January 18, 2026

Title: MESS AROUND

Constructor: Stella Zawistowski

Editor: Amanda Rafkin

Theme synopsis:

• MENTAL FLOSS (17A: Site with trivia and quizzes)
• MATERIAL WITNESS (38A: Person whose testimony is extra-important)
• MESOAMERICANS (53A: Indigenous people known for stepped pyramids)

MESS AROUND: The word MESS is found AROUND each theme answer: MENTAL FLOSS, MATERIAL WITNESS, and MESOAMERICANS.

What I learned from today's puzzle:

• SID (28A: "Toy Story" bully) I always hesitate to admit that I haven't seen a popular movie, but I have not seen the 1995 animated movie Toy Story, or any of its sequels. I know a bit about the movies from listening to people talk about them and, of course, from crossword puzzles. I did not, however – until today – know about SID. In the first Toy Story movie, SID (voiced by Erik von Detten) is the main antagonist. He is known for torturing and destroying toys. He is also the only human character in the movies who has witnessed the toys come to life.
• LINE (3D: ___ sister (sorority bestie)) LINE sister is a new term to me. In a sorority, a LINE sister is someone who joins the sorority at the same time as you do and therefore goes through initiation with you.
• ROOT (57D: Powerful Unix user) Unix is a family of computer operating systems that derive from the original Unix system developed by AT&T. In Unix systems, a ROOT is the superuser account used for administrative purposes and with the highest access rights in the system.

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• HALAL (1A: Permissible by Muslim law) In Islam, HALAL refers to foods that are permissible to eat, and haram refers to those that are forbidden. Although the terms are often used in reference to Islamic dietary laws, their meaning can be expanded to be used to refer to actions or the use of other items.
• TIBET (6A: Home of the Potala Palace) The Potala Palace is located in China in the city of Lhasa in the TIBET Autonomous Region. It is built in the Dzong style of architecture, used to build fortified monasteries. The Potala Palace served as the winter palace of the Dalai Lamas from 1649 to 1959. The building is now a museum, and has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1994.
• ARI (16A: Singer Lennox) ARI Lennox is an R&B singer-songwriter. She has been uploading her music on the internet since 2009 and released her debut studio album, Shea Butter Baby, in 2019. ARI Lennox's newest album, Vacancy, is scheduled to be released in just a few days, on January 23, 2026.
• MENTAL FLOSS (17A: Site with trivia and quizzes) MENTAL FLOSS is an online magazine and media company. It's known for its lists of facts and its quizzes. Would you like to take a quiz about Oscar-winning songs appearing in Disney movies? MENTAL FLOSS has one for you. Would you like to see a list of four products turning 50 in 2026? MENTAL FLOSS can help you with that, too.
• MEN (19A: "It's Raining ___" (classic gay anthem)) "It's Raining MEN" is a 1982 song by the Weather Girls. It was a popular dance song and VH1 listed it as one of the Greatest Songs of the 1980s. Martha Wash, of The Weather Girls, and RuPaul did a version of the song in 1998 titled "It's Raining MEN...The Sequel."
• RYE (23A: Type of whiskey in a Sazerac) A Sazerac is a whiskey cocktail that originated in New Orleans. It takes its name from the brand of cognac that was originally its main ingredient. Traditionally the drink is made from a combination of cognac or RYE whiskey, absinthe, Peychaud's Bitters, and sugar. The defining feature of a Sazerac is its preparation method: a chilled old-fashioned glass is swirled with a wash of absinthe (an anise-flavored spirit). The remaining cocktail ingredients are mixed in a second chilled old-fashioned glass and stirred with ice. The cocktail is then strained into the first glass for serving.
• GREECE (42A: Where spanakopita originated) and USA (43A: Where corn dogs originated) I enjoyed the parallel construction of these consecutive clues. From GREECE: spanakopita is a spinach pie in which spinach, eggs, feta cheese, and onions are layered in phyllo pastry. From USA: a corn dog is a hot dog on a stick that is coated in thick cornmeal batter and deep fried.
• TDS (48A: They're worth twice as much as FGs) Ah, a sports clue I was able to figure out. FGs are field goals, which in football are worth three points. Touchdowns (TDS) are worth six points.
• MESOAMERICANS (53A: Indigenous people known for stepped pyramids) Stepped pyramids are architectural structures that use a series of steps to form a pyramid-like shape. MESOAMERICANS, indigenous people who lived in the historical region of Mesoamerica (from central Mexico to Central America), were the most prolific builders of stepped pyramids. Many MESOAMERICAN pyramids were built with temples on the top and were used for ceremonial or ritual purposes. Others were used as astronomical observatory sites.
• STOP (66D: 1998 Spice Girls hit) The Spice Girls song "STOP" is from their second studio album, Spiceworld. Here's a fun thing: When "STOP" was released as a single, the B Side was "Ain't No Stopping Us Now" recorded with Luther Vandross.
• HAT (69A: Accessory for Mario or Luigi) In the Mario Bros. video game franchise, Mario and Luigi are fraternal twin brothers. Mario wears a red HAT and a red shirt, and Luigi wears a green HAT and a green shirt.
• STRAY (70A: Cat you might take in) My cat, Willow, was adopted from an animal shelter, so she wasn't exactly a STRAY. She does, however, encourage the adoption of STRAY cats (though maybe not by us, as she's become fond of her "only cat" status). Here she is pretending she's sitting on a throne, like the queen she is.

• AXEL (2D: Skating jump) The other day I shared a trick to remember the difference between "AXEL" and "axle." I utilized that trick here to figure out how to spell this answer.
• TTFN (6D: Texter's "Ciao ciao!") and IRL (7D: Texter's "not on the internet") Here's another fun consecutive pair of clues. TTFN stands for "ta ta for now," and IRL stands for "in real life."
• RESSA (31D: Nobel-winning journalist Maria) Maria RESSA is a journalist and author, and the cofounder and CEO of the Philippine online news site, Rappler. In 2021, Maria RESSA and Russian journalist Dmitry Muratov were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize "for their efforts to safeguard freedom of expression, which is a precondition for democracy and lasting peace." Maria RESSA is the first Filipino recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. Since 2023, Maria RESSA has been a Distinguished Fellow at Columbia University's Institute of Global Politics.
• PIG (35D: Porky or Petunia, in animation) Porky PIG and Petunia PIG are animated characters in Warner Bros. Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies cartoons.
• RTE (37D: Short way to go?) Not a shortcut, but a short form of the word "route," which is a "way to go."
• SANK (55D: Went down to the bottom ) and SOAR (59D: Go way, way up) Just highlighting to say I enjoyed this pair.
• ETTA (56D: Singer James or Jones) ETTA James (1938-2012) is in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Blues Hall of Fame, and the Grammy Hall of Fame. She recorded "At Last" in 1960 as the title track for her debut album. Her recording of the song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999. ETTA Jones (1928-2001) was a jazz singer. Her 1960 album, Don't Go to Strangers, was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2008.
• A couple of other clues I especially enjoyed:
• TROPE (15A: Time travel or parallel universes, in sci-fi)
• SNORT (52D: Reaction to a really good joke)

From the puzzle's title, I had a couple of guesses about what the theme might be. One of my guesses turned out to be correct. This type of theme is sometimes referred to as a container theme, because the word MESS (in this case) is serving as a container for each theme answer. Thank you, Stella, for this enjoyable puzzle.