February 2, 2026

Title: LITTLE AMERICA

Constructor: Jay Silverman

Editor: Amanda Rafkin

Theme synopsis:

• COME SAY HI (17A: "Stop by! It's be great to see you!")
• EITHER OR (32A: "Whichever!")
• PARDON ME (44A: "My apologies!")
• I'M GOING IN (59A: Words spoken before a dramatic entrance, perhaps)

LITTLE AMERICA: Each theme answer ends with the postal abbreviation (a LITTLE form of its name) of an AMERICAn state: HI (Hawaii), OR (Oregon), ME (Maine), and IN (Indiana).

And now a word from our constructor:

Jay: This puzzle just kind of came to me in a flash, out of nowhere, as if it were this fully-formed idea.  That never really happens, and I'm really happy with how this one turned out (and really happy to have a puzzle out there which shares a name with an R.E.M. song, at long last!).  Hope solvers get a kick out of this one and have as much fun solving this one as I had putting it together.

What I learned from today's puzzle:

• ERNEST (26D: Goofball in a 1980s-'90s film series) ERNEST P. Worrell, portrayed by Jim Varney was the title character of nine movies beginning with ERNEST Goes to Camp in 1987. There was also a TV series that ran for one season in 1988, Hey Vern, It's ERNEST! The character of ERNEST was created by Jim Varney in collaboration with a Nashville advertising agency. ERNEST featured in commercials for a variety of products before transitioning to movies. 

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• RHINO (16A: Animal that might be seen on a safari) The RHINO is one of the "Big Five" animals that people hope to see when going on a wildlife safari in Africa. The other four members of the "Big Five" are the lion, elephant, leopard, and Cape buffalo.
• AARP (23A: Movies for Grownups org.) The Movies for Grownups Awards have been given annually by AARP since 2002. The goal of the awards is to encourage Hollywood to make more movies by and about people over the age of 50. The Awards are given in a number of categories, including Best Movie for Grownups, which was won by Hamnet in 2025.
• AMA (41A: Reddit Q&A) AMA stands for "ask me anything," a genre of interactive interviews that are especially popular on the news aggregation and discussion site Reddit.
• FOIL (50A: Wrap that sparks in the microwave) I am old enough to remember when microwave ovens first became widely used in the late 1970s. My mom took a microwave cooking class to learn how to use this new countertop appliance. She learned not to put FOIL in the microwave, of course. Unfortunately, she didn't learn about sneaky FOIL embossing on the sides of dishes. I have a vivid memory of putting a specific bowl in the microwave, one we'd had for years. We didn't think about the fact that the designs on the outside of the bowl were FOIL. As soon as the microwave started, sparks started flying! It was quite dramatic. Fortunately, I quickly stopped the microwave and no permanent damage was done.
• ADIEU (62A: French Open bye?) The question mark in this clue means it is not referencing a bye (automatic advancement to the next round) at the French Open tennis tournament, but rather a word for "bye!" one might hear while at the French Open, or "ADIEU."
• SCONE (64A: Elevenses treat) The term "elevenses" refers to a short break taken around 11:00 a.m., hence the name. The actual time of the break varies by country. In the United Kingdom, elevenses typically consist of tea or coffee, and perhaps a SCONE.
• THIS (8D: Not that!) An exclamation point at the end of a clue alerts solvers to interpret the clue literally. THIS, by definition, is not that.
• PERUSES (24D: Leafs through, like a book) I just want to note what a great word PERUSES is. It sounds rather fancy, doesn't it? She PERUSES the book looking for items of interest...
• SUNNI (39D: Branch of Islam) The two main branches of Islam are SUNNI and Shia. SUNNI is the largest branch of Islam and accounts for 87-90% of Muslims.
• CAT (40D: Pet that might fully ignore the scratching post you bought for them) Wait, is this clue suggesting that CATs are independent and have minds of their own? My CAT, Willow, says, "Amen!" Here's a photo of Willow on our dining room table. At least there wasn't food on it at the time...

• LIFE (51D: "The ___ of a Showgirl" (2025 Taylor Swift album)) The LIFE of a Showgirl is Taylor Swift's twelfth and most recent studio album, released in October of last year. 
• NEE (61D: Michelle Obama ___ Robinson) I'm always happy to see a mention of former first lady Michelle Obama NEE Robinson. Last year, Michelle Obama launched a podcast with her brother, Craig Robinson. It's called IMO. Each episode of the weekly podcast features a special guest who joins the co-hosts for discussion about a variety of topics.
• A few other clues I especially liked:
• GUESS (42A: One can be wild or educated)
• SLOP (48A: A.I.-generated content, colloquially)
• EVES (4D: There are two big ones in December)

This is a clever theme. I did not have a good guess about the theme from the title, but once I had a couple of theme answers filled in I experienced a nice "Aha!" moment. I appreciate that all of the theme answers are conversational phrases; that adds another layer of consistency. And in case this puzzle has you in the mood to listen to R.E.M.'s 1984 song, "LITTLE AMERICA," I've linked it here. Thank you, Jay, for this delightful puzzle.