January 13, 2026

Title: NO END IN SIGHT

Constructor: Guilherme Gilioli

Editor: Amie Walker

Theme synopsis:

• BOB'S YOUR UNCLE (19A: British English expression meaning "And there it is!")
• CURIOUSLY ENOUGH (39A: "Surprisingly...")
• SCHEDULED STOP (54A: Predetermined break on a travel itinerary)

NO END IN SIGHT: The last word of each theme answer is a word one might say to put an END to something: UNCLE, ENOUGH, and STOP.

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• It's been a few days since we've seen a cat reference, so my cat, Willow, is delighted to see not one, but three cat references in today's puzzle. Today I'm sharing a photo of Willow posing with the Lego kit my son gave me for Christmas. It's a 12.5-inch tall tuxedo cat that has over 1,700 pieces! It was a lot of fun to put together, but Willow is not at all sure about it.
• TAME (1A: Like a house cat, but not a tiger) Indeed!
• OCELOT (9D: Spotted cat) The OCELOT is a medium-sized spotted wild cat; it's a bit larger than a house cat. OCELOTs are native to the southwestern United States, Mexico, Central America, and South America.
• LYON (57D: French city with a big cat on its flag) LYON is the third-largest city in France, following Paris and Marseille. If you guessed that the big cat on LYON's flag is a lion, you would be correct. 

• POPES (8A: They're elected in conclaves) When a POPE dies, a papal conclave is convened in the Sistine Chapel in the Apostolic Palace in Vatican City. The conclave is held for the purpose of electing a new POPE. After each election, the ballots are burned. Black smoke emerging from a temporary chimney on the roof of the Sistine Chapel indicates a failed election. The emergence of white smoke indicates a new POPE has been elected.
• RAT (17A: Pizza ___ (meme based around an NYC rodent)) In 2015, Matt Little posted a video to social networking sites (Instagram and then YouTube) that showed a RAT carrying a slice of pizza down the steps at a New York City Subway station. The video went viral. It has been viewed over 12 million times and become the source of memes.
• BOB'S YOUR UNCLE (19A: British English expression meaning "And there it is!") Although I'm not British, I am familiar with this phrase. It could be from the many cozy mystery books I read that are set in England, but it's definitely also because there used to be a restaurant near me named BOB'S YOUR UNCLE. It's not in existence anymore, and this entry has made me nostalgic for it. The origin of "BOB'S YOUR UNCLE!" as a phrase to mean "And there it is!" is unknown.
• AHORA (34A: ___ mismo (Spanish for "right now") Although I wasn't familiar with the Spanish phrase "AHORA mismo," my limited Spanish knowledge does include the word "AHORA," which means "now." And now I know the phrase "AHORA mismo." Learning a new language is good for your brain. Keep those gentle Spanish-lessons-via-the-crossword coming.
• POLKA (61A: Genre of music with accordions) The accordion is a box like instrument with a keyboard and a set of bellows. It is associated with POLKA music. Accordions are also the subject of a number of jokes, such as, "How do you protect a valuable instrument?" "Hide it in an accordion case." 
• DIANE (64A: "The First Wives Club" star Keaton) DIANE Keaton's acting career spanned five decades. Her extensive filmography includes the 1996 movie The First Wives Club. In the movie, she, Bette Midler, and Goldie Hawn portray women whose husbands have divorced them in order to be with younger women. DIANE Keaton died last October at the age of 79, and it was nice to see her in the puzzle today.
• MISSOURI (3D: Gateway Arch state) The Gateway Arch is located on the banks of the Mississippi River in St. Louis, MISSOURI. We occasionally see the Arch mentioned in clues for St. Louis – specifically STL – and it was fun to see MISSOURI get a nod today.
• PERU (5D: Country whose official languages are Spanish, Quechua and Aymara) PERU is a country in western South America. Its capital is Lima. As the clue indicates, Spanish, Quechua, and Aymara are the official languages of PERU. Spanish, which is spoken by about 94% of PERU's population is the official language of PERU, while Quechua, Aymara, as well as other indigenous languages, are also official languages in areas where they are common. 
• OMAR (6D: Actor Epps) OMAR Epps played the role of Dr. Dennis Gant on the TV series, ER (1996-1997) and the role of neurologist and Dean of Medicine, Dr. Eric Foreman, on the TV series, House (2004-2012). More recently, OMAR Epps portrayed Detective Malcolm Howard on the TV series Power Book III: Raising Kanan (2021-2025).
• LAYLA (29D: Boxer McCarter) LAYLA McCarter is a professional boxer. She has held the Women's International Boxing Federation (WIBF) welterweight title since 2018. 
• UHURA (31D: Communications officer on "Star Trek") Nyota UHURA is a character in the Star Trek franchise who was a communications officer on the USS Enterprise. The role of UHURA was originally played by Nichelle Nichols. Celia Rose Gooding and Zoe Saldaña have also portrayed UHURA.
• ACAI (34D: Berry in some purple desserts) AÇAÍ is a purple berry native to South America, especially in Brazil. AÇAÍ is also a word frequently seen in crosswords, given its short length and three vowels.
• PHASE (51D: Life stage) "It's just a PHASE," is a phrase I've found useful to keep in mind. The good stuff, the not-so-good stuff – it's all just a PHASE.
• EDDIE (53D: Actor Redmayne) English actor EDDIE Redmayne began his professional acting career in theatre in London's West End. His acting credits include numerous stage, TV, and movie appearances. He is currently starring in the British TV series The Day of the Jackal (2024-present), in which he portrays "The Jackal," an internationally renowned assassin.
• A few other clues I especially enjoyed:
• KNEEL (43A: Get ready to be knighted)
• SPRAY (44A: ___ paint (medium used at a graffiti art workshop))
• TYPO (1D: Mistake like "mistaek")

It took me a little bit to figure out today's theme. At first I suspected synonyms for the word "END," but while STOP fits that category, UNCLE and ENOUGH do not. Then I remembered crying "UNCLE!" to get my brother to leave me alone. While that wasn't a particularly great memory, the "Aha!" moment it brought was quite nice. Thank you, Guilherme, for this enjoyable puzzle.