Yahoo Lifestyle Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Fantastic Four
There are spoilers ahead. You might want to solve today's puzzle before reading further! Fantastic Four
Constructor: Jess Rucks
Editor: Amanda Rafkin
Comments from Today’s Crossword Constructor
Jess: This puzzle was fun to put together! Shout-out to Amanda for suggesting my favorite theme entry of the set: COOL YOUR JETS! Also, I'm really happy to have a chance to include my all-time favorite singer, Mavis Staples, in my clue for 12-Across. That album is GREAT and its title track is really SUPER. I saw Mavis sing it live in Honolulu, and her performance was so moving, tears just streamed down my face for the entire song. She is incredible. For real, if I had given birth to a daughter, I would've named her Mavis. Oh right ... the puzzle. Thanks for solving! I hope you thought it was WICKED COOL. P.S. Milo says hi!
What I Learned from Today’s Puzzle
TORI (14A: "Cornflake Girl" singer Amos) "Cornflake Girl" is a song from TORI Amos' Under the Pink album, released in 1994. Fun fact: TORI Amos was in a commercial for Kellogg's Cornflakes in 1985, but that was not what inspired this song. TORI Amos says the inspiration for "Cornflake Girl" came from a conversation about female genital mutilation practices in Africa, and specifically thinking about how girls were betrayed by female relatives in these practices. The song compares "cornflakes girls" – those who would hurt you while pretending to be your friend – to the true friendship of "raisin girls." Although I know of TORI Amos, I was not familiar with this song.
ART (26D: "Zen: The ___ of Simple Living" by Shunmyo Masuno) Shunmyo Masuno is a monk and the head priest of a Buddhist temple in Japan. He's also a renowned garden designer, specializing in landscapes with flowing water and rock gardens. His 2019 book is titled The ART of Simple Living: 100 Daily Practices from a Zen Monk for a Lifetime of Calm and Joy.
Random Thoughts & Interesting Things
BRAT (1A: ___ summer (trend associated with lime green)) I mentioned the BRAT summer trend when I wrote about Charli XCX and her fans a couple of months ago. The BRAT summer vibe – and its lime greenness – arose after the release of Charli XCX's sixth studio album, BRAT, in February of this year.
ARE NOT (12A: "You ___ Alone" (Mavis Staples album)) You ARE NOT Alone is Mavis Staple's eighth studio album, released in 2010. The album won a Grammy Award for Best Americana Album. I enjoyed reading Jess' thoughts about Mavis Staples. I enjoy when a crossword reflects the interests of its constructor.
WICKED WITCH (16A: She famously said, "I'll get you, my pretty, and your little dog, too!") Ah, the WICKED WITCH, the classic villain from The Wizard of Oz. This theme answer feels particularly timely with the recent release of the movie WICKED, which tells the backstory of the WICKED WITCH of the West.
ANIL (19A: "Slumdog Millionaire" star Kapoor) The 2008 movie Slumdog Millionaire is loosely based on Vikas Swarup's 2005 book Q & A. The movie follows the story of Jamal Malik (played by Dev Patel), an 18-year-old boy from the slums of Mumbai, who does surprisingly well on a TV quiz show. ANIL Kapoor played the role of game show host, Prem Kumar.
SHE (45A: "Isn't ___ Lovely" by Stevie Wonder) "Isn't SHE Lovely" is a song from Stevie Wonder's 1976 album, Songs in the Key of Life. The song celebrates the birth of Stevie Wonder's daughter, Aisha. "Isn't SHE Lovely" was never released as a single, because it was over six minutes long and Stevie Wonder was unwilling to shorten it to fit the single format.
SUN (50A: What Ra, Sol, Helios and Huitzilopochtli personify) I like that this clue highlights the fact that many cultures have SUN deities as part of their legends. Ra is an ancient Egyptian SUN god. Sol is a SUN god in Roman mythology. There is also a Norse SUN goddess named Sól. Helios is the personification of the SUN in Greek mythology. And Huitzilopochtli is the SUN deity in the Aztec religion.
SARA (57A: "Nobody doesn't like ___ Lee") "Nobody doesn't like SARA Lee" has been the slogan of the SARA Lee company since at least the 1960s. The slogan is often incorrectly stated as "Nobody does it like SARA Lee."
GREAT PLAINS (59A: North American expanse once home to over 30 Native tribes) and OSAGE (52D: Native Missourians) The GREAT PLAINS is a flatland that stretches across the Central United States and Western Canada. Located just east of the Rocky Mountains, it encompasses approximately 500,000 square miles of prairie, steppe, and grassland. The OSAGE were one of the many Native tribes that called the GREAT PLAINS home at one time.
MUD (62A: Mississippi ___ pie) Suddenly I'm craving a gooey chocolate pie. Mississippi MUD pie gets its name from the state of Mississippi, where it most likely originated. The dense dessert is said to resemble the muddy banks of the Mississippi river.
BRINES (1D: Follows a 2-Down for turkey, perhaps) and RECIPE (2D: Set of instructions for making a dish) This is a nice pairing of consecutive clues.
ANKLE (3D: Joint near a foot) and TOE (4D: Digit on a foot) Another nice pairing of consecutive clues.
HATERADE (9D: "Drink" for critics) The quotation marks around the word "drink" in the clue are a tipoff that this clue is not referring to an actual drink, but rather a metaphorical beverage. HATERADE is a portmanteau of "hater" and "Gatorade."
JANET (42D: Treasury secretary Yellen) JANET Yellen is the 78th United States Secretary of the Treasury, a position she has held since January 26, 2021. She was appointed by President Joe Biden. Whenever I hear about JANET Yellen, I think of the song, "Who's Yellen Now?" The song is by Dessa, and is a Hamilton-inspired tribute to the first female Treasury Secretary. It's worth a listen if you've never heard it. I also enjoyed JANET Yellen's appearance on the NPR podcast Wait Wait ... Don't Tell Me! earlier this year.
HORNET (46D: Charlotte basketball player) The Charlotte HORNETs are an NBA team based in North Carolina.
More clues I especially enjoyed:
SASH (32A: Accessory for beauty queens or Boy Scouts)
IT ME (43A: #relatable)
ONE (65A: 2025 minus 2024)
IT'S SO SAD (10D: Phrase that might be replaced by the Crying Face emoji) 😢
Crossword Puzzle Theme Synopsis
WICKED WITCH (16A: She famously said, "I'll get you, my pretty, and your little dog, too!")
SUPER TUESDAY (33A: Big day in American primary elections)
COOL YOUR JETS (39A: "Chill out!")
GREAT PLAINS (59A: North American expanse once home to over 30 Native tribes)
FANTASTIC FOUR: Each of the FOUR theme answers begins with a synonym for FANTASTIC: WICKED, SUPER, COOL, and GREAT.
I am a fan of synonym themes, and this one is GREAT. Or should I say WICKED, SUPER, or COOL? It did take me a little bit to pick up on the theme, making for a wonderful "Aha!" moment. Thank you, Jess, for this FANTASTIC puzzle.
For more on USA TODAY’s Crossword Puzzles
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Crossword Blog & Answers for December 15, 2024 by Sally Hoelscher
