May 21, 2026

Title: FACE COVERING

Constructor: Norman M. Aaronson

Editor: Amie Walker

Theme synopsis:

• FAT CHANCE (17A: "That'll never happen!")
• FAN INTERFERENCE (42A: Call when a baseball spectator illegally alters the course of play)
• FAIR PRICE (68A: Amount that's reasonable)

FACE COVERING: The word FACE is surrounding, or COVERING, each theme answer: FAT CHANCE,  FAN INTERFERENCE, and FAIR PRICE.

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• PASTA (9A: Penne or ziti) Penne and ziti are both tubular PASTA shapes. Penne has angled ends and is often ridged. Ziti has straight-cut ends and is smooth.
• OONA (14A: "Game of Thrones" star Chaplin) Game of Thrones is an HBO TV series that originally aired from 2011-2019. During its eight seasons, Game of Thrones won 59 Primetime Emmys, including four Emmy Awards for Outstanding Drama Series. OONA Chaplin portrayed Talisa Maegyr in Game of Thrones.
• ODESSA (26A: Texas city named after a Ukrainian city) ODESSA, Texas, located in the western part of the state, was founded in 1881. It was named ODESSA because the surrounding landscape of shortgrass prairie reminded the founders of similar landscape in ODESSA, Ukraine.
• USAIN (38A: Olympian Bolt) USAIN Bolt is a retired Jamaican sprinter that is widely considered to be the greatest sprinter of all time. He is an eight-time Olympic gold medalist, and an eleven-time World Champion. He holds the world record in the 100 meters, 200 meters, and 4 x 100 meters relay.
• FAN INTERFERENCE (42A: Call when a baseball spectator illegally alters the course of play) When FAN INTERFERENCE is called during a baseball game, the ball is declared dead. The umpire then awards any bases or outs that they feel would have occurred without the FAN INTERFERENCE. An example of FAN INTERFERENCE is a spectator reaching over the outfield wall and catching or deflecting a ball that would not have gone out of play without INTERFERENCE. A call of FAN INTERFERENCE generally results in the spectator involved being ejected from the stadium. 
• PACER (4D: Indiana basketball player) The PACERs are the NBA team located in Indiana. A single player from that team would be a PACER. Indiana also has a WNBA team, the Indiana Fever. This clue has me wondering if a single player from that team would be referred to as a Fever?
• ACTRESSES (10D: Cynthia Erivo and Jennifer Lawrence, for two)
• TOADS (12D: Amphibians who make "qwark-qwark-qwark" calls instead of croaks) I went down a bit of a rabbit hole here listening to sounds of frogs and TOADS! Here's a link to a site where you can listen to a bunch of frogs and TOADS if you would like to join me and make your own decision about what sounds they make. 
• DINO (30D: "The Flintstones" pet) The animated TV sitcom The Flintstones originally aired from 1960-1966, and was the first animated show to air on prime time. The show is set in a romanticized version of the Stone Age. DINO, the family pet, is a dogasaurus, a dinosaur exhibiting characteristics of a dog.
• POEMS (32D: Amanda Gorman works) Amanda Gorman was the first National Youth Poet Laureate for the United States, a position she held in 2017. She was also the first poet to perform at the Super Bowl, which she did in 2021, reciting her POEM "Chorus of the Captains." You can read Amanda Gorman's POEM "In This Place (An American Lyric)" on Poets.org.
• A few other clues I especially enjoyed:
• FORT (25D: Kids' creation that might be made out of pillows or snow)
• ERAS (29D: Taylor Swift's "The ___ Tour")
• SINGALONG (36D: Popular event at a piano bar)

I wasn't exactly sure what to expect theme-wise after reading the title. However, it didn't take me long to catch on. Thank you, Norman, for this enjoyable puzzle.

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