July 28, 2026

Title: CONTINENTAL BREAKFAST

Constructors: Olivia Mitra Framke & Sally Hoelscher

Editor: Amanda Rafkin

Theme synopsis:

• FRENCH TOAST (16A: Bread soaked in an eggy mixture then grilled)
• BELGIAN WAFFLE 37A: Extra-thick breakfast item cooked in an iron)
• GREEK YOGURT (61A: Thick, creamy dairy product in some parfaits)

CONTINENTAL BREAKFAST: Each theme answer is a breakfast item named for a country.

And now a word from today's constructors:

Olivia: This was a really fun one to put together. What's better than a breakfast buffet? And one with MIMOSAs? I'm really happy with how this one came out, there's a lot of fun references that feel very Sally-and-me (e.g. TEASET as a reference to our first collab!). Can't wait for our next one!

Sally: When we submitted the clues for this puzzle, we included two clue options for the theme answers. I completely understand why the straightforward clues are probably a better fit for USA Today, but thought it would be fun to share our alternate clues with you: FRENCH TOAST [Browned bread from Paris?], BELGIAN WAFFLE [Grid-patterned breakfast food from Brussels?], and GREEK YOGURT [Fermented dairy product from Athens?].

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• PAGE (5A: "Close to You" actor Elliot) Close to You is a movie directed by Dominic Savage that premiered at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival. Elliot PAGE portrays Sam, a trans man planning to return to his hometown for the first time in several years. 
• BPM (9A: _eats _er _inute) In this variation of fill-in-the-blank clue, each blank corresponds to one letter. In this case those letters are BPM for beats per minute.
• ARI (15A: "Pressure" singer Lennox) "Pressure" is a 2021 song by ARI Lennox. The music video pays homage to Diana Ross and Donna Summer.
• TEA SET (20A: Matching cups, saucers, pot, etc.) As Olivia mentioned in her constructor's notes, we were happy to be able to include TEA SET in this grid as a nod to our first collaboration. That USA Today puzzle was published on August 14, 2023. Nearly three years have passed since then, and this puzzle is the 28th USA Today puzzle Olivia and I have collaborated on. 
• SEAS (22A: Caspian and Sargasso, for two) The Caspian SEA is the world's largest inland body of water. It is located between Europe and Asia, and is bordered by Kazakhstan, Russia, Azerbaijan, Iran, and Turkmenistan. The Sargasso SEA is a region of the Atlantic Ocean characterized by the growth of Sargassum seaweed and blue water that is often calm. The Sargasso SEA is the only named SEA without land boundaries.
• REBEL (26A: ___ Alliance (Luke, Leia and others)) and CAPE (42A: Darth Vader's garment) and MAY (54D: Star Wars Day month) I feel like a couple of Olivia and my recent collaborations haven't had any Star Wars references. We're making up for that with three in this puzzle! Star Wars Day is May 4. (May the fourth be with you...)
• MIMOSA (41A: Champagne + orange juice) We were delighted to include MIMOSA as a bonus answer to go along with this breakfast theme.
• ELIO (55A: Pixar title character who meets aliens) The Pixar animated movie ELIO (2025) tells the story of the title character, an 11-year-old boy who is beamed up to the Communiverse by aliens and accidentally becomes the intergalactic ambassador of Earth.
• MARION (56A: "Inception" actress Cotillard) Inception is a 2010 sci-fi movie directed by Christopher Nolan. I have actually seen this movie. It deals with dream-sharing and extracting and implanting information in people's subconscious. The main thing I remember about the movie is never being quite sure what was really happening and what was a dream. Leonardo DiCaprio portrays Dom Cobb, a professional thief who specializes in extracting secrets by infiltrating dreams. MARION Cotillard portrays Mal, Dom Cobb's deceased wife.
• RAE (64A: Multihyphenate Issa) A multihyphenate is a person with multiple jobs or skills. Issa RAE is an actor-writer-producer. 
• DARE (66A: "I triple-dog ___ you!") I like this clue, because the answer is inferable, whether or not a solver has seen the 1983 movie A Christmas Story. And for fans of that movie – including my husband – this clue will spark memories of a scene involving a tongue and a flagpole.
• DENISE (3D: "Stuart Fails to Save the Universe" character played by Lauren Lapkus) Stuart Fails to Save the Universe is an HBO Max TV series that premiered last week. The show is a spin-off of The Big Bang Theory (2007-2019). Kevin Sussman portrays the title character, Stuart, who is tasked with averting a "multiverse Armageddon." Lauren Lapkus portrays DENISE, the assistant manager at the comic book store run by Stuart.
• BASEBALL (9D: "A League of Their Own" sport) The 1992 movie, A League of Their Own, is a fictionalized account of the real-life All-American Girls Professional BASEBALL League. The movie was adapted into a 2022 TV series of the same name. The All-American Girls Professional BASEBALL League existed from 1943-1954. Have you heard about the Women's Pro BASEBALL League (WPBL)? The WPBL was founded in 2024 and will play its first season this year during August and September; opening day is August 1. There are four initial teams: the Boston Hunters, New York Heights, Los Angeles Queens, and San Francisco Firebells. During this inaugural season, all games will be played in Springfield, Illinois at the Robin Roberts Stadium. My husband and I have tickets to see three WPBL games next month. I'm excited for the opportunity to witness this history being made.
• NYAN CAT (25D: Feline meme with a Pop-Tart body) I have previously written about NYAN CAT, an animated CAT with a cherry Pop-Tart for a body. My CAT, Willow, is CAT all the way through, no Pop-Tart body. 

• BIBIMBAP (37D: Korean rice dish) BIBIMBAP is a rice dish in Korean cuisine. It consists of white rice topped with sautéed or fermented vegetables, chili pepper paste, soy sauce, and sometimes an egg and sliced meat.
• OREO (57D: Sandwich cookie with many varieties) Hello to our crossword friend OREO, making its third appearance of the month today.
• ARE (60D: "We ___ Family" (Sister Sledge hit)) "We ARE Family" was released in 1979 and became Sister Sledge's signature song. "We ARE family / I got all my sisters with me / We ARE family / Get up everybody and sing..."
• KEN (63D: Ncuti Gatwa's role in "Barbie") Ncuti Gatwa wasn't the only actor to play KEN in the 2023 movie Barbie. Ryan Gosling, Simu Liu, Kingsley Ben-Adir, Scott Evans, and John Cena also played KEN. Ncuti Gatwa was listed in the credits as Artist KEN.

Whether you solved this puzzle while eating BREAKFAST or at another time, I hope you enjoyed it! Many thanks to Olivia for another fun collaboration. And as always, thanks to Amanda for helpful insights and fantastic editing. Thank you for solving!

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.)