June 12, 2026

Title: BREAK A LEG

Constructor: Beth Rubin

Editor: Amanda Rafkin

Theme synopsis:

• JUNGLE GYM (17A: Outdoor structure with monkey bars)
• VEGETABLE GARDEN (39A: Place to grow your own salad ingredients)
• BUBBLE GUM (65A: Bazooka Joe or Fruit Stripe product)

BREAK A LEG: The word LEG is found at the word BREAK of each theme answer: JUNGLE GYM, VEGETABLE GARDEN, and BUBBLE GUM.

What I learned from today's puzzle:

• REA (54A: LGBTQ+ activist Carey) From 2008 to 2021, REA Carey was the executive director of the National LGBTQ Task Force. During her time leading the organization, the group worked for the passage of an LGBTQ-inclusive federal hate crime prevention law and organized opposition of anti-LGBTQ+ ballot measures across the country.

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• ELIE (13A: Name hidden in "believe") I believe in you, ELIE.
• ROAR (15A: "I am woman, hear me ___") "I am woman, hear me ROAR," is the first line of Helen Reddy's 1971 song, "I am Woman." The song was the first Billboard number one hit by an Australian-born artist. It won Helen Reddy a Grammy Award in 1973.
• ROE (25A: ___ v. Wade) The 1973 Supreme Court decision ROE v. Wade protected the right to have an abortion. In 2022, ROE v. Wade was overturned by the Supreme Court ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization. If you're a regular reader of the blog, you'll know how I feel about this, so I won't say more about it here. However, I do want to share something I learned a couple of years ago about the ROE v. Wade hearing, because I find it interesting and I think it's worth repeating. In addition to its legal ramifications, the ROE v Wade hearing included what is widely considered to be one of the "worst jokes in legal history." It was made by Texas assistant attorney general Jay Floyd, who referenced his opposing counsel (Sarah Weddington and Linda Coffee) by saying, "It's an old joke, but when a man argues against two beautiful ladies like this, they are going to have the last word." The sexist joke fell flat, and was apparently met with visible resentment from Chief Justice Warren E. Burger.
• NELLA (32A: Harlem Renaissance novelist Larsen) NELLA Larsen (1891-1964) was the author of the 1929 novel, Passing. The title refers to racial passing, concealing one's racial identity or ethnicity. The book was adapted into a 2021 movie of the same name.
• NYT (51A: Wordle publisher (Abbr.)) Do you play Wordle? I don't play all of the New York Times (NYT) games, but Wordle is part of my morning puzzle routine. I also enjoy Connections and Strands. After those games I move on to Spark, which I highly recommend checking out if you aren't familiar with it. Spark has four games, and every day they are themed around a specific topic, such as bicycles, elephants, poison, or the game of Clue (these have all been topics in the past). It's a fun way to learn something new. But I digress...
• ATARI (59A: Its first big hit was Pong) The classic arcade video game, Pong, was first released by ATARI in 1972. It had a table tennis theme, and featured simple two-dimensional graphics. Pong is notable as the first commercially successful video game.
• BUBBLE GUM (65A: Bazooka Joe or Fruit Stripe product) Bazooka Joe is the title character of the comic strips included with pieces of Bazooka BUBBLE GUM. This clue made me realize I haven't thought of Fruit Stripe gum in ages! Fruit Stripe chewing GUM and BUBBLE GUM was first sold in the 1960s, and it was discontinued in 2024. Fruit Stripe's mascot was a zebra named Yipes.
• DEMIE (67A: "Euphoria" actress Alexa) Just a few weeks ago, we saw ALEXA clued as ["Euphoria" actor Demie]. Alexa DEMIE portrays Maddy Perez on Euphoria.
• REBA (68A: McEntire who stars in "Happy's Place") Happy's Place is a sitcom that premiered in 2024. REBA McEntire stars as Bobbie McAllister, who inherits half-ownership of Happy's Place – a bar in Knoxville, Tennessee – after her father's death. The other half-owner of the bar is Bobbie's half-sister Isabella (portrayed by Belissa Escobedo). Bobbie did not know she had a half-sister until she learned they inherited the bar together.
• DEJA (1D: ___ vu ("I've experienced this before" feeling)) DÉJÀ vu is a French phrase meaning "already seen." It refers to the feeling of having already lived through a situation.
• DEJA (1D: ___ vu ("I've experienced this before" feeling)) Haven't I written about this answer already? Yes, I do this joke every single time I write about DÉJÀ vu. Honestly, somehow, that seems appropriate.
• ARE (4D: "We ___ Family" (Sister Sledge song)) Sister Sledge released "We ARE Family" in 1979, and it became their signature song. All together now, "We ARE family / I got all my sisters with me / We ARE family / Get up everybody and sing."
• NSYNC (28D: "Bye Bye Bye" boy band) "Bye Bye Bye" was released by NSYNC in 2000. The song won an MTV Video Music Award for Best Pop Video.
• Other clues and answers I especially enjoyed:
• RENTS (19A: Fees on Monopoly cards)
• MINI (3D: Word before "Cooper" or "skirt")
• DON'T MIND ME (10D: "Pretend I'm not here")

I think I can safely say (although I've only broken an arm) that solving this puzzle was much more enjoyable than BREAKing A LEG. I did find the theme answer JUNGLE GYM particularly amusing, as one could actually BREAK A LEG on a JUNGLE GYM. Thank you, Beth, 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.)