June 13, 2026

Title: A TWIST IN THE TALE

Constructor: Kapil Mehta

Editor: Amie Walker

Theme synopsis:

• LAST BUT NOT LEAST (17A: Words before a grand finale)
• ANKLE TATTOO (36A: Ink that might be covered by a sock)
• SO WHAT ELSE IS NEW (57A: "Tell me something I don't know")

A TWIST IN THE TALE: Each theme answer contains an anagram of the word TALE: LAST BUT NOT LEAST, ANKLE TATTOO, and SO WHAT ELSE IS NEW.

And now a word from our constructor:

Kapil: It's been a while since I have submitted a crossword so I'm happy to see this in print. I thought of the title based on Jeffrey Archer's book with the same name. The title also has the happy bonus of making me laugh - our pet Chip has a tail (not tale) that reveals whatever is going on in his mind. It twists when he is up to something naughty.

What I learned from today's puzzle:

• O.A.R. (26A: "Love and Memories" band) O.A.R., which is short for Of A Revolution, is a rock band formed in 1996. "Love and Memories" is a single from their fifth studio album, Stories of a Stranger, released in 2005. 

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• GAMMA (1A: Greek letter after beta) In order to answer this clue, I had to recite the beginning of the Greek alphabet to myself, "alpha, beta, GAMMA..."
• ORCA (10A: Oceanic apex predator) ORCAs are the apex predators of the ocean. They are highly intelligent and often hunt in groups to take down their prey. 
• RUMORS (22A: Lindsay Lohan song with the lyric "I'm tired of people lying") "RUMORS" is Lindsay Lohan's debut single, released in 2004. I like that the answer makes sense given the lyric in the clue, which could be helpful for solvers not familiar with the song who are relying on crossing answers for help here.
• ONO (27A: Yoko who said, "A dream you dream alone is only a dream") The full Yoko ONO quote is, "A dream you dream alone is only a dream. A dream you dream together is reality." I also saw this quote attributed to John Lennon. I guess it's appropriate that they might have said this together.
• UKULELES (40A: "Lava" instruments) Lava is an animated short film by Pixar. It was released alongside Pixar's 2015 movie Inside Out. Lava is the story of two volcanoes, Uku and Lele. Note that together the names of the volcanoes form the word UKULELE. "Lava" is also the name of a song from the short film, which, of course, features UKULELES.
• DAY (47A: "___ Tripper" (Beatles song)) The Beatles released "DAY Tripper" in 1965 (when I was 3 1/2 months old). 
• ELMO (56A: "Tickle Me" toy) It was in 1996 – yes, 30 years ago now – that Tickle Me ELMO was the "must have" toy. Tickle Me ELMO is a stuffed version of the furry red Muppet, that, when squeezed, shakes vibrates, and giggles.
• I SPY (66A: Guessing game that's tricky to play while on the go) This clue made me chuckle, because I associate I SPY with traveling in the car. However, you do have to be careful not to choose items that will soon be out of sight.
• ARBOR (5D: ___ Day (tree-planting holiday)) ARBOR Day is celebrated in many countries around the world. In the United States, it is celebrated on the last Friday of April. The first ARBOR Day in the U.S. was celebrated in 1872 in Nebraska City, Nebraska. ARBOR Day is celebrated by planting trees.
• REASON (11D: "Give Me One ___" (Tracy Chapman song)) Tracy Chapman's song, "Give Me One REASON"won a Grammy Award for Best Rock Song in 1997. "Give me one REASON to stay here / And I'll turn right back around..."
• CASUAL (12D: Chappell Roan song about a nonserious relationship) "CASUAL" is a 2022 song by Chappell Roan. Fun fact: In August 2024, "CASUAL" was one of seven Chappell Roan songs that were simultaneously on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The other six songs were "Good Luck, Babe!," "Hot to Go!," "Red Wine Supernova," "Pink Pony Club," "Femininomenon," and "My Kink Is Karma." 
• OTOE (30D: Chiwere speakers) The OTOE are indigenous people of the Midwestern United States. Their language, Chiwere, is part of the Siouan family of languages.
• SPREE (46D: Serious shopping sessions) I like the alliteration in this clue, and the fact that the answer also starts with an S.
• PETRI (50D: Experimental dish?) A PETRI dish isn't experimental as in "edgy," but it is a dish used to conduct experiments. PETRI dishes are clear and shallow and are used for growing cell cultures. The PETRI dish is named after its inventor, Julius, Richard PETRI (1852-1921), who was a German bacteriologist.
• ROSES (53D: Flowers beloved by Coriolanus Snow in "The Hunger Games") Coriolanus Snow is the dictator of Panem in The Hunger Games books by Suzanne Collins. ROSES are a symbol of the Snow family, and President Snow uses ROSES to communicate with Katniss Everdeen, the protagonist of The Hunger Games.
• ESPY (56D: Best Team, for one) The 2025 winners of the Best Team ESPY were NFL's Philadelphia Eagles.
• Other clues and answers I especially enjoyed:
• TIE (39A: Winnerless result)
• ANT (48A: Picnic gate-crasher)
• STUMBLE (34D: Take a short trip?)
• AKA (37D: Bruce Wayne ___ Batman)

The book Kapil mentions in his notes, A TWIST IN THE TALE, by Jeffrey Archer, is a collection of short stories. As one might guess from the title, each short story has an unexpected TWIST. The TWIST in today's puzzle is an anagram of the word TALE. Thank you, Kapil, for this enjoyable puzzle.

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