April 6, 2026

Title: CLIMBING WALL

Constructor: Zhouqin Burnikel

Editor: Amanda Rafkin

Theme synopsis:

• NILLA WAFER (9D: Banana pudding ingredient)
• I'M WELL AWARE (17D: "That's not news to me")
• STILL AWAKE (27D: Yet to fall asleep)

CLIMBING WALL: The word WALL is found CLIMBING up each vertical theme answer: NILLA WAFER, I'M WELL AWARE, and STILL AWAKE.

What I learned from today's puzzle:

• MEMOIR (60A: "Girl, Interrupted" is one) Girl Interrupted is the best-selling 1993 MEMOIR of Susanna Kaysen. The book tells of the author's experiences in a psychiatric hospital and her diagnosis of borderline personality disorder. The MEMOIR's title is a reference to a painting by Johannes Vermeer, Girl Interrupted at Her Music. Girl Interrupted was adapted into a 1999 movie starring Winona Ryder.
• CUMIN (50D: Spice in dhana jiru) Dhana jiru is a North Indian spice mix. Its primary ingredients are roasted CUMIN and coriander seeds.

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• ALOHA (1A: Hawaiian word for love) The meaning of "ALOHA" is more than simply "hello." It also encompasses "love, affection, peace, compassion, and mercy." 
• EROTICA (14A: Blue books?) This clue is not referring to books with a blue cover, but rather to EROTICA, books that are blue in the sense of being risqué.
• OMELET (16A: Egg dish suce as tamagoyaki) Made by rolling together several layers of cooked egg, tamagoyaki is a type of Japanese OMELET
• ALLAH (21A: Deity referenced in the Shahada) The Shahada (also spelled Shahadah) is a profession of faith that is one of the Five Pillars of Islam (fundamental Islam practices). ALLAH is an Arabic term for God used by followers of Islam.
• GILA (24A: ___ monster (venomous lizard) The GILA monster is a species of venomous lizard native to the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico.
• WINE BAR (28A: Place to stop and smell the roses?) The question mark in this clue alerts solvers to expect some trickiness. The "roses" in the clue are not flowers, but rather "rosés" – a type of WINE.
• PAPA (36A: Smurf who wears a red hat) The blue humanoid creatures known as Smurfs were introduced as comic book characters in 1958. They were created by Belgian comics artist Peyo (the pen name of Pierre Culliford). Since that time, the Smurfs franchise has expanded into animated TV shows, movies, video games, toys, and theme parks. The majority of the Smurfs are described as being about 100 years old, but PAPA Smurf – distinguishable by his white beard, red pants and red hat – is said to be between 542-553 years old, depending on the source.
• ASIAN (37A: Osakan or Mumbaikar) Osaka is a city in Japan. Mumbai is a city in India. That means that Osakans and Mumbaikars are ASIAN.
• TEAM NAME (58A: Warriors or Titans, e.g.)Golden State Warriors is the NAME of an NBA TEAM based in San Francisco. Titans is the NAME of an NFL TEAM based in Tennessee.
• LIME (2D: Citrus in a caipirinha) A caipirinha is a cocktail made with cachaça (a distilled spirit made from sugarcane), sugar, and LIME. Caipirinha is the national cocktail of Brazil.
• ONES (3D: Binary code digits) and ANI (59D: "Binary" singer DiFranco) Binary is a 2017 album by ANI DeFranco. I liked the choice to highlight this particular album of ANI DiFranco's to pair with the clue for ONES.
• ATE (5D: Enjoyed some baozi, say) Baozi, also known as bao, is a steamed yeast-leavened bun that is filled with a variety of savory or sweet fillings
• UCLA (10D: Sch. near Beverly Hills) The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) has been located just west of Beverly Hills since 1925. UCLA is the second oldest of the University of California's 10 campuses. (UC Berkeley is the oldest.)
• GAD (24D: Josh who voices Olaf in "Frozen") Olaf is the lovable snowman we met for the first time in Disney's 2013 animated movie Frozen. The character of Olaf is voiced by Josh Gad. 
• RAT (34D: Animal like the Muppet Rizzo) I'm always happy to see a Muppet reference. Rizzo the RAT is the sidekick of Gonzo the Great. He is streetwise and has a New Jersey accent.
• CITI (39D: ___ Field (turf for Mr. Met)) Mr. Met is the mascot of MLB's New York Mets, who (since 2009) play their home games at CITI field.
• OTTO (51D: "Homeland" actress Miranda) Homeland is an espionage thriller TV series that originally aired from 2011-2020. Miranda OTTO portrays Allison Carr in the show's fifth season.
• A few other clues I especially enjoyed:
• PINATA (12A: Party centerpiece packed with candy)
• TALL (15D: Able to reach the top shelf)
• RANGERS (20D: National park workers)

I appreciate the fact that in addition to the word WALL being found CLIMBING up each vertical theme answer, it is also found CLIMBING up the grid as you move from left to right. That makes for a nice visual. Thank you, Zhouqin, for this enjoyable puzzle.