Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Chopped Liver

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There are spoilers ahead. You might want to solve today's puzzle before reading further! Chopped Liver
Constructor: Kareem Ayas
Editor: Amanda Rafkin
Kareem: Hope this puzzle inspires you to do two things: 1) Add Latvia to your travel bucket list - a country I have always wanted to see, but never had the chance just yet! 2) Add some Bon Jovi to your workout playlist - nothing makes me want to crank the treadmill up to 9.5 like some Bon Jovi. Kane turned 9 years old this month! Here's a picture of him having some birthday steak. Happy Thursday everybody and thanks for solving!
IRAN (13A: Modern Persia) It was in 1935 that the Shah of Persia (Reza Shah) requested the country be referred to as IRAN rather than Persia. In 1959, Reza Shah's son decided that the names Persia and IRAN could be used interchangeably in formal correspondence, but IRAN is the name that is generally used for official purposes.
ALOO (14A: ___ paratha (potato dish)) ALOO paratha, which is a flatbread with potato filling, is a dish in Indian, Pakistani, and Bangladeshi cuisine. This is my occasional reminder that ALOO is a South Asian term for potatoes, so when a dish in a crossword clue is described as containing potato, the answer may be ALOO.
RULE (39A: "You do not talk about Fight Club," e.g.) The first RULE of Fight Club is you do not talk about Fight Club." This line is spoken by the character Tyler Durden (portrayed by Brad Pitt) in the 1999 movie Fight Club. I haven't seen the movie, but that line has made it into mainstream culture, and I knew the answer immediately.
O'NEAL (40A: Name on Shaq's jersey) Shaquille O'NEAL whose nickname is Shaq, is a former professional basketball player and a current sports analyst for Inside the NBA. The name O'NEAL has been on a number of teams' jerseys, as during his 19-year NBA career, Shaq played for the Orlando Magic (1992-1996), the Los Angeles Lakers (1996-2004), the Miami Heat (2004-2008), the Phoenix Suns (2008-2009), the Cleveland Cavaliers (2009-2010), and the Boston Celtics (2010-2011).
CASS (43A: Mama ___ of the Mamas and the Papas) Mama CASS Elliot (1941-1974) was a member of the folk rock group, The Mamas & the Papas, and also had a successful solo career before she died of heart failure at the age of 32.
ADDAMS (48A: Last name of Wednesday, Pugsley and Uncle Fester) The ADDAMS Family is a creation of cartoonist Charles ADDAMS. The ADDAMS Family consists of Morticia and Gomez ADDAMS, their children Wednesday and Pugsley, Uncle Fester, Grandmama, and Cousin Itt. Other characters include a butler named Lurch, Thing (a disembodied hand), Aristotle (Pugsley's pet octopus), Kitty Kat (Morticia's pet lion), and Cleopatra (a carnivorous plant). Cartoons featuring the ADDAMS Family appeared in The New Yorker between 1938 and 1988. There have been four TV show adaptations of the ADDAMS Family. The first three shows, which originally aired in 1964, 1973, and 1992, were all called The ADDAMS Family. In 1998, the fourth TV series about the family premiered, and was titled The New ADDAMS Family. Wednesday ADDAMS received her own TV show on Netflix in 2022; it is appropriately titled Wednesday.
LIVIN' ON A PRAYER (53A: 1986 Bon Jovi hit with the lyric "Take my hand, we'll make it, I swear") "LIVIN' ON A PRAYER" was Bon Jovi's second number one hit on the Billboard Hot 100. ("You Give Love a Bad Name" was Bon Jovi's first number one hit.) Thanks for this earworm, puzzle! "Oh, we're half way there / Oh-oh, LIVIN' ON A PRAYER / Take my hand, we'll make it, I swear / Oh-oh, LIVIN' ON A PRAYER..."
EURO (58A: Currency used in Estonia and Lithuania) and LATVIA (11D: Country located between Estonia and Lithuania) Estonia, Lithuania, and LATVIA are three of the 20 members of the European Union that have adopted the EURO as their currency. These three countries are located in northern Europe. LATVIA is located south of Estonia and north of Lithuania. Let's do some word capital review while we're at it: The capital of Estonia is Tallinn, the capital of LATVIA is Riga, and the capital of Lithuania is Vilnius.
MICE (63A: Cats stereotypically chase them) Fortunately, we have never had MICE in the house we're living in now, so my cat, Willow, has never had the opportunity to chase them. She has to settle for catching the occasional fly. When I first graduated from college, I rented a house that had occasional wildlife visitors – not only MICE, but also bats and raccoons! I remember the first time the cat I had at the time, whose name was Indy, caught a mouse. He woke me up at one in the morning, upset because his mouse friend had stopped playing with him... I have more MICE stories from my time in that house, but they will have to wait for another time.
SOUR (7D: ___ Patch Kids) SOUR Patch Kids is a brand of SOUR and sweet gummy candy.
ALLEN (9D: British singer Lily with the hit "Smile") Lily ALLEN's music incorporates elements of electro pop, R&B, and reggae. "Smile" is a 2006 single from her debut studio album, Alright, Still.
SUSHI (22D: Uramaki or futomaki) Uramaki is a cylindrical style of SUSHI. Two or more fillings are wrapped in nori, and the roll has a layer of rice on the outside. "Uramaki" means "inside out" or "reverse roll" in Japanese, and the SUSHI is named because the nori is inside of the rice. Futomaki is also a cylindrical style of SUSHI, but it usually has nori on the outside. "Futomaki" means "fat roll" in Japanese, and this type of SUSHI is typically 1.5 to 2.5 inches in diameter.
FROYO (35D: Dessert portmanteau) FROYO is a portmanteau of "frozen" and "yogurt."
AMERICA (41D: Captain ___ (Marvel superhero)) Captain AMERICA, aka Steve Rogers, made his first appearance in the comics in 1940. Captain AMERICA's superpower abilities are a result of being administered a "super-soldier serum" after joining the U.S. Army in World War II. Chris Evans portrays Captain AMERICA in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
ANIMAL (44D: ___ Crossing (video game series)) In the video game series ANIMAL Crossing, players take up residence in a village populated by anthropomorphic animals. As I have mentioned previously, everything I know about ANIMAL Crossing, I have learned from crosswords.
ANDES (50D: Mountain range in Peru) The ANDES mountain range runs along the western edge of South America, and is the longest continental mountain range in the world. Seven countries contain part of the ANDES: Argentina, Chile, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, and Venezuela.
LIFE PRESERVER (20A: Buoyant device for staying afloat)
LYFT DRIVER (34A: Person making pickups and drop-offs)
LIVIN' ON A PRAYER (53A: 1986 Bon Jovi hit with the lyric "Take my hand, we'll make it, I swear")
CHOPPED LIVER: The word LIVER has been CHOPPED by each theme answer: LIFE PRESERVER, LYFT DRIVER, and LIVIN' ON A PRAYER.
As I have been writing this, I have amused myself by imagining the puzzle asking, "What am I, CHOPPED LIVER?" Yes, puzzle, that is exactly what you are. Fun that we have the LIVER CHOPPED in a variety of ways: LI/VER, L/IVER, and LIV/ER. Thank you, Kareem, for this delightful puzzle.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Crossword Blog & Answers for May 29, 2025 by Sally Hoelscher