November 10, 2025

Title: OUTERWEAR

Constructor: Frederick Lavoie

Editor: Amie Walker

Theme synopsis:

• COMPANY RETREAT (19A: Corporate getaway that might feature team-building exercises)
• COWBOY HAT (34A: Headwear in Chappell Roan's "Pink Pony Club" music video)
• COMPARED TO WHAT (52A: "…but which thing are you measuring this against here?")

OUTERWEAR: The word COAT is found at the OUTER edges of each theme answer: COMPANY RETREAT, COWBOY HAT, and COMPARED TO WHAT.

What I learned from today's puzzle:

• GENA (15A: "The Skeleton Key" actor Rowlands) The Skeleton Key is a 2005 horror movie about a hospice aide who takes a job at a plantation and becomes entangles in a mystery involving the house and its former inhabitants. GENA Rowlands stars as Violet Devereaux, the aging matron of the house.
• TEA (12D: Beverage that may be topped with salted cheese) I am a TEA drinker, but cheese TEA is new to me! When I read this clue, I envisioned a mug of hot TEA with a big slice of salty cheese floating on top and melting into the tea. (I've got to be honest, that thought wasn't particularly appealing.) It turns out that cheese TEA, which originated in Taiwan around 2010, is an iced TEA drink. Cold green or black TEA is topped with a layer of salty cheese foam (made of cream cheese blended with cream or condensed milk).

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• ACRE (15A: The Hundred ___ Wood (Winnie-the-Pooh's home)) In A. A. Milne's classic children's stories, the Hundred ACRE Wood is home to Winnie-the Pooh and his friends. The fictional Hundred ACRE Wood was inspired by the real Ashdown Forest in East Sussex, England.
• FENNEL (24A: Herb in absinthe) Absinthe is an anise-flavoured spirit that has a natural green color (though some absinthes are colorless). In addition to anise, FENNEL is also used in the production of absinthe. The anise and FENNEL give absinthe a hint of black licorice flavor.
• SISTINE (29A: ___ Chapel (Vatican City attraction)) The SISTINE Chapel is located in the Apostolic Palace, the official residence of the POPE in Vatican City. One of the things the SISTINE Chapel is known for is its ceiling, which was painted by Michelangelo between 1508 and 1512. The SISTINE Chapel is the site of the papal conclave, the process for selecting a new POPE.
• ADO (33A: "Much ___ About Nothing") Much ADO About Nothing is a William Shakespeare play written around 1598-1599. The comedy involves secrets and trickery and revolves around the story of two couples, Claudio and Hero, and Benedick and Beatrice. Over 430 years later, the play continues to be performed. It has also been adapted numerous times for TV and film.
• COWBOY HAT (34A: Headwear in Chappell Roan's "Pink Pony Club" music video) "Pink Pony Club" is a song on Chappell Roan's 2023 album, The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess. The song's music video features Chappell Roan wearing a COWBOY HAT as she sings the song at a Midwest dive bar.
• POPE (41A: "Scandal" surname) The TV series, Scandal (2012-2018), focuses on the crisis management firm, Olivia POPE & Associates. Kerry Washington portrays Olivia Carolyn POPE.
• OKRA (56A: Gumbo vegetable) Gumbo is the official state cuisine of Louisiana. The soup consists of meat or shellfish, celery, bell peppers, and onions. Wikipedia says the dish can be made with or without OKRA, and I'm guessing some people have strong opinions on that matter.
• RULE (57A: "No phones during dinner," maybe) "No phones during dinner" was not a RULE when I was growing up, for the simple reason that cell phones weren't a thing yet! We did, however, have a RULE about singing at the table. It was not allowed.
• TEAL (60A: Color of Perry the Platypus) The TEAL-colored Perry the Platypus is the Flynn-Fletcher family pet on the animated TV series, Phineas and Ferb. Unbeknownst to his owners, Perry leads a double life as Agent P, a member of an animal espionage organization referred to as O.W.C.A. (Organization Without a Cool Acronym).
• OCEANIA (8D: Wingspan expansion with an Australian Ibis card) In the board game Wingspan, players take on the role of bird enthusiast hoping to attract the best birds to a nature preserve. The game's cards feature drawings of birds, complete with facts about their diet, habitat, and nesting habits. Since the original release of Wingspan in 2019, three expansion sets have been released: Wingspan European Expansion, Wingspan OCEANIA Expansion, and Wingspan Asia. The OCEANIA expansion focuses on birds from Australia and New Zealand, including the Australian Ibis, a wading bird native Australia.
• TED (10D: "How I Met Your Mother" role) How I Met Your Mother is a TV sitcom that originally aired from 2005 to 2014. The series focuses on TED Mosby (Josh Radnor) and his friends. The framework of the show is that TED is recounting to his children the events that led to him meeting their mother.
• LEO (25D: Name of the current 41-Across) I found this to be an interesting cross-reference, since the 41-Across answer is clued to Olivia POPE, not the head of the Catholic church. But once the answer is in the grid, it doesn't matter what the clue for it was, it works as a cross-reference. The current POPE is LEO XIV. (That's 14 if you're not up on your ROMAN (45D: ___ numerals) numerals.) POPE LEO XIV was elected in May of this year.
• ADELE (49D: "Hello" singer) ADELE released her song "Hello" in 2015.
• OBO (56D: "Price negotiable," in ads) OBO = or best offer

I always try to make a guess about the theme of a puzzle from its title. Today my guess was that we would see theme answers inside the word OUTER. I was delighted to be not-quite-right, as I do enjoy when figuring out a theme requires an extra step. Today the OUTERWEAR at the OUTER edges of the theme answers is a COAT. Congratulations to Frederick Lavoie making a USA Today crossword debut! Thank you, Frederick, for this excellent puzzle.