August 15, 2026

Title: FALLING BEHIND

Constructor: Joe Rodini

Editor: Amanda Rafkin

Theme synopsis:

• PIRATE'S BOOTY (4D: Popular brand of puffed rice snack)
• STEAMED PORK BUNS (7D: Dish that might also be called bao)
• BIKINI BOTTOM (22D: SpongeBob SquarePants' home)

FALLING BEHIND: The last word of each vertical theme answer is a synonym for BEHIND: BOOTY, BUNS, and BOTTOM.

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• ADO (11A: "Much ___ About Nothing") Much ADO About Nothing is a William Shakespeare play written around 1598-1599. Over 427 years later, the play continues to be performed. It has also been adapted numerous times for TV and film.
• TONI (14A: "Beloved" novelist Morrison) Last week we saw TONI clued as ["Beloved" author Morrison].
• ORTEGA (15A: "Wednesday" star Jenna) Wednesday Addams is the daughter of the Addams Family franchise, which is based on characters created by cartoonist Charles Addams. She is also the title character of Wednesday, a TV series that premiered on Netflix in November 2022. Jenna ORTEGA portrays Wednesday on the show.
• NYLON (42A: Fabric some erroneously think is a portmanteau of "New York" and "London") I have never heard this explanation of the name NYLON, and I guess that's okay, since it isn't true. NYLON, which is a synthetic polymer, was developed by DuPont in the 1930s. The first use of NYLON was in a NYLON-bristled toothbrush in 1938. Women's stockings made of NYLON were introduced at the 1939 New York World's Fair.
• RIO (53A: Carnival location) RIO de Janeiro is the second most populous city in Brazil, and one of the Southern Hemisphere's most visited cities. One of RIO de Janeiro's nicknames is "Cidade Maravilhosa" ("Marvelous City"). RIO de Janeiro, Brazil hosts a Carnival each year for five days prior to Lent. 
• ALBUM TITLES (61A: "Help!" and "Rubber Soul," e.g.) Help! and Rubber Soul are TITLES of Beatles' ALBUMs released in 1965. It's fun that the BUM of ALBUM TITLES is crossing the BUNS of STEAMED PORK BUNS. 
• BERNIE (64A: Senator Sanders) BERNIE Sanders is a U.S. senator from Vermont. He has held that seat since 2007.
• PIRATE'S BOOTY (4D: Popular brand of puffed rice snack) Robert Erlich developed PIRATE'S BOOTY, a puffed corn and rice snack, in 2013, after noticing that some cheese puffs on the market were made without any real cheese. The brand is now a subsidiary of The Hershey Company.
• PAS (10D: ___ de deux (dance duet)) The term "PAS de deux" is French, and means "step of two." In ballet, a PAS de deux is a dance duet where the partners perform ballet steps together.
• AFLAC (11D: Company with a spokesduck) AFLAC is having a bit of a crossword moment. This is its third appearance this month. We saw it in the puzzle on August 7 and August 12.
• BIKINI BOTTOM (22D: SpongeBob SquarePants' home) BIKINI BOTTOM is the fictional underwater city that is the setting for the animated TV series SpongeBob SquarePants (1999-present).
• NHL (43D: Org. that has the Blues) I don't know if the National Hockey League (NHL) has the "blues" (with a small b), but they do have the St. Louis Blues as one of their teams.
• MULLET (47D: "Business in the front, party in the back" hairstyle) The MULLET hairstyle is characterized by short hair in the front and longer hair in the back, leading to the description, "business in the front, party in the back."
• ELIE (57D: "Bad Law" author Mystal) ELIE Mystal is an attorney and writer. He is a justice correspondent for the biweekly magazine, The Nation. ELIE Mystal's book, Bad Law: Ten Popular Laws That Are Ruining America, was published in 2025.
• A few other clues and answers I especially enjoyed:
• LEAVE (20A: Time off from work that might be used to attend to a newborn)
• BATS (22A: They fly, or make baseballs fly)
• POTLUCK (50A: "Everyone brings a dish" party)

What's not to like about a butt theme? This one made me smile. Thank you, Joe, for this enjoyable puzzle.

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