6D: You wrote in TIES for “Fancy items of neckwear,” didn’t you? Today’s ThemeMr. Arbesfeld offers us a set of four common noun phrases that begin with types of animals. If, on the other hand, the theme is “double the last letter and add a Y,” the set is consistent. I think many solvers will see this as the cutesy version of the theme, and it might not even bother them. On the positive side, while they are not new, the theme answers are all lively, and Mr. Arbesfeld debuts the phrase MY IT’S LATE.

Source: New York Times November 17, 2019 22:52 UTC