May 5, 2026

Title: BOOTS AND CATS (Freestyle)

Constructor: Kareem Ayas

Editor: Amanda Rafkin

Theme synopsis:

BOOTS AND CATS (Freestyle): There's no theme today because this is a freestyle, or themeless, puzzle. The title is a nod to BEAT BOXERS (27D: Vocal percussionists).

And now a word from our constructor:

Kareem: Crab, crab, crab, crab, crab ... I will say I've put plenty'o crabs in my crosswords AND have eaten a lot of crab this past year, and it's been crab-e-licious – however I have yet to experience the expensive, luxurious and titillating taste of the ALASKAN KING CRAB. My goal for May (besides making more puzzles) is to dine on one. Maybe I will use the payment I get from this puzzle, and really splurge. It is, after all, a meal fit for a KING. Thanks for solving!

What I learned from today's puzzle:

• SAX (52A: Lester Young's instrument) Lester Young (1909-1959) was a jazz tenor SAX player. He gained prominence playing with Count Basie's orchestra and earned the nickname "Prez" (for "president of the tenor saxophone").
• T'NIA (54D: "VisionQuest" actress Miller) VisionQuest is an upcoming Marvel miniseries. It is a spin-off of WandaVision (2021) and is expected to premiere later this year. T'NIA Miller portrays Jocasta, a robot driven by revenge.

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• ALASKAN KING CRAB (17A: Crustacean that can have up to a 5-foot leg span) One might guess from the name ALASKAN KING CRAB that this species of CRAB is native to the North Pacific Ocean around Alaska. and that guess would be correct. ALASKAN KING CRABs that have a leg span of over five feet can weigh around 28 pounds. Interestingly, the ALASKAN KING CRAB is not the largest CRAB species. That would be the Japanese Spider CRAB with a leg span of over 13 feet!
• SESTET (19A: Ant's legs, e.g.) Fun to have two leg-related consecutive clues. In addition to having six legs – a SESTET – an ant has a much smaller leg span than an ALASKAN KING CRAB.
• ABS (22A: Features of six-packs, but not kegs) This clue made me chuckle.
• DIOR (35A: Fashion icon Christian) Christian DIOR (1905-1957) founded his fashion house – and his "New Look" collection – in 1947.
• LOONIES (38A: Canadian dollar coins) LOONIES is the name for Canadian one-dollar coins. Most versions of the coin feature a common loon on the reverse side.
• NETS (41A: What birdies fly over) Those birdies flying over NETS would be badminton birdies.
• BOOKTUBERS (43A: Content creators who discuss literature) BookTube is a YouTube subcommunity focused on books and literature. BOOKTUBERS have been posting their takes to YouTube since around 2010. Some common video topics for BOOKTUBERS are book reviews, readalongs, bookshelf tours, and unboxing videos (from subscription boxes).
• FRO (47A: Huey's hairstyle in "The Boondocks," for short) From 1996 to 2006, The Boondocks was a syndicated comic strip written by Aaron McGruder. The comic depicted brothers, Huey and Riley, who have moved with their grandfather from the West Side of Chicago to a predominantly white (fictional) suburb in Maryland. From 2005 to 2014, an animated series based on the comic strip, and also titled The Boondocks, aired on Cartoon Network's late-night programming block, Adult Swim. As the clue informs us, Huey's hairstyle is an afro, or FRO, for short.
• CINDERELLA (64A: Fairy tale that inspired the film "Ella Enchanted") Ella Enchanted is a 1997 book by Gail Carson Levine. A 2004 movie of the same name, starring Anne Hathaway as Ella, was loosely based on the book. Ella Enchanted is a retelling of CINDERELLA.
• POKE BALL (5D: Device used to "catch 'em all") The slogan for Pokémon is "gotta catch 'em all." In the Pokémon franchise, a POKÉ BALL is a spherical orb with a red top half and a white lower half. The POKÉ BALL can be used to catch certain Pokémon. POKÉ BALLs are used in the video games, and Nintendo also makes a POKÉ BALL you can hold in your hand and use to capture virtual Pokémon. 
• ELK (7D: Animal with antlers that can grow up to one inch per day) This is a fun animal fact. Male ELK shed their antlers each year in the spring. Those antlers rapidly regrow.
• VIRAL VIDEO (11D: People liked it a lot!) An exclamation point at the end of a clue alerts solvers to interpret the clue literally. By definition, a VIRAL VIDEO is one that people have liked a lot.
• BEAT BOXERS (27D: Vocal percussionists) BEAT BOXERS use their mouth and voice to mimic the sound of drums. Saying the phrase "BOOTS AND CATS" in a rhythmic way simulates BEAT boxing. If you want to know more about that, I recommend listening to this interview Wait Wait ... Don't Tell Me did with BEAT BOXER Kaila Mullady. (Okay, this is the whole episode ... you can skip to her interview – it's worth it.) And for a couple of feel-good minutes, I recommend watching this video clip of babies and BEAT BOXERS.
• TAIKO (30D: Japanese drum) In Japanese, the word "TAIKO" is used to refer to any kind of drum. The word is also used to refer to a Japanese drumming style.
• SPIT (52D: Rod for cooking shawarma) Shawarma is a dish in Middle Eastern cuisine that consists of thinly sliced meat stacked in a cone-like shape and roasted on a SPIT. Shawarma is often served wrapped in pita bread.
• ELLA (56D: Civil rights activist Baker) ELLA Baker was a civil rights activist, who often worked behind the scenes as an organizer and strategist. She is the namesake of the ELLA Baker Center for Human Rights in Oakland, California, a non-profit organization based in Oakland, California that works for justice, opportunity, and peace in urban America.
• GYM (60D: Place where many people are spotted?) This is a fun question mark clue. It's not that many people are spotted going to the GYM (though they may be...), but that people are spotted at the GYM for safety purposes.
• A few other answers I especially enjoyed seeing:
• I FEEL GREAT (32A: "Nothing's going to bring me down today!")
• PREGNANCY PILLOW (59A: Cushion for a mom-to-be)
• I'M ALL YOURS (12D: "No one else gets time with me today!")

I am a fan of BEAT BOXERS, so as soon as I saw the title of today's puzzle, I recognized what it was referring to. There's a lot of lively fill in this freestyle puzzle. I hope if Kareem does splurge on ALASKAN KING CRAB we get a photo of it with an upcoming puzzle. Thank you, Kareem, for this delightful puzzle. 

Oh, one more thing: My CAT, Willow, has informed me that a title of BOOTS AND CATS warrants a CAT photo. Here's a photo showing her natural white BOOTS.

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