April 3, 2026

Title: COURTESY CALL

Constructor: Ed Sessa

Editor: Amie Walker


Theme synopsis:
  • ATE BETWEEN MEALS (17A: Did some snacking)
  • OWE BACK TAXES (27A: Be indebted to the IRS, perhaps)
  • OH NO YOU DIDN'T (49A: "Get out of here with that!"
  • Revealer: TOLL-FREE NUMBERS (64A: Some customer support lines whose starting digits can be heard in 17-, 27- and 49-Across)
COURTESY CALL: The first three theme answers begin phonetically with 8-0-0 – ATE, OWE, OH – an area code for some TOLL-FREE NUMBERS.

What I learned from today's puzzle:
  • OKRA (24D: Bhindi bharta vegetable) Bhindi bharta is a mashed OKRA dish.
Random thoughts and interesting things:
  • ARIAL (5A: Font the Little Mermaid might prefer) This clue made me chuckle. Every time there is a clue for ARIAL (the font) or Ariel (the Little Mermaid), I have to pause for a moment and remember that the font is spelled with an "a" and the Disney character is spelled with an "e."
  • ANNE RICE (21A: "Interview With the Vampire" author) ANNE RICE (1941-2021) was the author of The Vampire Chronicles series of books. The first book in the series, Interview with the Vampire (1976), was adapted into a 1994 movie of the same name starring Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt. 
  • OHIO (22A: The Buckeye State) OHIO's nickname of "The Buckeye State" comes from the OHIO Buckeye trees that grow across the state. The buckeye tree produces brown nut-like seeds that are round and have a lighter-colored circle on one side. Some people believe if you carry a buckeye in your pocket it will bring you good luck.
  • DOW (25A: The ___ Jones Industrial Average (stock market index)) The DOW Jones Industrial Average is a stock market index of 30 prominent companies that are listed on the U.S. stock exchange. The DOW Jones Industrial Average is named after Charles DOW (co-founder of The Wall Street Journal) and Edward Jones  (a statistician). It was first calculated in 1896.
  • NORA (33A: Writer Ephron) NORA Ephron (1941-2012) was a writer and filmmaker. She was particularly known for her work writing and directing rom-coms. As I've mentioned previously, NORA Ephron wrote some of my favorite rom-coms, including When Harry Met Sally... (1989), Sleepless in Seattle (1993), You've Got Mail (1998), and Julie & Julia (2009).
  • OSLO (61A: Norway's capital) OSLO is the capital of Norway. OSLO is located on the appropriately-named OSLO Fjord. A fjord is a long, deep inlet. Fjords are often situated in valleys with cliffs on either side of the water. Many places in Norway are near fjords, as the over 17,000 miles of coastline is made up mainly of fjords. For comparison, the baseline coastline (drawn in a straight line without following the fjords) is just over 1,500 miles.
  • OREOS (69A: Cookies with a Lemon Creme variety) Lemon Creme OREOS feature lemon creme sandwiched between vanilla cookies. Hello to our crossword friend OREOS. This is the fourth time we've seen OREOS this year, and we've seen the singular OREO six times.
  • WYNNE (72A: Crossword puzzle inventor Arthur) The first modern crossword puzzle was published in the Sunday newspaper the New York World on December 21, 1913. The puzzle was constructed by Arthur WYNNE. It was a diamond shape with a hole in the center. Fun fact: This puzzle was titled a "Word-Cross." A few weeks later, as a result of a typesetting error, the name was changed to "Cross-Word." The rest, as they say, is history...
  • LENNOX (9D: "Why" singer Annie) "Why" is the 1992 debut solo single by Annie LENNOX. Prior to her solo career, Annie LENNOX was part of the Tourists and Eurythmics.
  • DOLCE (12D: Italian for "sweet") In musical notation, DOLCE, means to play "with sweetness." 
  • ETHAN (18D: "Boyhood" star Hawke) Boyhood is a 2014 movie that was filmed over the course of 11 years (2002-2013). The movie focuses on a boy named Mason Evans, Jr., played by Ellar Coltrane, as he grows from age six to age eighteen. ETHAN Hawke played the role of Mason Evans, Sr., the boy's father.
  • MEWED (19D: Sounded like a kitty) and SNOOT (54D: Nose, cutesily) My kitty, Willow (who isn't a kitty anymore and hasn't MEWED for some time), says, "Oh, would you like to see my SNOOT?!"
Closeup of a calico cat's face.

  • ETTA (29D: Jazz singer Jones) ETTA Jones was a jazz singer whose 1960 album, Don't Go to Strangers, was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2008.
  • ETON (36D: College that expelled James Bond) James Bond is, of course, the fictional MI6 agent – codename 007 – created by Ian Fleming. He briefly attended ETON College (so it's written), but was expelled after two halves. This is a fun way to clue ETON.
  • ORNERY (51D: Like Carl in "Up") This clue made me laugh! Carl is the curmudgeonly, elderly widower in the 2009 animated movie Up. The character is voiced by Ed Asner, and he is indeed ORNERY.
  • A few other clues I especially enjoyed:
    • EAR (56A: 13-Down for a singer) and ASSET (13D: Valuable trait)
    • HOBNOB (4D: Schmooze with VIPs)
    • I DO (39D: Altar "hell, yes")
    • IDIOM (47D: "A word to the wise," e.g.)
Not all USA Today puzzles have revealers, so it's always a fun surprise to uncover one. I was grateful for today's revealer of TOLL-FREE NUMBERS, because I didn't have any inkling of the theme until then. There was a nice "Aha!" moment as I went back and read out "ATE-OWE-OH." Nice! There are several area codes used for TOLL-FREE-NUMBERS, but 800 is the most common. Thank you, Ed, for this enjoyable puzzle.


A note about comments: I welcome your comments on the blog! For one thing it's nice to know folks are reading what I've written. My goal for this blog has always been for it to be informational, conversational, and kind. I ask that you keep those goals in mind when commenting. Unkind comments will be deleted. Note that I am more likely to delete a negative comment if it is posted anonymously. (P.S. You can point out when I make a mistake – in fact, I appreciate that so I can correct it.)

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