Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Rear Ends
Constructors: Neville Fogarty & Erik Agard
Editor: Amanda Rafkin
Erik: Thank you to Neville for inviting me to collab on this very smart, very fun idea, and to Amanda for her keen editing eye as always!
Neville: I thought of Erik immediately when I had this idea to include REKHA SHANKAR in a puzzle, and I'm grateful for his contributions throughout the construction process. I echo his thanks to Amanda for her willingness to green-light a puzzle whose title apparently refers to butts.
ERIN (17A: "The Office" receptionist who didn't understand planking) The mockumentary TV series, The Office, ran for nine seasons that originally aired from 2005 to 2013. Planking – lying facedown, often in an unusual location – is featured in the first episode of season 8. In the episode's opening, ERIN is seen planking on a parking divider. Later, ERIN (who has dirt from the divider down her middle) says, "Planking is one of those things where you either get it or you don't. And I don't ... but I am so excited to be a part of it!" Once again, my lack of TV watching meant I didn't know this answer right away. However, it was easy to figure out the answer with the help from crossing answers.
REKHA SHANKAR (49A: "DesiQuest" star who hosts "Smartypants") DesiQuest is "an epic, culturally authentic Dungeons & Dragons actual-play show with an all Desi cast" that includes REKHA SHANKAR as Laddoo Auntie, "a great home cook and a strict auntie." I had not heard of DesiQuest, but I am intrigued by the website. I also hadn't heard of the TV show, Smartypants, but I definitely got distracted watching clips of the show (and laughing!). As the clue informs us, REKHA SHANKAR hosts Smartypants, which is a production of the comedy subscription streaming service Dropout. On the show, comedians (members of the Smartypants Society) take turns giving PowerPoint presentations on a number of unusual subjects. The show, which premiered in 2024, has been renewed for a second season that is scheduled to air this year. I also enjoyed exploring REKHA SHANKAR's website, which has a page on puns and a page with a "voicemail from my mom."
GREEDY (4D: Jen Winston book subtitled "Notes From a Bisexual Who Wants Too Much") According to her Instagram bio, Jen Winston is a "bisexual author with perfect opinions." Her 2021 collection of essays is titled GREEDY: Notes from a Bisexual Who Wants Too Much. She also writes a Substack called "The Bi Monthly."
GREASE (25D: "Bear ___" (Indigenous adaptation of a 1978 musical)) Bear GREASE is, as the clue tells us, an indigenous adaptation of the 1978 musical GREASE. The show is about a theatre company attempting to take their indigenous rendition of GREASE to Broadway. Bear GREASE was written and created by LightningCloud, the collaborative duo of Crystle Lightning and Henry Cloud Andrade.
SPARE (15A: Memoir whose second part takes its title from the poem "Invictus") SPARE is the 2023 memoir by Prince Harry. The book's title refers to the adage, "an heir and a SPARE," that has been used to describe what is necessary to make sure royal inheritance stays in a family. The second part of the book is titled "Bloody, But Unbowed," which is from William Ernest Henley's 1875 poem, "Invictus."
HIJAB (18A: Headwear for Rep. Ilhan Omar) Ilhan OMAR is the U.S. representative for Minnesota's 5th congressional district. Ilhan OMAR was born in Somalia, and immigrated to the United States with her family when Somalia was in the midst of a civil war. Along with Rashida Tlaib, she is one of the first two Muslim women to serve in Congress. Ilhan OMAR was the first woman to wear a HIJAB on the House floor. I appreciate HIJAB being clued in reference to a HIJAB-wearer.
REFRIGERATOR CAR (35A: Cool part of a train) This clue had me going for a bit, trying to decide what the coolest part of a train is. The caboose is pretty cool, though they're not used too often nowadays. I chuckled when I finally figured out the answer.
CRAMP (40A: Charley horse, for one) This clue brought up a long-forgotten memory of a small plastic horse figurine I bought with my own money when I was a kid. I named that horse Charlie. Back to the actual clue... A charley horse is a painful CRAMP that typically occurs in the calf muscle. I read that although a charley horse is usually brief, they can last longer than that, even a couple of days. That makes me hurt just to think about it, as these CRAMPs are so painful.
WII (42A: Original "Just Dance" console) Just Dance is a series of motion-based video games in which players are scored based on how closely they follow dance choreography. The first Just Dance game, for the WII, was released in 2009 and featured songs by the Spice Girls, the Beach Boys, and MC Hammer, as well as a number of other artists.
ORCA (58A: Whale with large, white spots behind its eyes) The large, white oval-shaped spots located just above and behind their eyes are part of the characteristic markings of ORCAs.
SEAS (Black, North, etc.) The Black SEA is located between Europe and Asia, and is bounded by Bulgaria, Georgia, Romania, Russia, Turkey, and Ukraine. The North SEA is located in Europe, between Great Britain, Denmark, Norway, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, and France.
TART (64A: Bakewell ___ (confection with frangipane)) Who else knows about the Bakewell TART from the Great British Bake Off (known as the Great British Baking Show in the U.S. due to trademark restrictions)? The English dessert consists of a shortcrust pastry with layers of jam and frangipane, and is usually topped with sliced almonds.
TDS (65A: Niners' 6-pointers) The Niners here are the NFL team the San Francisco 49ers, who score touchdowns (TDS) worth 6 points.
OSCAR (48D: "Sesame Street" grouch) It was just four days ago that we saw OSCAR the Grouch as a theme answer.
AREA (51D: The "A" in LAN) LAN here stands for "local area network," and refers to an interconnected network of computers.
REFINED SUGAR (19A: Type of sweetener found in processed foods)
REFRIGERATOR CAR (35A: Cool part of a train)
REKHA SHANKAR (49A: "DesiQuest" star who hosts "Smartypants")
REAR ENDS: The word REAR is split and found at the ENDS of the theme answers: REFINED SUGAR, REFRIGERATOR CAR, and REKHA SHANKAR.
This is a fun and straightforward theme. I appreciate that the word REAR is split in the same way in each theme answer. As you can probably tell from my comments above, I thoroughly enjoyed learning about REKHA SHANKAR and her comedy. I am always happy to see a collaboration of these two constructors. Thank you, Neville and Erik, for this excellent puzzle.
USA TODAY's Daily Crossword Puzzles
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Crossword Blog & Answers for March 13, 2025 by Sally Hoelscher
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