February 28, 2026

Title: NOT A CHANCE!

Constructor: Ricky Sirois

Editor: Amie Walker

Theme synopsis:

• SURE THING (17A: "You got it!")
• SLAM DUNK (29A: Dramatic basketball play on many a poster)
• DONE DEAL (48A: It's 100% settled)
• GUARANTEE (64A: Assurance)

NOT A CHANCE!: Each theme answer is a term for something that is NOT A CHANCE, but rather the opposite of a CHANCE.

What I learned from today's puzzle:

• CHIPS (8D: Crunchy additions to some omelets) I have to admit that I have never encountered potato CHIPS in an omelet, so I ended up getting this answer from the crossings. Apparently my experience with this clue would have been different if I watched the TV show The Bear, which is about a chef from New York City who returns to his hometown of Chicago to run his family's Italian beef sandwich shop. (I have previously written about The Bear.) On an episode during the show's second season, a sous chef at the restaurant (portrayed by Ayo Edebiri) makes an omelet and tops it with sour cream & onion potato CHIPS. After the episode aired, the Internet did its thing and the potato CHIP omelet went viral. Here's one recipe I found. It sounds delicious, honestly; I might need to try it.
• HALO (33D: Xbox game that included a Fuzion Frenzy demo) I have previously written about the video game Fuzion Frenzy. Today I learned that a demo of the game was included on the disc for the Xbox game HALO: Combat Evolved, which was released in 2001.

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• ADELE (16A: "Rolling in the Deep" singer) "Rolling in the Deep" is a song from ADELE's 2011 album, 21. "We could've had it all / Rolling in the deep..."
• ELISE (20A: "Hamilton" star Renee ___ Goldsberry) Renée ELISE Goldberry originated the role of Angelica Schuyler in the original Broadway production of Hamilton. She won a Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for this role. 
• ROOK (23A: Chess piece used in castling) In chess, castling involves the ROOK and the king. It can only be done if those two pieces haven't moved yet, and if the squares between them are vacant. The king moves two spaces toward the ROOK, and the ROOK moves to the space the king passed over. Either ROOK or king would have fit here, so I used the crossing answer ADORES (10D: Loved a lot) to let me know which piece was the answer.
• I DO (28A: Likely response to "Who wants ice cream?") If you ever ask me, "Who wants ice cream?," I will definitely answer, "I DO!" This clue made me smile.
• ALA (43A: Org. with a "Freedom to Read" statement) The ALA here is the American Library Association, which was formed in 1876 and is the oldest and largest library association in the world. In 1953, the ALA and the American Book Publishers Council issued a "Freedom to Read" statement. The ALA says on its website, "On June 25th, 1953 we said that we trust the people of this nation to make their own decisions about what they read and believe – 70 years later, we still trust them to make their own decision."
• MALL (59A: National ___ (D.C. destination)) The National MALL is a park in Washington D.C. that extends from the grounds of the U.S. Capitol to the Washington Monument. A number of the Smithsonian Institution museums are located along the National MALL.
• UVULA (2D: Dangling palate part) The UVULA is the hangy-downy-thing (a highly technical term...) at the back of your mouth. It plays a role in preventing food from entering your nasal cavity when you eat, and is also used in articulation of certain sounds.
• ZERO SUGAR (11D: Label on one version of Holiday Creamy Vanilla Coca-Cola) Holiday Creamy Vanilla Coca-Cola – also available in a ZERO SUGAR version – is a limited edition Coca-Cola flavor released last year. Some of the reviews I read about this version suggest it tastes like regular Vanilla Coca-Cola, which is a good thing if you like Vanilla Coke.
• NEKO (30D: Indie singer-songwriter ___ Case) NEKO Case is a singer-songwriter who has had a solo career as well as being a part of the indie rock group the New Pornographers.
• NICARAGUA (36D: Largest country in Central America) As the clue informs us, NICARAGUA is the largest country in Central America. For perspective, NICARAGUA is slightly smaller than the U.S. state of Louisiana. The capital of NICARAGUA is Managua.
• LADY (39D: "___ Marmalade" (song on the "Moulin Rouge" soundtrack) "LADY Marmalade" was a hit for Labelle in the 1970s. The soundtrack for the 2001 movie Moulin Rouge! includes a version of "LADY Marmalade" by Christina Aguilera, Lil' Kim, Mýa, and Pink. This version of the song won a Grammy Award for "Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals."
• RIDDANCE (42D: "Good ___ (Time of Your Life)") "Good RIDDANCE (Time of Your Life)" is a 1997 song by the rock band Green Day. Although the song was written about lead singer Billie Joe Armstrong's ex-girlfriend moving to Ecuador, it has become a staple of high school proms. "It's something unpredictable / But in the end, it's right / I hope you had the time of your life."
• SULA (51D: Toni Morrison protagonist) Published in 1973, SULA was TONI Morrison's second published novel. SULA is a coming-of-age novel that tells the story of two girls – SULA and Mel – who live in a Black community in Ohio.
• INTRO (55D: First course, for short?) The question mark in this clue alerts solvers to expect trickiness and wordplay. The "first course" here isn't an appetizer, but rather an INTRO college course.
• OCEAN (55D: Setting for America's Cup races) America's Cup is a sailing competition. It is held between the yacht club that is the defending champion and a yacht club that has put forth a challenge. Instead of being held on a regular basis, America's Cup – which began in 1851 – is held whenever there is a valid challenge as determined by the Deed of Gift of the America's Cup. One of the requirements of this document is that the America's Cup must take place on the OCEAN or an arm of the OCEAN, rather than, say, on one of the Great Lakes, for example. The next America's Cup will be held in Naples, Italy in July 2027. The defending champion, which won the America's Cup in 2021 and 2024, is the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron.
• A few other clues I especially enjoyed:
• WORMS (19A: Early birds' rewards)
• YOGA CLASS (8D: Where someone might strike a pose?)
• KEEN (31D: Peachy ___)

The exclamation point in today's title is functioning as it does in a clue; it's alerting solvers to interpret the title literally. If something is NOT A CHANCE, it is a SURE THING. Or in other words, a SLAM DUNK, a DONE DEAL, or a GUARANTEE. I quite enjoyed this category theme. Thank you, Ricky, for this delightful puzzle.