October 5, 2025

Title: ROSE CUTTINGS

Constructor: Neil Shook

Editor: Amie Walker

Theme synopsis:

• ROCKING HORSE (20A: "Steed" in a toddler's playroom)
• ROUND OF APPLAUSE (37A: Big hand)
• ROMANO CHEESE (52A: Grated trattoria topping)

ROSE CUTTINGS: ROCKING HORSE, ROUND OF APPLAUSE, and ROMANO CHEESE.

What I learned from today's puzzle:

• BOOP (44A: Betty ___ (Broadway role for Jasmine Amy Rogers)) BOOP! The Musical is a musical based on Betty BOOP, an animated character who has appeared in a number of cartoons and film series since the 1930s. The musical sees Betty BOOP teleporting from "ToonTown" into the real world. BOOP! The Musicial, with Jasmine Amy Rogers in the starring role, premiered in Chicago in 2023 and had a run on Broadway earlier this year.
• TIE (59D: Neckwear for many a "Severance" character) I have written several times about the Apple TV+ sci-fi series Severance. However, since I've never watched the show, I'm constantly learning new things about it from the crossword. On the show, workers at Lumon Industries agree to a "severance" procedure that separates work memories from non-work memories. Lumon Industries has a dress code that requires male employees to wear white or light blue shirts and dark suits in navy, black, gray, or taupe. A TIE completes the outfit. Often the TIEs are blue or green, but occasionally other colors and patterns make an appearance. I found an interesting article in Fashion magazine that discusses the shows costuming, "In Severance, the Clothing Says Nothing But Also Everything."

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• PANDA (1A: Animal with a bamboo-based diet) A PANDA can eat up to 40 pounds of bamboo a day. (That's a lot!) In fact, a PANDA's day pretty much consists of eating bamboo and sleeping. PANDA's are well-adapted to procure and eat bamboo, but are less well-adapted to digest it. This is why they need to eat so much bamboo in order to get the nutrients they need.
• ARIES (14A: Zodiac ram) ARIES is the first astrological sign of the zodiac, and it is the sign for people born between March 20 and April 19. The symbol for ARIES is the ram. People born under the sign of ARIES include Mariah Carey, Lady Gaga, my mom, my daughter, my brother, and my dad.
• ESTUARIES (18A: Transition zones between rivers and oceans) ESTUARIES are coastal bodies of waters where water from rivers (which is freshwater) meets water from oceans (saltwater). This results in brackish water, which has a higher salinity than freshwater, but not as much as seawater. For example, Chesapeake Bay in Virginia is an example of an estuary. More than 150 major rivers and streams flow into Chesapeake Bay, which is also connected to the Atlantic Ocean. The salinity of Chesapeake Bay ranges in different areas of the bay from 1.87% to 3.6% (which is the salinity of the ocean).
• AMBIEN (32A: Prescription sleep aid) AMBIEN is a trade name for the drug zolpidem, which is used as a short-term sleep aid.
• TMI (35A: "ew, no more pls!") TMI = too much information
• SISTER (42A: Nessarose, to Elphaba, in "Wicked") I'm always delighted to see a Wicked reference. In the 2024 movie Wicked, and in the upcoming part two, Wicked: For Good, Cynthia Erivo portrays Elphaba, and Marissa Bode portrays Elphaba's SISTER, Nessarose.
• OLD (43A: "It's always the same ___ story!") and BRR (44A: "I need 10 blankets now") The proximity of these two clues form a fun little story either about the change of the seasons or about control of the thermostat: "Its always the same OLD story! BRR! I need 10 blankets now." 
• ONE (48A: Number of studio albums in Lauryn Hill's discography) Lauryn Hill has won an impressive eight Grammy Awards – the most for any female rap artist. It may seem surprising then, that Lauryn Hill has only ONE studio album, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill (2025). She has also released a live album, MTV Unplugged No. 2.0 (2002), and has two studio albums, three compilation albums, and a remix album with the Fugees (a hip hop trio of Lauryn Hill, Pras Michel, and Wyclef Jean).
• CAMEL (63A: Desert animal with three eyelids) I always enjoy a fun animal fact with my crossword. A CAMEL uses its third eyelid, also known as the nictitating membrane, to protect their eyes from sand. This transparent eyelid helps a CAMEL maintain its vision while keeping the eye protected. CAMELs aren't the only animals that have a third eyelid. Other animals with nictitating membranes include eagles, sharks, and cats.
• DESK (4D: "Abbott Elementary" prop) Abbott Elementary is a mocumentary TV series about a group of educators in the Philadelphia school system. It makes sense then, that a DESK is a common prop on the show.
• ALI (11D: "Beef" star Wong) I have previously written about the TV series Beef.
• ASHE (19D: Tennis great Arthur) Thanks to his crossword-friendly last name, I have written quite a few times about Arthur ASHE.
• BUNDT (34D: Cake type baked in a distinct pan) A BUNDT cake is not linked to a specific recipe, but is used to refer to any cake baked in a specific pan resulting in a cake with a characteristic donut shape and a hole in the center. BUNDT is a trademark of Nordic Ware, a cookware company co-founded in Minnesota by the Dalquist brothers. National BUNDT Day is coming up on November 15, so mark your calendars and plan to make a BUNDT cake.
• TAN (35D: "The Joy Luck Club" author Amy) Amy TAN's 1989 book, the Joy Luck Club, tells the stories of four immigrant families – four mothers and their daughters – living in San Francisco. The book was adapted into a 1993 movie by the same name.
• PAST (36D: ___, present and future) This reminds me of the joke: PAST, present, and future walk into a bar. It was tense.
• LIFE HACK (39D: Tip for increasing efficiency) Here's a fun fact: The term LIFE HACK  was coined at a technology conference in 2004 by technology journalist, Danny O'Brien, to describe shortcuts IT professionals use to get their job done. After his presentation, the term caught on and its usage has grown to include tricks and shortcuts outside of the tech realm. What's your favorite LIFE HACK? 
• TE AMO (49D: Words from una esposa) "TE AMO" is Spanish for "I love you." These are hopefully words one would hear from "una esposa" (a wife).
• EWAN (56D: "Trainspotting" actor McGregor) Trainspotting is a 1996 movie based on Irvine Welsh's 1993 novel of the same name. The film centers on a group of heroin addicts in Edinburgh, Scotland. EWAN McGregor portrays a heroin addict who makes multiple attempts to quit the drug.
• UAE (58D: Burj Khalifa's country, for short) The Burj Khalifa is a skyscraper in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE). At just over half a mile tall, the Burj Khalifa is the tallest building in the world. The Burj Khalifa has 163 floors, 57 elevators, and 8 escalators. 
• A few other clues I especially enjoyed:
• ABOUT (25D: "What was that all ___?")
• SINK (30D: What anchors do in water)
• HUM (30D: "Sing" without singing)

Today's title perfectly describes the puzzle's theme, and it was fun to uncover the ROSE CUTTINGS. Fortunately, these ROSEs come without thorns. Congratulations to Neil Shook making a USA Today debut! Thank you, Neil, for this enjoyable puzzle.