August 3, 2026

Title: KINETIC SAND

Constructor: CJ Tan

Editor: Amanda Rafkin

Theme synopsis:

• GOOD AS NEW (19A: "Looks practically untouched now!")
• ONE WORD ANSWER (35A: "Yes," "No" or "Maybe," e.g.)
• KINDA SORTA (56A: ". . . ish")

KINETIC SAND: Each theme answer contains an anagram of the word SAND: GOOD AS NEW, ONE WORD ANSWER, and KINDA SORTA.

What I learned from today's puzzle:

• TAP (54A: Dance like Juanita Pitts) Juanita Pitts was a TAP dancer who was active in the 1930s to the 1950s. Like many Black women TAP dancers at the time, not much is known about her. She wore men's suits while performing, often a white three-piece suit. She appeared in the 1945 movie, It Happened in Harlem, and a clip from that movie is one of the few videos of her dancing. 

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• PAUL (1A: "Billions" actor Giamatti) Billions (2016-2023) is a TV series that focuses on hedge fund manager Bobby Axelrod (played by Damian Lewis), who uses insider trading and bribery to grow his company. PAUL Giamatti portrays U.S. Chuck Rhoades.
• LUNE (13A: Debussy's "Clair de ___") "Clair de LUNE" is the third and most famous movement of Claude Debussy's piano piece, Suite bergamasque. The piece was first published in 1905, though Claude Debussy began composing it around 1890. "Clair de LUNE" means "moonlight" in French.
• ERIE (15A: Great Lake closest to the equator) Since Lake ERIE is the southernmost of the Great Lakes, that makes it the closest to the equator. It's always nice to see our crossword friend ERIE.
• URSA (16A: ___ Minor (constellation)) URSA Minor is a constellation consisting of seven stars, the brightest of which is the north pole star, Polaris. In Latin, URSA Minor means "Little Bear," which is another name used for the constellation.
• DERN (18A: "Is This Thing On?" actress Laura) Is This Thing On? is a 2025 movie loosely based on the life of English comedian John Bishop. Will Arnett (who helped write the screenplay) and Laura DERN star as Alex and Tess Novak, a couple who are amicably ending their marriage and trying to move forward with living separately and co-parenting.
• IRL (22A: Offline, for short) IRL = in real life 
• AUSSIE (24A: Sydneysider or Melburnian) I enjoyed this clue! Sydney and Melbourne are cities in Australia. 
• PISA (55A: Italian city where tourists pose like they're pushing a tower) PISA, Italy is home to the Leaning Tower of PISA, known for its famous slant. I enjoyed the clue's reference to the classic tourist pose.
• HERA (64A: Queen of the Olympians) In Greek religion and mythology, the Olympians were the twelve major deities. They were called the Olympians because they were thought to reside on Mount Olympus. HERA is the goddess of marriage, women, and family. She is also considered the Queen of Mount Olympus, the Queen of the Olympians, and the Queen of the Gods.
• PEPE (65A: Nickname for Jose) The nickname of PEPE for someone named José is derived from an old form of the name, Josepe. 
• AURORA (2D: ___ borealis) The AURORA borealis is a natural light display in the sky that occurs when solar winds disturb the magnetosphere. AURORA is making back-to-back puzzle appearances. We saw it yesterday clued as [City in Illinois or Colorado].
• ASL (8D: Communication system in "CODA") The 2021 movie, CODA, stars Emilia Jones as Ruby Rossi, a hearing "child of deaf adults" (CODA). Sian Heder, who wrote and directed CODA, learned ASL (American Sign Language) while working on the movie, and about 40% of the screenplay is in ASL. Emilia Jones also learned ASL before the filming of CODA. CODA won an Academy Award for Best Picture.
• ILE (26D: ___-de-France (where Paris is)) The ÎLE-de-France is one of eighteen administrative regions of France. Located in north-central France, the region contains Paris, the country's capital.
• A few other clues and answers I especially enjoyed:
• I SEE YOU (50A: "That's a bad hiding spot!")
• TUNNEL (5D: ___ vision (state of intense fixation))
• OKAPI (51: Zebra giraffe, by another name)

KINETIC SAND, also known as "magic SAND," is SAND whose grains have been coated with a hydrophobic compound. This causes the SAND to adhere together and hold its shape. The word KINETIC relates to movement, and it is acting as an anagram indicator in today's theme. Thank you, CJ, for this enjoyable puzzle.

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