January 26, 2026

Title: GO WITH THE FLOW

Constructors: Sally Hoelscher & Olivia Mitra Framke

Editor: Amie Walker

Theme synopsis:

• OVER AND OUT (16A: Incorrect radio signoff popularized by Hollywood)
• WORK WONDERS (36A: Have an overwhelmingly positive effect)
• AIR JORDANS (57A; Nike shoes named for a Bulls legend)

GO WITH THE FLOW: The first word of each theme answer can be paired with the word FLOW: OVERFLOW, WORKFLOW, and AIRFLOW.

And now a word from today's constructors:

Sally: This is the first USA Today collaboration for Olivia and me ... in 2026! Here's to another year of collaborating. We have some fun puzzles in the works.

Olivia: Sally and I chat a lot on Discord. I love how our conversations can suddenly become crossword brainstorms... for example, one of us might casually use a phrase (say, "go with the flow") and the other will reply with an eyes emoji, and next thing you know, we're launching words that go with "flow" back and forth at each other, totally on the same page! Thanks for another great collab, Sally!

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• CROFT (4A: "Tomb Raider" hero Lara) Lara CROFT is the protagonist of the video game franchise Tomb Raider.
• NOBLE (14A: Like gases in group 18 of the periodic table) Group 18 of the periodic table of the elements contains seven elements: helium, neon, argon, krypton, xenon, radon, and oganesson. The first six of these elements are commonly referred to as the NOBLE gases. (The properties of oganesson are uncertain, as it is highly radioactive and difficult to study.) The NOBLE gases are odorless and colorless and have very low chemical reactivity. Hooray for science in the crossword!
• OVER AND OUT (16A: Incorrect radio signoff popularized by Hollywood) Raise your hand if you've seen a movie or TV character use the phrase "OVER AND OUT" as a radio signoff. Hollywood's use of this phrase has popularized it, but while writing clues for this puzzle, Olivia and I learned that in actuality, the words "OVER" AND "OUT" would not be used together. The word "OVER" signifies "now it's your turn," while the word "OUT," signifies, "conversation done. So saying "OVER AND OUT" would be like saying, "now it's your turn, but I'm not listening." Ha!
• MPAA (18A: Film-rating org., formerly) The trade association that represents major film studios in the United States was known as the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) from 1945 until 2019. It is now known as simply the Motion Picture Association (MPA). One thing the organization does is establish a film rating system. Current ratings are G (General Audiences), PG (Parental Guidance Suggested), PG-13 (Parents Strongly Cautioned), R (Restricted), and NC-17 (Adults Only).
• SOCK (21A: Potential puppet) I am glad this clue made it through editing. It makes me smile.
• PREY (28A: "I've been the archer, I've been the ___" (Taylor Swift lyric)) "The Archer" is a 2019 song by Taylor Swift, from her album, Lover. "I've been the archer, I've been the PREY / Who could ever leave me darling / But who could stay."
• IDIOM (33A: "Herding cats," e.g.) I adore the IDIOM "herding cats." Any cat owner can relate to the futility of such an attempt. Here's a photo of Olivia's cat, Whiskey, who approves of cat content in this puzzle.

• THUMB (39A: "Green" part of a skilled gardener) The quotation marks around the word "green" alert solvers that the word can be paired with the answer. Skilled gardeners are said to have a green THUMB.
• TEAIRA (49A: Former Dallas Wings player McCowan) TEAIRA McCowan is a professional basketball player. She played for WNBA's Indiana Fever from 2019-2021 and for WNBA's Dallas Wings from 2022-2025. She currently plays for the Turkish team Fenerbahçe.
• MLB (53A: St. Louis Cardinal's org.) and NHL (37D: St. Louis Blues' org.) Although I don't follow sports closely, I spent some of my growing up years in St. Louis, Missouri, so I was happy for a chance to shoutout a couple of their sports teams. I do consider myself a fan of the MLB's (Major League Baseball's) St. Louis Cardinals. My dad was a big Cardinals fan, and I have been to quite a few games at Busch Stadium. I don't really follow hockey, so don't call myself a fan of the NHL's (National Hockey League's) St. Louis Blues. I have, however, been to a St. Louis Blues game many years ago.
• AIR JORDANS (57A; Nike shoes named for a Bulls legend) That legend is, of course, Michael Jordan, who played basketball for the Chicago Bulls from 1984-1998. AIR JORDANS were first introduced in November 1984.
• TOVE LO (1D: "Talking Body" singer) TOVE LO is a Swedish singer and songwriter. Her 2015 song, "Talking Body" reached the top 20 in multiple markets, including Sweden, Canada, Finland, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
• CNN (4D: Christiane Amanpour's channel) Christiane Amanpour is the Chief International Anchor for CNN. She is the host of The Amanpour Hour, an interview program that airs on Saturdays. She also hosts a nightly program for CNN International called Amanpour.
• TETRA (8D: "Neon" aquarium fish) The Neon TETRA is a species of freshwater fish named for its bright coloring. Neon TETRAs are one of the most commonly kept tropical fishes in the world.
• PEA COAT (11D: Naval-inspired outerwear) Characteristics of a PEA COAT are broad lapels, double-breasted fronts, and large buttons. The design of the short – usually navy-colored – wool PEA COAT is inspired by the COATs worn by European and American sailors.
• NOSES (13D: "Boop" targets) More pet content and an opportunity to share a picture of Olivia's dog, Charlie, and his very boopable NOSE.

• ART (17D: Frame works?) The question mark in the clue means it's not referring to a skeletal structure (a framework), but to works in frames, or ART.
• SALEM (25D: "Hocus Pocus" town) The 1993 movie Hocus Pocus is set in SALEM, Massachusetts. It features a trio of witches, the Sanderson sisters, portrayed by Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy. The three reprised their roles for Hocus Pocus 2 (2022). A third movie is said to be in the works.
• EMOTE (30D: Twitch chat symbol, informally) Twitch is a video livestreaming service. It is most widely, but not exclusively, used for video game livestreaming. I, not unpredictably, associate Twitch with the streaming of crossword events, including the Boswords Winter Wondersolve happening on February 1st. (There's still time to register and spend an afternoon solving puzzles online!) Similar to emojis, but specific to Twitch, an EMOTE is an emoticon that Twitch viewers can use in the chat stream.
• WAITRESS (36D: Sara Bareilles musical) WAITRESS is a 2015 musical written by Sara Bareilles. It is based on a 2007 movie of the same name. Sara Bareilles played the role of Jenna in the Broadway production of the musical.
• CALICO (41D: Board game featuring quilts and cats) CALICO is a board game in which players lay tiles to create quilts that then attract cats to their boards. (Why yes, Olivia and I both own this game!) Here's a photo of my CALICO cat, Willow, overseeing a game of CALICO.

There have been two previous USA Today puzzles titled "GO WITH THE FLOW," on September 3, 2021 and July 18, 2025. I hope you enjoyed Olivia and my "GO WITH THE FLOW," offering. I think it's fun when a puzzle can be interpreted multiple ways. This is one of those puzzles where the theme set went through a few revisions to get to its final form. I like the set we ended up with; many thanks to the editing team for their help. It's always a joy to collaborate with Olivia. Here's to many more collaborations this year! Thank you for solving and reading.