Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Silly Straws
There are spoilers ahead. You might want to solve today's puzzle before reading further! Silly Straws
Constructor: CJ Tan
Editor: Anna Gundlach
ARLO (16A: "Eugene" singer Parks) "Eugene" is a 2020 song by English artist ARLO Parks.
ONE PIECE (21A: Manga series in which Monkey D. Luffy searches for a mythical treasure) ONE PIECE is a manga series by Eiichiro Oda. It first appeared in the magazine Weekly Shōnen Jump in July 1997, and has since grown into a media franchise. ONE PIECE recounts the adventures of a boy named Monkey D. Luffy and his crew, the Straw Hat Pirates. (This name feels like bonus theme content.) The 2023 Netflix TV series, ONE PIECE, is an adaptation of the manga series. I first learned about ONE PIECE from the May 18, 2023 puzzle.
OTOE (30A: Chiwere speakers) The OTOE are indigenous people of the Midwestern United States. Their language, Chiwere, is part of the Siouan family of languages. The Missouria and Iowa peoples also originally spoke Chiwere. The language is endangered, as the last two fluent speakers died in 1996, and a limited number of semi-fluent speakers of Chiwere remain.
LEMUR (31A: Madagascar primate) Madagascar is an island country in the Indian Ocean. LEMURs, of which there are 103 known species and subspecies, are endemic (native) to Madagascar. LEMURs are recognizable by their large eyes, pointed snout, and long tail.
LIU (34A: "Shang-Chi" actor Simu) Simu LIU plays the title character in the Marvel Studios movie, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021).
HOMES (42A: Great Lakes mnemonic) HOMES is a mnemonic useful for remembering the names of the Great Lakes: Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, and Superior.
ROSE (43A: Floral baklava flavor) Mmm, baklava. The layered pastry, baklava, originates from Ottoman cuisine, and consists of many thin layers of phyllo dough filled with chopped nuts and honey. Sometimes ROSEwater syrup is poured over the baklava after it is baked.
SAMOSAS (45A: Triangular South Asian pastries) SAMOSAS are fried or baked triangular pastries filled with potatoes, onions, peas, meat, and spices.
MAUI (48A: Wailea Beach's island) Wailea Beach is located on the Hawaiian island of MAUI.
SISSY (65A: Actress Spacek) SISSY Spacek's extensive filmography has so far spanned six decades. Although she has numerous film and TV credits, I always think of SISSY Spacek in her role as Loretta Lynn in the movie, Coal Miner's Daughter (1980), and in the role of Babe in the movie, Crimes of the Heart (1986). More recently, SISSY Spacek portrayed Pam in the 2025 movie Die, My Love and Gail in the miniseries Dying for Sex.
NAAN (8D: Bread served with tandoori chicken) Tandoori chicken a dish of chicken marinated in yogurt and spices before being roasted in a cylindrical clay oven called a tandoor. The flatbread NAAN may also be prepared in a tandoor.
ARIES (11D: March-April fire sign) ARIES is the zodiac sign for persons born between March 21 and April 19. Of the 12 zodiac signs, three are classified as fire signs: ARIES, Leo, and Sagittarius.
PLACE (12D: "The Good ___" (NBC sitcom)) Just a few days ago, we saw the TV show The Good PLACE referenced in a clue for TED. The Good PLACE (2016-2020) is a TV series about a heaven-like utopia where humans spend their afterlife. Ted Danson portrays Michael, an afterlife "architect" who designs the Good PLACE neighborhood where the main characters of the show reside.
SELL (18D: Put on Mercari) Mercari is a marketplace app that was launched in Japan in 2013. The company expanded to the United States and the United Kingdom within a few years of launching. The app allows users to buy and SELL items.
ISLAM (24D: Religion that celebrated Eid al-Fitr) In ISLAM, Eid al-Fitr, also called the "Festival of Breaking the Fast," marks the end of Ramadan. Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. Muslims around the world observe Ramadan by fasting from sunrise to sunset during the 29 or 30 days of the observance.
MESSI (33D: Soccer star Lionel) Lionel MESSI is a professional soccer player for the Argentina national team and for the Major League Soccer (MLS) team Inter Miami. Lionel MESSI is considered one of the greatest soccer players of all time; he led Argentina to a 2022 FIFA World Cup win, the country's first World Cup win since 1986.
ISSA (35D: "Insecure" creator Rae) In addition to starring in the TV series Insecure, as the character ISSA Dee, ISSA Rae is also the creator and co-writer of the show. The show takes a look at the experiences of contemporary Black women, and is partially based on ISSA Rae's web series, The Mis-Adventures of Awkward Black Girl.
MEOW (47D: "Cat food, please!") My cat, Willow, has food available all the time, so her "MEOW" usually means, "Please pay attention to me!")
ANNIE (49D: "Tomorrow" musical) Thank you, puzzle – I now have the song "Tomorrow," from the musical ANNIE, as an earworm. "The sun'll come out, tomorrow..."
THAI (53D: Khao phat cuisine) Khao phat is also known as THAI fried rice.
Some other clues I especially enjoyed:
HOT TAKES (4D: Openly provocative opinions)
APRON (7D: Garment that might say "World's Okayest Cook")
THAT'S A WRAP (17A: "...and cut!")
NEWS TRAVELS FAST (37A: "Wow, you heard about that quickly!")
WHAT'S WRONG (58A: "Is something troubling you?")
SILLY STRAWS: Each theme answer contains an anagram of the word STRAW: THAT'S A WRAP, NEWS TRAVELS FAST, and WHAT'S WRONG.
Like yesterday's puzzle, this is another hidden anagram theme. The word SILLY in the title is an anagram hint, indicating that the letters of the word STRAW are arranged in a SILLY order: TS/A/WR, WS/TRA, and ATS/WR. It's fun that all three of the theme answers have conversational clues. Thank you, CJ, for this enjoyable puzzle.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Crossword Blog & Answers for June 10, 2025 by Sally Hoelscher
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