Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Gene Splicing

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25-03-2025

There are spoilers ahead. You might want to solve today's puzzle before reading further! Gene Splicing
Constructor: Jay Silverman
Editor: Anna Gundlach
Jay: I'm happy to be back in the USA TODAY with this little puzzle that I pitched to the team last year. I'm particularly happy to have the clue for 56-Across in this puzzle, as it's an essential (if imperfect) institution and working towards "peace, dignity, and equality on a healthy planet" always seems like a more noble goal than the alternative. A nice little reminder that we're all in it together and all owe each other the best we can muster.
My thanks, as always, to the team for giving me the opportunity to share something fun with the world. Hope you all get a kick out of this one.
MRS (12D: ___ Meyer's Clean Day) MRS. Meyer's Clean Day is a brand of cleaning products with "garden-inspired scents." The brand is named for a real-life MRS. Meyer – Thelma A. Meyer.
SESAME (50D: Type of seed on binangkal) Binangkal is a dense, deep-fried, SESAME seed-covered donut in Filipino cuisine.
ISSA (13A: "Barbie" actress Rae) ISSA Rae portrays President Barbie in the 2023 movie Barbie.
OPERA (17A: "Turando" or "Aida") Turandot is an OPERA by Giacomo Puccini. When Puccini died in 1924, the Turandot was unfinished. Franco Alfano finished Turandot, and the OPERA premiered in 1926. Aida is an 1871 OPERA by Giuseppe Verdi.
NAT (23A: Rebellion leader Turner) In 1831, NAT Turner led a rebellion of enslaved persons in Virginia. The rebellion resulted in the death of over 55 people, and NAT Turner lived in hiding for two months afterwards. In the aftermath of NAT Turner's rebellion, many Black people were killed and harsh(er) laws were enacted against enslaved people.
TEA (32A: What 60-Across means in Hindi) and CHAI (60A: Spiced brewed beverage) This is a fun pairing.
FELT (36A: Material many Muppets are made of) Nice to see a reference to the Muppets, the puppet characters created by Jim Henson in 1955. Many of the Muppets are hand puppets that have been molded out of foam and covered with FELT.
TET (43A: Vietnamese New Year) TET, also known as the Vietnamese New Year, celebrates the arrival of spring based on the Vietnamese calendar. TET was celebrated this year on January 29.
FDA (44A: Medication-approving org.) The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is a Federal agency of the Department of Health and Human Services. One of the FDA's responsibilities is to make sure medications are safe and effective. The abbreviation of organization as org. in the clue alerts solvers the answer will be an abbreviation.
FEDORA (51A: Carmen Sandiego's hat) Carmen Sandiego is the title character in the Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? video game franchise. Her signature look is a red FEDORA and trench coat. Carmen Sandiego and her organization of criminals – known as V.I.L.E. – steal such things as the island of Bali, the Cape of Good Hope, and the keys to the Tower of London.
PIE (55A: Whole pizza) Pizza is one of my favorite foods. I'm never going to be sad to see it mentioned.
UNITED NATIONS (56A: "Peace, dignity and equality on a healthy planet" organization) The UNITED NATIONS was established in 1945, after World War II. One of its aims is to prevent future world wars. It currently has 193 member states. One of the many things the UNITED NATIONS does is to designate observances in order to protect its objectives. The UNITED NATIONS has designated 2025 as the International Year of Peace and Trust, the International Year of Glacier's Preservation, the International Year of Cooperatives, and the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology. I agree with the sentiment Jay shared in his notes; working towards "peace, dignity, and equality on a healthy planet" certainly seems like a worthy goal.
ALUM (66A: Former student, for short) and GRADUATE (37D: Receive a diploma) Once you GRADUATE, you become an ALUM.
ABEL (6D: Cain's younger brother) In the Bible, Cain and ABEL are the sons of Adam and Eve.
BIRD (7D: Basketball legend Larry or Sue) Larry BIRD and Sue BIRD are not related, but they are both retired professional basketball players. Larry BIRD played for the NBA's Boston Celtics from 1979-1992. During his time on the team, the Boston Celtics were NBA champions three times. Larry BIRD coached for the Indiana Pacers from 1997-2000. Sue BIRD played for the WNBA's Seattle Storm from 2002-2022. The Seattle Storm won four WNBA championships during SUE Bird's time on the team. SUE Bird also has five gold medals from her time playing on Team USA in the Olympics.
GRIMM (9D: German fairy-tale surnames) The Brothers GRIMM – Jacob (1785-1863) and Wilhelm (1786-1859) – were German academics who collected folklore. The brothers published fairy tales such as "Cinderella," "Little Red Riding Hood," "Rapunzel," and others.
AAA (11D: Highest Minor League Baseball level) Minor League Baseball underwent a reorganization in 2021. One thing that didn't change is that the highest level of the organization is still Triple-A (AAA). Some Minor League Baseball teams have fun and interesting names, such as the Albuquerque Isotopes (affiliated with the Colorado Rockies), the Sacramento River Cats (affiliated with the San Francisco Giants), and the Lehigh Valley IronPigs (affiliated with the Philadelphia Phillies).
DOHA (14D: Qatar's capital) The country of Qatar occupies a peninsula with the Persian Gulf on one side, and the Gulf of Bahrain on the other. DOHA, its capital, is located on the coast of the Persian Gulf.
LION (28D: Cowardly Oz resident) and CAT (60D: Tortie or tabby) My CAT, Willow – who is neither a tortie (tortoiseshell) or a tabby, but a calico – would tell you she is not cowardly like her big CAT cousin in the Wizard of Oz. Here she is looking out the window and perhaps thinking, "If you'd just let me out there, I'd tell those squirrels and birds whose yard this is!" (The reality is that she is a bit of a coward, and would be reluctant to venture outside, even if given the opportunity.)
ARI (45D: Singer Grande, to fans) Ariana Grande, known as ARI to her fans, is known for her four-octave vocal range. She plays the role of Galinda "Glinda" in the 2024 movie Wicked and in the upcoming 2025 movie Wicked: For Good.
A couple of other clues I especially enjoyed:
DAMAGE (24A: "What's the ___?" ("How much does it cost?")
FISHES (1D: ___ for compliments (seeks praise from others))
HOUSEHOLD NAME (19A: Person whom most people know)
GOOD-NATURED (37A: Easygoing and cooperative)
UNITED NATIONS (56A: "Peace, dignity and equality on a healthy planet" organization)
GENE SPLICING: The letters DNA are found at the word split in each theme answer: HOUSEHOLD NAME, GOOD-NATURED, and UNITED NATIONS.
At first I was looking for the word GENE to be split. There was a nice "Aha!" moment when I realized it was the genetic material DNA undergoing the SPLICING. It's always interesting to have another layer to uncover in order to recognize the theme. Thank you, Jay, for this enjoyable puzzle.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Crossword Blog & Answers for March 25, 2025 by Sally Hoelscher