February 3, 2026

Title: SCARE QUOTES

Constructor: Amie Walker

Editor: Amie Walker

Theme synopsis:

• SEE IF I CARE (17A: "Go right ahead!")
• SCREEN SHARE (36A: Collaborate on a video)
• SCAR TISSUE (61A: Red Hot Chili Peppers song about emotional wounds)

SCARE QUOTES: Each theme answer is contained within the word SCARE: SEE IF I CARE, SCREEN SHARE, and SCAR TISSUE.

What I learned from today's puzzle:

• MESA (33A: Arizona city home to Organ Stop Pizza) Yes, Organ Stop Pizza does serve pizza (as well as pasta, sandwiches, and ice cream), but the claim to fame of this MESA, Arizona restaurant is that it is home to the largest Wurlitzer pipe organ in the world. Each night musicians play the theater organ, which has 1,074 keys, buttons, and switches and over 6,000 pipes. The core of Organ Stop Pizza's organ was originally built for the Denver Theatre in Denver, Colorado, where it provided accompaniment for silent movies until the 1930s. In 1975, the organ was rebuilt for the MESA Organ Stop Pizza location. Since then the organ has been expanded to include pieces from other Wurlitzer organs. Okay, I am adding Organ Stop Pizza to my list of sights to check out the next time a road trip takes my husband and I through MESA, Arizona.
• SCAR TISSUE (61A: Red Hot Chili Peppers song about emotional wounds) "SCAR TISSUE" is a 1999 song by the Red Hot Chili Peppers, from their album, Californication. The song won a Grammy Award for Best Rock Song. Even though I wasn't familiar with this song, once I had a few letters from crossing answers, the answer was inferable thanks to the "emotional wounds" hint.
• SODA POP (42D: Saja Boys song with the lyric "Every sip makes me want more, yeah") "SODA POP" is a 2025 song performed by the fictional boy band the Saja Boys in the 2025 animated movie KPop Demon Hunters. The song is performed by Andrew Choi, Neckwav, Chung, Kevin Woo, and SamUIL Lee, who provide the singing voices of the Saja Boys in the movie. Although I have written about KPop Demon Hunters, this song is new to me.
• BIBB (57D: "The White Lotus" actor Leslie) The White Lotus is an HBO TV series about a fictional resort chain called White Lotus. The show, which premiered in 2021, is an anthology series, one that presents a different story or may have a different cast or be set in a different location each season. LESLIE Bibb is part of the cast for the third season of The White Lotus, which is set in Thailand.

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• TAKE (13A: "Every single hot ___ is cold as ice") "Every single hot TAKE is cold as ice" is a line from Taylor Swift's 2025 song "Eldest Daughter." The song is from her album The Life of a Showgirl.
• NEE (22A: Once known as) The word NEE is making back-to-back puzzle appearances. We saw it yesterday clued as [Michelle Obama ___ Robinson].
• HOLLY (24A: Apt name for a character in a Christmas movie) Why yes, I did add this to the list I'm compiling of "apt name" clues. Why am I keeping such a list? Because I am fond of these types of clues.
• PELE (32A: One-named soccer legend) PELÉ (1940-2022) was one of the greatest soccer players of all time. PELÉ averaged a goal per game throughout his career.
• REPS (69A: Clock lunge units) The clock lunge is a leg exercise that combines forward, reverse, and lateral lunges. The exercise gets its name because the lunges are performed by imagining one is stepping on the numbers of an imaginary clock .
• UKULELES (3D: Four-string instruments) UKULELES are an important part of Hawaiian culture, in large part because of King Kalākaua, who was the king of the Hawaiian islands from 1874-1891. UKULELES, the four-string instruments of Polynesian origin, were introduced to the Hawaiian islands by Portuguese immigrants during Kalākaua's reign. Kalākaua became proficient on the UKULELE, and would often play for visitors. In 1997, Kalākaua was the inaugural inductee into the UKULELE Hall of Fame. 
• STROLL (11D: It's a walk in the park!) The exclamation point at the end of the clue alerts solvers to interpret the clue literally. A walk in the park is a STROLL.
• OPERAS (25D: "Arabella" and "Aida") Arabella is a 1933 OPERA by Richard Strauss. It tells the story of an impoverished family attempting to marry off their daughter – the titular Arabella – to a wealthy suitor. Aida  is an 1871 OPERA by Giuseppe Verdi. Aida is set in ancient Egypt.
• ERS (30D: "The Pitt" and "Grey's Anatomy" settings) The Pitt and Grey's Anatomy are medical drama TV series. I enjoyed this interesting clue for ERS.
• EID (37D: "___ Mubarak!") "EID Mubarak!" means "Blessed feast" or "Blessed festival" in Arabic. The Muslim greeting is used for the festivals of EID al-Fitr (a festival marking the end of Ramadan) and EID al-Adha (a holiday honoring Abraham's obedience to God). 
• LAP CAT (44D: Feline friend who might sit on you while you play video games) My LAP CAT, Willow, happened to be sitting on my LAP as I was writing this. I swaddled her in the scarf I was wearing like the baby she thinks she is. 

• SAT (51D: ACT alternative) The ACT and SAT are college admissions tests used in the United States.
• OSLO (58D: Capital city visited on some fjord cruises) A fjord is a long, deep inlet. Fjords are often situated in valleys with cliffs on either side of the water. OSLO, Norway is located on the appropriately named OSLO Fjord. Many places in Norway are near fjords, as the over 17,000 miles of coastline is made up mainly of fjords. For comparison, the baseline coastline (drawn in a straight line without following the fjords) is just over 1,500 miles. Our crossword friend OSLO is making its fourth appearance of the year today.
• ASIA (59D: Largest continent) Speaking of our crossword friends, hello to ASIA, which is making its third appearance of the year. This might be a good time for my occasional reminder that all this means is that I enjoy data.
• A few other clues I especially enjoyed:
• ANTI (15A: Prefix for "hero" or "venom")
• TREATS (5D: Alternatives to tricks)
• OCTAVE (45D: Eight-note interval)

SCARE QUOTES are quotation marks used to indicate a word or phrase is being used in a non-standard or ironic sense. SCARE QUOTES may also be used to indicate a term is not the author's own. In today's puzzle, the word SCARE is acting somewhat like QUOTES as it is surrounding each theme answer. Thank you, Amie, for this enjoyable (and not at all scary) puzzle.