September 18, 2025

Title: ALL CAPS

Constructor: Jay Silverman

Editor: Jared Goudsmit

Theme synopsis:

• BRUSSELS SPROUTS (16A: Vegetables in the cabbage family)
• LIMA BEANS (35A: Paella legumes)
• MANILA ENVELOPES (59A: Yellowish document holders)

ALL CAPS: ALL of the theme answers begin with a capital city. ALL of our CAPS today are: BRUSSELS, the capital of Belgium; LIMA, the capital of Peru; and MANILA, the capital of the Philippines.

And now a word from our constructor:

Jay: Happy as always to be back in the USA Today with this "ALL CAPS" puzzle - a title that I came up with because I thought the formatting trick would just be sort of amusing (and also, I guess I maybe have a longstanding fondness for capital cities?).  

Little did I know that there was a companion, coincidental "All Caps" puzzle to run the day before!  Too cool, and love that Amanda paired these two puzzles up.  Hope solvers get a kick out of this one and have as much fun solving it as I did creating it.

What I learned from today's puzzle:

• OAK (20A: Tree that is the title and subject of a Katharine Towers poetry book) Katharine Towers is a British poet. Her 2021 collection of poetry is titled OAK. The poems in OAK explore its title subject in depth. Although Katharine Towers is new to me (always happy to learn of a new writer), there are a limited number of 3-letter trees, so I was able to deduce this answer with just a little help from crossing answers. I'm going to digress for a moment, because the mention of 3-letter trees reminds me of a question on the September 16, 2025 episode of Jeopardy! Two of the contestants on that show are crossword constructors; it's always amazing to me when I know someone who is on Jeopardy!, let alone knowing two of the three contestants! Anyway, I'm not naming the contestants or mentioning details about the 3-letter tree question in order to avoid spoilers. But if you happened to watch the show, you'll know the question I'm talking about. Many 3-letter trees are frequent crossword answers: OAK, elm, fir, yew, and ash.
• LILY (58A: "Yesterday" actress James) Yesterday is a 2019 jukebox musical film. A jukebox musical is one that features the songs of a particular artist or band. In Yesterday, Himesh Patel portrays Jack Malik, a struggling musician who suddenly finds himself in an alternate reality where he's the only person to remember the music of the Beatles. LILY James portrays Ellie Appleton, Jack's manager and childhood friend.
• YODEL (24D: Sing like the person in a Ricola commercial) Ricola is a Swiss company that manufactures herbal cough drops and teas. In the 1990s, Ricola began airing commercials featuring a YODELer in the mountains singing, "Riiiicolaaa." I don't watch a lot of TV, so I haven't seen these commercials. That's what crossing answers are for.

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• BRUSSELS SPROUTS (16A: Vegetables in the cabbage family) BRUSSELS SPOUTS were named for Belgium's capital city, and they have been popular there since at least the 13th century.  I used to dislike BRUSSELS SPROUTS, but that has changed, and I credit Dutch scientists for that. It's not my imagination, current varieties of BRUSSELS SPROUTS really are less bitter than those I ate (reluctantly) in my childhood. Science is amazing. Side note: We've seen BRUSSELS SPROUTS and BRUSSEL SPROUT as theme answers previously. One of those puzzles has the same theme as today's puzzle.
• ONE (28A: 0.28 + 0.72) This is a silly way to clue the number ONE, so of course I enjoyed it.
• LIMA BEANS (35A: Paella legumes) Paella is a dish in Spanish cuisine that consists of rice, green BEANS, meat (rabbit, chicken, and sometimes duck), and LIMA BEANS (or butter BEANS) cooked in olive oil and chicken broth. The dish is seasoned with rosemary and gets its traditional yellow color from saffron. LIMA BEANS were discovered in Peru. During the 1500s, LIMA BEANS were exported to the Americas and Europe, and the boxes containing the BEANS were labeled "LIMA, PERU" to indicate their place of origin. This led to the BEANS becoming known as LIMA BEANS. Although the beans are named for the capital, their names are usually pronounced differently.
• ACA (45A: Obamacare, for short) Obamacare is officially known as the Affordable Care Act (ACA). President Obama signed the ACA into law on March 23, 2010, and many of the law's provisions were put into place by 2014.
• ANIMAL (55A: Eagle or beagle) I appreciate the rhyming ANIMAL examples here.
• MANILA ENVELOPES (59A: Yellowish document holders) MANILA ENVELOPES get their name from MANILA hemp (fibers from a species of tree native to the Philippines), which is named for the capital of the Philippines. Historically, MANILA hemp was the main material used for making MANILA ENVELOPES and MANILA folders, and the names have persisted even though MANILA hemp is no longer used to make these paper products.
• ACROBAT (2D: Person who falls head over heels?) This clue is not referring to someone who metaphorically falls head over heels in love, but to an ACROBAT who literally falls head over heels while performing some tumbling moves.
• GORE (15D: Splatter film feature) Splatter film is a subgenre of horror movies that focuses on GORE and graphic violence. I'm going to pass on that.
• RODE (18D: Traveled by tuk-tuk) A tuk-tuk is a motorized version of a rickshaw. Most have three wheels and are not fully enclosed. The name of these vehicles is onomatopoeic, mimicking the sound made by the tuk-tuk's small engines.
• NBA (33D: Org. with Celtics and Clippers) The Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Clippers are basketball teams in the NBA.
• O CANADA (39D: Anthem sung in Alberta) "O CANADA" is the national anthem of CANADA. Alberta is a province in Western CANADA. 
• A few other clues I especially enjoyed:
• EARS (42A: Mickey Mouse hat features)
• CAR (54A: Common "Wheel of Fortune" prize)
• SPLAT (6D: Sound of Jell-O hitting the wall)

Did you feel a sense of déjà vu when you read the title of today's puzzle? Yesterday's puzzle is titled "All Caps," and today's title is "ALL CAPS," meaning the only difference between the two titles is that today's title is ... well ... in ALL CAPS. (Note: This was the intent of the constructor and editors. There was a snag and today's title may have appeared as "All Caps" in your solving platform. The best laid plans don't always work out.) Although the titles are similar, the themes of the puzzles are different. It's always interesting to see the different ways a theme idea can be executed. One of the (many!) things I like about the USA Today crossword is that the editors are willing to pair up puzzles such as this for a bit of added fun. Thank you, Jay, for this capital puzzle.