January 24, 2026

Title: EXIT LEFT

Constructor: Matthew Luter

Editor: Amanda Rafkin

Theme synopsis:

• INTERVIEW STAGE (20A: Face-to-face segment of a job search process)
• STRATEGY GAMES (35A: Chess, Risk and Catan)
• SIGN OF THE TIMES (52A: Something that exemplifies a particular period)

EXIT LEFT: The LEFTmost word of each theme answer can be paired with the word EXIT to form a new phrase: EXIT INTERVIEW, EXIT STRATEGY, and EXIT SIGN.

And now a word from our constructor:

Matt: This one came out of trying to keep my brain in puzzle-spotting mode: noticing language around and then wondering, is there a puzzle there? I was on the lookout for USA Today-style themes and noticed an “Exit Left” sign on the interstate. Next thing you know, I was thinking of phrases that begin with EXIT while driving. The moral of the story here: look for themes and they might find you… and don’t do any stages of puzzle construction, past the initial brainstorming, while behind the wheel (not that I tried that, Mom, I promise).

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• AMPS (1A: Some Guitar Center purchases) Although I don't know that I've ever been in a Guitar Center store, it was intuitive that a store with this name sells AMPS. Here's a fun story about Guitar Center that I learned when I looked it up. In 1959, Wayne Mitchell opened a store in Hollywood called The Organ Center. The store sold (as one might expect) electronic organs. Five years later, a supplier required him to carry Vox guitar AMPS in order to continue receiving organs. That's how the store began selling AMPS. The name was changed to The Vox Center, and then in the late 1960s to Guitar Center.
• TRACY (17A: "Give Me One Reason" singer Chapman) TRACY Chapman's song, "Give Me One REASON"won a Grammy Award for Best Rock Song in 1997. It's always a good day for some TRACY Chapman. "Give me one reason to stay here / And I'll turn right back around..."
• OSLO (18A: Norwegian capital) OSLO is the capital of Norway. Our crossword friend OSLO is having an excellent 2026 so far; this is its third appearance of the year.
• ANT (23A: Insect whose global population is in the quadrillions) I believe this is true, and also, I find it a bit disconcerting. That's a whole lot of ANTs!
• YES (24A: "___ definitely" (Magic 8 Ball answer)) Even if, like me, you've never had a Magic 8 Ball, you know the drill. You ask the black plastic sphere (designed to look like an oversized 8 ball) a YES/no question, and then turn it over to get the answer. A standard Magic 8 Ball has twenty possible answers. "YES definitely," is one of the ten affirmative answers in the ball's repertoire. The Magic 8 Ball has five noncommittal answers, including "Better not tell you now," and five negative answers, such as "Outlook not so good."
• RON (42A: Fictional newsman Burgundy) RON Burgundy (as portrayed by Will Ferrell) is the main character of the Anchorman franchise. The franchise includes three movies: Anchorman: The Legend of RON Burgundy (2004), Anchorman: Wake Up, RON Burgundy: The Lost Movie (2004), and Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues (2013). There is also a podcast, The RON Burgundy Podcast (2019-2022), with Will Ferrell (as RON Burgundy) conducting interviews and discussing a variety of topics.
• RETINA (46A: Eye layer with cones and rods) Rods and cones are photoreceptors located in the RETINA, which is the innermost layer of the eye.
• LEDE (63A: Journalist's intro) The LEDE is the lead section of an article, and is often designed to catch the reader's interest so they continue reading. (Why is it spelled "LEDE" and not "lead" – simply to be confusing, perhaps?) I associate this word with the phrase "burying the LEDE," which refers to when the most interesting or important point is not mentioned in the introduction.
• PLANT SIT (3D: Supervise some succulents) and CACTI (9D: Prickly flora in the background of some westerns) I enjoyed the alliteration of "supervise some succulents." And since CACTI are succulents (plants that store water in their leaves and stems), I enjoyed filling in CACTI shortly after PLANT SIT.
• OASIS (6D: "Champagne Supernova" band) "Champagne Supernova" is the closing track of (What's the Story) Morning Glory (1995), which is the second studio album by the English rock band OASIS.
• TARGET (11D: Retailer with the mascot Bullseye) I have previously written about TARGET's mascot, Bullseye.
• RYE (21D: Manhattan ingredient) The cocktail known as the Manhattan is traditionally made using RYE whiskey, sweet vermouth, and Angostura bitters. The drink takes its name from the Manhattan Club in New York city where it is thought to have originated in the mid-1870s.
• RAYE (29D: One-named "Escapism" singer) RAYE is a singer and songwriter from London, England. Her 2022 single "Escapism" went viral on TikTok and became her first number-one single in the UK as well as her first song to chart on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100.
• EGG (33D: Shakshouka ingredient) Shakshouka is a dish of poached EGGs in a sauce of tomatoes, peppers, onions, garlic, and spices.
• ORIOLE (43D: State bird of Maryland) If you guessed that the state bird of Maryland is specifically the Baltimore ORIOLE, you would be correct.
• PHASE (49D: Waxing gibbous is one) Waxing gibbous is a lunar PHASE. The Moon has four major PHASEs: new moon, first quarter, full moon, and last quarter. Waxing gibbous is an intermediate PHASE that refers to the time between the first quarter and full moon.
• HELEN (50D: Oscar winner Mirren) Dame HELEN Mirren won a Best Actress Oscar for her portrayal of Queen Elizabeth II in The Queen (2006).
• TRUE (53D: "I know this much is ___" (Spandau Ballet lyric)) "I know this much is TRUE," is a lyric from the Spandau Ballet song "TRUE" (1983).
• ARE (59D: Pirates' favorite linking verb?) Arrr! This is a silly clue, so I like it, of course. A linking verb (in case it's been a bit since you've studied grammar) is a verb that connects a subject (a noun) to a word that renames or describes it, instead of showing action. In the sentence, "You ARE a pirate," ARE is acting as a linking verb.
• A few other clues I enjoyed:
• SAILED (25A: "That ship has ___")
• CRIES (31A: Reacts to a three-hanky movie)
• SPEEDY (12D: Like the Road Runner)

It took me a little bit to figure out this theme, because when I filled in the answer INTERVIEW STAGE, I thought of the phrase STAGE LEFT first. However, the word LEFT does not pair with the ending words of the other theme answers, so I kept thinking. Eventually I got the "Aha!" moment. Very nice. Thank you, Matt, for this enjoyable puzzle.