October 7, 2025

Title: GO TOUCH GRASS! (Freestyle)

Constructors: Jess Rucks & Ann Hagerty

Editor: Amie Walker

Theme synopsis:

GO TOUCH GRASS!: There's no theme today, as this is a freestyle, or themeless puzzle. The title is a nod to EXTREMELY ONLINE (9D: Like someone deeply immersed in internet culture) and BRAIN ROT (36D: Low quality internet content … or what might happen after watching it).

And now a word from our constructors:

Ann: I'm so glad to be making my USA Today debut. I love collaborating with Jess, and I really appreciated getting to work with Amanda, too. I'm especially happy that Amanda kept my clue about MEGA penguins - I smile whenever I picture a bunch of Barkley-sized penguins hanging out. I'm also glad that Jess and I got to reference one of our shared heroes, Anthony Bourdain. My favorite random fact that I learned from this puzzle is that da Vinci was the first person to use SONAR. I feel like every time I pop down the rabbit hole of "things da Vinci did," I find myself amazed. 

Jess: I always love having a chance to work on a puzzle with Ann. This time around, I made the grid, and Ann did the lion's share of the cluing. I am a big fan of her clues for SMEE and MEGA. I'm also happy to have BRAIN ROT right next to EXTREMELY ONLINE in the puzzle -- this was intentional. YES MOM and BUT DAD were fun to work into the grid, as well. I was going for some real kid-vibes with all those entries, plus NOOB, LEMONADE STAND and COOL RANCH (arguably one of the best Doritos flavors ever). Thanks for solving!

What I learned from today's puzzle:

• MEGA (8A: ___ Penguin (nickname for an extinct species roughly the size of Charles Barkley)) The scientific name of the extinct MEGA penguin is Palaeeudyptes klekowskii. Prior to fossil analysis and studies done in 2014, it was thought that Palaeeudyptes klekowskii was just a bit larger than the modern penguin species, the emperor penguin (a bit over three feet tall). However, it turns out that Palaeeudyptes klekowskii was actually almost twice as tall as emperor penguins, earning it the nickname MEGA penguin. It's estimated the MEGA penguin was up to 6 feet 6 inches tall and may have weighed as much as 256 pounds. Charles Barkley, a sports analyst and former professional basketball player, has a listed height and weight of 6 feet 6 inches and 252 pounds. I enjoyed this clue and am happy to learn about the MEGA penguin.
• ROAN (24A: "The Secret of ___ Inish") The Secret of ROAN Inish is a 1994 indie movie based on Rosalie K. Fry's 1957 book, Secret of the Ron Mor Skerry. The fantasy-adventure film explores the Irish and Scottish folklore of selkies, seals that can shed their skin and become human. Although the book is set in Scotland, for the movie the setting was changed to Ireland. Much of the movie was filmed in County Donegal in Ireland.
• OMAN (55A: Country where Anthony Bourdain ate ouzi in the Empty Quarter) Anthony Bourdain (1956-2018) was a chef, author, and travel documentarian. From 2013-2018, he hosted a travel and food show, Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown. For the show, Anthony Bourdain traveled around the world to explore cultures and cuisine, particularly of lesser-known places. One of the places Anthony Bourdain traveled to was OMAN. He visited the Empty Quarter – a name used for the Rub' al Khali, a desert that covers the southern third of the Arabian Peninsula. There he sat around a Bedouin campfire and ate a variation of lamb ouzi, a Middle Eastern dish with slow-cooked lamb, spiced rice, and nuts.

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• APT (1A: Like the name Mary Berry for a food journalist) Mary Berry is a baker and food writer. She is the author of over 75 cookbooks,  including the best-selling Baking Bible (2009). From 2010 to 2016, Mary Berry was one of the hosts of The Great British Bake-Off (known as The Great British Baking Show in the United States). I have previously discussed compiling a list of APT name clues we've seen used in the puzzle. This clue makes me realize that APT name clues featuring real people could be a subset of that list. 
• MISO (4A: Umami-rich paste) A traditional Japanese seasoning, MISO is a paste made by fermenting soybeans with salt and kōji (a type of fungus). In addition to being used to make MISO soup, the umami-rich paste is used for pickling vegetables and seasoning sauces and spreads.
• VIXEN (15A: Dancer's co-worker?) The question mark in this clue is a hint to think of Santa's reindeer, Dancer, who is a co-worker of VIXEN, rather than a person who dances.
• YES MOM (27A: Assent to a parent) and BUT DAD (34A: Objection to a parent) This is a fun related pair.
• BLOG (36A: Post operation?) Ha! Considering that I post articles to a BLOG on a daily basis, it took me far longer than it probably should have to figure out this question mark clue.
• ALI (38A: Undefeated boxer Laila) Laila ALI, the daughter of Muhammad ALI, retired from an eight-year undefeated professional boxing career in 2007.
• SONAR (40A: Underwater detection system first used by da Vinci) SONAR uses sound propagation underwater to detect and measure objects, such as submarines. The first recorded use of the technique was in 1490 by Leonardo da Vinci, who used a tube inserted into water to listen for vessels. 
• SMEE (62A: Captain Hook's right hand?) Captain Hook is, of course, the enemy of Peter Pan in J. M. Barrie's 1904 play Peter Pan; or, the Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up. Captain Hook is the captain of the pirate ship Jolly Roger. He is named for the iron hook on his right hand, which replaces the hand Peter Pan fed to a crocodile. However, the question mark in this clue is a hint that the "right hand" here is not literal, but a reference to Captain Hook's right hand man, Mr. SMEE. 
• AC/DC (1D: "Back in Black" band) Back in Black is a 1980 album by AC/DC. It was the group's first album with Brian Johnson as lead vocalist. Back in Black is one of the best-selling albums of all time.
• TOGA PARTY (3D: Major fraternity event in "Animal House") Animal House is a 1978 movie that is a spoof of fraternity life. Fun fact: Because the film had a low budget, Debra Nadoolman and Judy Belushi, the wives of director John Landis and actor John Belushi, made the TOGAs for the TOGA PARTY scene.
• MYSTIC (23D: Washington WNBA player) The Washington MYSTICs are a WNBA team based in Washington, D.C. They were the WNBA champions in 2019.
• REBA (24D: "Queen of Country" McEntire) REBA McEntire has been called the "Queen of Country." She has had 25 number one hits on Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart, beginning with "Can't Even Get the Blues," released in 1982.
• OTOE (28D: Chiwere speakers) The OTOE are indigenous people of the Midwestern United States. Their language, Chiwere, is part of the Siouan family of languages.
• MAGS (29D: Highlights and Zoobooks, for short) Highlights and Zoobooks are magazines – MAGS, for short – for children. Highlights has been publishing since 1946 and has printed over a billion magazine copies. I remember reading Highlights when I was a kid, and it was fun to see it get a shout out here. Zoobooks is newer; it was founded in 1980. Each monthly issue of Zoobooks focuses on a different animal or group of animals. Zoobooks was acquired by the National Wildlife Federation in 2018.
• GATOS (31D: Cats, in Spanish) You know I'm always happy to see cat content in any language. Ann has two cats (dos GATOS), Ella and Louis. Jess, as you may recall from his previous appearances on the blog, has one cat (un GATO), Milo.

Ella

Louis

Milo

• CARD ROOM (35D: P-p-p-poker place) The "P-p-p-poker" in the clue is a reference to the lyrics of Lady Gaga's 2008 song, "Poker Face." 
• THONG (45D: Flip-flop, in Australia) This clue made me laugh! Flip-flop is an onomatopoeic name that describes the sound these shoes make when one walks while wearing them. These shoes are indeed called THONGs in Australia. Flip-flops have also been known as THONGs in the United States (as well as in other countries) ... in fact, that's what I grew up calling them. When the word THONG became associated with underwear, the name of the shoe gradually transitioned to flip-flop.
• ALARM (47D: Chili heat unit) As in four-ALARM or five-ALARM chili.
• KEVIN (49D: First Minion identified by name) The Minions are yellow creatures that we first met in the 2010 animated movie, Despicable Me. They also appear in the other movies in the Despicable Me franchise. The three most familiar Minions are named KEVIN, Stuart, and Bob.
• A couple of other clues I especially enjoyed:
• INDOORS (5D: Inapt place for outside voices)
• LEMONADE STAND (13D: Sweet summer sidewalk business)

I really like the title of today's puzzle. "GO TOUCH GRASS!" is such a good phrase, and a great reminder. I like that the title appears to be giving advice to someone who is EXTREMELY ONLINE. Congratulations to Ann Hagerty making a USA Today debut! Thank you, Jess and Ann, for this delightful puzzle.