February 18, 2026

Title: WRONG TURN

Constructor: Prasanna Keshava

Editor: Amie Walker

Theme synopsis:

• DISCOUNT RACK (23A: Store fixture for sale items)
• DON'T RUB IT IN (37A: "Okay, I already know I messed up!")
• HOME RUN TROTS (48A: Slow, celebratory trips around the bases)

WRONG TURN: Each theme answer contains an anagram of the word TURN: DISCOUNT RACK, DON'T RUB IT IN, and HOME RUN TROTS.

What I learned from today's puzzle:

• PAUL (54A: Ice dancer Poirier) PAUL Poirier is a Canadian ice dancer. His current partner is Piper Gilles. Did you happen to catch their performance at this year's Winter Olympics?
• MLS (7D: New York Red Bulls) MLS is Major League Soccer. The New York Red Bulls – whose official name is Red Bull New York (RBNY) – is a professional soccer club based in the New York City metropolitan area. (Their home stadium is located in Harrison, New Jersey.) As someone who doesn't follow sports, I generally recognize most MLB, NFL, NBA, and NHL teams, but I'm still learning MLS teams.

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• CLEA (14A: "But I'm a Cheerleader" star DuVall) But I'm a Cheerleader is a 1999 movie about a cheerleader named Megan, played by Natasha Lyonne. Megan's family suspects she is a lesbian, and sends her to a conversion therapy camp to "cure" her. One of the people Megan meets at the camp is Graham, played by CLEA DuVall.
• FROSE (16A: Slushy wine cocktail) FROSÉ, a portmanteau of "frozen" and "rosé," is a slushy cocktail made of rosé wine, strawberries, vodka, and lemon juice.
• RAITA (19A: Yogurt-based condiment) RAITA is made by mixing yogurt with vegetables, herbs, and spices. The vegetables in RAITA, often cucumber and onion, may be raw or cooked. The herbs and spices used in RAITA include coriander, cumin, mint, cayenne pepper, and chaat masala.
• BIG (28A: "___ mistake. ___. Huge" ("Pretty Woman" quote)) Just last week when we saw GERE clued as ["Pretty Woman" actor Richard], I commented that the movie Pretty Woman contains some iconic scenes. The iconic shopping scene with the quote, "BIG mistake. BIG. Huge." is one of the fabulous moments in the movie. 
• AC/DC (41A: "Back in Black" band) Back in Black is a 1980 album by AC/DC. It was the group's first album with Brian Johnson as lead vocalist. Back in Black is one of the best-selling albums of all time.
• SHAR PEI (45A: Dog with wrinkly skin) The SHAR PEI dog breed, known for its wrinkly skin and blue-black tongue, originated from southern China.
• WAP (52A: 2020 Cardi B feat. Megan Thee Stallion hit) Cardi B released "WAP" – featuring Megan Thee Stallion – in August 2020. The song (probably not unexpectedly) received both acclaim and criticism. It received kudos for its sex-positive message, while some commentators criticized its explicitness.
• REMY (61A: "Ratatouille" rat) REMY is the rat chef in the 2007 animated movie Ratatouille. Patton Oswalt is the voice of REMY.
• ISSUE (63A: The Olympic Review installment) The Olympic Review is the official magazine of the International Olympic Committee. Two ISSUEs of The Olympic Review are published each year. The magazine is published in English, French, and Spanish.
• OREO (64A: Cookie that can be customized) On the OREO website, there's a form for ordering your customized cookies. Cookies can be customized with the text or image of your choice. The current price is around $15.00 for four cookies.
• BLINI (2D: Pancakes often topped with caviar) BLINI are thin pancakes made from wheat flour. They are popular in Eastern European cuisine. They are often served with sour cream and caviar.
• SAKE CUP (4D: Drinking vessel at a 50-Down bar) and RAMEN (50D: Soup with a tonkotsu variety) This is a nice pairing of clues. Tonkotsu RAMEN is a type of RAMEN made by boiling pork bones until a creamy, rich broth is attained.
• DIM SUM (5D: Har gow, lo mai gai, etc.) DIM SUM is a large range of small dishes. A DIM SUM restaurant may have several dozen dishes on its menu, such as har gow and lo mai gai. Har gow is a traditional Cantonese dumpling. Lo mai gai is a dish of glutinous rice filled with chicken and other ingredients, which are wrapped in a grape leaf or dried lotus leaf, and then steamed.
• AFRICA (9D: Mali's continent) Mali is a landlocked country in West AFRICA. Mali's neighbors are Senegal, Algeria, Niger, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Guinea, and Mauritania. Mali is a multilingual country with thirteen official languages. African French is the country's working language.
• KATSU (22D: Panko chicken dish) Chicken KATSU is a dish of chicken cutlets coated with panko bread crumbs and then fried. It is sometimes referred to as panko chicken, and is related to the dish tonkatsu, which is breaded, fried pork cutlets.
• ROARS (25A: Bellows like Alex in "Madagascar") Madagascar is a 2005 animated movie about a group of anthropomorphic zoo animals who – through a series of adventures – find themselves stranded on the island of Madagascar. Alex, voiced by Ben Stiller, is an African lion. My cat, Willow, is always happy to see a reference to her big cat cousins. She can't ROAR, but that doesn't keep her from trying.

• GENES (30D: They determine hair color and whether you have the photic sneeze reflex) The genetics of hair coloring are complex. Scientists have identified at least 11 different GENES that play a role in determining hair color. The photic sneeze reflex refers to sneezing in response to bright lights. The reflex is inherited and affects between 18-35% of the world's population.
• SIT A SPELL (35D: Old-fashioned phrase meaning "Relax!") I guess I'll stop inviting folks to "SIT A SPELL," lest I be deemed old-fashioned.
• AGUA (55D: ___ fresca (fruit drink)) AGUA fresca is Spanish for "fresh waters." The term is used to refer to non-alcoholic beverages made from fruits or flowers, blended with water and sugar. AGUA frescas are popular in the southwestern United States, Mexico, and Central America.
• ROM (61D: ___-com (genre for "Winter Games")) Winter Games is an upcoming ROM-com movie starring Hailee Steinfeld and Miles Teller as athletes at the Winter Olympics. 
• A couple of other clues I especially enjoyed:
• THERE (49D: "And ___ you have it!")
• OH YOU (51D: "Stahhhp")

This puzzle features a hidden anagram theme. The word WRONG in the title is serving as the anagram indicator, suggesting that the letters of the word TURN are in the "WRONG" order in each theme answer.

I like that "DON'T RUB IT IN," might be something one says after making a WRONG TURN. Thank you, Prasanna, for this enjoyable puzzle.