February 20, 2026

Title: LET ME FINISH

Constructor: Ryan Mathiason

Editor: Amie Walker

Theme synopsis:

• PRIME TIME (17A: Peak viewing hours for TV shows)
• RHYME SCHEME (34A: AABB or ABAB in poetry, e.g.)
• WELCOME HOME (42A: "I missed youuuu!")
• BLAME GAME (64A: Finger-pointing activity)

LET ME FINISH: Each word of each theme answer FINISHes with the letter ME: PRIME TIME, RHYME SCHEME, WELCOME HOME, and BLAME GAME. 

What I learned from today's puzzle:

• DEPP (1D: "Nosferatu" star Lily-Rose) Nosferatu is a 2024 Gothic horror movie. It is a remake of the German silent film Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror (1922), which was inspired by Bram Stoker's book Dracula (1897). Lily Rose DEPP stars as Ellen, a young woman who wishes for a companion to ease her loneliness and unknowingly forges a psychic link with Nosferatu, a mysterious vampire.
• AGE GAP (50D: Feature of Holland Taylor and Sarah Paulson's relationship) Holland Taylor is an actress whose many credits include The Practice (1998-2003) and Two and a Half Men (2003-2015). Sarah Paulson's acting credits include American Horror Story (2011-2021) and American Gothic. Holland Taylor and Sarah Paulson have been in a relationship since 2015. The AGE GAP between the two is 32 years. There is also an AGE GAP between my husband and I (though it's only 8 years), so I can tell you that once people are adults, AGE becomes less relevant. 

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• BOTS (23A: Automated blog posters) I can assure you that this blog post was not written by BOTS!
• ADA (24A: Programmer Lovelace) I've written about ADA Lovelace many times, and I'm always happy to see her in the puzzle.
• RAP (33A: Genre for Megan Thee Stallion) In 2020, RAP artist Megan Thee Stallion won the Grammy Award for Best New Artist. She's gone on to win two additional Grammy Awards as well as numerous other awards. The 2024 documentary Megan Thee Stallion: In Her Words is about her life and career.
• LET (40A: "___ It Go" ("Frozen" song)) In case simply reading this clue wasn't enough to give you an earworm, here's a link to "Let It Go." You're welcome.
• EURO (67A: Dutch currency) The Netherlands (home of the Dutch) is a country in Northwestern Europe. It is one of the countries that uses the EURO as their currency.
• ASIA (3D: Ulaanbaatar's continent) Ulaanbaatar is the capital and largest city of Mongolia, a landlocked country in East ASIA. Our crossword friend ASIA is making its second appearance of February and its fourth appearance of 2026. 
• GYM RAT (4D: Person who's always doing the heavy lifting?) The question mark in this clue alerts solvers that the heavy lifting is to be interpreted literally, the kind of heavy lifting a GYM RAT might do.
• AXIS (6D: Turning point?) Another question mark clue. The clue is not talking about a metaphorical turning point, but an AXIS of rotation about which a figure turns.
• TYLER (31D: "Lord of the Rings" star Liv) Liv TYLER portrays Arwen Undómiel in the Lord of the Rings film trilogy (2001-2003).
• TETON (32D: Grand ___ National Park) Grand TETON National Park is located in northwestern Wyoming. The TETONs are a mountain range of the Rocky Mountains, and most of the east side of the range is within Grand TETON National Park.
• CLUE (56D: Board game with Mrs. White) I'm always delighted to see a reference to CLUE, one of the greatest board games of all time (in my humble opinion).
• A few other clues I especially enjoyed: 
• DRAG (1A: Factor bobsledders try to reduce)
• NAMASTE (49A: Respectful Sanskrit greeting)
• ICE BATHS (10D: Cold soaks for Olympic athletes)

I enjoyed this supreme theme. Look at all the words that end with ME! Thank you, Ryan, for this clever puzzle.