August 30, 2026

Title: CHANGE OF PACE

Constructor: Sean Ziebarth

Editor: Amanda Rafkin

Theme synopsis:

• TIGHTROPE ACT (19A: It requires a delicate balance)
• TAPIOCA PEARLS (35A: Bubble tea morsels)
• SEVERANCE PAY (53A: Money from the fire department?)

CHANGE OF PACE: Each theme answer contains an anagram of the word PACE: TIGHTROPE ACT, TAPIOCA PEARLS, and SEVERANCE PAY.

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• PANAMA (28A: Country with a famous canal) The PANAMA Canal is 51 miles long, and divides North and South America, connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Construction on the PANAMA Canal began in 1904, and the canal opened in 1914. An expansion project was started in 2007 and completed in 2016. PANAMA City, the capital and largest city of PANAMA, is located at the Pacific entrance to the canal.
• IDC (34A: "Makes no difference to me," in texts) IDC = I don't care
• LILY PADS (42A: Perches for frogs) When I think of LILY PADS, I think of dinner plate-sized green leaves floating in a pond. However, some LILY PADS grow to enormous size and are strong enough to hold a human. This entry is timely, as the Waterlily Weigh-Off just recently took place. This friendly competition was started by the Denver Botanic Gardens in 2023. This year's competition saw a number of Botanic Gardens posting their results on social media. The goal is to grow the biggest and strongest LILY PAD. A fun part of the competition is seeing the different units of weight used to test the strength of the LILY PADS, things like tins of baked beans, people, gardening tools, dumbbells, and a tea service.
• SEVERANCE PAY (53A: Money from the fire department?) The question mark at the end of the clue alerts solvers to expect some wordplay. That's not the fire department with fire engines and fire fighters, but rather a company's department that might fire someone, resulting in them receiving SEVERANCE PAY.
• ISLE (64A: "___ of Dogs" (Wes Anderson film)) The 2018 movie ISLE of Dogs is a stop-action film written, produced, and directed by Wes Anderson. The movie is set in a fictional Japanese city where the mayor has banished all dogs to an island (previously Trash Island and now known as the ISLE of Dogs) due to a canine influenza pandemic. 
• SITCOM (8D: "Arrested Development," e.g.) The original Arrested Development SITCOM aired from 2003-2006, and a revival series aired from 2013-2019. The show centers around a formerly wealthy family, the Bluths. 
• SERRANO (14D: Hotter cousin of a jalapeño) The SERRANO pepper has a Scoville rating of 10,000 to 25,000 SHO (Scoville heat units), while a jalapeño has a rating of between 4,000 and 8,500 SHU.
• TOMEI (20D: Marisa who played Aunt May) Aunt May is a Marvel Comics character. She is the aunt of Peter Parker aka Spider-Man. Marisa TOMEI has portrayed Aunt May in multiple Marvel Cinematic Universe movies: Captain America: Civil War (2016), Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), Avengers: Endgame (2019), Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019), Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021), and Spider-Man: Brand New Day (2026).
• ALY (21D: Raisman with three Olympic Gold Medals) ALY Raisman is a retired gymnast. She was the captain of the USA women's gymnastic team in 2012 (known as the "Fierce Five") and 2016 (known as the "Final Five"). Team USA won the gold medal in the women's gymnastics team competition both of those years. In 2012, ALY Raisman also won a gold medal in floor exercise. Additionally, she has two Olympic silver medals (all-around and floor exercise in 2016) and one Olympic bronze medal (balance beam in 2012). ALY Raisman's 2017 memoir is titled Fierce: How Competing for Myself Changed Everything.
• ALI (40D: "Dear Girls" memoirist Wong) ALI Wong is a stand-up comedian, actress, and writer. Her 2019 book, Dear Girls: Intimate Tales, Untold Secrets & Advice for Living Your Best Life, is written in the form of letters to her daughters, discussing "everything they need to know in life, like the unpleasant details of dating, how to be a working mom in a male-dominated profession, and how she trapped their dad." It's fun to see both ALY and ALI in the puzzle.
• EMMA (54D: "The Crown" actor Corrin) The Crown is a historical Netflix series covering the life of Queen Elizabeth II from 1947, when she married Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, through the early 21st century. For her portrayal of Diana, Princess of Wales, EMMA Corrin won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Television Series Drama.
• A few other clues and answers I especially enjoyed:
• TWIN (35D: Bed size for one person, ironically)
• YES YOU (43D: Possible response to "Who, me?")
• STYLES (49D: Fashions, trends or fashion trends)

The word CHANGE in the title is serving as an anagram indicator. The letter order of the word PACE is  CHANGEd in a different way in each theme answers. Thank you, Sean, for this enjoyable puzzle.