January 1, 2026

Title: BEGIN AGAIN (Freestyle)

Constructor: Amie Walker

Editor: Amie Walker

Theme synopsis:

BEGIN AGAIN (Freestyle): There's no theme today, as this is a freestyle, or themeless puzzle. The title is a nod to several answers about beginning again and ringing in a new year:

• CLEAN SLATE (20A: Opportunity to begin again)
• NEW YEAR'S EVE KISS (38A: Celebratory smooch that often follows a countdown)
• FRESH START (58A: "Ready for my next chapter" time)

What I learned from today's puzzle:

• SAIL (35A: Enjoy an Emo's Not Dead cruise, say) The answer here was inferable, but the Emo's Not Dead (E.N.D.) cruise is new to me. The E.N.D. cruise is a themed cruise offered by Norwegian Cruise Line. The next E.N.D. Cruise will SAIL from Miami, Florida to Costa Maya, Mexico January 22-26 of this year.

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• ISAAC (1A: "Frankenstein" star Oscar) Oscar ISAAC is an actor with extensive film, TV, and stage credits. One of his recent roles is Dr. Victor Frankenstein in the 2025 movie Frankenstein, which is based on Mary Shelley's 1818 novel of the same name.
• MOIRA (12A: "Schitt's Creek" matriarch) and ISN'T (13A: "You do realize the bebe is crying. ___ it scheduled to be dormant by now?" (12-Across quote)) Schitt's Creek is a TV series about a formerly wealthy family that relocates to a small town named Schitt's Creek, which they once purchased as a joke. The family's matriarch, MOIRA Rose (played by Catherine O'Hara) is an eccentric and exceedingly dramatic former daytime soap opera star. One of the show's running gags is MOIRA's pronunciation of the word "baby" as "bebe."
• CHAD (15A: Neighbor of Libya) CHAD is a landlocked country in Africa. In addition to Libya, its neighbors are Sudan, the Central African Republic, Cameroon, Nigeria, and Niger. The capital of CHAD is N'Djamena.
• AUDIT (17A: Tax investigation) and IRS (34A: E-file org.) Although I'm fine seeing these entries together in a puzzle, it's always my hope that e-filing my taxes won't lead to an AUDIT by the IRS.
• HAIR (19A: "Flashback when you met me / Your buzzcut and my ___ bleached") The lyrics "Flashback when you met me / Your buzzcut and my HAIR bleached" are from Taylor Swift's 2017 song "Dress." 
• SAAB (23A: Bridal couture designer Elie) ELIE Saab is a fashion designer with workshops in Lebanon, Milan, and Paris. He started his business in 1982 (at the age of 18), initially specializing in bridal couture (high-end custom-made fashion). I first learned about ELIE Saab from the December 6, 2020 puzzle.
• ROME (37A: Spanish Steps city) The Spanish Steps in ROME, Italy begin at the Piazza di Spagna (Spanish Square), and lead up to the Trinità die Monti, a Roman Catholic church and monastery. The Piazza di Spagna, one of the most famous squares in Rome, is the location of the Embassy of Spain to the Holy See. The Trinità die Monti and its surrounding area are property of France. So to recap, the Spanish Steps, located in ROME, Italy, link a Spanish Embassy and a French church. There are 135 steps and three terraces in the Spanish Steps.
• SER (45A: Spanish for "to be") ETRE (25D: French for "to be") Ending the year with a little Spanish and French review.
• SIT (52A: "You can't ___ with us" ("Mean Girls" quote)) This is a fun way to add interest to the three-letter entry SIT. In a scene from the 2004 movie Mean Girls, mean girl Regina George (Rachel McAdams) is told by Gretchen (Lacey Chabert), "You can't SIT with us." The reason (of course!) is because she's wearing sweatpants and it's Thursday.
• ALBA (56A: "Dark Angel" star Jessica) In the TV series Dark Angel (2000-2002), Jessica ALBA portrayed Max Guevara, a genetically enhanced transgenic supersoldier created in a government lab.
• TOYS (63A: Squishmallows, e.g.) The brand Squishmallows, maker of stuffed TOYS, was founded in 2017. Squishmallows are round – and squishy, of course – and come in over 3,000 designs.
• FERN (64A: Wilbur's friend, in "Charlotte's Web") Charlotte's Web is a classic children's book by E.B. White. It was first published in 1952, and has been adapted into movies and video games. The title character, Charlotte, is a spider. Charlotte befriends Wilbur, who is a pig, and ultimately uses her webs to save Wilbur's life. FERN is the daughter of the farmer in Charlotte's Web; she's the one who names Wilbur.
• SARA (67D: "Gravity" singer Bareilles) "Gravity" is a song from SARA Bareilles' 2007 album Little Voice. The music video for "Gravity" is pretty cool. While SARA Bareilles is walking and singing, people walk around and behind her with lights, balloons, and umbrellas to represent a journey through the Solar System.
• ERUPT (68A: Blow like Mount Doom) In J. R. R. Tolkien's epic tale The Lord of the Rings, Mount Doom is a volcano located in Mordor, a dark realm of Middle-earth.
• SOUL (2D: "Heart and ___") There are many movies, TV series, books, and songs titled "Heart and SOUL." The one that comes to my mind is the classic piano duet based on the 1938 song, "Heart and SOUL" composed by Hoagy Carmichael.
• CATNAP (5D: Little snooze) My cat, Willow, is delighted that the year is starting off right with a cat reference in the puzzle. She is an expert at taking CATNAPs.

• BILLBOARD (6D: ___ Hot 100 (music industry standard record chart)) The BILLBOARD Hot 100 has been published weekly by BILLBOARD magazine since 1958. Here's a fun fact: The first BILLBOARD Hot 100 number one hit was "Poor Little Fool" by Ricky Nelson.
• ASIA (7D: Tokyo Disney Resort's continent) Tokyo Disney Resort is located just east of Tokyo, Japan, which is in ASIA. Our crossword friend ASIA is off to a great start this year, making an appearance on the first day of 2026. How many times do you think we'll see ASIA in the puzzle this year? In case you missed it, yesterday I did a recap of 2025 data.
• TREES (14D: Palo Verdes and palms) The nice thing about clues that give two examples is that solvers only need to be familiar with one of them in order to be successful. For me, "palms" clued me in to the answer of TREES. The Blue palo verde is the state TREE of Arizona.
• A few other clues I especially enjoyed:
• WHAT'D I MISS (10D: "Can you catch me up to speed here?")
• DRAGS (16D: Takes foreeeever)
• I SWEAR BY IT (29D: "This is the way, trust me")

Happy New Year! This themed-ish puzzle is perfect for a FRESH START signified by flipping the calendar page to a new year. Whatever else 2026 has in store for you, I hope it holds many enjoyable crosswords. Thank you, Amie, for this delightful puzzle.