August 19, 2026

Title: IN FACT

Constructor: Matthew Stock

Editor: Amanda Rafkin

Theme synopsis:

• FASHION DISTRICT (16A: Neighborhood with designer boutiques)
• FACTORY DIRECT (37A: "Straight from the manufacturer" purchase option)
• FAR FROM PERFECT (57A: Hardly a saint)

IN FACT: Each theme answer is IN the word FACT: FASHION DISTRICT, FACTORY DIRECT, and FAR FROM PERFECT.

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• EYE (19A: Mike Wazowski from "Monsters, Inc." has one big one) Monsters, Inc. is a 2001 animated Pixar movie. (Yes, that was 25 years ago!) The movie is set in the city of Monstropolis. At the Monsters, Inc. factory, monsters venture into the human world to scare children. Mike Wazowski, voiced by Billy Crystal, is a monster who is round and green with one big EYE.
• RAMEN (22A: Soup with a tonkotsu variety) Tonkotsu RAMEN is a type of RAMEN made by boiling pork bones until a creamy, rich broth is attained.
• SPF (26A: Supergoop! bottle letters) Supergoop! (which autocorrect insists on changing to "supergroup") is a sunscreen brand. SPF stands for "sun protection factor." SPF ratings were introduced in 1974 to measure the sunburn-producing UV rays that reach the skin.
• ASHE (54A: Arthur for whom the ESPY's Courage Award is named) Arthur ASHE (1943-1993) won the inaugural U.S. Open in 1968. He went on to win the Australian Open in 1970 and Wimbledon in 1975. He remains the only Black man to win the singles title at Wimbledon. Arthur ASHE contracted HIV (from a blood transfusion during heart surgery), After publicly acknowledging his diagnosis, he founded the Arther ASHE Foundation for the Defeat of AIDS. The Arthur ASHE Courage Award has been presented annually since 1993 as part of the ESPY Awards. This year the Arthur ASHE Courage Award was presented to Jason Collins, the first openly gay player in the NBA.
• OFFER (28D: "Shark Tank" proposal) Shark Tank is a reality TV series that premiered in 2009. The American show is a variation of the British show, Dragon's Den, which was based on the Japanese show, The Tigers of Money. The show features entrepreneurs making presentations to investors, hoping that one of them will make an OFFER to invest in their business.
• FLAME (29D: Feature of the Portland Fire and Miami Heat logos) The Portland Fire are a WNBA team based in Oregon. The team played their first WNBA season this year. The Miami Heat are an NBA team based in Florida. Although I wasn't familiar with the logos of these teams, the inclusion of a FLAME in their logos was inferable based on the team names.
• ROGER (38D: Walkie-talkie user's "Gotcha") and YUP (39D: "Gotcha") I enjoyed the "Gotcha" clue echo here.
• A few other clues and answers I particularly enjoyed:
• COWS (5A: Mooing grazers)
• OLAY (2D: Skincare brand that sounds like an exclamation)
• EXTRA CHEESE (25D: "Even more dairy" pizza request)

The title of today's puzzle allowed me – IN FACT – to accurately guess what the theme would be. Thank you, Matthew, for this enjoyable puzzle.

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