Crossword Blog & Answers for May 11, 2025 by Sally Hoelscher

Constructors: Amie Walker and Amanda Rafkin

Editor: Amanda Rafkin

What I Learned from Today’s Puzzle

• JET (42A: Pink Fuzion Frenzy character) Fuzion Frenzy is a four-player video game that features a number of minigames. JET is a playable character in Fuzion Frenzy and in the sequel game Fuzion Frenzy 2. JET has pink hair, and wears a pink two-piece suit and a pink safety helmet.

Random Thoughts & Interesting Things

• TAPAS (1A: Croquetas and such) TAPAS are a variety of appetizers or snacks that are popular in Spanish cuisine. Croquetas are a type of fried dumpling made of a thick batter surrounding a filling.
• LANE (16A: “Penny ___”) “Penny LANE” is, of course, a classic Beatles song, released in 1967. “In Penny LANE there is a barber showing photographs / Of every head he’s had the pleasure to have known / And all the people that come and go / Stop and say hello…”
• USED (19A: “She ___ To Be Mine”) “She USED to Be Mine” is a song Sara Bareilles wrote for the musical Waitress (which was adapted from the 2007 movie of the same name). Last month we saw this song title in a clue for the word SHE.
• FALLEN (23A: “The shroud of the Dark Side has ___. Begun the Clone War has.”) As one might guess from the syntax, “The shroud of the Dark Side has FALLEN. Begun the Clone War has,” is spoken by Jedi Grandmaster Yoda of the Star Wars franchise. This line is from the end of the 2002 movie Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones.
• ODOR (43A: That stinks!) The exclamation point in this clue is a signal to solvers to interpret this clue literally. An ODOR literally stinks.
• TACO BAR (50A: Shell station?) A question mark at the end of a clue (that isn’t a conversational quote) indicates there’s a bit of trickiness and wordplay going on. The wordplay in this case is that “shell station” here doesn’t refer to a Shell-branded gas station. Instead, it refers to a “station where you can get a (food with a) shell,” or a TACO BAR. Fun!
• ARG (53A: “Evita” country (Abbr.)) The 1978 musical, EVITA, is based on a 1976 concept album of the same name by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice. EVITA tells the story of the life of Eva Perón, whose nickname was EVITA. Eva Perón was the first lady of Argentina (ARG.) from 1946-1952.
• ADIEU (61A: “Au revoir, mon amie”) and CIAO (62A: “Arrivederci, amico mio”) This is a fun pair of consecutive clues! The clues both say “Goodbye, my friend,” first in French (“Au revoir, mon amie”) and then in Italian (“Arrivederci, amico mio”). The answers are casual French and Italian words for “goodbye.” (Note that the Italian word “CIAO” can be used to mean both “hello” and “goodbye.”)
• ELMO (68A: “Sesame Street” character who asked people online how they were doing) In January 2024, ELMO, the lovable red Muppet from Sesame Street, posted online, “ELMO is just checking in! How is everybody doing?” The responses were overwhelming, as people answered ELMO’s question honestly. When it became obvious that many people were struggling, the Sesame Street Workshop posted links to mental health resources. ELMO replied to many of the responses, doing his best to lift everyone up. In a follow-up post, ELMO said, “Wow! ELMO is glad he asked! ELMO learned that it is important to ask a friend how they are doing. ELMO will check in again soon, friends! ELMO loves you. ❤ #EmotionalWellBeing.”
• PET (3D: Furry creature that lives with you) Here’s a photo of my PET, my cat Willow, helping me write this article.

• ART CLASSES (4D: Places to draw the curtains?) Here’s another question mark clue. Remember that the question mark is an indication that there is wordplay happening. In this case, “draw the curtains” does not refer to “closing the drapes,” but to actually drawing curtains, say with a pencil, as you might in ART CLASSES. It’s fun to see USA Today including some question mark clues every once in a while now.
• SERB (7D: Belgrade resident) Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia.
• NED (13A: Playable character in the Nancy Drew PC game Alibi in Ashes) The game Alibi in Ashes is one of a series of Nancy Drew computer games published by HeR Interactive. The games are based on the characters in the Nancy Drew mystery book series. The playable characters in Alibi in Ashes are Nancy, NED (Nancy’s boyfriend), Bess (one of Nancy’s best friends), and George (Nancy’s other best friend).
• GRETA (22D: Director Gerwig) GRETA Gerwig’s directorial credits include Lady Bird (2017), Little Women (2019), and Barbie (2023).
• HAD (46D: “No one’s ever ___ me, not like you”) “No one’s ever HAD me, not like you” is a lyric from Taylor Swift’s 2024 song, “So High School.” Now it’s an official Amie and Amanda collab; it has a Taylor Swift reference.
• DAL (49D: ___ tadka (lentil-based dish)) DAL tadka is a dish of cooked lentils, which is finished with a tempering of ghee and spices. DAL are dried, split legumes (lentils, peas, and beans), so the word “lentil” in the clue is a nice hint.
• EMO (64D: Something Corporate genre) Something Corporate is a band whose music is described as alt rock, pop-punk, and EMO. This clue reminds me of Amie and Amanda’s November 11, 2024 puzzle, which is titled “Something Corporate.”