July 15, 2026

Title: TIRE FLIP

Constructor: Zhouqin Burnikel

Editor: Amanda Rafkin

Theme synopsis:

• NIGHTTIME RITUAL (17A: Putting on pajamas, reading a book and doing a face mask, say)
• PUTTIN' ON THE RITZ (39A: Irving Berlin song featured in "Young Frankenstein")
• CONSIDER IT A GIFT (62A: "This one's on me")

TIRE FLIP: Each theme answer contains the letter string E-R-I-T, which is the word TIRE flipped: NIGHTTIME RITUAL, PUTTIN' ON THE RITZ, and CONSIDER IT A GIFT.

What I learned from today's puzzle:

• TANI (27A: Soccer player Oluwaseyi) TANI Oluwaseyi is a professional soccer (known as football in Europe) player. He plays for the Spanish football club Villarreal. He also plays for the Canada national soccer team. He was born in Nigeria, but has lived in Canada since he was 10 years old. 
• ARIA (2D: Kathleen Battle solo) Kathleen Battle is a Grammy Award-winning operatic soprano who made her opera debut in 1975. It's fun that this answer crosses AREA (14A: Realm).
• LAMA (7D: Gelug religious teacher) The Gelug is one of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism. (The other schools are Nyingma, Kagyu, and Sakya.) A LAMA is a Tibetan Buddhist monk. 

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• OSLO (5A: Nordic capital with 343 lakes) OSLO is the capital and most populous city of Norway. OSLO is located on the Oslofjord, one of the many fjords (inlets) that make up the coastline of Norway. As the clue informs us, OSLO has 343 lakes – that's a lot of lakes in one city.
• PATTI (9A: "New Attitude" singer LaBelle) PATTI LaBelle recorded the song "New Attitude" in 1984 for the soundtrack of the movie Beverly Hills Cop. The music video for "New Attitude" was the first music video PATTI LaBelle filmed. "I'm feelin' good from my head to my shoes / Know where I'm goin' and I know what to do / I tidied up my point of view / I got a new attitude."
• ACRES (16A: Minnesota Zoo has 485 of them) Fun fact: The Minnesota Zoo, with its 485 ACRES, is one of only two state-owned zoos in the United States. The other state-owned zoo is the North Carolina Zoo.
• ASIA (20A: Shenzhen's continent) Shenzhen is a city in Guangdong, China. That means it's located in ASIA. Hello to our crossword friend ASIA making its 12th appearance this year.
• LASER (21A: The "L" of LASIK) LASIK stands for "LASER-assisted in situ keratomileusis." LASIK surgery is performed to correct nearsightedness, farsightedness, or astigmatism.
• PITAS (36A: Pockets for shawarma) Shawarma is a dish in Middle Eastern cuisine that consists of thinly sliced meat stacked in a cone-like shape and roasted on a spit. Shawarma is often served in PITAS.
• PUTTIN' ON THE RITZ (39A: Irving Berlin song featured in "Young Frankenstein") Irving Berlin wrote the song "PUTTIN' ON THE RITZ" in 1927. It was 47 years later that Gene Wilder and Peter Boyle performed "PUTTIN' ON THE RITZ" in the movie Young Frankenstein (1974). 
• ISAAC (42A: "Frankenstein" actor Oscar) Oscar ISAAC is an actor with extensive film, TV, and stage credits. One of his recent roles is Dr. Victor Frankenstein in the 2025 movie Frankenstein, which is based on Mary Shelley's 1818 novel of the same name. Fun to have the Frankenstein echo in these clues.
• ALBA (52A: "Honey" star Jessica) Honey is a 2003 movie starring Jessica ALBA as the title character, aspiring hip hop choreographer Honey Daniels. The role is considered to be Jessica ALBA's big screen breakthrough.
• AHA (54A: "I cracked the code!") I always appreciate an "AHA!" moment in the grid.
• INCAS (65A: People who worshipped the rain god Illapa) In Incan mythology, Illapa was the god of thunder, lightning, rain, and war. The INCAS believed Illapa had absolute control of the weather.
• LEGS (3D: What Ariel exchanged her voice for) This is a reference to The Little Mermaid. The mermaid Ariel made a deal with Ursula the sea witch to receive LEGS in exchange for her voice.
• ISLE (13D: Capri or Crete) The Italian ISLE of Capri is located in the Tyrrhenian Sea, which is part of the Mediterranean. The ISLE of Crete is also located in the Mediterranean. Crete is the largest of the Greek islands.
• BET (38D: Trifecta, for one) A trifecta is a BET in horse racing that requires the bettor to predict which horses will finish first, second, and third.
• STEW (61D: Cholent or bigos) Cholent is a traditional Jewish STEW that is usually simmered overnight and eaten for lunch on Shabbat (the Jewish Sabbath). The cooking method was developed to conform with Jewish laws regarding cooking on the Sabbath. Bigos is a Polish STEW of chopped meat, sauerkraut, and cabbage.
• Other clues and answers I especially enjoyed:
• SWEET (43A: Like mochi and mooncakes)
• REED (47A: Clarinet part that vibrates)
• STEP ASIDE (37D: "Let the expert handle this")

A TIRE FLIP is an exercise done using a large tractor TIRE. Today, however, we don't need strength training to complete a TIRE FLIP; we just need to solve this crossword. Thank you, Zhouqin, for this enjoyable puzzle.

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