16-02-2025
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.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Crossword Blog & Answers for February 16, 2025 by Sally Hoelscher
