December 3, 2025

Title: P-ENDING

Constructor: Zhouqin Burnikel

Editor: Amanda Rafkin

Theme synopsis:

• OUT OF PRINT (17A: Like books or games no longer published)
• PARALLEL PARKING (40A: Challenge for many new drivers)
• GRAND PIANO (63A: Large instrument in a concert hall)

P-ENDING: The ENDING of each theme answer is a word that is sometimes represented by the letter P: PRINT, PARKING, and PIANO.

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• ARTS (35A: Parsons School of Design focus) Parsons School of Design is a private ARTS college. It is part of The New School and is located in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of New York City. Parsons School of Design was founded in 1896. It was the first school to offer programs in fashion design, interior design, advertising, and graphic design.
• IRL (44A: Abbr. meaning "not virtual) IRL = in real life
• ROCKY (58A: ___ road ice cream) ROCKY road ice cream consists of chocolate ice cream with nuts and marshmallows added.
• OMAN (65A: Oldest independent state in the Arab world) OMAN is located on the southeastern part of the Arabian Peninsula. Muscat is its capital and largest city. OMAN has been an independent state ruled by the Al Bu Said dynasty since 1744.
• ELBA (70A: Idris who played Mandela) Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom (2013) is a biographical movie about former South African President Nelson Mandela, based on his 1994 autobiography, Long Walk to Freedom. Idris ELBA portrays the adult Nelson Mandela in the movie.
• ASIA (7D: Continent home to Borobudur) Borobudur is a Buddhist temple in Indonesia that was built in the 9th century. Indonesia is an archipelagic (comprised of islands) country in Southeast ASIA. Borobudur was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1991. It is the largest Buddhist temple in the world. This is the first December appearance of our crossword friend ASIA.
• OTTER (22D: Marine mammal that uses stone tools) OTTERs use stones to crack open prey such as mussels, clams, and sea urchins. The OTTER will float on its back, place the stone on its chest and crack the shells on the stone. OTTERs also use stones to pry shellfish off of rocks. Some OTTERs have a favorite rock they carry with them, tucked into a pouch of skin under their arm.
• SAM (36D: "The Muppets" eagle) SAM Eagle is a Muppet that originated on The Muppet Show. SAM is characterized by his intense patriotism and stiff and pompous manner. I'm always happy to see a Muppets reference.
• NASA (57D: Org. behind Apollo 11) The NASA mission Apollo 11 was the first crewed mission to land on the Moon. That moon landing happened on July 20, 1969.
• YOGA (63D: Discipline with pranayama) Pranayama is a breath control practice used in YOGA.
• A few other clues I especially enjoyed:
• FEST (23A: Suffix similar to "apalooza")
• AUTO (3D: Vehicle that's also a prefix)
• SMALLER (24D: Like cottages, vis-a-vis castles)

It took me a little while to understand the full extent of this theme. I immediately noticed that the last word of each theme answer (i.e. the ENDING) began with the letter P. Is that it? That seemed rather simplistic. I had a very nice "Aha!" moment when I realized that the ENDING words not only begin with the letter P, but are also all represented by the letter P in some circumstances. P stands for PRINT when using a computer – the Ctrl+P or Command+P shortcuts, for example. P stands for PARKING on signs and maps. Finally, P stands for PIANO, which means "soft," in musical notation. Thank you, Zhouqin, for this clever puzzle.