Crossword Blog & Answers for October 25, 2024 by Sally Hoelscher

There are spoilers ahead. You might want to solve today's puzzle before reading further! SOS

Constructor: Prasanna Keshava

Editor: Amanda Rafkin

SOS: Each theme answer is a phrase with the initials S.O.S.: SAME OLD STORY, SENSE OF SELF, and SINK OR SWIM.

No, the SOS in today's puzzle isn't a cry for help. Instead, it's a hint to the puzzle's theme. I enjoyed this set of theme answers, particularly SAME OLD STORY. Did you know that when the International Radio Telegraphic Convention of 1906 first adopted SOS as a universal Morse code distress signal (three dots, three dashes, three dots, with no spaces between the letters), the SOS didn't stand for anything? The association of SOS with the phrase "Save Our Ship" is a backronym, a meaning created later. Thank you, Prasanna, for this excellent puzzle.