There are spoilers ahead. You might want to solve today’s puzzle before reading further! Closing Number
Constructor: Jem Burch
Editor: Jared Goudsmit
What I Learned from Today’s Puzzle
- ISUZU (30A: MU-X automaker) The ISUZU MU-X is a mid-size SUV (sport utility vehicle). The MU-X stands for “multi utility extreme.”
- LASERS (3D: Beams in the board game Khet) Khet is a strategy board game for two players. As in chess, players move their pieces around a board and attempt to eliminate their opponent’s pieces. Some of the pieces have embedded mirrors. Two low-powered LASERS, one for each player, are built into a frame around the game board. After each move, a player presses a button to light up their LASER. Pieces hit by a LASER are eliminated from the game.
- IRISH (9D: Sinead Burke’s nationality) Sinead Burke is an IRISH writer and an advocate for inclusion for all. In 2020, she founded the consulting company Tilting the Lens, which works with companies to create an accessible and equitable world. Although I learned about Sinead Burke today (and am happy to learn about her!), I was able to make an educated guess at this answer, as Sinead is an IRISH name.
- DANA (57D: “Craig of the Creek” voice actress Davis) Craig of the Creek is an animated TV series that originally aired from 2018 to January 2025. The show is about the adventures of a boy named Craig and his friends, Kelsey and J.P. Many of the adventures take place in the titular creek. DANA Davis voices several of the show’s characters: Prinda, Kit, Big Red, and Scoot.
Random Thoughts & Interesting Things
- BILL (1A: Measure in the House) The key to figuring out this clue is noticing that the word “House” starts with a capital letter. This tells solvers the word is not referring to just any house, but the U.S. House of Representatives, which considers BILLs.
- SHO (5A: “Yellowjackets” channel, for short) Showtime (SHO, for short) describes their TV series, Yellowjackets, as “part survival epic, part psychological horror, and part coming-of-age drama.” The show tells the story of a high school girls’ soccer team whose plane crashes in the wilderness. The show recounts the time of survival after the crash, as well as events that occur 25 years later. The show’s third season premiered earlier this year.
- ESPN (28A: ___8: The Ocho (sports program block that’s aired the Teqball World Series)) I learned about ESPN8 The Ocho from the April 19 puzzle. ESPN8 The Ocho airs a variety of sports that are lesser-known and unconventional. Teqball is a sport that combines elements of football and table tennis.
- ST LOUIS CARDINAL (39A: MLB player such as Yadier Molina) This clue and answer made me so happy! I am definitely on a roll; this is the third day and a row I have immediately known an answer to a sports-related clue. All three clues have been about baseball, which is definitely the sport I know the most about. My dad was a ST. LOUIS CARDINALs fan, and my mom still watches every ST. LOUIS CARDINALs game she can. Thanks to my parents, then, I know that Yadier Molina was a catcher for the ST. LOUIS CARDINALs from 2004-2022. Yadier Molina was a great catcher, and won nine Gold Glove Awards during his career. Currently Yadier Molina is a manager of the Águilas Cibaeñas, a baseball team in the Dominican Republic’s Professional Baseball League.
- ERUPTS (43A: Goes off like Cotopaxi) Cotopaxi is an active volcano in the Andes Mountains, located in Ecuador. Cotopaxi is known to have erupted 87 times.
- LIU (53A: “Presence” actress Lucy) Presence is a supernatural thriller movie that premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival. Lucy LIU portrays Rebekah Payne, the mother of a family who are moving into a new house. The movie is presented through the view of an unseen Presence that occupies the house.
- SOAP (67A: Melodramatic TV series) When I first read this clue, I thought it was referring to a specific melodramatic TV series. Eventually I figured out that the answer is the more general SOAP, as in SOAP opera, a genre of TV shows that are definitely characterized by melodrama.
- ELLE (68A: “A Complete Unknown” actress Fanning) A Complete Unknown is A 2024 biographical musical film about Bob Dylan. The movie is loosely based on Elijah Wald’s 2015 book Dylan Goes Electric. Timothée Chalamet portrays Bob Dylan, and ELLE Fanning portrays Sylvie Russo, a character based on Suze Rotolo, who was Bob Dylan’s girlfriend from 1961 to 1964.
- STATE (5D: Chihuahua or Colorado) Chihuahua is one of Mexico’s 31 STATEs. It is located in northern Mexico and borders the U.S. STATEs of New Mexico and Texas. Colorado is one of the 50 STATEs in the U.S.
- SLOW (12D: “Killing me ___, out the window / I’m always waiting for you to be waiting below”) “Killing me SLOW, out the window / I’m always waiting for you to be waiting below” is a lyric from Taylor Swift’s song, “Cruel Summer.”
- KEANU (15D: Actor Reeves who looks sad in a meme) Sad KEANU is a Meme based on a paparazzi photo of Keanu Reeves sitting on a bench eating a sandwich.
- IN-N-OUT (21D: Burger chain with a Not So Secret Menu) IN-N-OUT Burger is a regional chain of restaurants started in California in 1948. IN-N-OUT has a “Not So Secret Menu” which is not found on their menus, but is available on their website. The Not So Secret Menu includes various ways to order a burger, such as Animal Style, Protein Style, or with Double Meat.
- SOCAL (31D: WeHo’s region) WeHo here is West Hollywood, a city in Southern California, or SOCAL.
- USA (33D: LA and L.A.’s country) This is a fun clue. LA is the abbreviation for the state of Louisiana, and L.A. is the abbreviation for Los Angeles, a city in SOCAL. Both LA and L.A. are, of course, in the USA. Periods make a difference in the meaning of these abbreviations.
- LUNA MOTH (41D: Pale-green insect with moonlike spots) The LUNA MOTH is one of the largest moth species in North America, with a wingspan ranging from 4.5 to 7 inches. The word “moonlike” in the clue is a hint to the answer, as LUNA is the Latin word for moon. The moonlike spots of a LUNA MOTH are referred to as eyespots.
- AARON (52D: Baseball great Hank) More baseball content! Hank AARON (1934-2021) began his MLB career with the Milwaukee Braves in 1954, following the team to Atlanta in 1966. He played with the Atlanta Braves until 1974, and ended his MLB career playing for the Milwaukee Brewers. Hank AARON was selected as an MLB All-Star 25 times, and was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1982. He holds the MLB record for career runs batted in (2,297). Hank AARON held the Major League Baseball record for career home runs for 33 years. Hank AARON was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1982.
- A few other clues I especially enjoyed:
- ERR (24A: Dip your paintbrush in your coffee, say)
- AD SLOGAN (42D: “Red Bull Gives You Wiiings,” e.g.)
- INSPO (54D: Creative fuel, for short)
Crossword Puzzle Theme Synopsis
- KEEP IT REAL (20A: Be authentic)
- ST LOUIS CARDINAL (39A: MLB player such as Yadier Molina)
- AMAZON PRIME (59A: Subscription service that includes video streaming)
CLOSING NUMBER: The word at the end (i.e. CLOSING) of each theme answer is a type of NUMBER: REAL NUMBER, CARDINAL NUMBER, and PRIME NUMBER.
Today’s puzzle is giving us a dose of math with our word puzzle. A REAL NUMBER is one that can be represented on a number line, in contrast to an imaginary NUMBER. A CARDINAL NUMBER is one that denotes quantity (like “one” and “two” but not “first” and “second”). A PRIME NUMBER is any NUMBER greater than one that can only be formed by multiplying one and itself. We saw a similarly titled puzzle, “Closing Numbers,” last year. That puzzle had a different approach to this theme; it’s always fun to see how a theme can be done in different ways. Congratulations to Jem Burch on a USA Today crossword debut! Thank you, Jem, for this enjoyable puzzle.
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