March 28, 2026

Title: TOSS IT!

Constructor: Dan Zarin

Editor: Amie Walker

Theme synopsis:

• BRAKE LIGHTS (16A: They might make you see red in traffic)
• CHIPS AND SALSA (26A: Refillable starter at some taquerias)
• STAIN REMOVERS (47A: White vinegar and baking soda, for two)
• Revealer: MIXED GREENS (63A: Common salad base, or what's found literally in 16-, 26- and 47-Across)

TOSS IT!: Each theme answer contains an anagram of a leafy GREEN vegetable. Our MIXED GREENS are: kale in BRAKE LIGHTS, spinach in CHIPS AND SALSA, and romaine in STAIN REMOVERS.

What I learned from today's puzzle:

• CANOE (20A: "Paddle Your Own ___" (Nick Offerman book)) Nick Offerman is known for his portrayal of Ron Swanson on Parks and Recreation (2009-2015). He's also written several books. The first was Paddle Your Own CANOE: One Man's Fundamentals for Delicious Living (2013). On his website, Nick Offerman says, "This is a book I have written, detailing stories from my past in which I behaved like a jackass. I also hold forth on topics like meat, mirth, and Megan Mullally." CANOE is making back-to-back puzzle appearances. We saw it yesterday clued as ["I can row a boat, ___? (punny phrase)].
• ERIC (44A: Musician Church or Mercury) ERIC Church is a country and southern rock musician. His most recent studio album is Evangeline vs. the Machine (2025). ERIC Mercury (1944-2022) was a Canadian musician. One of his hits was a 1983 duet with Roberta Flack, "Our Love Will Stop the World." 
• CITGO (37D: Gas company with a landmark 6-Down visible from Fenway Park) and SIGN (6D: Autograph) CITGO is a petroleum company founded in 1983 in Houston, Texas. In spite of its Texas roots, one of CITGO's most famous billboards is associated with the Boston Red Sox. From inside Fenway Park (the home stadium of the Red Sox), the CITGO SIGN is visible over the Green Monster, the park's left field wall. The neon SIGN is 60 feet by 60 feet, and has featured CITGO's triangle logo since 1965. When CITGO planned to take the SIGN down in 1982, they discovered Bostonians had grown attached to seeing it. 

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• NORAH (13A: "Come Away With Me" singer Jones) "Come Away With Me" is the title track of NORAH Jones' 2002 debut studio album. 
• CASE (19A: "___ closed!" ("Mystery solved!")) "CASE closed!" is what I said when I finally figured out which MIXED GREENS were being anagrammed in today's theme answers. 
• MAFIA (38A: Crime-themed party game) MAFIA is a party game in which players are assigned to one of two groups – the mafioso or the villagers. During the rounds of the game, players attempt to deduce the identity of the MAFIA ... before it is too late.
• ABBA (41A: "Slipping Through My Fingers" band) "Slipping Through My Fingers" is a 1982 song by ABBA. The song was first released in Japan on promotional records for Coca-Cola.
• ASIA (42A: Tibet's continent) Tibet is an autonomous region in China. Its capital and largest city is Lhasa. Tibet is also the name used for a region of ASIA that includes the Tibet Autonomous Region plus more of the Tibetan Plateau, including parts in India. Located in the Himalayas, Tibet is the highest region on Earth, and includes Earth's highest mountain, Mt. Everest. Our crossword friend ASIA is having a very good month; it's making its fourth March appearance today.
• OREGANO (51A: Marinara sauce herb) My eyes decided to play a trick on me when I first read this clue. I thought it said [Marinara sauce verb]. I was thinking "simmer?" I skipped this and went on, and when I correctly read the clue later it was much easier to figure out the answer!
• MAINE (66A: Bar Harbor's state) Bar Harbor is a resort town in MAINE. It is located on Mount Desert Island, which is MAINE's largest island and is located off the state's north-central coast. Acadia National Park is located near Bar Harbor.
• CNBC (1D: "Fast Money" network) Fast Money is a CNBC show that discusses financial stock trading. The show airs Monday through Friday, one hour after the closing of the New York Stock Exchange.
• SHE (5D: "Murder, ___ Wrote") Murder, SHE Wrote, starring the fabulous Angela Lansbury (1925-2022) as mystery writer and amateur detective Jessica Fletcher, ran for 12 seasons, from 1984-1996. I've rewatched a few episodes of Murder, SHE Wrote recently while visiting my mom. They are a bit contrived, but still entertaining and delightful.
• ORTEGA (8D: "Wednesday" star Jenna) Wednesday Addams is the daughter of the Addams Family franchise, which is based on characters created by cartoonist Charles Addams. She is also the title character of Wednesday, a TV series that premiered on Netflix in November 2022. Jenna ORTEGA portrays Wednesday on the show.
• UNSCRAMBLE (10D: Decode, in a way) This answer seems appropriate for today's anagram-themed puzzle.
• HA HA (27D: "Lolz") This answer is reminding me of the March 26 puzzle. 

Well, this puzzle's theme made me work to completely figure it out. I was completely at sea about the theme until I uncovered the revealer of MIXED GREENS. That was the first "Aha!" moment. I immediately saw KALE in BRAKE LIGHTS. (I wonder if that's because I'm not particularly fond of KALE...) I really struggled with seeing the MIXED GREENS in the other two theme answers. (I was wishing that USA Today puzzles used circles so I knew where to look...) I even had to google a list of MIXED GREENS to get an idea of words to look for. (That's not cheating, it's using your resources, by the way.) I got there eventually, and that was an extremely nice, well-earned "Aha!" moment. I don't really mind when a puzzle makes me work for the payoff. I enjoyed the solve today. In particular, I liked the mystery vibe of the clues for CASE, MAFIA, and SHE. Congratulations to Dan Zarin making a USA Today crossword debut! Thank you, Dan, for this splendid puzzle.

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