April 4, 2026

Title: MISTER RIGHT

Constructors: Gene Leganza & Theresa Brady

Editor: Amanda Rafkin

Theme synopsis:

• STAY-AT-HOME MOM (20A: Parent whose job has no commute)
• COMPUTER CHIPS (38A: Tiny devices that act as the brains of electronics)
• PROPERTY DEEDS (57A: Real estate ownership records)

MISTER RIGHT: The RIGHT-most word of each theme answer can be paired with the abbreviation of MISTER to make the name of a title character of a movie: MR. MOM (1983), Goodbye, MR. CHIPS (1969), and MR. DEEDS (2002).

What I learned from today's puzzle:

• TENOR (6D: Vocal range for Jeremy Jordan) Jeremy Jordan is an actor and singer who is especially known for his work on Broadway. Beginning this month (April 21), he will be appearing on Broadway as Bobby Darin in the jukebox musical Just in Time. I am constantly amazed at the information available on the Internet. I went down a bit of a rabbit hole here, and I can tell you that not only is Jeremy Jordan a TENOR, but more specifically he's a "Contemporary Musical Theatre TENOR" with a vocal range that spans B2 to C6, "with strong sustainable belts from A4 to C5."

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• ELLA (17A: "The First Lady of Song" Fitzgerald) In addition to "The First Lady of Song," ELLA Fitzgerald (1917-1996) was also known as the "Queen of Jazz" and "Lady ELLA."
• TALC (19A: Mineral rated 1 on the Mohs scale) The Mohs scale characterizes scratch resistance on a qualitative scale from one to ten. TALC is a one on the Mohs scale. Diamond is a ten.
• CEMENT (34A: Part of a concrete plan?) The "concrete plan" here is not a "definite plan," but rather a literal plan to make concrete. CEMENT is a powder that is mixed with sand, gravel, and water to make concrete. 
• CATNIP (44A: Herb in many pet toys) About two-thirds of cats are intensely attracted to CATNIP. My cat, Willow, is part of that cat majority. 

• MGM (47A: Studio with a mascot named Leo) I have previously written about MGM's lion mascot named Leo.
• ERMA (67A: Humorist Bombeck) From 1965 until 1996, ERMA Bombeck (1927-1996) wrote a syndicated newspaper column titled "At Wits End." The column provided a humorous take on everyday life as a Midwestern housewife. Many of her columns have been compiled into books, including Aunt ERMA's Cope Book (1979), Family — The Ties That Bind ... and Gag! (1987), and When You Look Like Your Passport Photo, It's Time to Go Home (1991).
• OPAH (5D: World's only known warm-blooded fish) An OPAH is a type of fish. Its common names include sunfish, moonfish, kingfish, and redfin ocean pan. OPAH have a round body, and are unusual in that they are one of the few fish species that can regulate their internal body temperature. 
• TE AMO (7D: Words from el esposo) "El esposo" is Spanish for "the husband," one who might say, "TE AMO," or "I love you."
• OWL (11D: Bird in a classic Tootsie Pop commercial) "How many licks does it take to get to the Tootsie Roll center of a Tootsie Pop?" According to Mr. OWL, the answer is three.
• AD REP (21D: Expert at getting spots out?) The question mark in this clue alerts solvers to expect wordplay and trickiness. The spots referenced here are commercials, or ADs, which an AD REP sells to companies.
• EMU (30D: Bird whose males incubate the eggs) I'm always up for a clue that shares a fun animal fact, and today we have two. We've learned that the OPAH is a warm-blooded fish, and that it is the male EMU that incubates the eggs.
• OCT (42D: National Taco Day mo.) In the U.S., National Taco Day is celebrated on the first Tuesday of October (OCT.). That's an extra-special Taco Tuesday.
• A few other clues I especially enjoyed: 
• ROSE (24A: One of over 250 million sold on Valentine's Day)
• BUGS (37A: Bunny who says "What's up, doc?")
• BEAM ME UP (10D: Catchphrase originally from "Star Trek")
• TRIM (36D: Difficult-to-notice haircut)

I appreciate that this theme was not just famous MISTERs, but had the added constraint of the MISTERs being characters from movies. If you're a regular reader of this blog, you know I often write about movies and then comment that I haven't actually seen them. With today's theme, I'm one for three – I've seen Mr. Mom. Congratulations to Gene Leganza and Theresa Brady, who are both making USA Today crossword debuts! Thank you, Gene and Theresa, for this excellent 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.)