May 27, 2026

Title: GTL

Constructor: Erik Agard

Editor: Amanda Rafkin

Theme synopsis:

• GO STONES (30A: Black-and-white equipment for a Chinese strategy game)
• TOSTONES (32A: Twice-fried slices of plantain)
• LOST ONES (36A: 1998 Lauryn Hill diss track)

GTL: The theme answers are spelled identically with the exception of their first letters: GO STONES, TOSTONES, and LOST ONES.

And now a word from our constructor:

Erik: Thanks to Amanda, not only for her thoughtful editing as usual, but also for helping me with part of this grid. And thanks also to plantains for being delicious. If today is May 27 then you have just a few days left to get in on These Puzzles Fund Abortion 6 - highly recommend that and also Midis for Minnesota. Hope you're doing well! 

What I learned from today's puzzle:

• LOST ONES (36A: 1998 Lauryn Hill diss track) "LOST ONES" is the opening song of Lauryn Hill's 1998 debut album, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill. Although not explicitly named in the song, "LOST ONES" is believed to be a diss track directed at her former Fugees bandmate, Wyclef Jean. 
• RISEN (13D: "Dracula Has ___ From the Grave" (1968 movie)) Dracula Has RISEN from the Grave is a British horror movie. It starred Christopher Lee as Count Dracula. Rupert Davies portrayed Monsignor Ernest Mueller, a clergyman who unwittingly resurrects Dracula from the dead while performing an exorcism on his castle. I was not familiar with this movie, but the answer was inferable. 
• MARINO (38D: Former Dolphins quarterback Dan) Dan MARINO was the quarterback for NFL's Miami Dolphins for 17 seasons, from 1983-1999. Dan MARINO had a successful career with the Miami Dolphins, leading them to the playoffs ten times and the Super Bowl once. (The Miami Dolphins never won the Super Bowl when Dan MARINO was playing for them, however.) Add Dan MARINO to the sports knowledge I have gained from solving crosswords.

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• CLEOPATRA (6A: Ancient Egyptian queen) and ANTONY (51A: Lover of 6-Across) From 51 to 30 BCE, CLEOPATRA (70/69 BCE - 30 BCE) was the queen of the Ptolemaic Kingdom, an ancient Greek state based in Egypt. CLEOPATRA's title was Pharaoh, as that was the title used for monarchs in ancient Egypt. CLEOPATRA was the last ruler of the Ptolemaic Kingdom. Following her death in 30 BCE, Egypt became a province of the Roman Empire. CLEOPATRA and the Roman ruler Marc ANTONY (83 BCE -30 BCE) were lovers and had three children together. 
• SEA URCHIN (16A: Spiny marine creature eaten on sushi rice) SEA URCHIN – "uni" on a sushi menu – is a delicacy in Japan, as well as in other parts of the world. The only edible parts of these spiny creatures are their gonads, which are served raw over sushi rice.
• GO STONES (30A: Black-and-white equipment for a Chinese strategy game) GO is a board game that originated in China more than 2,500 years ago. The black and white game pieces are called STONES, and players attempt to capture each other's STONES. Thinking of GO STONES reminds me of the 2019 movie Knives Out, in which the game is used as a plot device.
• TOSTONES (32A: Twice-fried slices of plantain) Most common in Latin American and Caribbean cuisine, TOSTONES are, as the clue describes, twice-fried plantain slices. 
• HANS (37A: Film composer Zimmer) Film composer HANS Zimmer has won two Academy Awards for Best Original Score, for The Lion King (1994) and DUNE (2021). (A nice tie-in with 47-Down.) HANS Zimmer has composed scores for more movies than I can list here, but his works include, Madagascar (2005), Kung Fu Panda (2008), and Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006).
• TONE TAG (28D: Online indicator such as /s for sarcasm) A TONE TAG, or TONE indicator may be used on social media or in text messaging. For example, as noted in the clue, /s indicates sarcasm, while /srs indicates seriousness.
• PARAMORE (33D: "Ain't It Fun" band) "Ain't It Fun" is a 2013 song by the rock band PARAMORE. The music video for the song shows the band attempting to break a number of world records, such as the number of clocks smashed by guitars. "Ain't It Fun" won a Grammy Award for Best Rock Song.
• LEGENDS (36D: Iconic figures) I'm going to use this answer as an opportunity to talk about today's constructor, who is a LEGEND in my mind. (Hey, it's my blog, I get to do these digressions...) Erik Agard is currently the editor of the Apple News+ crossword. When I began blogging about the USA Today crossword, nearly six years ago now, Erik was the USA Today crossword editor. I emailed Erik out of the blue telling him I was considering blogging about the USA Today puzzle, and I sent him a sample. Erik was so supportive, and I greatly appreciate all his help over the years. He even used my blog to clue the word SALLY in one of his puzzles. Although Erik and I have corresponded quite a bit over the years (both when he was at USA Today and now at Apple News+), we just recently met in person for the first time last month at this year's American Crossword Puzzle Tournament. I was so happy for the opportunity to meet face-to-face. Oh, by the way, Erik won the tournament. I told you he's a LEGEND.
• CATNIP (40D: Stuff tabbies go wild for) It's not only tabbies that go wild for CATNIP, of course, but other cats as well, including my calico, Willow. This photo shows her on the chair that she and I sit in nearly every evening. She is probably thinking, "Sit down already so I can sit on your lap!" But I imagine her, "Give me some CATNIP, please!" look is similar.

• DUNE (47D: Sci-fi franchise with sandworms) The DUNE sci-fi franchise is based on the 1965 book by Frank Herbert (1920-1986) and its five sequels. Central to the DUNE stories is the fictional desert planet, Arrakis, which is the only source of the most valuable substance in the DUNE universe, a spice called melange. Arrakis is home to giant sandworms that guard the deposits of melange.
• Other answers and clues I especially enjoyed:
• AMUSE ME (26A: "I require entertainment")
• GETS MAD (48A: Falls for some ragebait)
• FIERCE (53A: Intense, like loyalty)
• FOSTERED (54A: Temporarily took in a dog)
• I SAID YES (35D: Caption for an engagement photo)

In modern usage, the letters GTL stand for Gym Tan Laundry. This acronym was made popular by the reality TV show Jersey Shore. I learned this usage of GTL when we saw a puzzle with this title a year ago.  It was fun to see a different take on this theme today. Such fun finds for theme answers, and an impressively constructed grid. I echo Erik's encouragement in his notes to check out both These Puzzles Fund Abortion 6 and Midis for Minnesota. It's an opportunity to get some great crosswords and support fabulous causes at the same time. Thank you, Erik, 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.)