September 21, 2025

Title: I GUESS I NEVER GOT THE MEMO (Freestyle)

Constructor: Amie Walker

Editor: Amie Walker

Theme synopsis:

I GUESS I NEVER GOT THE MEMO (Freestyle): There's no theme today, as this is a freestyle, or themeless puzzle. The title is a nod to STILETTOS (62A: Footwear mentioned in "Party in the U.S.A."). (Read on if you're not sure how the title relates to this answer.)

What I learned from today's puzzle:

• ONE (29A: "___ Art" (Elizabeth Bishop poem)) Elizabeth Bishop (1911-1979) was the U.S. Poet Laureate from 1949-1950 and the winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 1956. This much I knew. I was not familiar with Elizabeth Bishop's poem, "ONE Art," but I appreciated the nudge from this clue to seek it out and read it. I also appreciated this fresh clue for ONE.
• ROLLS (44D: Takes a turn in Mountain Goats) Mountain Goats is a board game in which players attempt to move their goats to the top of six different mountains – and not get knocked off of mountains by other players' goats. Each player ROLLS dice on their turn, which determines how their goats may move. This is a new game to me. I'm always happy to learn about new board games.

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• DADS (1A: Parental pair celebrated twice in June, perhaps) June is Pride Month, and Father's Day is in June. Thus, a pair of DADS might be doubly celebrated in June.
• MACCHIATO (16A: Espresso-based drink with a small amount of milk) In Italian, the word "MACCHIATO" means "stained" or "spotted." The espresso-based drink MACCHIATO is made by adding a small amount (1-2 teaspoons) of steamed milk to espresso. Thus the espresso is "spotted" with milk.
• SONIA (17A: Justice Sotomayor) I wrote about SONIA Sotomayor when we saw this clue earlier this month.
• ARROW (23A: Projectile for Legolas) Legolas is a character in J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. Legolas is an elf and a master archer. He's known for his keen eyesight, helpful when shooting an ARROW.
• IDEA (26A: "The taste of your lips is my ___ of luxury") "King of My Heart" is a 2017 song by Taylor Swift, from her album Reputation. The song includes the line, "The taste of your lips is my IDEA of luxury."
• IRON (33A: Retired Monopoly token) In 2013, Hasbro – the company that has published Monopoly since 1991 – allowed people to vote for a new token to be added to the game. The choices were a guitar, a diamond ring, a helicopter, a robot, and a cat. At the same time, people voted for their favorites among the current tokens; the token receiving the least votes would be retired. This promotional campaign led to the IRON token being replaced by the cat. My cat, Willow, could not be bothered to wake up and comment on the cat token replacing the IRON. I think it's safe to say she approves. 

• SECRET ENTRANCES (34A: Hidden doors behind some bookcases, e.g.) It has been a lifelong dream of mine to live in a house with SECRET ENTRANCES hidden behind bookcases. Let's be honest, that's a dream that's not likely to come true at this point in my life, but it's a lovely dream nonetheless.
• TATI (39A: Ana Fabrega's "Los Espookys" role) Los Espookys is a TV show about a group of friends trying to make a business of providing horror for others. Ana Fabrega is a co-creator and a writer for the show, and plays the role of TATI. I learned this information from the February 24, 2021 puzzle. (And I definitely remembered it today and didn't need the help of crossing answers to fill in TATI...)
• MAIN STREET (42A: ___, USA (Disneyland castle photo spot)) I have previously written about Disneyland's MAIN STREET, USA.
• EWOK (46A: Furry "Star Wars" creature) In the Star Wars franchise, EWOKs are small, furry, bipedal creatures that inhabit the forests of Endor, a fictional moon. EWOKs made their debut in Return of the Jedi (1983). EWOKs were the title characters of two TV movies, The EWOK Adventure (1984) and EWOKs: The Battle for Endor (1985).
• OSAGE (48A: ___ Nation (Great Plains tribe)) The Great Plains is a flatland that stretches across the Central United States and Western Canada. Located just east of the Rocky Mountains, it encompasses approximately 500,000 square miles of prairie, steppe, and grassland. The OSAGE were one of the many tribes that called the Great Plains home at one time.
• ASL (51A: Communication system. in "CODA") The 2021 movie, CODA, stars Emilia Jones as Ruby Rossi, a hearing "child of deaf adults" (CODA). Sian Heder, who wrote and directed CODA, learned ASL (American Sign Language) while working on the movie, and about 40% of the screenplay was in ASL. Emilia Jones also learned ASL before the filming of CODA started. CODA won an Academy Award for Best Picture.
• ARGON (53A: One of the noble gases) ARGON is one of the six naturally-occurring noble gases (along with helium, neon, radon, krypton, and xenon). ARGON is the third-most abundant gas in the Earth's atmosphere (following nitrogen and oxygen). ARGON is used in fluorescent lights and in incandescent bulbs.
• LAVA LAMPS (55A: Novelty items in a room with beaded curtains, maybe) This is a fun clue. I knew the answer immediately. Beaded curtains and LAVA LAMPS have a similar '60s and '70s vibe.
• STILETTOS (62A: Footwear mentioned in "Party in the U.S.A.") "Party in the U.S.A." is a 2009 song by Miley Cyrus. The song contains the lines, "It's definitely not a Nashville party / 'Cause all I see are STILETTOS." Those lines are followed by the title of today's puzzle, "I GUESS I NEVER GOT THE MEMO."
• REACTION GIF (24D: Speechless Nathan Fillion, e.g.) If you are on social media at all, you've likely seen a REACTION GIF used at some point. The speechless Nathan Fillion GIF is a clip from the TV series Castle (on which Nathan Fillion plays the title character).
• ERIE (37D: The "E" of HOMES) HOMES is a mnemonic used to remember the names of the Great Lakes: Huron, Ontario, Michigan, ERIE, and Superior. This is the second appearance of our crossword friend ERIE this month.
• META (42D: Like an essay about essays) This META example made me smile.
• MTV (58D: "Jersey Shore" network) Jersey Shore is a reality TV series that originally aired from 2009-2012 on MTV. The show followed the lives of eight housemates at a vacation home. In seasons one, three, five, and six, that vacation home was located on the Jersey Shore for which the show was named. In season two the show was located in South Beach, Florida, and in season four it was in Florence, Italy.
• POE (59D: "The Tell-Tale Heart" author) "The Tell-Tale Heart" is a short story by Edgar Allan POE. The story was first published in 1843, and it has been terrifying readers ever since. Obviously, that last bit is my editorial comment! I can't remember which of my high school English classes required me to read "The Tell-Tale Heart." I do remember the story though – the narrator who describes a murder they committed while also trying to convince me, the reader, of their sanity.
• A few other answers I particularly enjoyed:
•  HOW OFF WAS I (28A: "Did my guess even kinda come close?)
• IT IS WHAT IT IS (5D: Phrase akin to "C'est la vie")
• OK FIRST OF ALL (21D: "Let's get one thing straight...")

Not all publications use titles for themeless crosswords, but I like the fact that USA Today does. Although there's no theme in a themeless crossword (by definition), the title serves as a way to highlight an answer (or two or three) that the constructor particularly likes. It's almost like an Easter egg. When I solve a USA Today freestyle puzzle, I'm on the lookout for which answer or answers that relate to the title. After I finished today's puzzle, I sat back and thought, "Huh. I GUESS I NEVER GOT THE MEMO about which answer relates to the title." This Easter egg was particularly well hidden. That meant a particularly satisfying "Aha!" moment when I figured it out. Thank you, Amie, for this delightful puzzle.