October 11, 2025

Title: SPEAKING OF LOVE…

Constructors: Olivia Mitra Framke & Sally Hoelscher

Editor: Amanda Rafkin

Theme synopsis:

• CLOSE FRIENDS (20A: They might exchange "I love yous")
• FOREST RANGERS (38A: They might exchange "I love yews")
• SHEEP FARMERS (58A: They might exchange "I love ewes")

SPEAKING OF LOVE…: The theme is in the clues today. The clues are identical except for the final words, which are homophones: yous / yews / ewes.

And now a word from our constructors:

Olivia: In my humble, word-nerd opinion, homophones are a great time! (grate thyme?) I have a list of all letters that are also homophones (aye, bee, see, etc.) and indeed “U” has not one but three homophones! The perfect number for a crossword theme. It’s worth mentioning that there was a lot of flexibility for the “I love yous” slot; in fact, the more obvious answer is something like NEWLYWEDS or SOULMATES. But Sally and I quickly decided to go with CLOSE FRIENDS, a kind of relationship that isn’t celebrated enough! Thank you, Sally, for always being such a fantastic collaborator and amazing friend.❤️

Sally: This theme idea was Olivia's, and I'm glad she invited me to come along for the ride! I also like that this puzzle highlights CLOSE FRIENDS. I'm thankful for Olivia's friendship!

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• SCOT (1A: Glaswegian, e.g.) A Glaswegian is a person from Glasgow, the most populous city in Scotland. 
• GAS (5A: Fuel not used by EVs) EVs here stands for electric vehicles. Instead of occasional stops at the GAS station for fuel, EVs require occasional charging of their batteries. My husband and I have driven an EV exclusively for just over three years now. One time not too long after we got it, we took my mom along with us on a road trip. My mom was insistent that she would pay for GAS for our trip; of course I agreed.
• USSR (46A: Cold War country) From 1922 to 1991, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), also known as the Soviet Union, was a country comprised of 15 national republics. The USSR was governed by the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. The Cold War refers to a period of political tension between the USSR and the United States that lasted from 1947 until the dissolution of the USSR in 1991. The Cold War and the USSR was such a part of my growing up years, that it sometimes amazes me to stop and think that the USSR has not existed in my children's lifetime.
• MINTS (48A: Andes candies) Andes MINTS are just the right combination of MINT and chocolate (in my opinion). They're also pretty cute in their little green wrappers.
• ARTISTS (52A: They might require palette cleansers) The trick to understanding this clue is to notice the spelling of "palette." The clue is not talking about a "palate cleanser" such as sorbet. Instead the clue is referencing "palettes" used by ARTISTS. This is Olivia's clue, and I think it's quite clever.
• PEPSI (61A: Cola originally called "Brad's Drink") The drink now known as PEPSI was developed by Caleb Bradham in 1893. He sold the drink at his drugstore in North Carolina, calling it "Brad's Drink" in reference to his last name. In 1898, it was renamed PEPSI-Cola. The PEPSI part of the name comes from the word "dyspepsia" (indigestion), which it was advertised to relieve, and Cola referred to its flavor.
• SEER (71A: Eye-opening Werewolf role?) Werewolf is a party game played with a group of people. Players are assigned roles of either werewolf or villager. There are night and day rounds of the game, which are directed by a moderator. During the night rounds, the werewolves open their eyes and decide which villager to eat. During the day rounds, everyone opens their eyes and tries to deduce who the werewolves are. The game ends when all the werewolves have been identified or all the villagers have been eaten. The SEER is a special role assigned to one of the villagers. During the night phase, there is a time when the SEER is allowed to open their eyes and receive information from the moderator about the identity of a player. 
• CURLER (2D: Athlete who sweeps on ice) In the sport of curling, players, known as CURLERs, slide polished granite stones across ice toward a target area of four concentric circles marked on the ice. The path of the stone is influenced by CURLERs sweeping the ice in front of it to reduce friction.
• TESS (4D: Author Gerritsen) TESS Gerritsen is an author and a retired physician. Her medical thrillers with the central characters of homicide detective Jane Rizzoli and medical examiner Dr. Maura Isles inspired the TV series Rizzoli & Isles.
• PANDA (8D: Animal on the cover of "Eats, Shoots & Leaves") As a grammar nerd, I love this clue (which was Olivia's). Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation is a 2003 non-fiction book by Lynne Truss. The goal of the book is to remind readers – through the use of humor – of the importance of punctuation. The book's title is derived from a joke about a PANDA popularized by Ursula Le Guin. The book's cover features one PANDA on a ladder erasing the comma in the title, and another PANDA walking away holding a gun.
• IRISH (9D: Like Enya) ENYA is Ireland's best-selling solo artist. I'm always happy for a reason to link to an Enya song. Today let's listen to "The Celts," which is sung in IRISH.
• TEN (10D: Point value of FIVE in Scrabble) In Scrabble, F and V tiles are worth four points each and vowels are worth one point each. That makes the word FIVE worth TEN points. It's also fun that the number of this clue is TEN.
• IKEBANA (15D: Japanese art of flower arranging) As the clue describes, IKEBANA is the Japanese art of flower arrangement. An IKEBANA instructor is referred to as a sensei. IKEBANA, also known as kadō, is one of three classical Japanese arts of refinement. The other two are kōdō (incense appreciation) and chadō (the tea ceremony).
• EDDIE (21D: He led the Hellfire Club in "Stranger Things") I have previously written about the TV series Stranger Things, the Netflix TV show about a small town dealing with a hostile alternate dimension. EDDIE Munson, portrayed by Joseph Quinn, is a character in the show's fourth season. As the clue says, EDDIE was the leader of the high school's Dungeons & Dragons-themed Hellfire Club.
• AMOR (26D: Spanish for "love") SPEAKING OF LOVE… here's a little bonus answer for you.
• EUROS (32D: Kosovo coins) Kosovo is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe. Although Kosovo is not a formal member of the eurozone, the country uses EUROS as their currency.
• JEDI (37D: Knights that eschew the dark side) Oh, look, here's a Star Wars reference! What a surprise in a collaboration between Olivia and me…
• FOUR (38D: Number of Jupiter's moons that are visible with binoculars) Jupiter is the largest planet in the Solar system and has a diameter that is 11 times that of Earth. There are at least 97 moons orbiting Jupiter. The FOUR largest of Jupiter's moons – Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto – are visible with binoculars.
• NAE NAE (49D: Dance move that might follow a whip) The NAE NAE is a dance move that involves holding one arm in the air and swaying side to side. This clue is a reference to the 2015 song "Watch Me (Whip/NAE NAE)," which was the debut single by rap artist Silentó.
• SHIPS (54D: Fandom's Aziracrow and Obikin, for two) The word SHIPS here is short for relationships. In this usage, the term is particularly used to refer to relationships fans would like to see between characters. Fan fiction is often produced about these SHIPS. Aziracrow is a SHIP between the Good Omens characters Aziraphale and Crowley. Obikin is a SHIP between the Star Wars characters Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker.
• MUGS (60D: Cups for cocoa) I have a rather extensive collection of MUGS, and was quite happy to feature the word in this grid.
• PET (63D: Cat or dog, e.g.) Never fear, we managed to slip in a PET reference as the last clue in the puzzle! Our PETs – my cat, Willow, and Olivia's dog, Charlie, and cat, Whiskey – are always happy to be mentioned in the puzzle. Today we're featuring sleepy cat pics.

Willow

Whiskey

In today's puzzle, the theme is found in the clues, rather than in the answers. USA Today just recently began accepting clue-based themes, and when they did, Olivia came up with this LOVE-ly idea. Thanks to Amanda for her usual great editing. Thank you for solving. I hope you had as much fun solving this puzzle as we had making it.