Sally Deciphers USA TODAY’s Daily Crossword Puzzle

There are spoilers ahead. You might want to solve today’s puzzle before reading further!

Constructor: Matthew Luter

Editor: Anna Gundlach

Matt shares, “Some folks find them a little old-fashioned, but I love a good letter-pattern theme. Favorite clue here is 51-A, which I sense Sally will appreciate as well…”

What I Learned from Today’s Puzzle

• SHARON (9D: ___ Jones & the Dap-Kings) The funk and soul band, Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings, released their debut album in 2002. It was titled Dap Dippin’ with Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings. The band collaborated with Mark Ronson and Amy Winehouse. Their last album, Soul of a Woman, was released in 2017, a year after Sharon Jones died from pancreatic cancer at age 60.

Random Thoughts & Interesting Things

• SKIM (9A: Alternative to 2%) Refers to milk. Skim milk, also called nonfat milk, is made by removing all the milk fat from whole milk, which typically contains 3-4% fat. Milk with 2% fat is low-fat milk. Skim milk contains less than 0.1% milk fat.
• WNBA (13A: Indiana Fever’s org.) The Indiana Fever joined the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) in 2000 as an expansion team. They were WNBA champions in 2012, but haven’t made the playoffs since 2016. The team had the worst win-loss record in the league the last two years. They picked Aliyah Boston in 2023’s draft and Caitlin Clark in 2024. With 12 games left this season, the Indiana Fever has won 13 games, matching last year’s total.
• NUTTER BUTTER (19A: Cookie shaped like a legume) Nutter Butter cookies are peanut-shaped and filled with creamy peanut butter. The Nutter Butter website states, “We’re also a cookie who makes memes,” and offers “Intentionally Nutty Videos” for viewing.
• PHO (36A: Soup served with basil and bean sprouts) Pho, a Vietnamese soup, consists of broth, rice noodles, herbs, and meat. It’s the national dish of Vietnam, often garnished with basil and bean sprouts.
• CASE (37A: Job for Nancy Drew) The Nancy Drew books were written under the pseudonym Carolyn Keene by various authors. The first book, The Secret of the Old Clock, was published in 1930. Over 600 Nancy Drew books have been published.
• AOL (38A: ISP that distributed an estimated 1 billion free trial CDs) Many remember receiving unsolicited AOL CDs in the mail and hearing “You’ve got mail” upon connection. Sending out all those CDs cost AOL over $300 million.
• LASER POINTER (51A: Light entertainment for a cat) A fun clue! As Matt guessed, it’s appreciated. A laser pointer provides “light entertainment” both as “fun that doesn’t require much mental energy” and as “entertainment” using “light.” Watching cats chase a laser pointer’s dot can be hours of fun. Holly, one of my cats, once followed the dot up a wall and turned off the light switch on her way down. Truly amazing “light entertainment” for all involved.

Here’s a photo of Holly:

• IRISH (59A: Like Sinead O’Connor and Enya) Sinéad O’Connor (1966-2023) was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Known for songs like “Nothing Compares 2 U” and activism against the Catholic Church. Enya, the best-selling Irish solo artist, is famous for “Orinoco Flow” and lives in Manderley Castle with her cats.
• TATE (20D: UK art institution) The United Kingdom’s national art collection is housed in four TATE galleries: Tate Modern, Tate Britain, Tate Liverpool, and Tate St. Ives. The TATE galleries are named after Henry Tate.
• SEDER (26D: Four Questions meal) During the Jewish holiday Passover, the youngest child asks a series of questions during the Seder, beginning with, “Why is this night different from all the other nights?” This engages children and explains the ritual’s significance.
• YEN (27D: Japanese currency) The Yen is Japan’s currency and the third-most traded currency after the US dollar and the euro.
• THOR (29D: Norse god with a hammer) Thor, the Norse god of storms, thunder, and lightning, wields the powerful hammer Mjölnir.
• CLOONEY (41D: Human rights lawyer Amal) Amal Clooney, a barrister specializing in international law and human rights, co-founded the Clooney Foundation for Justice with her husband George.
• EILISH (44D: “Bad Guy” singer Billie) Billie Eilish’s 2019 song “Bad Guy” won Grammy Awards for Record of the Year and Song of the Year. It was the first song streamed over two billion times on Spotify.
• GEENA (49D: ___ Davis Institute on Gender in Media) Geena Davis founded the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media in 2004 to research and advocate for gender representation in media.
• DIP (55D: Queso or tzatziki) Queso is a cheesy dip, and tzatziki is a cucumber and yogurt dip.

A few other clues I especially enjoyed:

• YOU (27A: “I tell ___ what…”)
• CHEERIOS (43A: Cereal commonly used as baby food)
• BIT (57D: Commit to the ___)

Crossword Puzzle Theme Synopsis

• NUTTER BUTTER (19A: Cookie shaped like a legume)
• PAPER PUSHER (30A: White-collar employee doing boring work)
• WATER COOLER (39A: Office gossip site)
• LASER POINTER (51A: Light entertainment for a cat)

…ER…ER: Each theme answer follows the pattern ___ER ___ER.

Without hesitation (…ER…ER), this is an enjoyable theme. Four fun theme answers and delightful clues. Thank you, Matt, for this excellent puzzle.

Source: USA TODAY