Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, In the Hole
Constructor: Zhouqin Burnikel
Editor: Amanda Rafkin
NES (24A: Mega Man console) Mega Man is a video game franchise. The original Mega Man game was released in 1987 for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). Since then, over 50 games have been released that feature a a fighting robot nicknamed "Mega" (originally named Rock).
WTA (Org. for Zheng Qinwen) Zheng Qinwen is a professional tennis player from China. She won the gold medal in women's tennis singles at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. In November 2024, the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) ranked her No. 5 in women's singles.
COHEN (13A: "Hallelujah" songwriter Leonard) It took Leonard COHEN (1934-2016) about five years to write the song "Hallelujah," and he reconfigured it a number of times for different performances. Leonard COHEN first recorded and released the song in 1984, but it didn't make it onto the Billboard charts until after his death in 2016. It's estimated that over 300 singers have performed cover versions of "Hallelujah." Thank you, puzzle, for providing my earworm for the day.
ALBA (28A: "Sin City" actress Jessica) Sin City is a 2005 movie based on Frank Miller's comic book series of the same name. The neo-noir crime film is an anthology, meaning it consists of several short films, each a complete story in itself. Jessica ALBA is part of the movie's ensemble cast, playing a character named Nancy Callahan. She reprised her role in the 2014 sequel, Sin City: A Dame to Kill For.
AND (33A: Salt-___-pepper hair) It's always interesting to see how constructors clue common words such as AND. I have had salt-AND-pepper hair for a few years now, and this clue made me smile.
HONORARY TITLE (37A: Colonel, for Harland Sanders) Coincidentally, I happened to mention Harland Sanders' HONORARY TITLE a few days ago. We saw the clue [Colonel Sanders' chain] for KFC, and I wrote, "Founder Harland Sanders (1890-1980) was commissioned as a Kentucky Colonel (an honor bestowed by Kentucky's governor) in 1935, and became known as Colonel Sanders, the company's spokesman."
PESO (45A: Currency of the Philippines) The Philippines is one of eight countries that currently use the PESO as their currency. The other seven countries are Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, and Uruguay. However, the currencies are not interchangeable, as each country has its own PESO.
BBS (52A: _oard of _ehavioral _ciences) A Board of Behavioral Science is responsible for the licensing and enforcement of standards for certain professionals such as Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists and Licensed Clinical Social Workers.
EPEE (59A: Fencing sword with the fewest rules) The sport of fencing uses three weapons (in different events): ÉPÉE, foil, and saber. In ÉPÉE, the entire body is a valid target area. Foil and saber events have specific rules restricting the target areas.
HUNS (69A: Invaders in "Mulan") The two Disney Mulan movies, both the 1998 animated film and the 2020 live-action adaptation of that movie, are based on the Chinese folklore story Ballad of Mulan. In the animated version of the movie, the HUNS breach the Great Wall and invade China. The HUNS were a nomadic people in Central Asia between the 4th and 6th centuries.
PEAS (3D: Veggies in mame gohan) Mame gohan, a dish in Japanese cuisine, is also known as "green PEAS rice." Not surprisingly then, the dish's main ingredients are PEAS and rice.
BTS (53D: "Boy With Luv" K-pop group) "Boy with Luv" is a 2019 song by BTS, which features the singer Halsey. The song's music video was viewed over 74.6 million times the first day it was released.
OWL (62D: Hoot ___ Hoot! (kids' board game)) Hoot OWL Hoot is a cooperative game for children in which players work together to move OWLs back to their nests before sunrise.
A few other clues I especially enjoyed:
WEBS (20A: Traps made of spider silk)
KENS (47A: Guys in Barbie's universe)
POPSICLE (11D: Sweet treat that drips in the heat)
NAPKIN (48D: Sloppy joe eater's need)
HOW ADORABLE (16A: "Aww, so cute!")
HONORARY TITLE (37A: Colonel, for Harland Sanders)
HONEYSUCKLE (61A: Fragrant flower that attracts hummingbirds)
IN THE HOLE: Each theme answer is IN THE word HOLE: HOW ADORABLE, HONORARY TITLE, and HONEYSUCKLE.
Theme-answers-within-a-word is a classic USA Today crossword theme type. It's well-executed here with an enjoyable set of theme answers and a perfectly descriptive title. I appreciate that the word break of HO/LE is consistent in all of the theme answers. (This isn't a requirement; I just appreciate the consistency.) Thank you, Zhouqin, for this excellent puzzle.
USA TODAY's Daily Crossword Puzzles
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Crossword Blog & Answers for May 26, 2025 by Sally Hoelscher
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