January 11, 2026

Title: ONE TRUE PAIRING (Freestyle)

Constructor: Rafael Musa

Editor: Amanda Rafkin

Theme synopsis:

ONE TRUE PAIRING (Freestyle): There's no theme today, as this is a freestyle, or themeless puzzle. The title is a nod to SOULMATES (15A: People who are destined for each other). I also think the title pairs well with RIDE OR DIE (12D: Friend who sticks around through thick and thin).

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• IT BEATS ME (1A: "I have no clue!") and NO COMMENT (17A: "I have nothing to say") Speaking of PAIRINGs, I thought these two answers paired well together. I'm also thinking that next time I have no clue, instead of saying, "IT BEATS ME!" I might try saying, "NO COMMENT."
• ANNA (22A: ___ Karenina" (Tolstoy novel)) ANNA Karenina is an 1878 novel by Leo Tolstoy. As it tells the story of the relationship between its title character and the Russian cavalry officer Count Vronsky, the book explores themes of betrayal, family, and faith. ANNA Karenina opens with the iconic line, "Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way."
• ACNE (29A: Salicylic acid target) Salicylic acid is an active metabolite of acetylsalicylic acid, which is more commonly known as aspirin. It is one of the drugs included in the World Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines. Salicylic acid is a key ingredient in topical anti-ACNE products.
• NUEVO (33A: "Feliz ano ___!") "Feliz ano NUEVO!" is Portuguese for "Happy New Year!" How do I know this clue is in Portuguese rather than Spanish? I refer you to what I've written previously about the Portuguese word "ano."
• FREE (44A: Like public transit in Chapel Hill, NC) and FARES (45A: Costs to ride public transit) Here's another fun PAIRING. Chapel Hill Transit operates FREE bus and van service in Chapel Hill, North Carolina as well as in the neighboring city of Carrboro. This service includes the campus of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. I am a fan of FREE bus service. In Iowa City, Iowa, where I live, the city got rid of bus FARES and made the buses FREE for all to ride in August 2023, and it's been a success. The New York Times did an article about Iowa City's FREE buses recently if you're interested in learning more. 
• WAS (51A: Is in the past?) This is a fun and slightly tricky question mark clue. WAS is the past tense of the word is.
• THERE'S STILL TIME (54A: "The deadline hasn't passed yet!" and TOO LATE NOW (58A: "The deadline has passed!") This is a delightful PAIRING. As I filled in "THERE'S STILL TIME!" I thought, "That's a great grid-spanning answer." Then when I came to the clue for "TOO LATE NOW!" I literally started laughing. Absolute gridding and clueing perfection.
• ISN'T (1D: "___ it delicate? (Taylor Swift lyric)) "ISN'T it delicate?" is a question asked in Taylor Swift's 2018 song "Delicate." The song is from the album Reputation.
• ELO (4D: Chess rating system) The ELO (stylized as Elo) rating system is a method for calculating the relative skill level of chess players. The system is named after Hungarian American chess master and physics professor Arpad Elo, who devised the system. 
• AMMAN (5D: Capital of Jordan) Jordan is a West Asian country that sits at the crossroads of Asia, Africa, and Europe. AMMAN is the capital of Jordan and the country's largest city.
• MEN'S TENNIS (8D: Racket sport for Ben Shelton and Carlos Alcaraz) This is an interesting clue. The "racket sport" part of the clue had me thinking TENNIS, but by itself that didn't fit. The names helped me figure out the MEN'S part of the answer. Ben Shelton is an American TENNIS player who is currently the 9th ranked player in MEN'S TENNIS. Carlos Alcaraz is a Spanish TENNIS player and is currently the top-ranked player in MEN'S TENNIS. (Rankings as of January 5, 2026.)
• SKI LESSONS (31D: Classes where the "wedge" might be taught) The "wedge" is a braking and turning technique used in downhill skiing. The skier directs the front tips of their skis together, allowing the back end of the skis to separate, thus forming a "wedge." This results in a decrease of speed that allows stopping or turning possible. The "wedge" is particularly useful for beginning skiers and is therefore a good topic to be covered in SKI LESSONS. I have only been skiing a few times, and the first time I went skiing was especially memorable. I was in college and went skiing with my boyfriend-at-the-time and another couple who were good friends of his. Of the four of us, I was the only one who had never skied before. We had made a reservation for SKI LESSONS for me, but since we reached the SKI resort about an hour before my SKI LESSONS were scheduled, my boyfriend decided he would teach me how to SKI. That hour was nearly the demise of our relationship! I fell a lot, of course, and my boyfriend would tell me, "Get up." But when I tried to get up I would simply slide downhill. It was not pretty. Fortunately, the time for my SKI LESSONS finally arrived, and the instructor was a much better teacher than my boyfriend. I learned the wedge technique and I also learned how to get up after I fell. I'm extremely thankful for those SKI LESSONS, because they saved that relationship and that boyfriend has now been my husband for over 36 years. I guess you could say we turned out to be a ONE TRUE PAIRING.
• A couple of other clues I especially enjoyed:
• NEVER FORGET (23D: "We'll always remember that")
• ATLAS (47D: Good gift for a geography nerd)

I enjoyed finding the various PAIRINGS in this one. It almost played like a puzzle with several mini-themes, and that was fun. Thank you, Rafa, for this excellent puzzle.