April 25, 2026

Title: OUT IN FRONT

Constructor: Jay Silverman

Editor: Amie Walker

Theme synopsis:

• GROUND BEEF (17A: Sloppy joe meat, often)
• STRIKE PAY (37A: Compensation form the labor union during a work stoppage)
• FLY SWATTER (61A: Handheld pest-control device)

OUT IN FRONT: The FRONT word of each theme answer can be paired with the word OUT to form a baseball term, specifically a type of OUT: GROUND OUT, STRIKE OUT, and FLY OUT.

And now a word from our constructor:

Jay: I am a diehard, lifelong fan of the New York Mets.  Have been since nursery school.  Opening Day is a holiday in my home, and a federal holiday in my heart. 

As it's something of a nightly summer habit to have the game on in the background while doing other stuff, I noticed an on-screen display during a game last summer showing that Brandon Nimmo was 0-for-4 and committed four different kinds of outs in his at bats.  And from that, a lightbulb went off on my head and a puzzle was born. 

Even if you're not a sports fan like me (and frankly, you're probably way better off finding demonstrably better things to do with your time and emotional energy) – hope you get a kick out of this puzzle and have as much fun solving it as I did creating it!

What I learned from today's puzzle:

• BEER (24A: Duff ___ (pub drink on "The Simpsons")) As I have previously mentioned, I have never watched the animated TV series The Simpsons. I have, however, written about it a lot, as Simpsons references make frequent crossword appearances. Nonetheless, there's a lot of lore associated with a TV series that has 37 seasons and counting. Today I learned about Duff BEER, which is Homer Simpson's BEER of choice. Its slogan is "Can't Get Enough of That Wonderful Duff." Although the origins of Duff BEER are fictional, its ubiquitous appearances on the show have led to several companies using the name for their actual BEER. (This has led to a few legal battles.)

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• HOPE (16A: Word on a 2008 Barack Obama poster) The Barack Obama HOPE poster that became an iconic symbol of his 2008 presidential campaign was designed by Shepard Fairey. The poster features a stylized portrait of Obama in red, beige, and blue, with the word HOPE below.
• ORE (26A: Resource in Catan) ORE is not the only resource used in the board game Catan. There's also wool, grain, lumber, and brick. Helpfully, ORE is the only 3-letter resource in the game, making it the answer here. 
• MESA (32A: Arizona city with the Salt River wild horses) MESA is the third-most populous city in Arizona. The Salt River flows along the north edge of MESA. There are several populations of wild horses in North America. One such population is the Salt River wild horses, which live within the Tonto National Forest and like to hang out along the banks of the Salt River in MESA. Technically these horses are feral, as they are descendants of horses introduced to North America by Spanish explorers. 
• TAKE (40A: Opinion) Oh, like Sally's TAKE, perhaps...
• DOER (42A: Action figure?) Not an action figure toy, but a figure who takes action – a DOER.
• RENT (68A: Musical based on "La Boheme") Jonathan Larson's 1996 rock musical Rent is loosely based on the 1896 opera La bohème by Giacomo Puccini, Luigi Illica, and Giuseppe Giacosa. 
• ESPYS (69A: Awards show that has been hosted by Steph Curry and Serena Williams) ESPN has been presenting the ESPY Awards – short for Excellence in Sports Performance Yearly Awards – since 1993. Steph Curry hosted the ESPYS in 2022. Serena Williams hosted the ESPYS in 2024. 
• DESERT (13D: About 90% of Algeria) Algeria is a country in North Africa. It is the largest country in Africa, and its capital is Algiers. The Sahara DESERT covers 90% of Algeria. 
• MOM (23D: Recipient of many a televised "hello") This is a nice theme-adjacent answer. Many a "Hi, MOM!" sign gets televised during a baseball broadcast.
• GRID (29A: Crossword part) Always fun to have a self-referential clue in a crossword.
• ANISTON (41D: "The Morning Show" star Jennifer) The Morning Show is a TV series based on the characters and culture of a morning news program. The show premiered in 2019, and has had four seasons so far. Jennifer ANISTON stars as Alexandra "Alex" Levy, the co-host of the titular morning news program.                                                                                                                                     
• MANDELA (45A: Peace Nobelist Nelson) Nelson MANDELA (1918-2013) was an anti-apartheid activist and the first president of South Africa, a position he held from 1994 to 1999. In 1993, Nelson MANDELA and F. W. de Klerk were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize "for their work for the peaceful termination of the apartheid regime, and for laying the foundations for a new democratic South Africa."
• SLIDER (47D: Curving baseball pitch) This is another nice theme bonus.
• MOTHS (56D: They love lamp!) An exclamation point at the end of a clue alerts solvers to interpret the clue literally. MOTHS do love lamps; they are attracted to the light.
• Several other clues I especially enjoyed:
• UPON (49A: Second word in many fairy tales)
• NEWT (53A: Terrarium critter who might be punnily named Sal A. Mander)
• SPAM (70A: Email requesting your bank account details, probably)
• SELFIE (48D: Pic that might be captioned with "I did a thing")

It's particularly nice that there are three theme answers in today's puzzle. A perfect half-inning's worth of OUTs. Although I am not a sports fan, and, in fact, (almost) everything I know about sports I learned from crossword puzzles, the sport I know the most about is baseball. Therefore, it didn't take long for me to catch on to today's theme. I am not, however, a Mets fan – sorry, Jay! I will always be rooting for the St. Louis Cardinals. Thank you, Jay, for this enjoyable 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.)