April 21, 2026

Title: REPEAT AFTER ME

Constructor: Joe Rodini

Editor: Amie Walker

Theme synopsis:

• TURMERIC RICE (19A: Yellow-tinted accompaniment to tikka masala)
• COME AS A SURPRISE (39A: Occur unexpectedly)
• DEMERARA SUGAR (55A: Simple syrup alternative in a cocktail)

REPEAT AFTER ME: A REPEATed letter string occurs in each theme answer directly after the letter string M-E: TURMERIC RICE, COME AS A SURPRISE, and DEMERARA SUGAR.

What I learned from today's puzzle:

• ONCE (13A: How many times the Jets have been Super Bowl champions) I'm rarely going to know a sports statistic, but this was easy enough to figure out from word length and crossing answers. The New York Jets are an NFL team that played its first season in 1960. They play their home games at MetLife Stadium, which they share with the New York Giants. As the clue informs us, the New York Jets have been Super Bowl champions just ONCE. At the end of the 1968 football season, the New York Jets played in Super Bowl III on January 12, 1969. (That was pre-AFL/NFL merger, and the Jets were in the AFL at that time.) Their opponents were the Baltimore Colts, and the Jets won 13-7. The quarterback for the New York Jets in that game was Joe Namath. (Hey, even I've heard of him!)
• TEN (67A: Pearl Jam's first album) Pearl Jam released their debut studio album, TEN, in 1991. The original release of the album contained TEN tracks, plus a hidden bonus track. Three songs on the album became hits: "Alive," "Even Flow," and "Jeremy." TEN was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2021.

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• SEN (5A: Congress member (Abbr.)) I had a 50% chance of getting this correct. Is it SEN, the abbreviation for senator, or REP, the abbreviation for representative? Of course I choose incorrectly the first time, but that was easily fixed with some help from crossing answers.
• NITRO (18A: Type of tap that might pour a stout beer) A NITRO tap uses nitrogen gas instead of carbon dioxide used in many taps. The result is a smoother texture and a creamy, foamy head.
• TURMERIC RICE (19A: Yellow-tinted accompaniment to tikka masala) TURMERIC, is a yellow-orange spice derived from the rhizomes of the Curcuma longa plant. It produces a yellow tint when it's added to RICE. Tikka masala  is made by marinating chunks of chicken or paneer in spiced yogurt, then roasting it and serving it in a creamy sauce that usually contains tomatoes and coconut cream. It is frequently served with TURMERIC RICE.
• TYPO (22A: Feature of tihs clue) I always appreciate a TYPO clue that contains a TYPO.
• SYD (28A: Ayo Edebiri's character in "The Bear," for short) The Bear is a TV series about Carmy Berzatto – portrayed by Jeremy Allen White – a chef from New York City who returns to his hometown of Chicago to run his family's Italian beef sandwich shop, The Beef. Ayo Edebiri portrays sous-chef Sydney "SYD" Adamu.
• IFTAR (37A: Evening meal during Ramadan) Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. Muslims around the world observe Ramadan by fasting from sunrise to sunset during the 29 or 30 days of the observance. IFTAR is the evening meal with which Muslims end their daily fast during the month of Ramadan. Traditionally, three dates are eaten to break the fast.
• E-GIRL (42A: TikTok aesthetic that embraces elements of mall goth culture) The E-GIRL and e-boy look may include baggy clothes, neon-colored hair, nail polish, and decorative chains. This alternative fashion subculture emerged in the late 2010s, and was popularized by TikTok.
• ENYA (44A: "Only Time" artist) It's always a good day to listen to some ENYA. "Only Time" was released in 2000. "Who can say where the road goes? Where the day flows? Only time..."
• DEMERARA SUGAR (55A: Simple syrup alternative in a cocktail) DEMERARA SUGAR is a type of natural brown SUGAR. It has a coarse grain and light tan color. It's named for a historical region on the north coast of South America. DEMERARA SUGAR originally came from sugarcane fields in this region. As the clue informs us, DEMERARA SUGAR is used in some cocktails.
• QUEST (66A: "Skyrim" mission) Skyrim (officially The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim) is the fifth installment in The Elder Scrolls series of role-playing video games. In Skyrim, Dragonborn (the role players take on) is on a QUEST to defeat Alduin the World-Eater (a dragon).
• NAT (10D: ___ King Cole) NAT King Cole (1919-1965) was a jazz singer and pianist. He was awarded the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1990, and inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000.
• FDR (14D: New Deal prez) The New Deal was a series of programs and regulations enacted between 1933 and 1939, when Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR) was president. These programs included the establishment of Social Security. The use of the word "prez" in the clue – a shortened form of the word president – alerts solvers the answer will be an abbreviation.
• AREA (31D: ___ 51) AREA 51 is a highly classified U.S. Air Force training facility in Nevada. All research at AREA 51 is classified as Top Secret/Sensitive Compartmented Information, and the CIA did not publicly acknowledge the existence of AREA 51 until 2013. AREA 51 has been the subject of multiple conspiracy theories. In 2019, AREA 51 was the focus of a satirical Facebook event to "Storm AREA 51." Over 2 million people responded they were going to the nonexistent event, and 1.5 million people mentioned they were interested.
• ALBUM ART (40D: A prism, for "The Dark Side of the Moon," e.g.) The Dark Side of the Moon is Pink Floyd's eighth studio album, released in 1973. The ALBUM ART is a triangular prism shown on a black background. A beam of light enters the prism from the left, and a rainbow extends from the prism on the right.
• SAMOA (54D: Oceania nation) Oceania is the name for the geographical region that encompasses Australia and other islands in the Central and South Pacific Ocean. SAMOA is an island country located about halfway between Hawaii and New Zealand, in the Pacific Ocean. The capital of SAMOA is Apia.
• LSU (60D: Shaq's alma mater) Shaquille O'Neal, whose nickname is Shaq, is a former professional basketball player and a current sports analyst for Inside the NBA. Before joining the NBA, Shaq played college basketball for Louisiana State University (LSU). LSU is making back-to-back puzzle appearances. We saw it yesterday clued as [Baton Rouge school, for short)].
• A few other clues I especially enjoyed:
• FIDO (14A: Spot or Rover alternative)
• PEA (29A: Cause of insomnia for a fairy-tale princess)
• WHAT A TREAT (27D: "How unexpectedly delightful!")

From the title of today's puzzle, I correctly guessed that each theme answer would contain the word ME. I also guessed there would be something that REPEATed after the word ME; I just didn't know what that would be. It turns out that the REPEAT is a letter string that occurs twice. That REPEATed letter string is different in each theme answer. I had the thought that it would be fun if those REPEATed letters spelled out something, but on the other hand, as a constructor, I realize there are a limited number of phrases that fit these parameters. Thank you, Joe, for this enjoyable puzzle.

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