December 4, 2025

Title: CROSSWORD (TAYLOR'S VERSION) (Freestyle)

Constructor: Rafael Musa

Editor: Amanda Rafkin

Theme synopsis:

CROSSWORD (TAYLOR'S VERSION) (Freestyle): Three answers in today's puzzle are titles of Taylor Swift songs that are clued in ways not related to the songs:

• I HATE IT HERE (20A: "This place sucks!")
• OUT OF THE WOODS (36A: No longer in danger)
• GUILTY AS SIN (60A: Absolutely deserving blame)

What I learned from today's puzzle:

• SENEGALESE (7D: Like someone from Dakar or Touba) Senegal is a country in West Africa.  Dakar is the capital and largest city of Senegal, and is located on the Cap-Vert peninsula, which is the westernmost point of mainland Africa. Touba is a city in central Senegal and is the country's second-largest city. I'm always happy for some geography review with my crossword, since geography is not a strong suit for me.

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• GMAIL (8A: Messaging service owned by Alphabet) Since 2015, Alphabet Inc. has been the parent company of Google.
• EVA (13A: Name hidden in "Nevada") Where's EVA? She's in Nevada. 
• ASIAN FUSION (17A: Sushi burrito cuisine) Some sushi burritos are essentially burrito-sized sushi rolls. Other sushi burritos incorporate classic Mexican ingredients. Peter Yen, founder of the San Francisco-based restaurant, Sushirrito, is credited with inventing this ASIAN FUSION dish.
• I HATE IT HERE (20A: "This place sucks!") In addition to being a sentiment expressing dislike of one's surroundings, "I HATE IT HERE" is a song by Taylor Swift. The song is a track on The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology (2024). 
• OUT OF THE WOODS (36A: No longer in danger) In addition to being an expression of having made it to safety, "OUT OF THE WOODS" is a 2014 song by Taylor Swift, from her album, 1989. 
• REN (40A: With 14-Down, event with jousting and turkey legs) and FAIRE (14D: See 40-Across) A REN FAIRE is a festival that loosely recreates a historical setting. At a REN FAIRE you might be addressed as "Lord" or "Lady," watch a jousting event, eat a turkey leg, or purchase Renaissance-themed handcrafts at the shoppes. If you're interested in finding a REN FAIRE near you, check The RENlist.
• EPA (48A: Org. that regulates forever chemicals) As their name implies, forever chemicals are a group of chemicals (known as PFAS, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) that hardly degrade at all in the environment (and are therefore around "forever"). PFAS are widely used, and they have been found in the blood of people and animals all over the world. Exposure to some PFAS has been shown to be linked to harmful health effects in both people and animals. Regulation of PFAS in the U.S. falls under the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Recently the EPA has rolled-back regulations on some forever chemicals. 
• GUILTY AS SIN (60A: Absolutely deserving blame) In addition to being a description of wrongdoing, "GUILTY AS SIN?" is a 2024 song by Taylor Swift, from the album The Tortured Poets Department.
• VON (61A: "___ dutch" (Charli xcx song)) "VON Dutch" is a 2024 song by Charli XCX, from her album, Brat. The song won a Grammy Award for Best Dance Pop Recording. It was also used as the official theme song for the 2025 World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) event, Royal Rumble.
• EOD (64A: Corporate acronym that often refers to 5 p.m.) EOD here stands for "end of day."
• MASH (9D: "Monster ___" (Halloween song)) If you want to have some Halloween spirit in December, take a listen to "Monster MASH," the 1962 novelty song by Bobby "Boris" Pickett and the Crypt-Kickers. "I was working in the lab late one night..."
• RETROGRADE (27D: www.ismercuryin___.com) With respect to planets, when a planet is in RETROGRADE, it appears to be moving backward from our perspective on Earth (it's not really; it's an illusion). Some people believe that RETROGRADE planets symbolize a time of reflection and introspection. If you'd like to check if Mercury is in RETROGRADE, you can visit www.ismercuryinRETROGRADE.com. (I'll save you a click if you'd like, it's not ... unless you're reading this after February 26, 2026.)
• AYO (29D: Actress Edebiri) In 2023, AYO Edebiri won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for her portrayal of chef Sydney Adamu on the TV series The Bear (2022-present). She also had a recurring role on Abbott Elementary (2023) and was a writer and voice actor on the animated adult series Big Mouth (2020-2025)
• AHA (33D: "I figured it out!") Today the "AHA!" moment is in the grid.
• ONO (37D: Plastic ___ Band) The Plastic ONO Band was an English rock band and artist collective formed in 1968 by Yoko ONO and John Lennon. The group put out several albums between 1969-1975, including a pair of albums in 1970: John Lennon/Plastic ONO Band and Yoko ONO/Plastic ONO Band. The Plastic ONO Band title was used for a new incarnation of the group from 2009-2015, led by Yoko ONO and her son Sean Lennon.
• ANITA (50D: Soul singer Baker) ANITA Baker is an R&B, soul, and smooth jazz singer-songwriter. Her 1986 song, "Sweet Love" won a Grammy Award for Best R&B Song, one of eight Grammy Awards ANITA Baker has won to date.

When I saw the title of today's puzzle (which I think is quite clever), I wondered whether this puzzle is actually themeless or whether it is Taylor Swift-themed. It turns out my hunch was correct. This is what I call a "themed-ish" puzzle. It's not themed in the traditional sense, but there is a unifying theme that ties together three of the answers; that unifying theme is Taylor Swift songs. I really enjoyed seeing the song titles clued in ways that didn't reference Taylor Swift. That's a fun twist. Thank you, Rafa, for this delightful puzzle.