Yahoo Lifestyle Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's crossword puzzle, She Is My Scar (Freestyle)
There are spoilers ahead. You might want to solve today's puzzle before reading further! She Is My Scar (Freestyle)
Constructors: Amie Walker & Amanda Rafkin
Editor: Amanda Rafkin
What I Learned from Today’s Puzzle
AGATHARIO (17A: Portmanteau couple on a 2024 Disney+ show about witches) The Disney+ TV series, Agatha All Along, is a spin-off from the Marvel series WandaVision. The show features a coven of witches who are following the Witches' Road. I just learned about this series a couple of weeks ago, and then it was referenced again ten days ago. Sometimes it seems the crossword is on a mission to teach me all about a certain topic. Here we have another Agatha All Along reference. The characters whose names have been put together to form the portmanteau AGATHARIO are Agatha Harkness (portrayed by Kathryn Hahn) and Rio Vidal (portrayed by Aubrey Plaza). This is the clue that the puzzle's title is referencing. There is a scene from Agatha All Along in which Rio says of Agatha, "She is my scar."
AARON (35A: Producer and songwriter Dessner) AARON Dessner is a founding member of the rock band National, and a co-founder of the indie rock duo Big Red Machine. I have written about AARON Dessner before, but I didn't remember that I had referenced him as a collaborator of Taylor Swift. He has collaborated on several of Taylor Swift's albums: Folklore, Evermore, and The Tortured Poets Department.
Random Thoughts & Interesting Things
IDAHO (9A: Boise's state) Boise is the capital of IDAHO and its most populous city.
SIDE (15A: "And I woke up just in time / Now I wake up by your ___") and ALL TOO WELL (28D: Taylor Swift song with the lyric "It was rare, I was there, I remember it") We have a pair of Taylor Swift references today – one for each constructor, perhaps. "And I woke up just in time / Now I wake up by your SIDE" is a lyric from Taylor Swift's song "Dress," from the 2017 album reputation. "ALL TOO WELL," with the lyric, "It was rare, I was there, I remember it ALL TOO WELL," first appeared on Taylor Swift's 2012 album, Red. In 2012, Taylor Swift re-recorded the song and released it as "ALL TOO WELL (Taylor's Version). She also released a "10 Minute Version" of "ALL TOO WELL," which holds the Guinness World Record for the longest song to hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
STAN (25A: "Circa 1948" artist Douglas) STAN Douglas is a Canadian artist known for his video, photography, and film installations. His artwork has been displayed around the world, including at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, and the Tate Gallery in London. Circa 1948 is an interactive art installation that STAN Douglas created with the National Film Board of Canada. Circa 1948 is also an interactive app for iOS devices. Both the installation and the app allow users to virtually explore the Vancouver, British Columbia neighborhoods of West End and East Vancouver as they were in the year 1948.
BAKE SALE (27A: Fundraising event where cookie dough is made?) This is a fun clue! When a clue includes a question mark at the end, but the clue is not a quotation, the question mark is an indication to solvers that there is some sort of word play going on. A BAKE SALE does not involve making actual "cookie dough" (although cookie dough might be sold). However, a BAKE SALE makes dough – as in money – from the sale of cookies. That's clever. We only see question mark clues occasionally in USA Today puzzles, as they often increase a clue's difficulty level. It was fun to see this one.
OAR (33A: Pole with a blade) This clue took me a little while to figure out. Intellectually, I know an OAR is a pole with a blade at one end. I just don't usually think of it like that, making for a nice "Aha!" moment when I realized this answer.
ATL (37A: City where lemon pepper wings were invented (Abbr.)) Lemon pepper wings are (as one might guess from the name) unbreaded chicken wings seasoned with lemon pepper. The dish was invented in Atlanta (ATL), Georgia, and has become associated with Atlanta cuisine.
OOO (51A: Abbr. in an away-from-work message) OOO = out of office
GOD OF WAR (55A: Mythology-based video game franchise) The GOD OF WAR video game franchise began with the 2005 action-adventure video game of the same name. The characters in the games are based on Greek and Norse mythology.
MAGNET (2D: Fridge accessory) Do you have MAGNETs on your refrigerator or do you prefer a MAGNET-less fridge? I enjoy a good MAGNET, and we have quite the collection on our fridge. We've arranged our MAGNETs into groups with related themes. Here's a photo of our National Park MAGNETs. My husband and I have been to all of these National Parks (and more that we don't have MAGNETs for), and it's fun to be reminded of those trips when we see these MAGNETs.
ASANA (5D: Cat pose, e.g.) I just wrote about cat pose when we saw it as an answer in Amie Walker's January 12 puzzle. My cat, Willow, is demonstrating one of her favorite cat poses for you.
HRT (18D: Part of some transitions) HRT is hormone replacement therapy.
CARLY (24D: Singer Simon) One of my favorite CARLY Simon songs is "You're So Vain." The lyrics, "You're so vain. You probably think this song is about you," make me smile every time I hear them. They're so perfect. CARLY Simon was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2004.
PBS (43D: "Big Cats 24/7" network) Big Cats 24/7 is a PBS show that documents the lives of big cats (lions, leopards, and cheetahs) living in the Okavango Delta in Botswana. Willow approves of this clue.
FORTE (48D: Opposite of "piano") In musical notation, "piano" (p) indicates "soft", and "FORTE" (f) indicates "loud." These are called dynamic markings, and they are always relative; a FORTE marking doesn't indicate a specific level of loudness.
OTOE (54D: Red Rock, Oklahoma tribe) The OTOE tribe were historically a semi-nomadic people that lived along the Missouri River in the Great Plains. Today the OTOE people are part of the OTOE-Missouria Tribe, which has its headquarters in Red Rock, Oklahoma.
Some other clues I especially enjoyed:
INTERNET (20A: "You win the ___ today" ("Love your post!")
NERD ALERT (Playful comment after hearing someone infodump)
I CALLED IT (9D: "Totally knew that would happen")
HOARSE (45D: Like a voice after karaoke night)
RAWR (53D: Flirtatious growling sound)
Crossword Puzzle Theme Synopsis
SHE IS MY SCAR (Freestyle): This is a freestyle, or themeless puzzle, so there's no theme. As mentioned above, the title is a nod to AGATHARIO (17A: Portmanteau couple on a 2024 Disney+ show about witches).
When I see a freestyle puzzle with a title I don't understand, I know I'm about to learn something! Fortunately, I'm always up for that. I consider learning new things a nice fringe benefit of solving crosswords. Thank you, Amie and Amanda, for this delightful puzzle.
For more on USA TODAY’s Crossword Puzzles
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Crossword Blog & Answers for January 15, 2025 by Sally Hoelscher
