August 24, 2026

Title: POWER THROUGH

Constructors: Heather Gearan & Paul Gearan

Editor: Amie Walker

Theme synopsis:

• SUPER BALL (17A: Wham-O toy with some serious bounce)
• FIRE DRILL (36A: School safety exercises)
• STAYING UP (59A: Burning the midnight oil)

POWER THROUGH: The word POWER can be placed after the first word and before the second word of each theme answer to create new phrases: SUPER POWER and POWER BALL, FIRE POWER and POWER DRILL, and STAYING POWER and POWER UP.

What I learned from today's puzzle:

• IMPORTS (3D: Potato chips, for Art Vandelay) Both of the things I learned from today's puzzle are things that I did not know because I don't watch much TV. This clue is a Seinfeld reference, a show I have written about but never seen. Art Vanderlay is an invented name used multiple times during the TV series by the character George Costanza (Jason Alexander). During one storyline, it is revealed that the (non-existent) Art Vanderlay IMPORTS potato chips and corn chips and exports diapers.
• GLASSES (41D: Part of a Meg Griffin costume) Another show I have written about but never seen is the animated TV series Family Guy (1999-present), which centers on the experiences of the Griffin family. Peter and Lois Griffin are the parents, and their children are Meg, Chris, and Stewie. Meg Griffin (voiced by Mila Kunis since the second season) is the oldest child and the only daughter of the family. And yes, she wears thick round GLASSES, along with a pink shirt layered over a white shirt and a pink beanie.

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• OSCAR (A: Best Casting, for one) The Best Casting OSCAR (also known as the Academy Award for Achievement in Casting) is a new award category, added this year (for films released in 2025). The winner of the first Best Casting OSCAR was Cassandra Kulukundis for One Battle After Another.
• ASIA (15A: Bhutan's continent) Bhutan is a landlocked country in South ASIA. It is located in the Eastern Himalayas and borders the Tibet Autonomous Region and India. The capital of Bhutan is Thimphu. Hello to our crossword friend ASIA.
• SUPER BALL (17A: Wham-O toy with some serious bounce) Wham-O's SUPER BALL is made of a synthetic rubber called Zectron, which was invented in 1964. Here's a fun fact: The name SUPER Bowl (yes, the football championship) was inspired by the SUPER BALL. Apparently, Lamar Hunt (founder of the American Football League and owner of the Kansas City Chiefs) came up with the name after watching his kids play with a SUPER BALL. 
• ALASKA (21A: Kenai Fjords National Park state) Kenai Fjords National Park is one of ALASKA's eight National Parks. It is located in south-central ALASKA on the Kenai Peninsula. The park is home to the Harding Icefield, one of the largest ice fields in the U.S. My husband and I are on a quest to visit as many National Parks as we can, but we haven't yet made it to Kenai Fjords National Park. Hopefully we'll get there someday!
• PATTI (29A: "Lady Marmalade" singer LaBelle) PATTI LaBelle was a founding member of the funk rock band, LaBelle, whose 1974 recording of "Lady Marmalade" was a number one hit. The song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2003.
• MACRAME (30A: "___: The Art of Creative Knotting") I appreciate the creativity of using a book title to clue this word, rather than a definition. As you might guess, MACRAME: The Art of Creative Knotting is an instruction book about this craft. The book is written by Virginia I. Harvey and was first published in 1967. When I was growing up, my mom went through phases with a lot of different crafts. There was a MACRAME phase. I remember that we made a lot of plant hangers during that phase. 
• ALL THAT (47A: '90s Nickelodeon show with Kenan Thompson) ALL THAT was a Nickelodeon TV series featuring comedy sketches and musical guests. The show originally aired from 1994-2000, was relaunched from 2002-2005, and was revived in 2019 for one more season. Kenan Thompson was a cast member on ALL THAT from 1994-1999. He was also an executive producer of the 2019 revival.
• A-ROD (56A: Nickname for a longtime Yankee) I feel like every time A-ROD appears in a puzzle, I look at the clue and think, "I don't know that ... oh, wait, is that A-ROD?" This time it was indeed A-ROD. Alex Rodriguez, nicknamed A-ROD, had a 22-year MLB career. During that time he played for the Seattle Mariners (1994-2000), Texas Rangers (2001-2003), and New York Yankees (2004-2013, 2015-2016). A-ROD was a 14-time All-Star and hit 696 home runs during his MLB career. 
• MEME (65A: Condescending Wonka, e.g.) The Condescending Wonka MEME pairs a sarcastic caption with a picture of Gene Wilder as Willy Wonka from the 1972 movie Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory.
• GIN (67A: Negroni liquor) A Negroni is an Italian cocktail made of one part each GIN, vermouth, and Campari. 
• ESPN (68A: "NBA Countdown" network) Although I'm not specifically familiar with the pregame show NBA Countdown, I was able to easily guess the answer here. So I wasn't going to highlight it, but something made me look it up anyway, and I discovered an interesting fact. NBA Countdown also airs on ABC. ESPN and ABC are both owned by Disney, so this isn't too surprising. The interesting part (to me) is that the two shows are branded differently. On ESPN the show is NBA Countdown presented by Popeyes, and on ABC the show is NBA Countdown delivered by Papa John's. It's all about the sponsorship dollars.
• APERITIF (4D: Drink before dinner) I knew this answer. My challenge was remembering how to spell it. I always forget about the first "I."
• MALLOMARS (8D: Seasonal Nabisco cookies featuring graham cracker and chocolate) I'm not a huge fan of marshmallow, so I don't think I've ever had MALLOMARS. I was surprised, therefore, to learn they are seasonal. MALLOMARS consist of graham cracker circles topped with marshmallow. The entire treat is then coated in a thin shell of dark chocolate. Made by Nabisco, MALLOMARS are available from October to April, supposedly because they melt easily in summer temperatures.
• APR (23D: World Party Day mo.) World Party Day is celebrated on APR. 3. The holiday seeks to encourage joyful celebration around the globe. The idea for World Party Day came from the 1995 novel Flight: A Quantum Fiction Novel by Vanna Bonta. The book concludes with a synchronized worldwide party.
• DAE (24D: "Lost" star Daniel ___ Kim) Lost is a sci-fi TV series that originally aired from 2004 to 2010. The show follows the survivors of a plane crash on a mysterious island somewhere in the South Pacific Ocean. Daniel DAE Kim portrayed Jin-Soo Kwon on the show.
• SEW (s8D: Work with a Singer) That's a Singer with a capital "S," which is a sewing machine brand.
• LEAN ON ME (38D: Bill Withers song with the lyric "I'm right up the road / I'll share your load") "LEAN ON ME" is a song that's associated with some special memories for me, so I always enjoy seeing it referenced in the puzzle. It is one of only nine songs to reach number one on the Billboard Hot 100 with versions recorded by two different artists. Bill Withers, who wrote the song, took it to the top of the charts in 1972. A version recorded by Club Nouveau reached number one in 1987.
• MAYAN (53D: Like Tulum) Tulum is located in the Mexican state of Quintana Roo. Tulum is the site of MAYAN ruins. At one time, the location served as a MAYAN port city.
• OLA (58D: "___, como vai?") "OLA, como vai?" is Portuguese for "Hello, how are you?"
• UMP (61D: Diamond expert?) That's a baseball diamond, not a diamond ring.

It's fun to have a puzzle where both parts of each theme answer are involved in the theme. I was reminded of the August 18, 2026 puzzle, "Crunch Time," which has a similar mechanism. Congratulations to Heather Gearan and Paul Gearan, who are making their USA Today crossword debuts! Thank you, Heather and Paul, for this enjoyable puzzle.