May 4, 2026

Title: SOUNDS LIKE A PARTY

Constructor: Rebecca Goldstein

Editor: Amanda Rafkin

Theme synopsis:

• WASABI PEA (17A: Crunchy, spicy snack)
• NOT BAD, EH (26A: "Pretty good, huh?")
• AND YET HERE WE ARE (42A: "Somehow, this is our situation")
• SWEET TEA (53A: Sugary Southern drink)
• TELL ME WHY (68A: "I need a reason")

SOUNDS LIKE A PARTY: The ends of the theme answers SOUND LIKE they are spelling the word P-A-R-T-Y: PEA-EH-ARE-TEA-WHY.

What I learned from today's puzzle:

• SIS (50A: "Hey ___, It's Christmas" (RuPaul song)) "Hey SIS, It's Christmas" is a song from RuPaul's twelfth studio album, Christmas Party (2018). The song features Markaholic.
• NAMED (10D: "A Boy ___ Goo" (1995 album)) A Boy NAMED Goo is the title of the Goo Goo Dolls' fifth studio album, released in 1995. Although I didn't know this album title, the answer here was inferable. 
• BYER (18D: "Long Story Sort" voice actress Nicole) Long Story Short is an adult animated TV series that premiered on Netflix last year. The show centers on the adult children of the Schwoopers, a middle-class Jewish family. Nicole BYER voices the character of Kendra Hooper, who is married to the middle Schwooper child, Shira (voiced by Abbi Jacobson).

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• O'HARA (16A: "The Studio" actress Catherine) The Studio is an Apple TV+ series that premiered in March of last year. The series is a satire of the movie industry. Seth Rogen stars as Matt Remick, the new head of a Hollywood studio who is struggling to balance corporate demands with his desire to make quality films. In the show's first season, Catherine O'HARA portrayed Patty Leigh, the former head of the studio, who was fired at the request of the company's CEO. This was Catherine O'HARA's final TV appearance before her death in January of this year.
• SALAD (21A: Leaves for lunch?) A question mark at the end of the clue alerts solvers to trickiness and wordplay. This question mark clue made me smile. It's not "leaves for lunch" as in going out to lunch, but the "leaves" one might eat for lunch, a SALAD.
• EMBER (38A: Burning bit stepped on during a firewalk) During a firewalk, a person walks barefoot over a bed of hot EMBERs (sometimes stones are used). Firewalking has been practiced for thousands of years by some cultures. It is sometimes a rite of passage or a test of strength or courage.
• DISCS (45A: Spinal cushions) These spinal cushions, known as intervertebral DISCS, are found between vertebrae in the spinal column. The DISCS function to hold the spine together as well as act as a shock absorber for the spine.
• TLDR (58A: Summarizing initials) TL;DR = too long; didn't read. Maybe I need to start putting a TL;DR recap on my blog posts - ha!
• ENTER (66A: "Come in") and EXIT (44D: Lit sign in a movie theater) It tickles me that this puzzle has a way in and a way out.
• E. COLI (70A: Bacteria used in drug development) I won't go into the details of how E. COLI is used in drug development, as that discussion might be more technical than what you came to this blog looking for! I will just say that I enjoy this clue angle. I happen to know that today's constructor has a Ph.D. in Pharmacology, and I definitely heard her voice in this clue.
• SUNI (29A: ___ Lee (2025 Best Comeback Athlete ESPY Award winner) SUNI Lee is a professional gymnast. She was on the USA women's gymnastics team that won gold at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. Prior to those Olympics, in 2023, SUNI Lee was diagnosed with two rare kidney diseases. As the clue informs us, SUNI Lee won an ESPY Award in 2025 for Best Comeback Athlete.
• CYCLE (34D: Ride in the Tour de France) This is the second reference to the Tour de France that we've seen recently. A week ago we saw STAGES clued as [Segments of the Tour de France]. The Tour de France is held in July, so I guess these references are getting us ready for it (to cheer for it, not to actually CYCLE in it...).
• SEP (36D: Part of National Hispanic Heritage month (Abbr.)) The "part of" in this clue threw me for a loop. Isn't September (SEP.) an entire month. The key here is that National Hispanic Heritage month is celebrated from SEP. 15 to Oct. 15 each year. This observance recognizes the contributions and influence of Hispanic culture in the U.S. The dates of the observance were chosen because they line up with several dates of importance in the Hispanic community.
• STL (49D: First U.S. city to host the Olympics) The 1904 Summer Olympics were held in St. Louis (STL), Missouri.
• EYES (65D: Emoji that means "I'm listening," inaptly) This clue made me chuckle, especially since the EYES emoji is one of my favorites. 👀
• LEX (69D: Queer dating app) LEX is a queer dating app with no profile photos or cisgender men. The app is entirely text-based, with users writing posts similar to personal classified ads.

I have often said that my family's motto is "any excuse for a PARTY." So you know I'm here for today's puzzle! This theme is clever and I enjoyed it. Even though WASABI PEA tipped me off to what was happening, the first time I looked at the completed grid, I wasn't noticing "NOT BAD, EH?" and SWEET TEA as theme answers, so I was spelling P-R-Y. I knew that wasn't quite right! Thank you, Rebecca, for this delightful 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.)