January 14, 2026

Title: BOTCH JOB

Constructor: Zhouqin Burnikel

Editor: Amanda Rakfin

Theme synopsis:

• WEATHER REPORTER (17A: Person giving the forecast)
• SOCCER REFEREE (26A: World Cup whistleblower)
• METER READER (52A: Utility company employee who measures the usage of gas, water, etc.)

BOTCH JOB: Each theme answer is a JOB title. The word ERR (a synonym of BOTCH) connects the two words in each answer: WEATHER REPORTER, SOCCER REFEREE, and METER READER.

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• ARLO (14A: Raylan's dad in "Justified") Justified (2010-2015) is a TV series about a deputy U.S. Marshal named Raylan Givens, portrayed by Timothy Oliphant. Raymond J. Barry plays the role of Raylan's father, ARLO.
• INCA (16A: 15th-century Peruvian) In the late 1400s and early 1500s, the INCA Empire incorporated a large part of western South America, including portions of the modern-day countries of Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia, Argentina, Chile, and Colombia.
• DEN (21A: Lion's hangout) and PRIDE (22A: Group of lions) This is a fun pairing of these consecutive clues. Of course, my cat, Willow, is delighted to see her big cat cousins in the puzzle. Here's a photo of Willow that does a nice job of showing off the white fur I refer to as her "mane."

• INT (23A: Stat that lowers a QB's points in fantasy football) In football statistics, INT stands for interception. Even I know that's not a stat a quarterback (QB) wants. The abbreviation QB in the clue alerts solvers the answer will be an abbreviation.
• PINTA (38A: ___ Azul (paintbrush-shaped lollipop brand)) PINTA azul lollipops are distributed by the Mexican candy brand Vero. The slogan for PINTA azul is "Rock that blue tongue!" The blue lollipops are strawberry and raspberry-flavored, and shaped like a paintbrush, perfect for "painting" your tongue blue.
• YEN (46A: Currency on a Kyoto receipt) and RIAL (53D: Currency on a Tehran receipt) The puzzle is providing us with a bit of world currency review today. Kyoto is a city in Japan, and the currency of Japan is the Japanese YEN. Tehran is the capital and largest city of Iran, and the currency of Iran is the Iranian RIAL.
• TIANA (58A: Disney princess who turns into a frog) TIANA is the princess in Disney's 2009 animated movie, The Princess and the Frog. Anika Noni Rose provides TIANA's voice. The movie is set in New Orleans, where TIANA is a waitress aspiring to open her own restaurant, as she and her dad had dreamed about before he died. Things take a turn, however, when TIANA turns into a frog.
• SPOT (64A: Mark on a leopard's coat) Hooray for more big cat content.
• ESPY (67A: Best Bowler, for one) Beginning in 1995, the ESPY Award for Best Bowler was awarded annually to the best ten-pin bowler in the United States. The award was (theoretically) given irrespective of gender, but so far it has only been awarded to males. It appears that Best Bowler is no longer an ESPY category, as the last record I could find of it being awarded was in 2022 to Kyle Troup.
• OREO (2D: Nabisco cookie) Our crossword friend OREO is making its first appearance of 2026. We've seen the plural OREOS a couple of times already this year, but this is the first appearance of OREO. You may recall that OREO earned the title of "Most blogged about crossword friend" for 2025 (just eking past ASIA). Will OREO be able to hold onto its title in 2026? Time will tell.
• CURD (6D: Poutine morsel) Poutine – french fries and cheese CURDs topped with brown gravy – is a dish associated with Quebec cuisine.
• TEMPE (24D: City home to Arizona State) TEMPE, Arizona is part of the Phoenix metropolitan area and is home to Arizona State University.
• SAHARA (26D: Largest hot desert) The SAHARA, which is the world's largest hot desert, takes its name from the Arabic word for "desert." Extending over much of North Africa, the SAHARA covers parts of 11 countries: Algeria, Chad, Egypt, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Niger, Western Sahara, Sudan, and Tunisia. The phrase "hot desert" may seem redundant, but in fact, some deserts are cold. For example, the Gobi desert in northeastern China is a cold desert and occasionally receives snow.
• PETCO (50D: Store with chew toys and kibble) This isn't specifically cat content, but general pet content is also always welcome.
• PBS (56D: "This Old House" network) This OLD House was one of the first home improvement shows on national TV, first airing on PBS in 1979, with Bob Villa as the host. 

When I read the title of the puzzle, I thought the word BOTCH might be serving as an anagram indicator. However, when I filled in WEATHER REPORTER and noticed there wasn't a "J" in sight, I knew something else was going on. Fortunately, it didn't take me long to notice the word ERR in each of the theme answers, providing a nice "Aha!" moment. Thank you, Zhouqin, for this super puzzle.