As promised, we've got another guest offering today, this time a themed puzzle by Sophia Maymudes!
I remember enjoying Sophia's work in the New York Times before I even started constructing or paying attention to bylines, so it's a special day for me to feature a puzzle of hers here. She's definitely a crossword hero in my book.
If you solve this buddy and can't wait for more of Sophia's puzzles, check out her monthly crossword in the Provincetown Independent. For a great a-ha moment, I particularly recommend this one. Have fun!
-Matthew
From Sophia: "Beyond pumped to be guesting on Matthew’s site! Every puzzle I’ve solved here has been uniformly excellent, and I tried to channel that happy energy into this puzzle. Plus, writing clues that are maybe (definitely) too weird for mainstream is always a blast.
This puzzle was inspired by my love for its theme answers. (This is a lie. I know nothing about this puzzle’s theme. Although I do love the Pixar movie.)
Thanks to Matthew for running/editing this puzzle, and to Kyra Wilson for giving this puzzle its first once-over and for using her home field advantage (haha) to give me the clue for 44-Down. Hope y’all enjoy!
Follow Sophia on Twitter @smaymudes.