Possible meaning of 54-/57-Across

IHOPESO

Think of a phrase you might say when you're really hoping something turns out well, but with a playful twist on the spelling.

This clue plays on the idea that "54-Across" and "57-Across" might be the start of a phrase split between two answers. When you combine them, you get "I HOPE SO," which fits as a casual response meaning "that’s what I’m wishing for." The answer is written as "IHOPESO" to remove the space, which is common in crosswords to save room. It’s a straightforward split phrase where the clue hints at the combined meaning.