July 22, 2026

Title: ISLAND HOPPING

Constructors: Sally Hoelscher & Olivia Mitra Framke

Editor: Amanda Rafkin

Theme synopsis:

• I SLEPT LIKE A BABY (16A: Comment after a restful night)
• TENNIS LEGEND (37A: Billie Jean King or Serena Williams, e.g.)
• BELINDA CARLISLE (60A: "Heaven is a Place on Earth" artist)

ISLAND HOPPING: The word ISLE is found in each theme answer and is HOPPING around the puzzle from left to center to right: I SLEPT LIKE A BABY, TENNIS LEGEND, and BELINDA CARLISLE.

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• GRUB (9A: "Slimy, yet satisfying" morsel for Timon or Pumbaa) In the 1994 animated movie The Lion King, "slimy, yet satisfying" is the description used by Timon (a meerkat) and Pumbaa (a warthog) to convince Simba (a lion) to try a GRUB.
• DANE (13A: Copenhagen resident) and UAE (59A: Abu Dhabi's country, for short) and DES (41D: ___ Moines, Iowa) We managed to reference three capital cities today. Copenhagen is the capital of Denmark. Abu Dhabi is the capital of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). DES Moines it the capital of the U.S. state of Iowa.
• CARS (14A: Vehicles not allowed on Mackinac Island) Mackinac Island is located in Lake Huron, between the Upper and Lower Peninsulas of Michigan. The island has an area of just over four square miles, and a year-round population of around 600 people. The population of Mackinac Island grows considerably in the summer, as the island is a popular tourist destination. The entire island has a National Historic Landmark designation, and many of its buildings have undergone extensive historical preservation and restoration. As the clue informs us, CARS are not allowed on Mackinac Island; the only exceptions are city emergency and city service vehicles.
• ANT FARM (22A: Kit for a budding myrmecologist) A myrmecologist is a scientist who studies ANTs.
• MARISOL (24A: "Riverdale" actress Nichols) Riverdale (2017-2023) is a TV series based on the characters of the Archie comic books. MARISOL Nichols portrays Hermione Lodge, the mother of Veronica (who is portrayed by Camila Mendes).
• TENNIS LEGEND (37A: Billie Jean King or Serena Williams, e.g.) TENNIS LEGEND Billie Jean King won 39 Grand Slam tournament titles in her career (12 in singles, 16 in women's doubles, and 11 in mixed doubles). She also won the "Battle of the Sexes" match against Bobby Riggs in 1973. Interestingly, TENNIS LEGEND Serena Williams has also won 39 Grand Slam tournament titles (so far) in her career (23 in singles, 14 in women's doubles, and 2 in mixed doubles). 
• ADA (40A: Mathematician Lovelace) Thanks to her crossword friendly first name, we often see references to ADA Lovelace in the crossword. I'm perfectly okay with that, because ADA Lovelace (1815-1852) deserves recognition. She was one of the first computer programmers and is considered to be one of the first people to recognize the full potential of computers.
• DEY (43A: "L.A. Law" star Susan) The legal drama TV series L.A. Law originally aired from 1986-1994. Susan DEY portrays Grace Van Owen, a deputy district attorney who becomes a judge. Susan DEY also portrayed Laurie Partridge on the TV series The Partridge Family (1970-1974).
• RISE (46A: "And Still I ___") And Still I RISE is Maya Angelou's 1978 poetry collection. The title poem, "Still I RISE," begins, "You may write me down in history / With your bitter twisted lies..." and finishes with the resilient lines, "I am the dream and the hope of the slave. / I RISE / I RISE / I RISE." 
• ENOS (48A: Eve's grandson, in Genesis) In Genesis, the first book of the Torah, ENOS is the son of Seth, who is the son of Eve. That makes ENOS Eve's grandson.
• SAND ART (54A: Some temporary mandalas) A mandala is a geometric design. The creation of SAND ART mandalas is a practice in Tibetan Buddhism. Hours are spent creating beautiful intricate designs that are then ceremonially swept away.
• ODIE (57A: Garfield's canine pal) In the Garfield comic strip by Jim Davis, which features the titular orange cat, ODIE is Garfield's canine sidekick. My cat, Willow, no longer has a canine sidekick. Although she was fond of our dog, Ping Pong, she's pretty happy being a solo pet. Olivia's cat, Whiskey, has a new canine pal. His name is Carter. 

Willow

Carter

• BELINDA CARLISLE (60A: "Heaven is a Place on Earth" artist) BELINDA CARLISLE released "Heaven is a Place on Earth" in 1987. It has become her signature song. "Ooh, baby, do you know what that's worth? / Ooh, Heaven is a place on Earth / They say in Heaven, love comes first / We'll make Heaven a place on Earth."
• DEE (4D: Civil rights activist Ruby) Like ADA Lovelace, Ruby DEE (1922-2014) has a crossword-friendly name, though in this case it's her last name. Fortunately for crossword constructors everywhere, Ruby DEE is also worthy of being highlighted. She played the role of Ruth Younger in the stage and film versions of A Raisin in the Sun. In addition to acting, Ruby DEE was a civil rights activist. She emceed the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom and gave the eulogy at Malcolm X's funeral in 1965.
• PALOMA (6D: "Sweatpants" singer Faith) PALOMA Faith is an English singer, songwriter, and actress. The song "Sweatpants" is a single from her sixth studio album, The Glorification of Sadness. Olivia is a fan of PALOMA Faith, so I let her choose the song to highlight here.
• GOBLIN (9D: Green ___ (Marvel supervillain)) and EYED (39D: Green-___ monster) Although the Green GOBLIN and the green-EYED monster of envy aren't related, I like the repetition of green in these two clues. 
• BEY (12D: "Halo" singer's nickname) Gosh we've managed to highlight some great songs in this puzzle. Here's another one. "Halo" is a 2009 song by Beyoncé (whose nickname is BEY). 
• CASES (29D: Jobs for Nancy Drew) When I was younger I read every single Nancy Drew book I could get my hands on. I credit her CASES with making me a fan of mysteries.
• SNORTED (33D: Involuntarily made noise while laughing) In my experience, once one person has laughed so hard they've SNORTED, the laughter gets even more raucous.
• ESTATE (47D: Setting for the board games Obsession and Last Will) In the board game Obsession, each player is the head of a family ESTATE in mid-19th century Victorian England. In the board game Last Will, the premise is that your rich uncle is leaving his ESTATE to the relative who can enjoy money the most.
• NHL (56D: "Heated Rivalry" org.) Heated Rivalry is a Canadian TV series that premiered last year. It is based on the Game Changers novel series by Rachel Reid. The show stars Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie as Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov, professional hockey players who maintain a years-long secret romantic relationship. The hockey teams in Heated Rivalry are fictional and thus not officially part of the National Hockey League (NHL). Nonetheless, the NHL has benefitted from the show's popularity.
• EMU (61D: Bird on some Australian coins) The EMU is featured on the Australian Coat of Arms, which appears on Australian coins.

In May of last year, Olivia and I had a USA Today puzzle titled "CENTER ISLAND." When I had the idea for ISLAND HOPPING, it seemed like a fitting companion crossword to that puzzle. And, of course, making another puzzle with Olivia is always a good thing! When Olivia and I got the approval for this theme query, I was (appropriately!) ISLAND HOPPING my way across Hawaii on vacation with my husband. As a result of this timing, this is another puzzle where Olivia constructed the grid and I wrote the clues (after I was done ISLAND HOPPING). It's always a delight to collaborate with Olivia! Thanks to Amanda for great editing, which included the clue for ESTATE. And thank you for solving. We hope you enjoyed the puzzle.

A note about comments: I welcome your comments on the blog! For one thing it's nice to know folks are reading what I've written. My goal for this blog has always been for it to be informational, conversational, and kind. I ask that you keep those goals in mind when commenting. Unkind comments will be deleted. Note that I am more likely to delete a negative comment if it is posted anonymously. (P.S. You can point out when I make a mistake – in fact, I appreciate that so I can correct it.)