June 14, 2026

Title: FUNNY BUSINESS

Constructor: Matthew Stock

Editor: Amanda Rafkin

Theme synopsis:

• BIG SHOES TO FILL (14A: *Challenge for a great employee's successor)
• MAKEUP GAME (28A: *Matchup scheduled after a rainout)
• RED NOSE DAY (43D: *Annual campaign run by Comic Relief)
• Revealer: SEND IN THE CLOWNS (58A: *Hit song from Stephen Sondheim's "A Little Night Music," and a hint to this puzzle's theme)

FUNNY BUSINESS: It's all about CLOWNS today, as each theme answer starts with a CLOWN accessory: BIG SHOES, MAKEUP, and RED NOSE.

What I learned from today's puzzle:

• EDGAR (33A: Jazz composer Sampson) EDGAR Sampson (1907-1973) was a jazz composer, arranger, saxophonist, and violinist. His compositions include the jazz standard, "Stompin' at the Savoy." 

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• SOS (17A: "Send help!") and ABLE (18A: "Are you ___ to help?) I appreciated the helpful link of these consecutive clues.
• ACLU (25A: Legal rights org.) Speaking of helpful, 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.
• AYO (35A: "The Bear" star Edebiri) The Bear is a TV series about Carmy Berzatto – portrayed by Jeremy Allen White – a chef from New York City who returns to his hometown of Chicago to run his family's Italian beef sandwich shop, The Beef. AYO Edebiri portrays sous-chef Sydney "Sid" Adamu.
• RED NOSE DAY (43D: *Annual campaign run by Comic Relief) Comic Relief is a British charity that raises money to help people in the United Kingdom as well as around the world. RED NOSE DAY is an annual Comic Relief fundraising campaign. The idea is to use comedy and laughter to help people.
• TAU (55A: Pi, rho, sigma, ___) and DELTA (12D: Letter after gamma) and PSI (41D: Trident-shaped Greek letter) The puzzle is providing us with a lot of Greek alphabet review today.
• SEND IN THE CLOWNS (58A: *Hit song from Stephen Sondheim's "A Little Night Music," and a hint to this puzzle's theme) A Little Night Music is a 1973 musical by Stephen Sondheim. The musical centers on the romantic lives of several couples and was inspired by the 1955 movie Smiles of a Summer Night. "SEND IN THE CLOWNS" is sung by the character of Desirée. Stephen Sondheim wrote the song specifically for Glynis Johns, who originated the role of Desirée on Broadway.
• ELIO (2D: Pixar boy who travels to the "Communiverse") The Pixar animated movie ELIO (2025) tells the story of the title character, an 11-year-old boy who is beamed up to the Communiverse by aliens and accidentally becomes the intergalactic ambassador of Earth.
• BOSE (6D: Sonos competitor) BOSE and Sonos are manufacturers of audio equipment.
• LLAMA (13D: Animal that communicates with humans by humming) LLAMAs hum to each other as a form of communication, and mother LLAMAs will hum to their babies. LLAMAs also use this form of communication to communicate with humans.
• LIAM (16D: Name that anagrams to a country) The country that LIAM anagrams to is Mali, a West African country whose capital is Bamako.
• APT (25D: Like the surname Park for a valet) Park is indeed an APT surname for a valet. I'm adding that to my collection of APT name clues (that I'm keeping simply because I'm a fan of these types of clues).
• LEI (27D: Garland that might be made of kukui nuts) Kukui nuts are the fruit of the candlenut tree. In Hawaii, they are regarded as symbols of enlightenment. A kukui nut LEI is a token of love and respect. 
• ALEX (35D: Rock climber Honnold) ALEX Honnold is the rock climber whose attempt to free climb El Capitan is documented in the 2018 movie Free Solo. I have previously written about ALEX Honnold and the movie Free Solo.
• ANNE (56D: Oscar winner Hathaway) In 2012, ANNE Hathaway won an Oscar (Academy Award) for Best Supporting Actress for her role of Fantine in the movie Les Misérables.
• Other clues and answers I especially enjoyed:
• OBAMA (15D: President No. 44)
• SULTAN (21D: Ruler hypnotized by Jafar in "Aladdin")
• SHOP (54D: "Celebrate" Black Friday)

I was definitely on Matthew Stock's wavelength today, because after uncovering the theme answer of BIG SHOES TO FILL, I immediately thought, "Ah, FUNNY BUSINESS ... CLOWNS." Nice to have that guess confirmed as I worked my way through the puzzle. Thank you, Matthew, for this delightful puzzle.

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