January 7, 2026

Title: STORAGE UNIT

Constructor: Matthew Luter

Editor: Amanda Rafkin

Theme synopsis:

• RUGBY TEAMS (18A: Groups that compete in the Six Nations Championship)
• BABY TEETH (34A: Kids start losing them around age 6)
• EIGHT BY TEN (56A: Common headshot dimensions)

STORAGE UNIT: Each theme answer contains the word BYTE: RUGBY TEAMS, BABY TEETH, and EIGHT BY TEN.

And now a word from our constructor:

Matthew: This grid came together as soon as I hit on the two long non-theme entries going down: PAUL BUNYAN and STEPPARENT. Most constructors try not to have anything longer than a theme entry appearing in the same direction as the theme, but good “bonus downs” can add interest and help make a grid design a bit more open.

One clue on this one that’s meaningful to me: I clued MURALS with reference to a fellow native of my home state, the artist Walter Anderson, not long after a visit with my parents to the museum devoted to his work in Ocean Springs, Mississippi. If you’re unfamiliar, his work is lovely and well worth a look.

What I learned from today's puzzle:

• RUGBY TEAMS (18A: Groups that compete in the Six Nations Championship) The Six Nations Championship is an annual RUGBY union competition. Men's RUGBY TEAMS from England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland, and Wales compete each year to win the sterling silver Championship Trophy. Add this to the sports knowledge I have gained from solving crosswords.
• MURALS (25A: Some large Walter Anderson paintings) Walter Anderson (1903-1965) was an American artist and writer. His works include a series of murals painted in the Ocean Springs Community House in Ocean Springs, Mississippi. He also painted a set of murals in his cottage (now known as the Shearwater Cottage Murals). This set of murals illustrates a Gulf Coast day, transitioning from day to night. Both of these sets of murals are now on display at the museum Matt mentioned in his constructor's note, the Walter Anderson Museum of Art.
• ALABAMA (11D: State with the Unclaimed Baggage store) The Unclaimed Baggage store is located in Scottsboro, ALABAMA. As its name implies, the store sells items from unclaimed airline luggage. Over 99.5% of "lost" airline luggage is eventually restored to its rightful owners. But the 0.03% of checked luggage that never gets claimed makes its way to Unclaimed Baggage. Only about a third of the unclaimed items the store receives can be sold. Over the years, the store has found some remarkable items in the unclaimed luggage they've received, including a camera from the space shuttle (that they sent back to NASA), an Egyptian burial mask (which was sold through Christie's Auctions & Private Sales), a puppet used in the Jim Henson movie Labyrinth (the Jim Henson Company allowed the store to keep the puppet), and a live rattlesnake. The more "ordinary" items the store receives make their way to the sales floor or are sold online.

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• AIN'T (1A: "___ Too Proud" (jukebox musical about the Temptations) AIN'T Too Proud: The Life and Times of the Temptations is a 2018 jukebox musical based on the music of The Temptations. The musical's name is taken from the 1966 song by The Temptations, "AIN'T Too Proud to Beg." My husband and I have seen this musical, and we really enjoyed it. Lots of good music!
• PLAN (16A: The "P" in ZIP code) The ZIP of the ZIP code system is an acronym for Zone Improvement PLAN. 
• EMO (45A: Jimmy Eat World genre) Jimmy Eat World is an EMO band that formed in Mesa, Arizona in 1993. Their tenth studio album, titled Surviving, was released in 2019.
• SPLEEN (49A: Blood-filtering organ) The SPLEEN is an organ that plays an important role in the immune system. It acts as a sort of blood filter, removing old blood cells, recycling iron, and holding a reserve of blood. 
• SLOTS (53A: Machines with levers that are often decorative) In November of last year, we saw the word LEVER clued as [Decorative part of some slot machines]. This was when I learned that the levers on many SLOTS are now decorative rather than functional, since many slot machines are now digital rather than mechanical.
• ULNA (58A: Forearm bone) The ULNA and radius are the two long bones in the forearm. The ULNA is on the little finger side of the forearm, while the radius is on the thumb side.
• RENE (59A: Philosopher Descartes) RENÉ Descartes (1596-1650) was a French philosopher, scientist, and mathematician. His work is considered foundational to the development of modern philosophy. You might recognize one of his most well-known philosophical statements, "cogito, ergo sum" ("I think, therefore I am").
• IRANIAN (2D: Person from Tehran or Shiraz) Tehran is the capital and largest city of Iran. Shiraz is one of the top tourist cities in Iran. It is home to the Nasir al-Mulk Mosque, which I have written about previously.
• PAUL BUNYAN (6D: Giant lumberjack of American folklore) In American and Canadian folklore, PAUL BUNYAN is a giant lumberjack. Tales of PAUL BUNYAN recount his superhuman strength and often include mention of his sidekick, Babe the Blue Ox.
• STEPPARENT (28A: Mike or Carol Brady, e.g.) In the sitcom The Brady Bunch (1969-1974), Mike and Carol Brady are the parents of a blended family. Mike had three sons and Carol had three daughters. When they married, they each became a STEPPARENT. This clue has me singing The Brady Bunch theme song, "Here's the story of a lovely lady ... It's the story of a man named Brady ... That's the way we all became the Brady bunch."
• ITS (32D: Part of FWIW) FWIW = for what IT'S worth
• BOLOGNA (39D: "My ___ has a first name..." (classic ad jingle)) "My BOLOGNA has a first name / It's O-s-c-a-r / My BOLOGNA has a second name / It's M-a-y-e-r..." This classic commercial jingle dates back to the 1970s. And yet, I still know all the words, just as I know all the words for the aforementioned theme song of The Brady Bunch! Perhaps this is some knowledge I could let go of to make room for things I need to remember.
• ANT FARM (44D: Toy for an aspiring entomologist) An entomologist is one who studies insects.

As I've mentioned before, I appreciate puzzles that require me to do a little work (but not too much...) to figure out how the title relates to the theme. Therefore, I like that I had to figure out what UNIT was being stored in each theme answer. "Aha!" It's a BYTE. Don't ask me to explain how much data a BYTE can store, but I do recognize it as a UNIT of data STORAGE. Thank you, Matt, for this splendid puzzle.