Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Cold Cut
There are spoilers ahead. You might want to solve today's puzzle before reading further! Cold Cut
Constructor: Zhouqin Burnikel
Editor: Anna Gundlach
CABAL (15A: Scheming group) CABAL is an interesting word. It's not a word I use often, and I was pretty proud of myself for being able to recall it here without any help from crossing answers. According to Merriam-Webster dictionary, CABAL can refer to a group engaged in secret schemes, and it can also refer to their plans.
PLANTAIN (42A: Fruit fried twice to make tostones) Tostones, which are twice-fried PLANTAIN slices, are most common in Latin American and Caribbean cuisine.
CAPITOL HILL (63A: The Library of Congress locale) CAPITOL HILL is a historic neighborhood in Washington D.C., located around the U.S. CAPITOL. The Library of Congress occupies three buildings on CAPITOL HILL. The Library of Congress was founded in 1800, and serves as the national library of the United States, and the library and research service for the U.S. Congress. In 2006 (which I'm shocked to discover was 19 years ago!), I visited Washington, D.C. with my family. We visited the Library of Congress on that trip. In addition to remembering that it's a beautiful building, I have two main memories from that trip. First of all, I remember my daughter, who was ten years old at the time, lying on the floor so she could get a picture of the rotunda. Secondly, my dad was originally denied entrance to the Library of Congress because he had a pocketknife and wasn't willing to give it up. Thanks for that trip down memory lane.
TRUCE (66A: Peace agreement) and PACTS (1D: Peace agreements) This puzzle is doing its best to agree to peace.
SEDER (69A: Feast where bitter herbs are eaten) The SEDER is a ritual meal marking the beginning of the Jewish holiday Passover. The word "seder" means "order," which is appropriate, as the meal is eaten in a certain order. Throughout the meal - that includes songs, prayers, readings, and questions - the foods on the SEDER plate are explained. Bitter herbs are one of the components of the SEDER plate, symbolizing the bitterness of the Jewish people being enslaved in Egypt prior to the Exodus (the Biblical event commemorated by Passover).
ISSA (70A: "Barbie" actress Rae) ISSA Rae portrayed President Barbie in the 2023 movie Barbie. I thoroughly enjoyed the Barbie movie. Whenever I see a clue about someone that played a particular Barbie, I am reminded of the scene where all the Barbies are greeting each other. "Hi, Barbie!" "Hi, Barbie!" "Hi, Barbie!" "Hi, Barbie!"
GREECE (3D: Country where Western theater originated) Many aspects of modern theater date back to the culture of ancient Greece, as far back as 700 BCE. At that time, the city-state of Athens was of cultural, political, and religious significance. Theater was a major part of religious festivals, which evolved into theatrical performances of tragedy and comedy.
SEAN (4D: "Stranger Things" actor Astin) Stranger Things is a Netflix TV series about a small town dealing with a hostile alternate dimension. In the show's second and third seasons, SEAN Astin portrays Bob Newby. It's been just six days since we saw this same clue. This worked in my favor and I was able to immediately fill the answer in. (Well, to be fair, it also helps that SEAN happens to be my son's name.)
ALLIE (9D: Chicago Sky star Quigley) During her time in the WNBA, ALLIE Quigley played for several teams, most recently the Chicago Sky from 2013-2022. In 2014 and 2015, she was named the WNBA Sixth Player of the Year, an Award given for the league's most valuable player coming off the bench as a substitute. In 2021, the Chicago Sky were the WNBA champions, and ALLIE Quigley was the team's second-leading scorer. I learned about ALLIE Quigley from the November 28, 2024 puzzle.
PICANTE (25D: Spicy, like 55-Down) and SALSA (55D: Common dip for tortilla chips) "PICANTE" is the Spanish word for "spicy." It is often used as a descriptor of SALSA.
IRIS (38D: Light-regulating eye part) The IRIS of the eye controls the size of the pupil, the hole that allows light to enter the eye. The IRIS makes the pupil smaller in bright light and larger in dim light. In this way, the IRIS regulates how much light can enter through the pupil. Hooray for science in the crossword!
HAWKEYES (40D: Iowa residents) Iowa's official nickname is the Hawkeye State. The history of the nickname is unclear. Some scholars say it's a tribute to Chief Black Hawk, and others say it comes from a character in a James Fenimore Cooper novel. Since the state is nicknamed the Hawkeye state, it's fair to say that Iowa residents are known as HAWKEYES. However, living in Iowa as I do, I feel like this clue might be better with a qualifier: [Some Iowa residents]. When most Iowans hear the word HAWKEYES, they think of the athletic teams of the University of Iowa, and their fans. That's a lot of people in Iowa, to be sure, but there are also many Iowans who would tell you they are not HAWKEYES, but are Cyclones, which is the name of the athletic teams of Iowa State University. (I'm a HAWKEYE; my husband is a Cyclone.)
THAI (61D: Cuisine with khao pad) Khao pad is a THAI dish of stir-fried rice.
CHEAP THRILL (17A: Short-lived, superficial pleasure)
CHARCOAL GRILL (39A: Backyard barbecue device)
CAPITOL HILL (63D: The Library of Congress' locale)
COLD CUT: The word CHILL (a synonym for COLD) is CUT by each theme answer: CHEAP THRILL, CHARCOAL GRILL, and CAPITOL HILL.
I always attempt to guess the puzzle's theme from the title. Today my guess was that the word COLD would be CUT by the theme answers. There was a nice "Aha!" moment when I realized the word being CUT was not COLD, but the related word CHILL. I am a fan of titles that require solvers to make an extra leap to figure out the theme. Thank you, Zhouqin, for this enjoyable puzzle.
USA TODAY's Daily Crossword Puzzles
Sudoku & Crossword Puzzle Answers
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Crossword Blog & Answers for February 16, 2025 by Sally Hoelscher
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
19 hours ago
- Yahoo
What is Flag Day and why do we celebrate it? What to know about the June holiday's history
While June brings several holidays, like Juneteenth and Father's Day, there's a more obscure holiday this Father's Day weekend. Flag Day lands on the Saturday before Father's Day this year, which is always the third Sunday in June. It isn't a federal holiday and most people in the U.S. don't get the day off of work, but most will this year, since it lands on a weekend day. Here's when Flag Day 2025 is, what it is, why it's observed and how it started. Flag Day, which is observed on the same day in June every year, falls on the day before Father's Day this year. Flag Day 2025 will fall this Saturday, June 14, and Father's Day is the next day, on Sunday, June 15. When is Father's Day 2025? Here's the date and origin story for the June holiday for dads Flag Day commemorates the day that the Continental Congress decided what the official American flag would look like: June 14, 1777. 'According to legend, in 1776, George Washington commissioned Philadelphia seamstress Betsy Ross to create a flag for the new nation,' The Library of Congress says. 'Scholars, however, credit the flag's design to Francis Hopkinson, who also designed the Great Seal and first coin of the United States. Even so, Ross most likely met Washington and certainly sewed early American flags in her family's Philadelphia upholstery shop.' According to the Library of Congress, there have been 27 different official versions of the American flag, with the arrangement of stars varying until President Taft standardized the flag to 48 stars in six rows of eight. The current version of the flag with all 50 stars was standardized on July 4, 1960, after Hawaii became the 50th state on August 21, 1959. Yes. Flag Day is not a federal holiday and doesn't mean a break from work or normal government-funded operations like mail service when it falls on a weekday. But this year, those who don't work weekends will have the day off because it falls on a Saturday in 2025. Flag Day commemorates June 14, 1776, which is the day the Continental Congress agreed on what the nation's flag would look like. In 1916, President Wilson issued a proclamation of June 14 as Flag Day. And more than 30 years later, in 1949, President Truman signed a formal observance of the holiday into law. But the creation of Flag Day pre-dates Wilson's proclamation and started in the 1880s, with a school teacher in Waubeka, Wisconsin, a small town about 35 miles outside of Milwaukee. 'On June 14, 1885, Bernard J. Cigrand, an 18-year-old Waubeka native teaching at Stony Hill School, put a flag in his inkwell and assigned his students an essay about what the flag means to them,' PBS says. 'Cigrand left the next year for dental school in Chicago, but he never gave up his advocacy for a national day dedicated to the flag. Cigrand realized his dream in 1916 when Wilson issued his proclamation.' Yes! Flag Day shares a date with the birth of the U.S. Army, which pre-dates the decision of what the American flag would look like by two years. "According to U.S. Army history reports, on June 14, 1775, the Second Continental Congress authorized the formation of 10 companies from Maryland, Pennsylvania and Virginia to march to Boston to support the war against England for independence and put it under the command of General George Washington a few days later on June 19, 1775," according to Joint Base San Antonio (JBSA), the Department of Defense's largest military installation. "This army was known as the Army of the United Colonies until its name was changed to the Army of the United States after the Declaration of Independence July 4, 1776." This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Flag Day this Father's Day weekend: What to know about the obscure holiday
Yahoo
19 hours ago
- Yahoo
President Trump shares birthday with Flag Day. 10 things to know about national holiday
During the Revolutionary War, the infant United States of America flew several different flags. That all changed on June 14, 1777, when Congress passed the Flag Resolution of 1777, establishing the U.S. flag with 13 alternating stripes of red and white, and a union of white stars on a blue field. While the number of stars has changed over the last 248 years, the overall design has not. But it took more than 170 years before Flag Day became a national holiday, celebrated on June 14 every year. "The flag represents a living country and is itself considered a living thing, according to the official Flag Code." 'Flag Day is an honor and tradition that displays the national flag with pride and happiness," said Anniston Army Depot Sgt. Maj. Happiness Brown on "It is an annual observance which reminds us of the dedication and sacrifices made by our military service members. It's also a time to pray for our troops, those at home and abroad." On June 14, 1777, the Continental Congress adopted a resolution on the new country's flag design. "That the flag of the United States shall be of thirteen stripes of alternate red and white, with a union of thirteen stars of white in a blue field, representing the new constellation," the resolution read. A flag of this design was first carried into battle less than three months later, on Sept. 11, 1777, in the Battle of the Brandywine, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. "In the late 1800s, schools all over the United States held Flag Day programs to contribute to the Americanization of immigrant children, and the observance caught on with individual communities," according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson issued a presidential proclamation establishing a national Flag Day on June 14, according to the Library of Congress. Both Wilson, in 1916, and President Coolidge, in 1927, issued proclamations asking for June 14 to be observed as National Flag Day. Congressional legislation designating the date as national Flag Day wasn't signed into law until 1949 by President Harry Truman. The legislation also called upon the president to issue a Flag Day proclamation every year. President Trump was born on Flag Day on June 14, 1946. "I am blessed to have shared my birthday with the Star Spangled Banner and the U.S. Army," he said. ➤ US Army's 250th anniversary a celebration that coincides with Trump's birthday. How to attend In 2017, he proclaimed not only Flag Day but Flag Week, saying, "On Flag Day, we honor the symbol that reminds us that we are one Nation under God, united in our pursuit of liberty and justice for all. "By honoring our flag, we pay due respect to the patriots and heroes who have laid down their lives in defense of the liberty it represents. "The Congress also requested, in 1966, that the President annually issue a proclamation designating the week in which June 14 occurs as 'National Flag Week' and call upon citizens of the United States to display the flag during that week." "According to legend, in 1776, George Washington commissioned Philadelphia seamstress Betsy Ross to create a flag for the new nation. "Scholars, however, credit the flag's design to Francis Hopkinson, who also designed the Great Seal and first coin of the United States. Even so, Ross most likely met Washington and certainly sewed early American flags in her family's Philadelphia upholstery shop," according to the Library of Congress. There have been 27 official versions of the flag, but the arrangement of the stars has varied according to the flag-makers' preferences until 1912. That's when President Taft standardized the then-new flag's 48 stars, according to the Library of Congress. That changed when Alaska and Hawaii became states in 1959. The current version of the flag dates to July 4, 1960. The current American flag was designed by Bob G. Heft, a high school student from Lancaster, Ohio, according to the Old Farmer's Almanac. "Even though Bob's history teacher gave him a B- for not knowing how many states the Union had, Bob submitted his design to the White House (unprompted) in anticipation of Hawaii and Alaska joining the Union. To his surprise, President Eisenhower called him! Today, it's Bob Heft's 1958 design — showing 50 stars in a field that included five rows of six stars and four rows of five stars — which is now our 50-star American flag." Heft's teacher changed his grade to an A. The Continental Congress left no record explaining why it chose red, white and blue for the country's new flag. In 1782, the Congress of the Articles of Confederation chose the colors for the Great Seal of the United States with these meanings: white for purity and innocence red for valor and hardiness blue for vigilance, perseverance, and justice The U.S. Flag Code provides guidelines on how to display and care for the U.S. flag. Flags should always hang freely but never with the stars down, except as a distress signal. The U.S. flag flies above any other flag. Never use the flag for decoration. Use bunting with the blue on top, then white, then red. It is the universal custom to display the flag only from sunrise to sunset on buildings and on stationary flagstaffs in the open. However, the flag may be displayed 24 hours a day if properly illuminated at night. When a flag becomes unfit to fly, it should be destroyed with dignity. Do not let the flag touch the ground. Do not fly flag upside down unless there is an emergency. Do not carry the flag flat, or carry things in it. Do not use the flag as clothing. Do not store the flag where it can get dirty. Do not use it as a cover. Do not fasten it or tie it back. Always allow it to fall free. Do not draw on, or otherwise mark the flag. No. The flag should be flown at full-staff, at the top of the pole on Flag Day. No, Flag Day is not a federal holiday, but the president traditionally proclaims its observance every year. The date, June 14, remains the same, no matter which day of the week it falls. Here are 2025 federal holidays: Jan. 1: New Year's Day Jan. 20: Inauguration Day; Martin Luther King Jr. Day Feb. 17: Washington's Birthday. Many state and local governments designation it as Presidents Day. May 26: Memorial Day June 19: Juneteenth July 4: Independence Day Sept. 1: Labor Day Oct. 13: Columbus Day Nov. 11: Veterans Day Nov. 27: Thanksgiving Day Dec. 25: Christmas Day Contributing: Janet Loehrke, USA Today Network This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: 10 things to know about Flag Day, President Trump's birthday
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Defining symbol of protests, volatile work schedules, healing power of travel: Catch up on the day's stories
👋 Welcome to 5 Things PM! Almost two-thirds of US workers struggle with volatile and inflexible work schedules, according to a new Gallup survey. It's especially common among part-time employees and those without a college degree. Here's what else you might have missed during your busy day: 1️⃣ Defining symbol: Mexico's green, white and red flag has been a common sight at the protests in Los Angeles as demonstrators express solidarity with immigrants and denounce the ICE raids. The brandishing of Latin American flags in the US has a long and complex history. 2️⃣ Dicey outlook: Global economic growth is on track for its weakest decade since the 1960s, according to a new analysis. The World Bank cited US President Donald Trump's trade war as a major factor weighing on economies worldwide. 3️⃣ $1,000 per baby: The so-called 'Trump accounts' would provide parents of newborns with money to invest on behalf of their child's future as part of a five-year pilot program. Here's how it would work and who would benefit the most. 4️⃣ World traveler: Cameron Mofid has struggled with obsessive compulsive disorder since childhood. The California man recently became one of the few people who has visited all 195 UN-recognized countries and territories. He called it 'a form of healing.' 5️⃣ Skygazing: Keep an eye out tonight for June's full strawberry moon as well as the Milky Way and multiple planets. This will be the lowest full moon visible from the Northern Hemisphere in decades due to a phenomenon called a major lunar standstill. 🌊 Undersea wreckage: Researchers from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Massachusetts captured close-up images of a World War I-era submarine that was lost at sea 108 years ago. Take a closer look. • Military mobilization around LA protests will cost roughly $134 million• Gunman opens fire in Austrian school, killing 10 and throwing country into shock• Several dead after wave of explosions hit southwest Colombia, authorities say ✈️ That's how many fewer international travelers are expected to visit New York City this year than in 2024. 🌍 Call for help: Children removing plastic waste from a lake. Tree-covered mountains behind a massive pile of trash. A billboard on parched earth where the seashore used to be. Striking images like these, showing environmental destruction, aim to 'inspire action.' 🛒 Empty shelves: Whole Foods says it's working hard to restock stores with groceries after a cyberattack knocked one of its major suppliers offline. 🚢 Which activist was detained while aboard an aid ship headed for Gaza? A. Ai WeiweiB. Jane FondaC. Greta ThunbergD. Alicia Garza⬇️ Scroll down for the answer. 👨🎨 The real deal: A family displayed a marble sculpture on top of their piano alongside photos. They thought it was 'fake' — a copy of a work of art by renowned sculptor Auguste Rodin. It just sold at auction for nearly $1 million. 👋 We'll see you tomorrow. 🧠 Quiz answer: C. Swedish climate and human rights activist Greta Thunberg departed Israel on a flight to France after being detained by Israeli forces aboard an aid ship bound for Gaza.📧 Check out all of CNN's newsletters. 5 Things PM is produced by CNN's Chris Good, Meghan Pryce, Kimberly Richardson and Morgan Severson.
