May 7, 2026

Title: AM I MISSING SOMETHING?

Constructor: Will Nediger

Editor: Amanda Rafkin

Theme synopsis:

• MI CASA ES SU CASA (19A: "Make yourself at home," in Spanish)
• AI LITERACY (33A: Ability to critically evaluate technologies like ChatGPT)
• AM STATION (54A: Talk radio source)

AM I MISSING SOMETHING?: Each theme answer begins with "AM I" – but it's MISSING SOMETHING. A different letter is MISSING from "AM I" in each theme answer: MI (missing A), AI (missing M), and AM (missing I).

What I learned from today's puzzle:

• K-DRAMAS (26A: Shows like "What's Wrong With Secretary Kim") K-DRAMAS are Korean-language TV shows made in South Korea. What's Wrong With Secretary Kim is a 2018 K-DRAMA. The series centers on the vice-chairman of a major corporation whose secretary of nine years resigns from her position. He decides to try to change her mind about quitting.
• ARE (32A: "There ___ dozens of us!") While it was easy enough to infer the answer here, I didn't know what the phrase "There ARE dozens of us!" was a reference to. It turns out that, "There ARE dozens of us!" is a catchphrase of the character Tobias Fünke on the show Arrested Development. He uses the phrase to defend his "Never Nude" condition (a fear of being naked).

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• HUB (10A: Toronto Pearson, for Air Canada) Toronto Pearson International Airport is the main airport serving Toronto, Canada and the surrounding area. As the clue informs us, Toronto Pearson is the primary HUB for Air Canada.
• LARGO (13A: Key ___, Florida) The Florida Keys are an archipelago – a group of islands – off the southern coast of Florida. Key LARGO is the largest of about 1,700 islands in the Florida Keys. About 30 miles long, Key LARGO is connected to mainland Florida by the Overseas Highway and the Sound Card Road.
• RAVEN (24A: "That's So ___" (2000s show)) That's So RAVEN is a teen sitcom that originally aired from 2003 to 2007 on the Disney Channel. RAVEN-Symoné portrayed the title character, a teenager with hidden psychic abilities.
• AI LITERACY (33A: Ability to critically evaluate technologies like ChatGPT) AI LITERACY is becoming increasingly necessary as the field of artificial intelligence grows. I realize that AI is a part of life and has some beneficial uses. I'm also aware of the tremendous resources required to maintain the data centers and I don't feel good about that. Out of stubbornness, I have never actually used ChatGPT. It did occur to me when I was thinking about this entry, however, to wonder if ChatGPT could write my blog for me...? (Don't worry – that's not happening!)
• NEEDY (39A: Like a cat that must be in your lap) Oh, look, it's a clue written about my NEEDY cat, Willow! As per usual, she's currently perched on my lap "helping" me write.

• UVULA (56A: It's visible when you say "ahh") Your UVULA is the hangy-downy-thing (a very technical term) at the back of your mouth. This is a fun clue.
• OGRE (59A: Burly God of War monster) I learned about the video game franchise God of War from the March 19, 2026 puzzle. The God of War Wiki describes the OGREs in the game as "burly, powerful, brutal monsters."
• SWEDE (63A: Person from Stockholm) Stockholm is the capital and most populous city of Sweden.
• IRISH (7D: Like ceilidhs and shillelaghs) Ceilidhs are traditional IRISH or Scottish social gatherings. They usually involve dancing and Gaelic folk music. Shillelaghs are wooden walking sticks (traditionally made from blackthorn wood) that are associated with IRISH folklore. The walking sticks have a large knob at the top and can be used as clubs or cudgels.
• BEY (12D: "Texas Hold 'Em" singer, for short) BEY is a nickname for Beyoncé, whose song "Texas Hold 'Em" was released in 2024.
• AUSTEN (20D: "Pride and Prejudice" novelist Jane) I recently had a conversation with some friends about rereading novels. Some people don't reread books, and I get that – there are so many books to be read. Personally, I enjoy rereading books; I call it comfort reading. I already know the basics of the story and can enjoy the ride, sometimes noticing language and details that I hadn't remembered. Jane AUSTEN's 1813 novel Pride and Prejudice is one I occasionally reread. It's like visiting old friends.
• SCARE (48D: 48D: Jump out at?) The phrase "jump out at" is often used metaphorically to mean something was immediately noticed. The question mark in this clue alerts solvers there's trickiness to be expected. In this case it means thinking of the phrase "jump out at" as literal. If one jumps out at someone, one might SCARE them.
• A few other clues I especially enjoyed:
• GREAT (1A: "New look, same ___ taste")
• NECK (37A: Body part that might hurt if you sleep on it funny)
• KEN (52A: "Barbie" role)
• RSVP (51D: Say "I'll be there with bells on," perhaps)

Here's my confession: This puzzle's theme stumped me! I noticed the two-letter chunks at the beginning of the theme answers, but I couldn't understand exactly what was going on. Yes, I definitely appreciate the irony of the fact that the title of this puzzle is "AM I MISSING SOMETHING?" I definitely was! I had to ask for help to see the theme. "Aha!" Of course that's what's happening. The key is to parse the title as AM I / MISSING SOMETHING. It's the letter string A-M-I that is MISSING SOMETHING – a letter to be exact – in each theme answer. Well, that's clever and tricky. You know, it's okay to be stumped once in a while. It keeps me humble! Thank you, Will, for this delightfully devious 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.)