Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Hey, Mister!
There are spoilers ahead. You might want to solve today's puzzle before reading further! Hey, Mister!
Constructor: Emma Oxford
Editor: Amanda Rafkin
HABITS (5A: "Bad ___" (2021 Ed Sheeran hit)) "Bad HABITS" is a 2021 song by Ed Sheeran. It's the lead single from his fifth studio album, = ("Equals"). In the music video for "Bad HABITS," Ed Sheeran portrays a vampire wearing a hot pink suit.
ARETHA (15A: "Queen of Soul" Franklin) ARETHA Franklin (1942-2018) is considered the "Queen of Soul." During her seven-decade music career, 112 of her singles charted on the U.S. Billboard charts, and she won 18 Grammy Awards. Fun fact: ARETHA Franklin was the first female artist to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame; that happened in 1987.
ALICE (23A: Girl who travels to Wonderland) The world first met ALICE in Lewis Carroll's 1865 book, ALICE's Adventures in Wonderland. Here's an amazing fact: Since its release 160 years ago, this book has never been out of print. The story has also been adapted numerous times, and ALICE has been the inspiration for many characters.
DOE (32A: Fawn's mother) and EWE (3D: Lamb's mother) The parallel clue structure is a nice way to tie these two clues together.
ING (34A: Gerund suffix) For those of us who haven't studied grammar for some time, a gerund is the -ING form of a word. In English, a gerund is derived from a verb, but functions as a noun, and can be a subject or object of a sentence.
ANN (41A: ___ Arbor, Michigan) ANN Arbor, Michigan, which is located west of Detroit, is home to the University of Michigan. The city was founded in 1824 by John Allen and Elisha Walker Rumsey. Both men were married to women named ANN, so they decided to name the city after their wives. The "Arbor" part of the name is a reference to the stands of bur oak trees in the area.
ANEMIA (45A: Blood condition) ANEMIA is a condition in which the blood has a decreased ability to carry oxygen. There are a number of things that can cause ANEMIA, including blood loss or a deficiency of important nutrients such as iron or vitamin B₁₂.
VODKA (54A: Unofficial national drink of Poland) VODKA has been important in Poland since Medieval times, when it was not only a popular drink, but also used in medicinal remedies and religious practices. Poland is known for its unique and high quality VODKA brands. These include Żubrówka, which contains a blade of bison grass in each bottle, and Chopin (named after the composer), which is produced in small batches and distilled four times.
MEG (57A: Eldest March sister in "Little Women") MEG, Jo, Beth, and Amy are the sisters in Louisa May Alcott's 1860's novel, Little Women. Like Lewis Carroll's tale about ALICE, Louisa May Alcott's story about the March sisters has been adapted multiple times.
I'M NOT A ROBOT (59A: Words next to a checkbox in some CAPTCHA challenges) This answer makes me laugh. Every time I encounter an "I'M NOT A ROBOT" message, I can't help but wonder, "Am I A ROBOT?" I also wonder if a ROBOT can be trained to identify that CAPTCHA message and check the box.
NATHAN (65A: "Mid-Century Modern" actor Lane) Mid-Century Modern is a TV series that premiered on Hulu in March of this year. NATHAN Lane, Matt Bomer, and NATHAN Lee Graham star as three best friends – "gay gentlemen of a certain age" – who become roommates. Linda Lavin also stars on the show, as the mother of NATHAN Lane's character. Mid-Century Modern is Linda Lavin's last TV role, as she died after the taping of the show's first seven episodes. Her character was written out of the show in the first season episode, "Here's To You Mrs. Schneiderman."
RAE (2D: "Insecure" actress Issa) In addition to starring in the TV series Insecure, as the character Issa Dee, Issa RAE is also the creator and co-writer of the show. The show takes a look at the experiences of contemporary Black women, and is partially based on Issa RAE's web series, The Mis-Adventures of Awkward Black Girl.
HATS (5D: Roles, metaphorically) I am a fan of the HATS as roles metaphor. I'll often say (to myself or others) when I'm switching roles, "Now I'm putting on my mom hat," "Now I'm putting on my crossword constructor hat," etc.
THAI (9D: Pad see ew cuisine) Pad see ew is a THAI stir-fried noodle dish.
SANTA ANA (10D: Namesake of some infamous California winds) SANTA ANA is a city in southern California. SANTA ANA is part of the greater Los Angeles region, and is the county seat of Orange County. The SANTA ANA winds, which share the city's name, are strong, dry, dust-bearing winds that originate in the area over the Great Basin region and the upper Mojave Desert and blow across Southern California toward the Pacific coast. About 10 to 25 SANTA ANA wind events occur every year, each lasting from one to seven days. The SANTA ANA winds are the force that drive many wildfires in Southern California.
IOWA (25D: State in the Corn Belt) Hello, from IOWA! It's true, a lot of corn is grown in this state. The term "Corn Belt" is used to refer to the Midwest U.S. states that produce the majority of the nation's corn. Four states - IOWA, Illinois, Nebraska, and Minnesota - produce over 50% of the corn grown in the U.S. Of those four, IOWA leads the U.S. states in corn production. More broadly, Corn Belt is used to refer to the area of the country where much of the land is used for farming and agriculture. By either definition, IOWA is a Corn Belt state.
IDINA (29D: "Redwood" star Menzel) I have previously discussed the Broadway musical Redwood, in which IDINA Menzel is currently performing.
EGG (33D: Chipsi mayai ingredient) Chipsi mayai is an omelet made of french fries and EGGs. The dish originated in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and it is the unofficial national dish of that country. "Chipsi mayai" is Swahili for "chips and eggs."
POET (38D: Limon or Keats, e.g.) Ada Limón is the current POET Laureate of the United States. John Keats (1795-1821) was an English Romantic POET. You can read the work of Ada Limón, John Keats, and other POETs on the Poetry Foundation website.
ALBANY (45D: Capital of New York) ALBANY, the capital of New York, is located on the Hudson River in upstate New York.
MONTE (52D: ___ Carlo (gambling destination on the Mediterranean)) MONTE Carlo is an administrative state of Monaco, a city-state on the French Riviera. MONTE Carlo is home to the MONTE Carlo Casino. Interestingly, citizens of Monaco are not allowed to enter the casino unless they work there. Only about 20% of Monaco's population are citizens, so this interesting law only affects approximately 6,000 people.
OMAR (56D: Actor Epps) OMAR Epps played the role of Dr. Dennis Gant on the TV series, ER (1996-1997) and the role of neurologist and Dean of Medicine, Dr. Eric Foreman, on the TV series, House (2004-2012). More recently, OMAR Epps portrayed Detective Malcolm Howard on the TV series Power Book III: Raising Kanan (2021-2025).
ONE (62D: ___ Direction ("What Makes You Beautiful" band)) "What Makes You Beautiful" was ONE Direction's 2011 debut single. "Everyone else in the room can see it / Everyone else but you..."
A few other clues I especially enjoyed:
GREASY (68A: Like the bread in a buttery grilled cheese sandwich)
KNITTING (37D: Making a scarf, perhaps)
U MAD (39D: Texter's "Did I do something?")
KEEP IT CLEAN (17A: "Remember, this is a family show")
PACKING PEANUT (35A: Styrofoam bit used in shipping)
I'M NOT A ROBOT (59A: Words next to a checkbox in some CAPTCHA challenges)
HEY, MISTER!: The last word in each theme answer is the name of a famous MISTER: MR. CLEAN, MR. PEANUT, and MR. ROBOT.
HEY, we have a trio of MISTERs today! MR. CLEAN, who made his TV debut in 1958, is the mascot of the Proctor & Gamble all-purpose cleaning product of the same name. MR. PEANUT is the top hat-wearing, monocled mascot of Planters who made his first appearance in 1916. MR. ROBOT is a TV series that aired from 2015-2019. It stars Rami Malek as Elliot Anderson, a cybersecurity engineer and vigilante hacker. Christian Slater portrays the title role. The theme answer KEEP IT CLEAN tipped me off to the theme, and I enjoyed discovering each subsequent MISTER. Congratulations to Emma Oxford making a USA Today crossword debut! Thank you, Emma, for this excellent puzzle.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Crossword Blog & Answers for June 3, 2025 by Sally Hoelscher
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