June 30, 2026

Title: LOOSE CHANGE 

Constructor: CJ Tan

Editor: Amie Walker

Theme synopsis:

• I FEEL SO OLD (19A: "What do you mean my favorite childhood video game is considered vintage now?")
• FOOL'S ERRAND (37A: Pointless task)
• NO TIME TO LOSE (54A: "Let's hurry!")

LOOSE CHANGE: Each theme answer contains an anagram (a CHANGE) of the word LOOSE: I FEEL SO OLD, FOOL'S ERRAND, and NO TIME TO LOSE.

What I learned from today's puzzle:

• ENO (26A: Sundance film about musician Brian) Although the answer here was inferable, as I am familiar with the musician Brian ENO, I did not know about this movie. ENO is a documentary about Brian ENO; it premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival. Here's a fascinating thing about this movie: a computer program selects from available footage – 30 hours of interviews with Brian ENO and 500 hours of footage from his archive – and edits the film so a different version is shown each time. It's estimated there could be 52 quintillion versions of the movie. Also, here's a fun fact: the software that edits the film is called Brain One, which is an anagram of Brian ENO.
• MAE (63D: "The House That Lou Built" author Respicio) MAE Respicio is an author of books for middle grade readers. The House That Lou Built (2018) is about a young Filipino girl who plans to build a tiny house of her own where she can escape from her lovable but large extended family.

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• IOWA (13A: Caitlin Clark's home state) and AMES (51D: 13-Across college town) Hello from IOWA, Caitlin Clark's home state and the location of the city of AMES. AMES, IOWA is the home of IOWA State University, but that is not the college Des Moines-native Caitlin Clark attended. The WNBA star, who now plays for the Indiana Fever, played basketball for the University of IOWA, which is not in AMES, but in IOWA City.
• LOU (14A: "The White Lotus" star Aimee ___ Wood) The White Lotus is an HBO TV series about a fictional resort chain called White Lotus. The show, which premiered in 2021, is an anthology series, one that presents a different story or may have a different cast or be set in a different location each season. Aimee LOU Wood is part of the cast for the third season of The White Lotus, which is set in Thailand.
• LUC (22A: Jean-___ Picard) Jean-LUC Picard, portrayed by Patrick Stewart, is the captain of the USS Enterprise on the TV series Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987-1994).
• KOI (35A: Carp known in Japan as nishikigoi) KOI are colorful varieties of carp. They are often use in outdoor ponds or water gardens. Nishikigoi translates to "brocaded carp."
• CHER (41A: "Believe" singer) "Believe" is a 1998 single by CHER. It is the title song from her 22nd studio album. The song won a Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording, and here's an interesting fact: that's the only competitive Grammy Award CHER has won. (She was honored with a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in February of this year.)
• IRMA (65A: "___ Vep" (HBO miniseries)) IRMA Vep (2022) is an HBO miniseries based on a 1996 movie of the same name. Alicia Vikander portrays Mira, an American actress who goes to France to star as IRMA Vep in a TV series based on the French silent film Les Vampires. (IRMA Vep is an anagram of "vampire.")
• ESPY (68A: Arthur Ashe Courage Award, e.g.) In 2025, the Arthur Ashe Courage Award – presented as part of the ESPY Awards – was presented to Oscar Robertson, who fought for free agency in the NBA.
• BLEEP (5D: Sound that might replace a 7-Down) and CURSE WORD (7D: Utterance that might result in a swear jar deposit) This is a fun pairing.
• REBOOT (8D: 2020's "Saved by the Bell," for one) Saved by the Bell is a sitcom that originally aired from 1989-1993. The show was set in Los Angeles, and centered around a group of high school students and their principal. The 2020 REBOOT of the TV series, also called Saved by the Bell, followed many of the characters from the original series, who are now in their 40s and navigating life as adults. It also features a new group of high school students.
• FUEGO (20D: Tierra del ___) Tierra del FUEGO (Spanish for "Land of Fire") is an archipelago (a group of islands) located off of the southernmost tip of South America. The countries of Argentina and Chile have islands that are part of Tierra del FUEGO.
• UBE (23D: Purple yam in halo-halo) UBE is a species of yam with a vivid purple color. UBE is used in Filipino cuisine, and can be added to the cold dessert halo-halo, which is made from crushed ice and evaporated milk. Halo-halo is the unofficial national dessert of the Philippines.
• ALI (28D: "Beef" star Wong) I have previously written about ALI Wong's role in the first season of the TV series, Beef.
• LANGE (38D: "Blue Sky" star Jessica) Blue Sky is a 1994 movie starring Jessica LANGE and Tommy Lee Jones. Jessica LANGE won an Academy Award for Best Actress for her portrayal of Carly Marshall, a woman struggling with mental health challenges while her husband becomes entangled in a military cover-up.
• NIA (45D: Actor Vardalos) NIA Vardalos wrote the 2002 movie My Big Fat Greek Wedding, and starred in the movie as Toula Portokalos. She also wrote and starred in My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2  (2016) and My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3 (2023).
• Other clues and answers I especially enjoyed:
• T-REX (16A: Dino in the "Jurassic Park" logo)
• MIND READERS (10D: They're thinking what you're thinking)
• HUMOR ME (42D: "Just play along")

The word CHANGE in the title is serving as an anagram indicator. This is an interesting title, because the word LOOSE could also be an anagram indicator. In this case, however, LOOSE is the word being anagrammed. Thank you, CJ, for this enjoyable puzzle.

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