June 1, 2026

Title: HIGHTAIL IT

Constructor: Zhouqin Burnikel

Editor: Amanda Rafkin

Theme synopsis:

• TIME-LAPSE (17A: Kind of video that shows plants growing, say)
• SHORT STRAW (Unlucky thing to draw)
• DOWN SOUTH (47A: Where many retirees head in winter)
• Revealer: CUT AND RUN (62A: Get out of Dodge, or what can precede the first words of 17-, 28- and 47-Across)

CUT AND RUN: The first word of each theme answer can be preceded by both CUT AND RUN to form new phrases: CUT TIME, RUN TIME, CUT SHORT, RUN SHORT, CUT DOWN, and RUN DOWN.

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• MAYO (1A: Condiment drizzled over takoyaki) Takoyaki is a ball-shaped snack in Japanese cuisine. Made in a special molded pan, takoyaki consists of a batter filled with minced octopus, tempura scraps, pickled ginger, and green onion. The cooked balls are brushed with takoyaki sauce (similar to Worcestershire sauce) and MAYO before being topped with sprinkles of edible green seaweed and shavings of dried bonito (a type of fish).
• COB (41A: Center of an ear) That's an ear of corn that has a COB at the center.
• ALDI (43A: Discount grocer with 25-cent carts) Here's a fun fact: Headquartered in Germany, ALDI is actually the name of two supermarket chains, ALDI Nord and ALDI Süd. Although the two ALDI chains appear as a single enterprise, and they have contractual agreements with each other, they are owned and operated independently. It is ALDI Süd that operates in the United States. ALDI requires a refundable deposit for their shopping carts. In the U.S., that deposit is 25 cents. To obtain a cart, customers must insert a quarter. When the cart is returned, the customer gets their quarter back. This system means that customers are more likely to return their carts to the cart corral, and ALDI doesn't need to hire staff to collect the carts. 
• POWERS (45A: Ice breath and heat vision, e.g.) This is a fun clue. I like the pairing of ice breath and heat vision, which are two of Superman's POWERS.
• ACLU (59A: Censorship-fighting org.) I'm always happy to highlight the work of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), a nonprofit organization that works – through litigation and lobbying – to protect the individual rights of all people in the United States. 
• YUMA (3D: Arizona city in the Sonoran Desert) YUMA, Arizona is located in the Sonoran Desert in the southwest corner of Arizona. It is located near the state's borders with California and Mexico. YUMA is the sunniest place on Earth, receiving over 4,000 hours of sunshine a year. This works out to an average of 11 hours of sun a day.
• APP (6D: Hinge or HelloChinese) Hinge is a dating APP and HelloChinese is a language learning APP to learn Mandarin Chinese.
• I DID (12D: Possible response to "Who ate the last cupcake?") This made me smile.
• LEE (18D: "Past Lives" star Greta) Past Lives is a 2023 movie written and directed by Celine Song. The movie centers on Nora (Greta LEE) and Hae (Teo Yoo), who were childhood friends in South Korea until Nora moved to Canada with her parents. The two reconnect later in their lives. 
• PHI (24D: ___ Beta Kappa) PHI Beta Kappa is an academic honor society founded in 1776 at the College of William & Mary in Virginia. There are currently 293 PHI Beta Kappa chapters. The group's members include select arts and sciences students who are usually inducted in their senior year of college.
• TAIKO (26D: 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.
• FRED (33D: Mister Rogers' first name) FRED Rogers (1928-2003) was, of course, known as Mister Rogers. He was the creator and host of the children's TV show Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, which aired from 1968 to 2001. 
• TOP GUN (40D: Action film with a "Maverick" sequel) The original TOP GUN movie was released in 1986. (That was 40 years ago...) Tom Cruise starred as Pete "Maverick" Mitchell, a U.S. Navy aviator. The sequel, TOP GUN:Maverick was released in 2022 and saw Tom Cruise reprising his role. TOP GUN 3 is in the works.
• LARB (56D: Herb-heavy Lao meat salad) LARB is a meat salad most often made with chicken, beef, duck, fish, or pork, and flavored with fish sauce, lime juice, and fresh herbs. LARB is considered the unofficial national dish of Laos.
• Several other clues I especially enjoyed:
• OPEN BARS (4D: Places to get free screwdrivers?)
• ACORNS (9D: Nuts squirrels squirrel away)
• HECTIC (49D: Like a newsroom on election night)

Uncovering the revealer of CUT AND RUN in today's puzzle provided a true "Aha!" moment. Until I came across the revealer I was truly baffled about what was going on. I was trying to pair the word "tail" with "high" answers or looking for the word "it" somewhere in those answers. But no! The revealer made everything clear, which is, of course, the purpose of a revealer in a puzzle. Thank you, Zhouqin, for this enjoyable 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.)