June 4, 2026

Title: PINCH ME! (Freestyle)

Constructor: Howard Neuthaler

Editor: Amie Walker

Theme synopsis:

PINCH ME! (Freestyle): There's no theme today because this is a freestyle, or themeless, puzzle. The title is a nod to AM I DREAMING (17A: "Is this actually happening?!")

What I learned from today's puzzle:

• ONE LOVE (36A: Cedella Marley kids' book with the line "Let's get together and feel all right") Cedella Marley's 2014 book, ONE LOVE, is adapted from Bob Marley's 1965 song of the same name. As you might have guessed from their shared last name, Cedella Marley is Bob Marley's daughter. While I haven't seen this book before, I was able to figure out the answer here pretty easily.
• COCA TEA (38A: Greenish-yellow herbal infusion) As one might assume from its name, COCA TEA (also called mate de COCA) is made using the leaves (raw or dried) of the COCA plant. COCA TEA is most commonly consumed in Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. The COCA plant contains cocaine, and while there's no evidence that COCA TEA is addictive, it is a mild stimulant, and drinking COCA TEA can cause a positive result on a drug test for cocaine.
• HARD CAP (40D: Absolute limit for an NFL team's salaries) The NFL is one of the sports organizations that uses a HARD CAP for players' salaries. Add this to the sports knowledge I have gained from solving crosswords.

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• SOLAR ECLIPSE (19A: Cause of some daytime darkness) A SOLAR ECLIPSE happens when the Moon passes between the Earth and the Sun and blocks the view of the Sun from some places on Earth. A SOLAR ECLIPSE happens about every six months, but any given SOLAR ECLIPSE is only visible from a relatively small area, which differs with each event. The next total SOLAR ECLIPSE will happen on August 12th, and will be visible in Greenland, Iceland, Spain, Russia, and a small area of Portugal.
• SARAH (30A: "All's Fair" star Paulson) All's Fair is a TV series that premiered in November of last year. The legal drama is centered on a group of female divorce attorneys who specialize in representing women in high-stakes divorce cases. SARAH Paulson stars as attorney Carrington Lane. The show also stars Kim Kardashian, Niecy Nash-Betts, Teyana Taylor, Naomi Watts, Glenn Close, and Matthew Noszka.
• DRUNK (42A: "___ in Love" (Beyonce song)) "DRUNK in Love" is a 2013 song by Beyoncé featuring Jay-Z. "DRUNK in Love" won two Grammy Awards: Best R&B Song and Best R&B Performance.
• ARG (45A: Neighbor of Paraguay (Abbr.)) Argentina (ARG) is the second-largest country in South America after Brazil. In addition to Paraguay, Argentina is bordered by Chile, Bolivia, Brazil, and Uruguay. Additionally, Argentina has coastline along the Atlantic Ocean. The capital of Argentina is  Buenos Aires.
• SALAD SPINNER (51A: Gadget for rinsing greens) I really enjoy my SALAD SPINNER. Who knew cleaning lettuce could be fun?
• CATNAP (59A: Short snooze) My cat, Willow, would like it noted that it's been a whole week since there has been cat content in a puzzle, so she's delighted to see this answer today. Willow, like most cats, is quite skilled at taking CATNAPs. The other day she decided to take a CATNAP on our bed, so I actually had an excuse for not making the bed.

• MLK (61A: "I Have a Dream" orator, for short) Martin Luther King (MLK) Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech was delivered at a civil rights rally in Washington D.C. on August 28th, 1963.
• MAD LIBS (7D: Fill-in-the-blanks word game) The last time we saw MAD LIBS as an answer in the puzzle (well, that time it was the singular MAD LIB, but anyway...) I created a short MAD LIB to honor the occasion. I present it to you once again, as that was a year and a half ago. Ask your friends to give you the parts of speech indicated in the parentheses, and then fill in the blanks to create your sentence: The ___ (adjective) solver said, "___ (exclamation)! That ___ (adjective) crossword was so ___ (adjective), I could have used a ___ (noun) to solve it."
• AULD LANG SYNE (20D: Song often heard on New Year's Eve) AULD LANG SYNE was written by Scottish POET Robert Burns in 1788, who based it on an older Scottish folk song. "Should auld acquaintance be forgot / And never brought to mind..."
• TYVM (28D: "I really appreciate it," in a text) TYVM = thank you very much
• ANORA (32D: 2025 Best Picture winner) I have previously written about the movie ANORA.

 In addition to the great longer answers in this puzzle, I also enjoy the grid pattern. That staircase of black squares through the center of the grid is quite fun. Congratulations to Howard Neuthaler making a USA Today crossword debut! Thank you, Howard, for this splendid 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.)