March 29, 2026

Title: COMING RIGHT UP (Freestyle)

Constructor: Rafael Musa

Editor: Amanda Rafkin

Theme synopsis:

COMING RIGHT UP (Freestyle): There's no theme today, as this is a freestyle, or themeless, puzzle. The title is a nod to IN THE WORKS (32A: Currently being developed).

What I learned from today's puzzle:

• KNOX (35D: American painter Simmie) Simmie KNOX painted the official White House portraits of President Bill Clinton and First Lady Hillary Clinton. He has also painted portraits of Oprah Winfrey, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and Hank Aaron, among others. 

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• ERIE (14A: Cleveland's Great Lake) Cleveland, Ohio is located on the southern shore of Lake ERIE. Our crossword friend ERIE is making its second appearance of the month (and of 2026) today.
• DEY (25A: Susan who played Laurie on "The Partridge Family") The Partridge Family is a sitcom that originally aired from 1970-1974. It centered on the lives of the titular family that formed a pop music band. Shirley Jones portrayed the head of the musical family, Shirley Partridge. The musical siblings were Keith (David Cassidy), Laurie (Susan DEY), Danny (Danny Bonaduce), Chris (Jeremy Gelbwaks / Brian Foster), and Tracy (Suzanne Crough).
• DAYS (29A: "Dog ___ Are Over" (Florence and the Machine song)) "Dog DAYS Are Over" is a 2008 song from the English indie rock band, Florence and the Machine. It was fun to see DEY at one side of this row and DAYS at the other.
• ALOK (48A: Writer and performer Vaid-Menon) I first learned about ALOK Vaid-Menon from the August 21, 2021 crossword. We've also seen ALOK VAID-MENON as a theme answer previously, on July 8, 2022. Their writings include the poetry collection Femme in Public (2017) and Beyond the Gender Binary (2020). I've linked to this article about ALOK Vaid-Menon previously; I really appreciate many of the things they say here.
• THAT SETTLES THAT (53A: "No need to discuss this anymore") If you tell me there's "No need to discuss this anymore," I'm probably going to put it in the blog and talk about it just to be ornery. THAT SETTLES THAT!
• BANE (65A: The ___ of my existence) The word BANE comes Middle English, and derives from the word "bana" meaning "destroyer" or "murderer." In botany, the common names of some toxic plants contain the word BANE in their names, such as WolfsBANE or dog BANE. I have a tendency to use the phrase "the BANE of my existence," so I enjoyed seeing it in the puzzle.
• DEEP (67A: Like the Mariana Trench) The Mariana Trench is located in the western Pacific Ocean, about 124 miles east of the Mariana Islands. It is the deepest oceanic trench on Earth, with a maximum known depth of 36, 037 feet – that's nearly 7 miles DEEP! 
• PEPE (4D: Cacio e ___) Cacio e PEPE means "cheese and pepper" in several Italian dialects. Appropriately then, the ingredients of cacio e PEPE are black pepper, Pecorino Romano cheese, and spaghetti.
• ANAGRAMS (8D: "Mountaineers" and "enumerations," for example) I do enjoy a good ANAGRAMS clue, and this is a fun one.
• SARI (9D: Garment worn with a choli) A choli is a fitted bodice worn with a SARI.
• NED (22D: "The Simpsons" character Flanders) On The Simpsons, NED Flanders is the good-natured neighbor of the Simpsons.
• SEALS (41D: Animals seen from San Francisco piers) If you visit the piers of San Francisco – particularly Pier 39 – you're likely to see both SEALS and sea lions. Although SEALS and sea lions are similar in appearance, there are some differences. SEALS have internal ear holes, while sea lions have visible ear flaps. Sea lions tend to be more noisy and social, while SEALS are quieter and more solitary.
• ALLA (55D: Preposition on an Italian restaurant menu) This answer has me thinking of penne ALLA vodka, pasta ALLA norma, spaghetti ALLA puttanesca ... well, you get the idea. ALLA is an Italian prepositional phrase meaning "in the style of."
• AANG (58D: "Avatar: The Last Airbender" protagonist) Avatar: The Last Airbender is an animated TV series set in a fictional universe in which certain people can manipulate water, earth, fire, or air. AANG, the main character of the show, has a light blue arrow tattoo on his forehead, denoting that he is an airbender master.
• A few other clues I especially enjoyed:
• I'M NOT FEELING IT (20A: "That's a pass from me")
• NONISSUES (40A: Things that don't warrant any concern)
• DON'T HATE ME (28D: "You aren't gonna like this...")

Even though this grid proclaims, "I'M NOT FEELING IT," I was indeed FEELING this puzzle today. All of the long answers were lively, and the fill was smooth. In other words, a typical puzzle from this constructor. Thank you, Rafa, for this delightful puzzle.

A note about comments: I welcome your comments on the blog! For one thing it's nice to know folks are reading what I've written. My goal for this blog has always been for it to be informational, conversational, and kind. I ask that you keep those goals in mind when commenting. Unkind comments will be deleted. Note that I am more likely to delete a negative comment if it is posted anonymously. (P.S. You can point out when I make a mistake – in fact, I appreciate that so I can correct it.)