Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's crossword, That's the Way the Cookie Crumbles
There are spoilers ahead. You might want to solve today's puzzle before reading further! That's the Way the Cookie Crumbles
Constructors: Olivia Mitra Framke & Sally Hoelscher
Editor: Amanda Rafkin
Olivia: Due to a sugar intolerance, I no longer eat OREOs (the brand "Highkey" makes a great sugar free alternative!) but I still have love for them because of their handiness in crosswords. It's fun to give back to this crossword classic; maybe this'll be the beginning of a fad of highlighting other crossword mainstays like ERIE, ARIA, OSLO, and ANTE! 😉 Thanks Sally for another great one!
Sally: This puzzle was the result of Olivia thinking about OREO-themed puzzles at two in the morning and me realizing that I've written about a number of hidden anagram themes lately. Thanks to Olivia for another fun collaboration!
ITALIA (15A: Paese di 55-Across) and ROMA (55A: Capitale di 15-Across) It's just coincidence that we ended up with ITALIA (Italian for Italy) and ROMA (Italian for Rome) both in the grid, but since we did, it was fun to clue them together. "Paese de" is Italian for "country of," and "capitale di" is Italian for "capital of."
I DO (16A: Probable response to "Who wants some chocolate?") and GODIVA (2D: Chocolate brand named for a Lady) I DO is frequently clued in reference to wedding vows, and there's nothing wrong with that. But since I DO crosses GODIVA in the grid, it was fun to change things up a little bit. Also, if you are near me and say, "Who wants some chocolate?" I am definitely going to say, "I DO!"
LICORICE ROOT (19A: Plant part whose extract flavors candy) In addition to chocolate, I would also accept LICORICE.
GRETA (24A: "The Climate Book" author Thunberg) GRETA Thunberg staged her first climate strike protest in August 2018. Since then, her activism helped raise awareness of the climate crisis. For her book, The Climate Book, which was published in 2022, she brought together over one hundred experts who contributed essays focusing on climate change.
DARTH (28A: Title for Vader or Maul) What would an Olivia / Sally collab be without a Star Wars clue? DARTH Vader is the name assumed by Anakin Skywalker after he is lured over to the dark side of the force. DARTH Maul is a powerful Sith Lord who made his first appearance in Star Wars: Episode 1 – The Phantom Menace (1999).
THEATER (30A: Place to see "Come From Away") I love the THEATER, particularly musical THEATER, so I was in a bit of a quandary about what show to feature in this clue. Come From Away is an incredible musical about the true story of the 38 planes that landed in the small town of Gander, Newfoundland following the September 11 attacks. The focus is on the people - those on the planes and in the town - and their responses and reactions to this unexpected event. Come From Away is one of my top five favorite musicals, and I'm happy to give it a shoutout here.
FLOOR EXERCISE (37A: Event for which Simone Biles has two Olympic medals) Simone Biles won a gold medal for FLOOR EXERCISE at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. At the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, she won a silver medal in FLOOR EXERCISE.
TULIP (45A: Netherlands bloom) The Netherlands, informally referred to as Holland, is a country in northwestern Europe. The Netherlands are the major producer of TULIPs for world markets.
SERTA (50A: Mattress brand whose ads feature talking sheep) The SERTA mattress company is known for its commercials featuring counting sheep. According to SERTA, the idea for the SERTA sheep came from an ad executive who was having trouble sleeping because he hadn't purchased a SERTA mattress yet.
EUROPE (59A: Alhambra's continent) Alhambra is a palace and fortress complex in Granada, Spain, which is of course, in EUROPE. Alhambra is considered one of the finest examples of Islamic architecture in EUROPE. The palace also contains examples of Spanish Renaissance architecture.
ESTE (69A: Direction opposite oeste) Here's a review of Spanish directions: norte, sur, ESTE, and oeste (north, south, east, and west).
LOVIN' (5D: "You've Lost That ___ Feeling") "You've Lost That LOVIN' Feeling" (whoa that LOVIN' feeling...) was first recorded in 1964 by the Righteous Brothers. The song has been covered by numerous artists since then. The song experienced increased popularity when it was used in the 1986 movie Top Gun. I admit, that Top Gun scene is what I always think of when I hear this song.
EAR (12D: Play it by ___) "Let's play it by EAR" was something my dad used to say while tugging on his EAR. This phrase always makes me think of him.
ON T (20D: Using Testopel, for example) ON T here stands for "ON Testosterone." Testopel is a brand name of a testosterone pellet implant that delivers drug over three to four months.
ROTTEN (21D: "Something ___" (musical with the song "A Musical") I was so happy to get not one, but two musical references in this puzzle. Something ROTTEN is (in my opinion) an extremely funny musical that pokes fun at the whole notion of musicals. Set in 1595, it tells the story of the Bottom brothers, Nick and Nigel, as they seek success in the theatrical world while competing with William Shakespeare. Something Rotten also contains several songs that make me laugh every time I listen to them. My favorite is called "A Musical."
HBO (29D: "The White Lotus" network) I have previously written about The White Lotus. The third season of the show is currently underway on HBO.
AXE (35D: Paul Bunyan's tool) In American and Canadian folklore, Paul Bunyan is a giant lumberjack (who uses an AXE).
CAT (40D: Calico pet) I like this clue because it has somewhat of a double meaning. When I wrote the clue, I was thinking of my calico CAT, Willow. Olivia then left a note on the spreadsheet saying "love this game." Oh, yeah, Calico is also a board game – which I have, of course! – that features quilts and CATs. Here's a picture of my calico. The basket Willow is sitting in in this photo is the one that contains her toys. I guess she couldn't decide what to play with, so she just crawled in on top of them.
LOOSEN (47D: Turn a screw to the left) The mnemonic "Righty tighty, lefty loosey" is one I use frequently to remember which way to turn screws, bottle caps, etc.
WOOFS (53D: Alerts from dogs) We're giving equal time to CATs and dogs today.
TRUST (54D: ___ fall (team-building activity)) My apologies if the mere thought of a TRUST fall makes you shudder (as it does me).
OTOE (58D: Chiwere speakers) The OTOE are indigenous people of the Midwestern United States. Their language, Chiwere, is part of the Siouan family of languages.
LICORICE ROOT (19A: Plant part whose extract flavors candy)
FLOOR EXERCISE (37A: Event for which Simone Biles has two Olympic medals)
METEOROLOGY (56A: Study of weather)
THAT'S THE WAY THE COOKIE CRUMBLES: Each theme answer contains an anagram of OREO: LICORICE ROOT, FLOOR EXERCISE, and METEOROLOGY.
Consider this puzzle to be Olivia and my ode to crossword's favorite cookie, the OREO. After coming up with the idea for this theme, we discovered that finding theme answers with three different hidden OREO anagrams was a bit of a challenge. We're happy with the theme answers we ended up with. Thanks to Amanda for her help along the way, and for her excellent editing as always. I hope you enjoyed this puzzle.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Crossword Blog & Answers for March 28, 2025 by Sally Hoelscher
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