March 9, 2026

Title: YOUNG AT HEART 

Constructor: Zhouqin Burnikel

Editor: Amie Walker

Theme synopsis:

• IT ALL ADDS UP (17A: *"This makes total sense now")
• TOMATO TART (29A: *Tangy, savory pastry)
• REAL ASSETS (44A: *Investments with inherent physical worth)
• Revealer: MIDDLE CHILD (59A: Stereotypical peacekeeper in a family, and a literal feature of the starred clues' answers)

YOUNG AT HEART: As the revealer describes, each theme answer contains a MIDDLE CHILD: IT ALL ADDS UP, TOMATO TART, and REAL ASSETS.

What I learned from today's puzzle:

• BAURU (14A: Brazilian sandwich with roasted beef and gooey mozzarella) The creation of the BAURU sandwich is attributed to Casimiro Pinto Neto, who was known as BAURU because he was from the Brazilian city of that name. In 1934, BAURU, who was a student at the Law School of the University of São Paulo, went to the Ponto Chic bar in São Paulo. He asked the cook to prepare a sandwich to his specifications: roast beef, tomatoes, and pickled cucumber topped with melted mozzarella and served on a soft bun. The BAURU became a hit. Ponto Chic is still in business, and if you go to São Paulo, you can go there and order a BAURU.
• ACID TRANCE (12D: Hypnotic music genre) ACID TRANCE is a subgenre of TRANCE music (which is a genre of electronic dance music, or EDM). If you'd like to learn more, check out this article: "12 Different Types of TRANCE Music."

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• TAU (20A: Letter before upsilon) It's been a bit since I've reviewed the Greek alphabet. TAU is the 19th of the Greek alphabet's 24 letters. TAU follows sigma, and is followed by upsilon, phi, chi, psi, and omega.
• RED (22A: Color of goji berries) Goji berries are the fruit of two species of plants in the nightshade family. The plants are native to Asia, and RED goji berries are an ingredient in Asian cuisine.
• SHO (27A: "Billions" network, for short) The TV series Billions, which aired on Showtime (SHO, for short) from 2016 to 2023, is centered in the word of high finance. It focuses on hedge fund manager Bobby Axelrod (played by Damian Lewis), who uses insider trading and bribery to grow his company.
• LAO (35A: Language similar to Thai) Yesterday we saw LAOS clued as [Country between Vietnam and Thailand]. The LAO language, spoken by the LAO people, is the official language of Laos. LAO is also spoken in northeast Thailand.
• OAT (52A: Haggis grain) Haggis is a savory dish of Scottish origin. It is made of sheep's heart, liver, and lungs, combined with onion, OATs, suet, and spices. The mixture is encased in the animal's stomach (or in sausage casing). When my husband and I were in Scotland a couple of years ago, he tried haggis, but I did not.
• ATE (62A: Enjoyed some onigiri, say) Onigiri is white rice formed into triangular or cylindrical shapes and wrapped with nori. Onigiri, which makes rice portable and easy to eat, is popular in Japanese cuisine.
• HORSE (64A: Four-legged polo player) I liked the framing here of the HORSE as a polo player. Fun to think of the HORSEs as participants in the game, and not just vehicles for the human polo players.
• IRL (4D: Not online, for short) IRL = in real life
• PET (13D: Furry family member) My PET, Willow, got her annual vaccinations the other day. They made her extremely sleepy, and she just wanted me to hold her while she slept.

• AUNT (18D: Venus Williams, to Olympia) Olympia Williams is the daughter of Serena Williams. Since Venus Williams is Serena Williams' sister, that makes her the AUNT of Olympia Williams.
• TOES (31D: A frog has 18 of them) Just three days ago we saw TOES clued as [Garfield has three on each foot]. Today we're learning the fun animal fact that frogs have 18 TOES, four on each front foot and five on each back foot.
• INCAN (33D: Like the god Inti) Inti is an ancient INCAN sun god. Inti was worshipped as the patron deity of the Inca Empire.
• ELSA (56D: Disney queen who freezes things) Maybe this clue has you wanting to hear ELSA (Idina Menzel) sing "Let It Go." "Let it go, let it go ... The cold never bothered me anyway."
• I DO (60D: Rite answer) The answer, "I DO," is part of the rite of marriage.
• A few other clues I especially enjoyed:
• CATAN (36A: Board game with an Explorers & Pirates expansion)
• SCONE (38D: Snack served with tea)
• HIT PARADES (28D: Lineups of top tunes)

In crossword puzzles, a revealer is an answer in the puzzle that explains or reveals the puzzle's theme. USA Today crosswords often do not have a revealer; instead the title serves as the explanation of the theme. Occasionally, however, a USA Today crossword will have a revealer, and today is one of those days. As a MIDDLE CHILD, who did indeed serve as a peacemaker between my older brother and younger sister when we were growing up, I enjoyed seeing the revealer here. Each theme answer contains a different MIDDLE CHILD: LAD, TOT, and LASS. Thank you, Zhouqin, for this splendid puzzle.