DOWN FOR THE COUNT
NY Times Crossword
December 22, 2019
Laura Taylor Kinnel (adapted)

Consider the clues below and the reveal clue and see if you can come up with the one-word theme of this puzzle.

Tabletop - 2
Tailgate party - 3
The Theory of Relativity - 4
Tutti Frutti - 5

Reveal: ABSTAINERS

Answer:

The theme of this puzzle is TEETOTALERS:

Explanation:
ABSTAINERS are those who do not drink alcohol - also known as TEETOTALERS. The word TEETOTALERS can be read as T  TOTALERS. The numbers after the clue words give the TOTAL of the number of T's in each clue.