August 5, 2026

Title: MARKDOWNS

Constructor: Matthew Luter

Editor: Amanda Rafkin

Theme synopsis:

• FREE PERIOD (9D: Portion of the day during which teachers don't actually get downtime)
• FORTY-YARD DASH (13D: Running test at the NFL combine)
• TAX BRACKET (28D: Income range considered by the IRS)

MARKDOWNS: The last (DOWNmost) word of each vertical theme answer is a MARK (a written symbol): PERIOD, DASH, and BRACKET.

And now a word from our constructor:

Matthew: Part of makes a good wordplay theme work is semantic ambiguity. Anytime you solve a themed puzzle and think, “wait, what do these long entries have in common at all?” and then have an aha moment… it may be because of the way the key words of a theme have been shifted from one context or definition to another. That’s what I was going for here: paying one’s taxes, a foot race, and a teacher’s schedule don’t have any clear connection. But another kind of BRACKET, DASH, and PERIOD do. To puzzle out that theme connection is to resolve that ambiguity. I hope your aha moment led to a happy solve!

What I learned from today's puzzle:

• NERF (18A: Reduce the power of, in gaming) Not being a gamer, this use of the word NERF is new to me. Merriam-Webster tells me that NERF has been used in this way since 1997 and that the usage came out of the video game Ultima Online. Apparently at some point the power of the swords were reduced and players started complaining they were hitting each other with NERF swords. 
• BOONE (41A: "Beautiful Things" singer Benson) "Beautiful Things" is the lead single from Benson Boone's debut studio album, Fireworks & Rollerblades. The song reached number two on the Billboard Hot 100.
• FORTY-YARD DASH (13D: Running test at the NFL combine) (Apparently) the NFL combine is a scouting event that happens every February. It takes place at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana. College football players attend (by invitation only) and perform tests in front of NFL coaches, general managers, and scouts. The FORTY-YARD DASH is one of the tests. The reason for this particular distance is that FORTY YARDs is the average distance of a punt. If a player can run the FORTY-YARD DASH in 4.5 seconds, he'll be able to reach the point where the ball comes down after a punt just as the ball arrives. Add this to the sports knowledge I've learned from crosswords.
• TERESA (20D: WNBA great Weatherspoon) TERESA Weatherspoon is a former WNBA player. During her WNBA playing career she played for the New York Liberty (1997-2003) and the Los Angeles Sparks (2004). She was inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2010 and the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2019. TERESA Weatherspoon is currently the head coach for the Unrivaled basketball league team Vinyl BC.
• TCM (29D: "31 Days of Oscar" channel) and TBS (40D: Channel with "Modern Family" reruns) Since I don't watch much TV, I rarely know what channels shows are on. I generally rely on crossing answers to figure out these types of answers, which is what I did here. It turns out that 31 Days of Oscar isn't a specific show, but a programming block on Turner Classic Movies (TCM). During the month leading up to the Academy Awards (aka the Oscars), TCM uses this programming block to highlight Academy Award winners and nominees. I have written about Modern Family (2009-2020) before, so I at least knew about the show. However, I didn't remember that reruns of Modern Family have aired on TBS since 2023. Modern Family is a mockumentary that follows the lives of three families.

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• PSALM (36A: Any of 150 Biblical songs) The Biblical book of PSALMs is a collection of religious hymns. There are 150 PSALMs, making it the book in the Bible that has the most chapters. (Jeremiah and Genesis are longer by word count.) Additional fun fact: PSALM 119 is the longest PSALM, with 176 verses.
• K-DRAMA (48A: "Squid Game" or "My Golden Life") A K-DRAMA, or Korean DRAMA, is a TV series made in South Korea, with dialogue in the Korean language. The K-DRAMA, Squid Game (2021-2025) is about a group of people who risk their lives playing deadly children's games for the chance to win a large cash prize. My Golden Life (2017-2018) tells the story of Seo Ji-an (Shin Hye-Sun), a woman whose life has hit rock bottom and who is trying to turn her life around.
• SPIN (1D: Alternative to "solve" or "buy a vowel," on "Wheel of Fortune") I enjoyed this clue.
• HID (5D: Started a game of Sardines) The game of Sardines is a version of hide-and-seek. In Sardines, one person hides and everyone else searches for them. When someone finds the hidden person, they hide with them. As the game progresses, the number of seekers decreases and the hiding place becomes more cramped.
• RRR (7D: Movie with the song "Naatu Naatu") RRR is a Telugu-language movie that tells a fictional story of two revolutionaries in India that fight against British rule.  "Naatu Naatu" is a song in RRR that was written to showcase the dancing talent of the heroes. "Naatu Naatu" won an Oscar for Best Original Song. If you haven't seen the movie, the video of the song is worth a watch; the dancing is quite impressive.
• FREE PERIOD (9D: Portion of the day during which teachers don't actually get downtime) This clue made me chuckle, because I know it's true. Knowing that today's constructor is a teacher made me appreciate this clue even more.
• TESLA (12D: Edison rival Nikola) I have previously written about Nikola TESLA (1856-1943), an inventor and engineer known for his contributions to the design of modern electricity supply systems and alternating current. Nikola TESLA was a contemporary and rival of Thomas Edison (1847-1931). 
• IRA (23D: "This American Life" host Glass) IRA Glass is the host and producer of the radio program This American Life.  He has also been involved in several NPR programs, including Morning Edition, All Things Considered, and Talk of the Nation.
• BONE (50D: What a radius is and a diameter is not) I am here for the math / science overlap clues. Radius and diameter are both math terms (measurements of a circle), but only the radius is a BONE.
• VEEP (53D: Selina Meyer sitcom) On the TV series, VEEP (2012-2019), Julia Louis-Dreyfus plays the role of Selina Meyer. At the beginning of the show, Selina Meyer is the titular VEEP, the Vice President of the United States. 
• PET (57D: Odie or Garfield, to Jon) Or [Willow, to Sally], perhaps. Here's my PET, Willow, looking like the regal creature she is.

• A few other clues and answers I especially enjoyed:
• INSIDE (16A: Like a joke understood by few)
• EYE CHARTS (31A: They have a big E at the top)
• RAVE (51D: "10/10, no notes," for example)

Today's title led me to correctly guess that the theme would be found in the DOWN answers. I guessed the theme would involve some sort of MARK. It's fun that it was three different MARKs. Thank you, Matthew, for this delightful puzzle.

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