 2 on the Kinsey Scale, perhaps).
• TOAD (20A: Frog's kid-lit friend) Frog and TOAD are the title characters of a series of four children's books written by Arnold Lobel and published between 1970 and 1979. 
• ON A (29A: "Castle ___ Cloud" ("Les Miserables" song)) In Les Miserables, the sung-through musical based on Victor Hugo's novel of the same name, "Castle ON A Cloud" is sung by Young Cosette and Madame Thénardier.
• CALARTS (30A: Valencia school for creatives)  The California Institute of the Arts, or CalArts), is a private art school located in the Valencia neighborhood of Santa Clarita, California (about 30 miles northwest of Los Angeles). CALARTS alumni include photographer Catherine Opie and actors Don Cheadle and David Hasselhoff.
• MBA (48A: Wharton degree, for short) Located in Philadelphia, Wharton is the business school at the University of Pennsylvania. Established in 1881, Wharton is the world's oldest collegiate business school.
• THE POWER OF LOVE (55A: No. 1 hit from "Back to the Future") "THE POWER OF LOVE" is a 1985 song by Huey Lewis and the News. The song was written for the movie Back to the Future, and it became the first number one hit on the Billboard Hot 100 for Huey Lewis and the News. Interestingly, the lyrics of "THE POWER OF LOVE" don't make any mention of the movie's storyline. "THE POWER OF LOVE is a curious thing..."
• EEK (58A: "Scary!") and EKE (56D: ___ out a living) Fun to see these homophones crossing each other in the grid)
• DRE (61A: "Drunk in Love" co-writer Moon) DRE Moon won a Grammy Award for Best R&B Song for co-producing and co-writing Beyoncé's 2013 song "Drunk in Love."
• PAELLA (2D: One-pot dish from Valencia) PAELLA is a traditional dish in Spanish cuisine. It originated from Valencia, one of Spain's autonomies (administrative divisions of government). "PAELLA" is the word for "frying pan" in the Valencian/Catalan language, and the wide, shallow pan used to cook the dish gave PAELLA its name. Recipes vary, but PAELLA consists of rice, vegetables, meat, and seasonings. Its yellow color comes from saffron or turmeric.
• SPF (6D: Letters on Banana Boat products) Banana Boat is a brand of sunscreen. SPF stands for Sun Protection Factor, a measure of sunscreen's effectiveness.
• OREO (8D: Cookie with an Apple Pie a la Mode flavor) The Apple Pie A La Mode OREO is a variety released this year for a limited time. It features apple pie and vanilla flavored cream filling sandwiched between golden OREO cookies. Our crossword friend OREO is making its third appearance this month and its 27th appearance of 2025. Will OREO make another appearance this year? Time will tell...
• OAXACA (9D: Mexican state known for mole) OAXACA is one of Mexico's 32 states. Mole is a sauce used in Mexican cuisine, and OAXACA boasts seven different varieties.
• OPENER (17D: Prince, for the Rolling Stones in '81) In 1981, when Prince was the OPENER for the Rolling Stones, he appeared onstage in a trench coat and black bikini briefs. After playing only three songs, he was chased offstage by an intolerant crowd who pelted him with trash. Fortunately for us, Prince did not let that experience  deter him from performing.
• PATOIS (25D: Jamaican ___ (creole language)) Jamaican PATOIS is spoken primarily in Jamaica and among Jamaicans that have left the island and are living elsewhere. It is an English-based language, and exists mainly as a spoken language.
• FALCO (27D: "Nurse Jackie" actor Edie) Nurse Jackie, as you might expect from its title, is a medical TV series. The show originally aired from 2009-2015 on Showtime. Edie FALCO played the title character
• ORC (29D: "Critical Role" monster) In the web series, Critical Role, professional voice actors play Dungeons & Dragons. The show is aired most Thursdays on the Critical Role Twitch channel and lasts for three to five hours (or more). ORCs are one of the races in Dungeons & Dragons.
• COLLAB (30D: Team work?) It seems fitting to see this answer in a puzzle that is a COLLAB between two constructors.
• ACRE (37D: One-hundredth of Pooh's forest) Winnie-the-Pooh and his friends, the creations of A. A. Milne, live in the Hundred ACRE Wood. I enjoyed this cute clue.
• CHANTED (38D: Emulated Gregorian monks) Gregorian monks are Catholic monks. One of their practices is Gregorian chants (unaccompanied, monophonic sacred music named for Pope Gregory). 
• ORIOLE (42D: Maryland state bird) The Baltimore ORIOLE is the state bird of Maryland. The Baltimore ORIOLE got its name because the colors of the male birds resembles the colors on the coat-of-arms of Lord Baltimore (1605-1675), the first proprietor of Maryland.
• SOLVES (45D: Gets a clue?) This is a fun clue! I did "get this clue" and SOLVE it.
• A few other clues I especially enjoyed:
• OAR (15A: Row, row, row your boat with one)
• MOB (10D: Group of emus)
• POLAR (49D: ___ vortex (icy phenomenon)

In spite of its title, if some of the clues in this puzzle make you laugh (I'm looking at you OAR), don't feel obligated to hold it in. I enjoyed these ROFL-containing finds. Thank you, Shannon and Will, for this splendid puzzle.