Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword, That Stinks! (Freestyle)
Constructor: Rafael Musa
Editor: Amanda Rafkin
ANA (7D: ___ Carolina (Brazilian singer)) ANA Carolina released her self-titled debut album in 1999. The album was nominated for a Latin Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Pop Album. I enjoyed listening to this duet ANA Carolina did with John Legend in 2015.
SPLENDA (21A: Sugar substitute brand) SPLENDA manufactures a number of sugar substitute products. Original SPLENDA, introduced in 1999, contains the artificial sweetener sucralose. SPLENDA also has products containing stevia, monk fruit, and allulose.
ACUTE (26A: Like a 30-degree angle) It's time for some geometry review. A right angle measures 90 degrees. Angles measuring less than 90 degrees (such as a 30-degree angle) are ACUTE. Angles measuring more than 90 degrees are obtuse.
BEAR CLAW (28A: Paw-shaped pastry) BEAR CLAW pastries are made with yeasted sweet dough, shaped in a semi-circle with slices along the curved edge. As the dough rises, the sections separate, giving the pastry a claw-like shape. A BEAR CLAW is usually filled with almond paste.
AVA (38A: "Sweet but Psycho" singer Max) "Sweet but Psycho" is the lead single from AVA Max's 2018 debut studio album Heaven and Hell. The song reached number 10 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart.
SOS (47A: "Help me!") and BOAT (50A: Yacht or catamaran) It seems fitting for these two answers / clues to appear consecutively.
EOS (60A: Skin care company named after a goddess) In Greek mythology, EOS is the goddess and personification of the dawn. The beauty and skincare company EOS (Evolution of Smooth) was founded in 2006. EOS lip balms are known for their colorful, egg-shaped packaging.
BRAIN TEASER (5D: Tricky mental challenge) In addition to solving crosswords, I do a number of other BRAIN TEASER puzzles every day. I tell myself it's good for my BRAIN; that's how I justify the time spent "playing." One BRAIN TEASER I have been enjoying is the game Order Up, created by Adam Wagner, which gives a list of seven things that need to be put in order based on a theme (that you have to figure out).
FRONTLINE (11D: ___ Health Care Workers (group in the Time 2020 Person of the Year shortlist)) Remembering that the COVID-19 pandemic started in 2020 (and how could we forget...) makes it understandable why FRONTLINE Health Care Workers made the shortlist for Time magazine's Person of the Year in 2020. Ultimately, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, who were elected President and Vice-President of the United States in November 2020 were selected as the 2020 Persons of the Year.
MEAT PIES (36D: Savory pastries featured in "Sweeney Todd") Sweeney TODD is a 1979 Stephen Sondheim musical based on a 1970 play of the same name by Christopher Bond. The musical's full title is Sweeney TODD: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. Yes, MEAT PIES are indeed featured in the musical. Sweeney Todd's barber shop is located above a MEAT PIE shop run by Mrs. Lovett. In case you haven't seen Sweeney Todd, I'll just leave it at that to prevent spoilers.
GATOS (42D: Cats, in Spanish) My cat, Willow, is happy to see a mention of cats in the puzzle, whether it's in English or Spanish. Here's a photo of Willow sitting on my lap while I'm working. Although you can't read it clearly, the shirt I'm wearing says, "MY CAT'S FAVORITE PERSON."
E! NEWS (46D: Celebrity gossip show) E! NEWS is a program on the cable network E!. E! NEWS reports celebrity gossip as well as news about upcoming movies and TV shows.
BABE (50D: Titular pig in a 1995 film) The 1995 movie BABE is an adaptation of Dick King-Smith's 1983 book, The Sheep-Pig. In the movie, BABE is a pig who learns how to herd sheep. In addition to its titular pig, BABE features a number of other animals. Real animals and animatronic puppets were used to play the animal characters.
OSLO (51D: Nordic capital by a fjord) A fjord is a long, deep inlet. Fjords are often situated in valleys with cliffs on either side of the water. OSLO, the capital of Norway, is located on the appropriately named OSLO Fjord. Many places in Norway are near fjords, as the over 17,000 miles of coastline is made up mainly of fjords. For comparison, the baseline coastline (drawn in a straight line without following the fjords) is just over 1,500 miles.
PARR (54D: Catherine ___ (last wife of Henry VIII)) Catherine PARR (1512-1548) was the sixth wife of Henry VIII (1491-1547). She was married to Henry VIII at the time of his death. Ever since I saw the musical Six, any mention of Henry VIII and his wives reminds me of it. This is a good thing, as I thoroughly enjoyed Six and its modern retelling by Henry VIII's wives, whose fates were "divorced, beheaded, died; divorced, beheaded, survived."
THAT STINKS! (Freestyle): There's no theme today, because this is a freestyle, or themeless, puzzle. The title is a nod to HOT GARBAGE (17A: Terrible thing, colloquially).
No matter what this puzzle's title claims, this puzzle does not stink! And it is not HOT GARBAGE! There's oh so much to like here. In addition to the answers I've highlighted above, I also really enjoyed ABOUT THAT, BAGEL CHIPS, ELEPHANT, and SOLAR PANEL. Thank you, Rafa, for this splendid puzzle.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Crossword Blog & Answers for April 27, 2025 by Sally Hoelscher
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