July 8, 2026

Title: RIGHT ON!

Constructor: Bill Conner

Editor: Amie Walker

Theme synopsis:

• BOSTON MARATHON (20A: Annual New England race)
• FASHION ICON (37A: Trendsetter with impeccable style)
• COMMON FRACTION (55A: Mathematical expression whose numerator and denominator are both integers)

RIGHT ON!: The word ON appears at the RIGHT side of each word in each theme answer: BOSTON MARATHON, FASHION ICON, and COMMON FRACTION.

What I learned from today's puzzle:

• YUMA (16A: Arizona county home to Castle Dome Landing) YUMA County is located in the southwestern corner of Arizona. Castle Dome Landing is a ghost town located in YUMA County. The town was first settled on the banks of the Colorado River in 1863 by the Castle Dome Mining Company as a mining camp and shipping point. As mining operations decreased over the years, the town's population declined, and all residents had moved away by 1978. The site of the former town has been recreated and restored as the Castle Dome Museum.

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• PARIS (18A: Musee d'Orsay city) The Musee d'Orsay is an art museum in PARIS, France. It is housed in a former train station on the banks of the Seine.
• BOSTON MARATHON (20A: Annual New England race) The BOSTON MARATHON is traditionally run on the third Monday of April. It was first held in 1897, and is the world's oldest annual MARATHON. When the BOSTON MARATHON was established, only men were allowed to compete. Women have only officially been allowed to run in the BOSTON MARATHON since 1972. However, in 1966, Roberta "Bobbi" Gibb ran the race unregistered (after her registration was refused in a letter that claimed women were incapable of running 26 miles), and years later she was recognized by race organizers as the first woman to run the BOSTON MARATHON. 
• SERENA (32A: Williams who wrote "The Adventures of Qai Qai") I learned about Qai Qai (pronounced "Kway Kway") from the June 11, 2021 puzzle. Qai Qai is a doll belonging to Alexis Olympia Ohanian, the daughter of SERENA Williams and Alexis Ohanian. The Adventures of Qai Qai is a picture book written by SERENA Williams and illustrated by Yesenia Moises.
• DOT-COM (42A: Instagram follower?) This is a tricky question mark clue. The clue is not looking for a person who is an Instagram follower, but the DOT COM that follows "instagram" in its URL.
• POEM (46A: Carmen Maria Machado's "Meat Eater No. 5," e.g.) I have previously written about Carmen Maria Machado's collection of short stories, Her Body and Other Parties. "Meat Eater No. 5" is a poem by Carmen Maria Machado that was originally published in The New Yorker in 2023.
• COMMON FRACTION (55A: Mathematical expression whose numerator and denominator are both integers) There's math in our word puzzle! Here's some more math for you: If the absolute value of a COMMON FRACTION is less than one (2/3, 1/6, 322/365, e.g.) it is considered a proper FRACTION. However, if the absolute value of a COMMON FRACTION is greater than or equal to one (3/2, 8/5, 423/423, e.g.) it is considered an improper FRACTION. 
• OKRA (66A: Bhindi masala ingredient) Bhindi masala is stir-fried OKRA. The word bhindi is borrowed from Hindi and refers to the vegetable OKRA when used in Indian cooking. If a dish has the word "bhindi" in the name, it probably contains OKRA.
• DEEDS (67A: Ownership documents) Most commonly DEEDS specifically pertain to the ownership of real estate.
• PSA (68A: Initialism similar to "FYI") FYI = for your information; PSA = public service announcement
• TEE (22D: Support for a driver?) The question mark at the end of this clue means it is not pertaining to a person driving a vehicle, but to a type of golf club known as a driver.
• ROOM (33D: One of nine in the board game Clue) and PEACOCK (41D: Mrs. ___ (Clue character)) I am here for any and all Clue references. Today it was Mrs. PEACOCK with the crossword in the ROOM of your choice (the library seems fitting).
• MESA (56D: Arizona city home to the i.d.e.a. Museum) The i.d.e.a. (imagination, design, experience, art) Museum is an art museum in MESA, Arizona. The i.d.e.a. Museum opened in 1978 is a refurbished 1950s grocery store. The museum's exhibits are primarily designed for younger ages. 
• LAO (60D: Larb cuisine) In LAO cuisine, larb, which is considered the unofficial national dish of Laos, is a meat salad most often made with chicken, beef, duck, fish, or pork, and flavored with fish sauce, lime juice, and fresh herbs.
• Other clues and answers I especially enjoyed:
• MYTH (10D: "Trimming hair makes it grow faster," e.g.)
• GAS (26D: What Brits refer to as "petrol")
• DOODAD (45D: Thingamajig)

When I was solving the puzzle, I noticed the word ON at the end of the theme answers. It wasn't until I was reviewing the grid that I noticed both words of each theme answer ends in ON. That made for a nice "Aha!" moment. Thank you, Bill, for this splendid puzzle.

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