July 13, 2026

Title: HANG TEN

Constructor: Beth Rubin

Editor: Amie Walker

Theme synopsis:

• I CAN'T GET ENOUGH (6D: "Give me more!")
• FRONT ENTRANCE (9D: Main way into a building, usually)
• PERFECT ENDING (17D: Oh-so-satisfying story's conclusion)

HANG TEN: The word TEN is found HANGING in each vertical theme answer: I CAN'T GET ENOUGH, FRONT ENTRANCE, and PERFECT ENDING.

What I learned from today's puzzle:

• ANGOLA (48A: Titica's birthplace) Titica is a musician and dancer. She first gained popularity as a kuduro artist. Kuduro is a type of music and dance that originated in Angola, which is where Titica was born. Her more recent music blends kuduro, Afrobeat, and dombolo (fast-paced dance music originating from the Democratic Republic of the Congo). Titica is a trans woman in ANGOLA, which decriminalized homosexuality in 2019. In this Rolling Stone article, Titica discusses the importance of this legal shift, but notes that social change continues to take time.
• ZED (64D: "Exceptional ___" ("Zombies 3" song)) Zombies 3 (2022) is a Disney musical movie. As one might guess from its title, Zombies 3 is a sequel to Zombies (2018) and Zombies 2 (2020). ZED is one of the characters in the movie (portrayed by Milo Manheim), and "Exceptional ZED" is one of the movie's songs. 

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• AHI (4A: With an 'okina, the Hawaiian name for yellowfin tuna) An ʻokina is a letter in the Hawaiian language that is used to indicate a glottal stop consonant (a sound produced by obstructing airflow in the vocal tract). The letter is represented by the symbol ʻ. In Hawaii, the word ʻAHI is used to refer to yellowfin tuna and bigeye tuna.
• RYE (13A: "The Catcher in the ___") The Catcher in the RYE by J.D. Salinger was published in serial form in 1945 and 1946, and then as a novel in 1951. Every time I write about The Catcher in the RYE, I share the same anecdote. The main thing I remember about this book is that one of the characters is named Sally Hayes, which was my maiden name (and my name at the time I read the book, so it's been at least 37 years...).
• RED PANDA (16A: Mammal that resembles a raccoon) The RED PANDA is a mammal native to the eastern Himalayas and southwestern China. Despite its name, the RED PANDA is not closely related to the giant panda. It is more closely related to raccoons, weasels, and skunks.
• GENTLEMEN (42A: "The Two ___ of Verona") The Two GENTLEMEN of Verona is a play by William Shakespeare. The play is one of Shakespeare's comedies, and is believed to have been written between 1589 and 1593. Fun fact: The Two GENTLEMEN of Verona has the smallest named cast of any of Shakespeare's plays.
• KENOBI (52A: Obi-Wan ___) and EMPIRE (60A: "The ___ Strikes Back") This is a nice pair of clues for the Star Wars fans.
• DETOURS (56A: "Scenic routes," sometimes) This clue made me chuckle. It also made me think of the pre-GPS days when I took many unintentional DETOURS because I missed my turn. I did often say, "Well, I took the scenic route..."
• GRR (1D: Greyhound's grr-owl) This is very silly. I like it.
• EURO (8D: Musee d'Orsay money) Five days ago we saw PARIS clued as [Musee d'Orsay city]. Since the Musee d'Orsay is located in France, the money used at this art museum is the EURO.
• ARTIE (27D: Kevin McHale's "Glee" character) The TV series Glee (2009-2015) centers on a show choir and glee club at the fictional William McKinley high school in Lima, Ohio. ARTIE Abrams, portrayed by Kevin McHale, is a guitar-playing member of the glee club. ARTIE uses a wheelchair due to a spinal cord injury that resulted from a car crash when he was eight years old. 
• RAE (36D: "Insecure" star Issa) In addition to starring in the TV series, Insecure (2016-2021), Issa RAE is also the creator and co-writer of the show. Issa RAE plays the role of Issa Dee on Insecure. The show takes a look at the experiences of contemporary Black women, and is partially based on Issa RAE's web series, The Mis-Adventures of Awkward Black Girl.
• NEO (44D: Role for Keanu Reeves in "The Matrix") In The Matrix movies, Keanu Reeves portrays computer programmer Thomas Anderson, who operates as a hacker using the name NEO. The name NEO is an anagram of "one." In The Matrix, "The One" refers to a randomly selected human that carries a special code.
• INDIA (55D: The Taj Mahal's country) The Taj Mahal, in Agra, INDIA, is the tomb of Mumtaz Mahal, favorite wife of Mughal emperor Shah Jahan.
• ERIE (57D: Creepy-sounding lake) Hello to our crossword friend ERIE with its eerie name. Amazingly, we haven't seen ERIE in the puzzle much at all this year. Today is only the fifth time we've seen ERIE in the USA Today crossword this year. I wonder if constructors are getting tired of trying to come up with unique ways to clue ERIE.
• ETS (60D: "Independence Day" creatures (Abbr.)) In the 1996 science fiction action movie Independence Day, a powerful group of extraterrestrials (ETS) are attacking Earth. Will Smith portrays Marine pilot Captain Steven Hiller, who becomes part of a group that launches a coordinated attack on the aliens on July 4.
• Other clues and answers I especially enjoyed:
• OH DEAR ME (35A: "My goodness!")
• YOU (21D: "Scooby-Doo, Where Are ___!")
• YARNS (28D: "Spun" tales)

HANG TEN is a surfing term that refers to when a surfer stands and HANGs all TEN of their toes over the nose of the board. Fortunately, solving this puzzle didn't require any surfing ability. It's not toes that are hanging in this puzzle, but the word TEN. Thank you, Beth, for this enjoyable puzzle.

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