Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Blanket Term
There are spoilers ahead. You might want to solve today's puzzle before reading further! Blanket Term
Constructors: Tom Pepper & Zhouqin Burnikel
Editor: Amanda Rafkin
HISS (1A: Sound from an annoyed cat) The only time my cat, Willow, ever lets out a HISS is when she discovers an unwelcome feline visitor in her house. I don't have any pictures of that, since when that happens I'm usually playing referee between the cats. Instead, here's a picture of Willow trying to convince me to pet her instead of working. (How could I possibly refuse?)
WAS (26A: "It ___ a dark and stormy night") In the Peanuts comic strip, Snoopy began using a typewriter on top of his doghouse on July 12, 1965 (nearly 60 years ago!). Many of Snoopy's stories begin, "It WAS a dark and stormy night."
ORCAS (30A: Whales known as "wolves of the sea") ORCAS and wolves are both apex predators, meaning they have no natural predators. ORCAS earned the nickname "wolves of the sea," because they hunt in groups, like wolves do.
PASTA (33A: Fusilli or gemelli) Fusilli is corkscrew-shaped PASTA. Gemelli is a type of PASTA that appears to be two tubes twisted around each other.
AFGHAN HOUND (36A: Silky-haired hunting dog) The AFGHAN HOUND gets its name because the breed originated in the mountain regions of Afghanistan. AFGHAN HOUNDs are characterized by fur that is long, fine, and silky.
FORT (42A: Structure that might be made of pillows and blankets) I am a fan of a blanket FORT; it makes such a cozy hideaway. This is a nice theme bonus – whether you call a BLANKET a THROW, an AFGHAN, or a COVER – it can be used to build a FORT.
COD (48A: Common fish for lutefisk) Lutefisk is made by drying and salting COD (or whitefish), and then rehydrating it in a lye-solution. The result is gelatinous in texture. Lutefisk originated from Scandinavian countries (Denmark, Sweden, Norway, and Finland). It is popular in some parts of the United States, where it is often associated with Christmas celebrations.
ITHACA (2D: Cornell's city) Cornell University was founded in ITHACA, New York in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White. Cornell is a land grant university (an institution of higher education given federal land by the Morrill Acts of 1862 and 1890).
ALF (6D: 1980s sitcom alien from the planet Melmac) ALF is a TV sitcom that ran for four seasons from 1986 to 1990. The title character was an "alien life form" (aka an extraterrestrial, or ET) from the planet Melmac.
OTTAWA (8D: City home to Canada's Parliament Hill) OTTAWA is the capital of Canada. It is located in the southern part of the province of Ontario, and is Canada's fourth-largest city (following Toronto, Montreal, and Calgary). Parliament Hill is an area of land in downtown OTTAWA, located along the OTTAWA River. The Parliament of Canada is housed in three buildings located on Parliament Hill.
TINA (10D: Bette's partner on "The L Word") The L Word was a Showtime TV drama that aired from 2004-2009. One of the show's main characters is Bette Porter, portrayed by Jennifer Beals, considered by some to be one of the most important LGBTQ TV characters of all time. Another main character is TINA Kennard, portrayed by Laurel Holloman. As the clue mentions, TINA and Bette are partners (though their relationship is on again, off again throughout the series).
NAS (22D: Rapper Lil ___ X) Lil NAS X's song "Old Town Road" (2019) is tied (with "A Bar Song (Tipsy)" by Shaboozey) for the most weeks (19) at the top of Billboard's Hot 100 chart.
AGE (34D: What Adele's album titles represent) To date, Adele has recorded four studio albums: 19 (2008), 21 (2011), 25 (2015), and 30 (2021). The numbers reflect Adele's AGE when she wrote the songs on the album, not necessarily her AGE when the albums were released.
KFC (39D: Colonel Sanders' chain) KFC, formerly known as Kentucky Fried Chicken, was founded in North Corbin, Kentucky in 1930. Founder Harland Sanders (1890-1980) was commissioned as a Kentucky Colonel (an honor bestowed by Kentucky's governor) in 1935, and became known as Colonel Sanders, the company's spokesman.
REDDIT (47D: Popular discussion website) REDDIT is an online news aggregation and discussion website. One of the features of REDDIT is multiple discussion boards, or subreddits, focusing on a variety of topics. REDDIT users get to upvote and downvote posts, so the most popular posts appear at the top of a feed.
THROW A FIT (17A: React angrily)
AFGHAN HOUND (36A: Silky-haired hunting dog)
COVER BAND (58A: Tribute group playing familiar songs)
BLANKET TERM: The first word of each theme answer is a TERM that means BLANKET: THROW, AFGHAN, and COVER.
A BLANKET TERM is a generic term used to describe a number of items. For example, "color" is a BLANKET TERM, whereas "red," "yellow," and "blue" are specific terms. In today's theme, however, BLANKET TERM refers to a TERM that literally means BLANKET. That's very fun. Thank you, Tom and Zhouqin, for this enjoyable puzzle.
USA TODAY's Daily Crossword Puzzles
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Crossword Blog & Answers for May 20, 2025 by Sally Hoelscher
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