Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Late Start
Constructor: Zhouqin Burnikel
Editor: Jared Goudsmit
LAREDO, TEXAS (17A: Rio Grande city with a jalapeno festival) LAREDO, TEXAS is located in the southern part of the state, along the Rio Grande, River. Across the river from LAREDO, TEXAS is the city of Nuevo LAREDO, Tamaulipas, Mexico. I knew of LAREDO, TEXAS, but was not familiar with their Jalapeño Festival, which takes place each year in February. This year's Jalapeño Festival will be February 21-22.
CBS (19A: "Buddy Games" network) Buddy Games was a reality TV series that aired on CBS in 2023. The show featured teams of people who competed against each other in summer camp-style challenges.
ALTO (33A: Jensen McRae's vocal range) Jensen McRae is a singer-songwriter whose debut studio album, Are You Happy Now? was released in 2022. Last year she released a single titled, "Massachusetts." Although I just learned about Jensen McRae from this puzzle (and have enjoyed listening to some of her songs), the answer here was fairly easy to figure out, as it had to be either ALTO or bass, since neither soprano nor tenor would fit.
LACROSSE TEAMS (54A: The Denver Outlaws and the New York Atlas, for two) I often say that "(almost) everything I know about sports I've learned from crossword puzzles," and that is definitely true about LACROSSE. The oldest organized sport played in North America, LACROSSE originated with indigenous peoples as early as the 12th century. Players use the head of their stick, which features a net, to carry, pass, catch, and shoot a rubber ball into the goal. The LACROSSE TEAMS given as examples here – the Denver Outlaws and the New York Atlas – are part of the Premier LACROSSE League (PLL), which is composed of eight teams. The PLL had its inaugural season in 2019.
PEA (61D: Kerau ko achar veggie) Kerau ko achar, or green PEA pickle, is a dish in Nepali cuisine. The dish consists of PEAs, radish, carrots, and other vegetables with spices and herbs.
NADAL (20A: French Open champ Rafael) Rafael NADAL has won 22 Grand Slam men's single tennis titles. Those wins include a record 14 French Open championships, most recently in 2022. Rafael NADAL retired from professional tennis last year.
RAO (30A: "Inception" actor Dileep) Inception is a 2010 movie directed by Christopher Nolan. Leonardo DiCaprio stars in the movie as Dom Cobb, a professional thief who specializes in infiltrating people's dreams to access information. Dileep RAO portrays Yusuf, a chemist who assists in the creation of dream sequences. I saw Inception shortly after it came out, but pretty much all I remember is that it is difficult to tell what is a dream sequence and what is reality.
SIS (34A: Margo, to Agnes Gru, for short) Margo, Edith, and Agnes are the sisters in the Despicable Me franchise. They are adopted by Gru (Felonious Gru Sr.) in the first movie, Despicable Me (2010). Margo is the oldest SIS, and Agnes is the youngest. The middle child, Edith, is not mentioned in this clue; such is the life of a middle child.
BEATLES (42A: The ___ (band aka the Fab Four)) The BEATLES formed their band in Liverpool, England in 1960. The Fab Four – John Lennon (1940-1980), Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, and George Harrison (1943-2001) – made their U.S. television debut on The Ed Sullivan Show on February 7, 1964. It's estimated that over 73 million viewers watched The BEATLES that night. I didn't see that performance (as I wasn't alive yet), but I often think about it when considering how media has changed over the years. Nowadays, the most viewed YouTube videos have been viewed billions of times, but not all at the same time.
ENEMY (44A: Chuck the Evil Sandwich-Making Guy, to WordGirl) WordGirl is an animated children's TV show that originally aired from 2007-2015. The titular superhero fights villains as viewers are asked to listen for specific words. Chuck the Evil Sandwich-Making Guy is one ENEMY of WordGirl. He has a sandwich as a head and uses condiments for weapons.
CAR (46A: Vehicle banned in Venice, Italy) Located in northeastern Italy, Venice is built on more than 100 small islands connected by the city's famous canals. Over 400 bridges span the canals and connect the islands. Venice is Europe's largest CAR-free city.
SYRIA (67A: Turkey's neighbor) In addition to Turkey, the Western Asian country of SYRIA is bordered by Iraq, Lebanon, Jordan, and Israel, and has coastline on the Mediterranean Sea. The capital of SYRIA is Damascus.
DSL (1D: _igital _ubscirber _ine) DSL, which stands for Digital Subscriber Line, refers to technology used to transmit data over phone lines, such as for Internet access.
SARASOTA (3D: Florida city south of Tampa Bay) SARASOTA is located in the southwest part of the Florida, on the southern end of the Greater Tampa Bay Area.
CAT (6D: Pet such as Lil Bub) Lil Bub (2011-2019) was a celebrity CAT who had an extreme form of feline dwarfism. As a result, her jaw and lower limbs were small compared to the rest of her body. Her small jaw meant she couldn't keep her tongue in her mouth. A 2013 documentary, Lil Bub & Friendz, followed Lil Bub and her owner, Mike Bridavsky, as they visited other CAT celebrities. My cat, Willow, is happy to see another famous CAT celebrated in today's puzzle. (Please don't tell Willow she's nowhere near as famous as Lil Bub.) The word CAT is making back-to-back crossword appearances, as we also saw it yesterday.
OLE (18D: Copa Mundial cheer) "Copa Mundial" is Spanish for "World Cup." The FIFA World Cup is an international football (called soccer in the U.S.) competition held every four years. The next World Cup will be held in 2026, and will be hosted by Canada, Mexico, and the United States. OLÉ!
TEMPO (37D: Adagio or allegro) The TEMPO marking adagio means "slow with great expression." In Italian, the word "adagio" means "slowly." The TEMPO marking allegro means "fast and bright." The word "allegro" means "cheerful" in Italian.
NBA (38D: Org. with Jazz and Thunder) The Utah Jazz are an NBA team based in Salt Lake City. The Oklahoma City Thunder are based in Oklahoma City (as their name suggests!).
AL PASTOR (39D: Taco order with marinated pork) Tacos AL PASTOR is made with pork marinated with pineapple, dried chilies, and spices and then skewered on a spit and grilled.
PLANE (48D: Air India vehicle) The main hub of Air India is the Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi.
LAREDO, TEXAS (17A: Rio Grande city with a jalapeno festival)
LAB TECHNICIAN (36A: Diagnostic test pro)
LACROSSE TEAMS (54A: The Denver Outlaws and the New York Atlas, for two)
LATE START: The first word of each theme answer STARTs with the letters LA, and the second word of each theme answer STARTs with the letters TE. Put together, that gives us a LATE START: LAREDO, TEXAS , LAB TECHNICIAN, and LACROSSE TEAMS.
This is an interesting variation on an initialism theme, as the first two letters of each word are utilized. From the title, I made a guess that the first word of each theme answer would be paired with the word LATE in some way. That was not quite right today, making for a nice "Aha!" moment when I realized what was happening. Thank you, Zhouqin, for this clever puzzle.
USA TODAY's Daily Crossword Puzzles
Sudoku & Crossword Puzzle Answers
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Crossword Blog & Answers for February 6, 2025 by Sally Hoelscher
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Epoch Times
32 minutes ago
- Epoch Times
3-time Grand Slam Semifinalist Grigor Dimitrov Is Out of US Open With Injured Chest Muscle
NEW YORK—Three-time Grand Slam semifinalist Grigor Dimitrov withdrew from the U.S. Open on Tuesday, a little more than a month after he tore a chest muscle and had to quit playing against Jannik Sinner at Wimbledon. That exit from the All England Club on July 7—Dimitrov had taken the opening two sets against Sinner but got hurt in the third—marked the fifth consecutive Grand Slam tournament where the 34-year-old Dimitrov failed to complete a match. It also happened at the Australian Open in January and the French Open in May, plus last year's Wimbledon and U.S. Open.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
CBS Has Said Canceling Stephen Colbert's Show Was 'Financial.' What Does The Average American Think?
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. As the supposed fallout of the Paramount/Skydance merger continues, the 2025 TV schedule is the beginning of the end for CBS's The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. With Colbert's surprise cancellation still lingering, and the corporate players proclaiming the move as a 'financial decision,' the validity of that motive has been questioned by not only celebrities and fellow late night hosts, but also the American public. A new poll reported by Yahoo seems to back that viewpoint, as the axing of The Late Show lead to some interesting data. Perhaps the most telling result are the top two results that pollsters pegged for why Paramount/CBS cancelled the almost 10 year program; as well as its legendary late night fixture. 40% of Americans disapproved of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert's cancellation. 35% of Americans surveyed think that Stephen Colbert is 'about right' in sociopolitical content (versus 28% saying he's "too political," and another 3% saying he's "not political enough.") 37% of responses expressed that 'Paramount is trying to curry favor with Trump administration.' 36% agreeing that another cause was 'Stephen Colbert is too critical of Donald Trump.' Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Fallon are tied at 25% for the title of "favorite late-night show host." By the numbers, it would appear that 'the Average American' does not feel that The Late Show with Stephen Colbert's reported financial losses are truly the cause of its cancellation. Which aligns with some of the opinions we've seen from other late night notables. One such example would be Andy Cohen's remarks about the CBS cancellation, in which the Watch What Happens host offered a breakdown of what he felt would have been a more financially motivated strategy. Meanwhile, Skydance CEO David Ellison's alleged feelings on CBS personalities acting 'like they're the IP' poses a counterpoint that appears to be acting in the name of 'fundamentals.' Yet if you trust former Late Show with David Letterman producer Rob Burnett's thoughts, he might tell you the perceived threat to the Paramount/Skydance merger was the true problem. For all of the inside baseball discourse that exists around Stephen Colbert's May 2026 departure, the 'true cause' has certainly seemed to be up for debate. And that debate has hit every corner of the interwebs, from celebrities to the audiences watching at home. As the discourse continues to run around the Internet, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert will continue running -- for at least a few more months -- in its usual 11:35 PM ET slot on CBS, with new episodes heading to streaming for those with a Paramount+ subscription after they've aired. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Stephen Colbert Wastes No Time Landing A New Gig Despite All The Late Show Drama, And I Think It's Almost Too Perfect A Fit
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. What a wild 2025 it's been for Stephen Colbert thus far. Mere days after The Late Show earned its latest batch of Emmy nominations, including its ninth straight in the talk show's core category, CBS shocked viewers around the country by announcing the late night staple's cancellation, in connection with parent company Paramount Global merging with Skydance Media. That situation remains a source of contention, but it looks like Colbert has already landed his latest gig away from the world of late night TV…sort of. Though The Late Show with Stephen Colbert technically isn't set to begin its swan song until the 11th season officially starts, many fans are wondering whether or not the former Colbert Report host will indeed remain in his current role for an entire year after the controversial cancellation decision. (Especially after Skydance boss David Ellison's alleged thoughts on the Late Show's content spread around.) Perhaps this latest return to the acting world may be indicative of where his head is at, but even if it isn't, I still can't wait to see it. What's Stephen Colbert's Newest TV Gig? No stranger to fully scripted and serialized TV, Stephen Colbert won't be going too far outside the box for his newest role. He landed a guest spot on CBS' acclaimed dramedy Elsbeth, a show that's delivered a slew of winning guest stars throughout its first two seasons, so there's no reason to expect this one to be a dud. Though the exact timing of events behind-the-scenes is unclear, it's very likely that conversations to bring Colbert into Elsbeth's universe took place (or at least started up) before the Late Show's fate was cemented. According to Vulture, the episode in question will likely land on the 2025 TV schedule as the Season 3 premiere for Carrie Preston's titular attorney. Elsbeth's upcoming season will arrive on a special night amidst CBS's Fall TV lineup, as the network will be utilizing post-NFL ratings with a Sunday-evening debut on October 12. It's entirely possible the network will make scheduling changes before it arrives, however, so stay tuned on that front. Who Will Stephen Colbert Be Playing On Elsbeth? It doesn't sound like Stephen Colbert will be jettisoned outside of his comfort zone when he shows up on Elsbeth, as he's set to play — get this — a late night talk show host! I almost wish I could say his name is Stevie Coltiger, but that's not the case. He'll be fronting the faux show-within-a-show Way Late with Scotty Bristol, which now feels like an even weirder move for Colbert in the aftermath of his Late Show debacle. Unfortunately, no further details about his appearance have been revealed, so we don't know yet whether Scotty Bristol will be meeting his maker during the ep, or if he'll have some other kind of involvement with the murder-of-the-week. I'm hoping for the latter, so that the door can stay open for him to potentially return. If the Elsbeth role was already set up ahead of the Late Show cancellation, the episode likely won't depict any real-world events. However, it's reported that filming is currently taking place this week, so it's technically possible showrunner Jonathan Tolins or co-creators Robert and Michelle King could have rewritten the material to reflect current events in an unexpected way. Of course, considering Elsbeth wasn't noted as a sticking point in the Skydance/Paramount merger, it's possible that the legal dramedy's creative team has been advised to refrain from referencing what's happening behind the scenes. Regardless of whether it aims for full-on satire or just a super-quick winking nod to the Late Show's fate, I cannot wait for Elsbeth to return to CBS with its Colbert guest spot. Stay tuned for further details while keeping in mind that Season 3 will be kicking off on Sunday, October 12, ahead of its normal Thursday-night airings, with new episodes also available to stream with a Paramount+ subscription. Solve the daily Crossword
