January 2, 2026

Title: BE YOU

Constructor: Olivia Mitra Framke

Editor: Amanda Rafkin

Theme synopsis:

• BROWN UNIVERSITY (16A: Ivy whose mascot is Bruno the Bear)
• BEACH UMBRELLA (37A: Source of shade by the sea)
• BURROWING URCHIN (60A: Spiky sea creature that digs into rock)

BE YOU: Each theme answer has the initials B.U.: BROWN UNIVERSITY, BEACH UMBRELLA, and BURROWING URCHIN.

And now a word from our constructor:

Olivia: Today's crossword is my 40th USA Today byline! USAT is officially where I have the most crossword bylines (followed by Puzzmo with a strong 32). I'm honored to have a space to chat about my puzzles here on Sally's great blog.

This theme idea came to me last Pride Month, when I wore a shirt to the big NJ Pride event in Asbury Park with "BE YOU" across the front in rainbow letters. It's important for crossword constructors to always be on the lookout for puzzle fodder everywhere they go! 🌈 Thank you, Amanda, for the great edits as always, and Happy New Year to the readers of Sally's Take!

What I learned from today's puzzle:

• KANA (42A: Japanese writing system) KANA is a system of syllabic writing used for Japanese. Each KANA character represents a syllable.
• BESS (67A: "Buffalo Fluffalo" author Kalb) BESS Kalb has been a writer for the Jimmy Kimmel Live! TV show and the creator and writer of the Prime Video stand-up comedy specials featuring women, Yearly Departed. She is also the author of two books. Nobody Will Tell You This But Me: A True (As Told to Me) Story (2020) tells the story of her grandmother, Bobby Bell. Buffalo Fluffalo (2024) is a children's book by BESS Kalb, illustrated by Erin Kraan, about a self-important buffalo. In a tie-in with one of today's theme answers, BESS Kalb is an alum of BROWN UNIVERSITY. 

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• STAR (5A: Symbol on the Vietnamese flag) The flag of Vietnam features a single golden STAR on a red background.
• BROWN UNIVERSITY (16A: Ivy whose mascot is Bruno the Bear) BROWN UNIVERSITY is an Ivy League school located in Providence, Rhode Island. As the clue tells us, the school's mascot is Bruno the Bear. Fun fact: The first mascot of BROWN UNIVERSITY was a burro. However, the burro mascot was greeted with laughter when it debuted at a game against Harvard, so it was not kept as the mascot.
• CAT (19A: Tortie, Persian, or Scottish Fold) My CAT, Willow, would like it noted that she would be perfectly happy if every puzzle in 2026 contains a CAT reference. Here's a photo of Olivia's CAT, Whiskey, who is a tortie (tortoiseshell).

• PAGAN (21A: Person who might celebrate winter solstice) PAGANs celebrate the winter solstice as a time of rebirth. The winter solstice marks the shortest day and longest night, and thus the beginning of the sun's return as the days begin to get longer. Celebrations may include bonfires, Yule logs, and setting intentions for the new year.
• TOFFEE (25A: Sticky ___ pudding) Sticky TOFFEE pudding is an English dessert of a moist sponge cake covered in caramel sauce and served with custard or ice cream. I am a huge fan of sticky TOFFEE pudding. When my husband and I visited Scotland in 2024, we had sticky TOFFEE pudding the first night we were there and decided we would eat it at every opportunity during our trip. During our 12-day trip we ate sticky TOFFEE pudding 10 times. No regrets!
• YOGA (48A: Discipline with puppy pose) The puppy pose in YOGA is a cross between the poses downward dog and child's pose. Here's Olivia's dog, Charlie, doing his own version of puppy pose.

• KNEEPAD (53A: Joint coverage?) We're not talking about insurance here, but rather a KNEEPAD that provides coverage of a joint.
• ONION (55A: "Glass ___: A Knives Out Mystery") Glass ONION: A Knives Out Mystery is a 2022 movie directed by Rian Johnson. Glass ONION was a follow-up (same style, different story) to the 2019 movie, Knives Out. The third Knives Out movie, Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery was released at the end of last year. Each movie is a stand-alone story and features a different ensemble cast with the exception of the detective Benoit Blanc (portrayed by Daniel Craig). I am a tremendous fan of these movies ... as I might have mentioned previously.
• IRA (57A: Radio host Glass) IRA Glass is the host and producer of the radio program This American Life.  He has also been involved in several NPR programs, including Morning Edition, All Things Considered, and Talk of the Nation. 
• BURROWING URCHIN (60A: Spiky sea creature that digs into rock) The BURROWING URCHIN is a type of sea URCHIN named for its habit of BURROWING into rock to hide from predators. These URCHINs have green and purple spines. 
• FERN (66A: Houseplant with spores) A FERN has neither seeds nor flowers and instead reproduces via spores. FERN is making back-to-back puzzle appearances. We saw it yesterday clued as [Wilbur's friend, in "Charlotte's Web"].
• PROTON (3D: Particle composed of three quarks) A PROTON is a subatomic particle with a positive electric charge. As the clue notes, a PROTON is composed of three quarks, specifically two up quarks and one down quark. Hooray for science in the crossword!
• ALI (7D: "Baby Cobra" comedian Wong) Baby Cobra is ALI Wong's 2016 stand-up comedy special. Topics that ALI Wong covers on Baby Cobra include "her sexual adventures, hoarding, the rocky road to pregnancy, and why feminism is terrible."
• KIT (11D: Baby fox) and SLY (12D: ___ as a fox) I enjoyed this consecutive pair of fox-related clues.
• AIDA (23D: Opera set in Egypt) AIDA is an 1871 opera by Giuseppe Verdi. As the clue informs us, AIDA is set in ancient Egypt.
• DENMARK (24D: Copenhagen's country) Copenhagen is the capital and most populous city of DENMARK. Copenhagen is located on two islands, Zealand and Amager.
• ESTA (26D: "___ bien?") "ESTA bien?" is Spanish for "Okay?" (or "Is that okay?").
• EYE (27D: "In the ___ of a hurricane there is quiet" ("Hamilton" lyric)) "Hurricane" is a song from the 2015 Broadway musical Hamilton by Lin-Manuel Miranda. The song contains the lyric, "In the EYE of a hurricane there is quiet..." This clue is a great way to add interest to the three-letter answer EYE. I also like that the clue is inferable to solvers that might not be familiar with the song.
• NEW YEAR (35D: It might be celebrated on the spring equinox) It feels appropriate to see NEW YEAR as an answer on the second day of 2026. As the clue reminds us, some cultures celebrate the NEW YEAR on the spring equinox in March. One example is Nowruz, the Iranian NEW YEAR, which is celebrated on the spring equinox and marks the first day of Farvadin, the first month of the Iranian calendar.
• AMO (41D: "Te ___" (declaracion romantica)) "Te AMO" is Spanish for "I love you," and that's definitely a "declaración romántica," a romantic declaration.
• GENRES (45D: Romance and mystery, for two) I like that the GENRES provided as examples here serve as a bridge of sorts between the clue for AMO, which mentions romance, and ENIGMA, which mentions mystery.
• ENIGMA (47D: It's a mystery!) An exclamation point at the end of a clue alerts solvers that the clue is to be taken literally. An ENIGMA is literally a mystery.
• GATHER (49D: Action taken in Farming Simulator 25) Farming Simulator 25 is a farming simulation video game in which players can grow and GATHER crops.
• BRB (60D: "Gimme a sec!") BRB = be right back
• UAE (61D: Dubai's country, for short) Dubai is the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, one of seven emirates that make up the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Dubai is the most populous city in the UAE.

In order to understand today's theme, it's necessary to interpret the title, BE YOU, as the letters it sounds like: B.U. I'm a fan of this type of theme. It's just slightly tricky, making it gettable, but still providing a nice "Aha!" moment. Thank you, Olivia, for this excellent puzzle, and congrats on 40 USA Today crosswords!