December 21, 2025

Title: RAPID RISE 

Constructors: Tom Pepper & Zhouqin Burnikel

Editor: Amie Walker

Theme synopsis:

• THAT'S A FIRST (3D: "Now I've seen everything")
• NOT SAFE FOR WORK (14D: Often-abbreviated internet content warning)
• NIGHT SAFARI (26D: Singapore attraction that's the world's first nocturnal zoo)

RAPID RISE: The word FAST is found going upwards in each vertical theme answer: THAT'S A FIRST, NOT SAFE FOR WORK, and NIGHT SAFARI.

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• NINE (14A: Number of letters in September, fittingly) This is a fun clue. There are NINE letters in the word September, and September is the ninth month of the year, often represented by the number NINE.
• AGE (15A: Ten or 11, for a typical fifth grader) This reminded me of the December 18 puzzle, when we saw AGE clued as [Get older], and TEN cross-referenced to that clue [(AGE) for many fifth-graders].
• STATEN (16A: ___ Island Ferry) The STATEN Island Ferry is a passenger ferry that operates in New York Harbor to connect the New York City boroughs of Manhattan and STATEN Island. The trip takes about 25 minutes to cover a distance of just over five miles. The STATEN Island Ferry operates 24 hours a day and has not charged a fare since 1997. 
• ODE TO JOY (17A: Final movement of Beethoven's Symphony No. 9) "ODE TO JOY" is the fourth and final movement of Beethoven's Symphony No. 9. Composed in the 1820s, this symphony was the first example of a composer writing a symphony with vocal parts. The text for the vocalists was adapted from a 1785 poem by Friedrich Schiller, "An die Freude (ODE TO JOY)."
• KOS (24A: Stat for Holly Holm) Holly Holm is a professional boxer and former mixed martial artist who has competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). As a boxer, KOS (knockouts) are a relevant stat.
• AED (38A: Device in CPR training) I wrote about automated external defibrillators (AEDs) last month. The abbreviation of cardiopulmonary resuscitation as CPR in the clue alerts solvers the answer will be an abbreviation. 
• EAT ME (43A: Directive on Alice's Wonderland cake) The title character of Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (1865) ate a cake with the words "EAT ME" on it. As a result, she grew to an enormous size.
• RAW (51A: Like sashimi or carpaccio) In Japanese cuisine, sashimi is a delicacy of thinly-sliced RAW fish or meat (or sometimes vegetables). In Italian cuisine, carpaccio is a dish of thinly-sliced RAW meat or fish, served with lemon or vinegar, olive oil, salt, and pepper.
• FRI (58A: 48 hours before Sun.) This one made me stop and think.
• EL CAMINO (59A: "Breaking Bad" epilogue) EL CAMINO: A Breaking Bad Movie is a 2019 film that is a sequel and epilogue to the TV series, Breaking Bad. The movie centers on the character of Jesse Pinkman, played by Aaron Paul, who was a former student of the main character in Breaking Bad. And yes, an EL CAMINO features in the movie. 
• LIU (64A: "Elementary" star Lucy) Lucy LIU played the role of Dr. Joan Watson on the TV series, Elementary (2012-2019), a contemporary reimagining of Sherlock Holmes. (Johnny Lee Miller played the role of Sherlock.) I really enjoyed this show and Lucy LIU in this role.
• NOT SAFE FOR WORK (14D: Often-abbreviated internet content warning) It made a change to see NOT SAFE FOR WORK spelled out, since it's often abbreviated as NSFW.
• SON (21D: Kylo Ren, to Leia) The Star Wars' antagonist Kylo Ren was played by Adam Driver in The Force Awakens (2015), The Last Jedi (2017), Star Wars Resistance (2018-2020), and The Rise of Skywalker. Kylo Ren is the chosen name of Ben Solo, the SON of Princess Leia Organa Skywalker (Carrie Fisher), and Han Solo (Harrison Ford). Kylo Ren was originally trained as a Jedi by his uncle Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), but is persuaded to join the dark side (as his grandfather did).
• NIGHT SAFARI (26D: Singapore attraction that's the world's first nocturnal zoo) NIGHT SAFARI is a zoo located in Mandai, Singapore. It is only open from 7:00pm to midnight. Over 900 animals are housed in the zoo. The zoo incorporates lighting that resembles moonlight, allowing visitors to observe nocturnal animals.
• IDIOM (27D: "On the ball" or "off the hook") It was a nice choice to choose an on-off pair of IDIOMs for this clue.
• RAE (47D: "Insecure" star Issa)  In addition to starring in the TV series, Insecure (2016-2021), Issa RAE is also the creator and co-writer of the show. Issa RAE plays the role of Issa Dee on Insecure. The show takes a look at the experiences of contemporary Black women, and is partially based on Issa RAE's web series, The Mis-Adventures of Awkward Black Girl.
• DWARF (48D: ___ planet (Pluto, for example)) In 2006, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) passed a resolution listing three criteria an astronomical body must meet in order to be classified as a planet. Pluto, which had been considered a planet up to that point, only meets two of the criteria. It was therefore reclassified as a DWARF planet. Poor Pluto. Even though the scientist in me accepts that our knowledge expands and designations change as new discoveries are made, any mention of Pluto makes me want to curmudgeonly proclaim, "In my day Pluto was a planet..."
• KNEE (56D: Body part used when playing the spoons) Spoons can be used as a percussion instrument. Two spoons are held together and struck against the KNEE and the palm of the hand, causing them to hit each other and make noise. 

I've mentioned before that I enjoy when a bit of extra work is required to figure out the theme. When an extra step is needed, it often results in a nice "Aha!" moment. The word RISE in today's title tipped me off that the theme would be found in the Down answers. The word RAPID, however, is not to be found anywhere. Instead, each vertical theme answer contains the letter pattern T-S-A-F, which when read going up, is the word FAST, a synonym of RAPID. Thank you Tom and Zhouqin, for this enjoyable puzzle.