August 21, 2026

Title: DO YOU WANT TO BUILD A CROSSWORD?

Constructor: Sally Hoelscher

Editor: Amanda Rafkin

Theme synopsis:

• POKEMON THEME (20A: "To catch them is my real test / To train them is my cause" song)
• OFF THE GRID (34A: Like someone who unplugs completely)
• BIG SHOES TO FILL (41A: Successor's challenge after replacing a legend)
• CONTEXT CLUES (55A: Hints that help decipher the meaning of an unfamiliar word)

DO YOU WANT TO BUILD A CROSSWORD?: The last word of each theme answer is a step in constructing a CROSSWORD: First one comes up with a THEME. Then a GRID is constructed. After the THEME answers are placed in the GRID, one FILLs the rest of the GRID. Finally, CLUES are written.

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• BATH (15A: "Rubber duckie, you're the one / You make ___time lots of fun) I have previously written about the rubber duckie that my husband and I surprise each other with occasionally. I even used RUBBER DUCKIE as a theme answer a few years ago. So I was happy to clue the word BATH with a rubber duckie reference.
• DATE (20A: August 20, e.g.) With 366 options of DATEs to choose from, how does one decide? I chose my birthday. When I sent in the finished puzzle, I didn't know when it would be published. It ended up landing close to August 20.
• POKEMON THEME (20A: "To catch them is my real test / To train them is my cause" song)  In case you'd like to give it a listen, here's a link to the POKÉMON THEME, "Gotta Catch 'Em All."
• VAL (32A: "Top Gun" actor Kilmer) In the 1996 movie Top Gun, VAL Kilmer portrays Lieutenant Tom "Iceman" Kazansky. He reprises the role in the 2022 movie Top Gun: Maverick. That was his final film appearance. VAL Kilmer died in 2025 at the age of 65.
• IOWA (38A: State that hosts RAGBRAI) Regular readers of the blog may remember that I wrote about RAGBRAI earlier this month when we saw the clue [Participated in RAGBRAI] for the word RODE. RAGBRAI is the Register's Annual Great Bike Ride Across IOWA. My husband, our son, and I rode RAGBRAI this year for the first time. One thing IOWA has a lot of is corn, and we certainly saw a lot of corn as we biked across IOWA. We made sure that we took a stereotypical IOWA picture of us with corn.

• NAME (59A: Leah or Sean, for example) Like DATE, here's another answer where there are so many options for clues. Leah and Sean are my kids' NAMEs.
• CAT (12D: Purring pet) You know I'm going to include CAT in the FILL anytime it's an option. My CAT, Willow, approves.

• OREO (21D: Cookie with a BTS variety) Hello to our crossword friend OREO. Earlier this summer, OREO partnered with the K-pop band BTS for a BTS OREO. The cookies are purple, featuring 13 different designs chosen by BTS. The filling is brown sugar pancake-flavored creme. 
• RODS (28D: Photoreceptors responsible for night vision) RODS and cones are photoreceptors located in the retina, which is the innermost layer of the eye. As the clue says, RODS are responsible for night vision. Cones are responsible for color vision. Hooray for science in the crossword!
• VOICE (32D: Essence of a crossword constructor's style) VOICE is the reason it's so fun (in my opinion) to solve crosswords made by a variety of constructors. No two constructors will approach a theme the same way, choose the same fill, or write the same clues. I really appreciate publications such as USA Today that allow a constructor's VOICE to shine through. I was happy to be able to include the word VOICE as a bit of a bonus answer in this DO YOU WANT TO BUILD A CROSSWORD? puzzle.
• T CELL (50D: Infection-fighting immune system component) T CELLs are an important part of the immune system. Happy to get a little more science in the puzzle. 
• TIDE (56D: "A rising ___ lifts all boats") I really like the saying, "A rising TIDE carries all boats." Our society can be quite focused on competitiveness, and I think this idea encourages us to think about how we can all succeed.

First of all, I hope that you sang the title of today's puzzle to the tune of "DO YOU WANT TO BUILD A Snowman?" because that was the inspiration for this title. Secondly, as a constructor, I am always on the lookout for theme ideas. The credit for the inspiration for this puzzle goes to fellow constructor Matthew Luter. Earlier this year when I was writing about Matt's May 1st puzzle, I got to the answer GET A CLUE (clued as ["Time to face reality!"]) and I thought, "That sounds like a crossword-related entry." Well, that got the wheels turning. This theme set was the result. I stopped in the middle of blogging to send a theme query to Amanda. And here we are! I did thank Matt for the inspiration and told him he could look forward to hearing the story when the puzzle ran. I think it's fun that although GET A CLUE provided the inspiration for this theme, it didn't make the final cut. Thanks again to Matt for the inspiration. Thanks to Amanda for editing. And thanks to you for solving.

One more thing today: I have a bit of news to share about Sallys' Take. (This will be a test to see who's still reading... ) After over six years, I've made the difficult decision to stop blogging. My last day of Sally's Take will be August 31. I have absolutely loved writing about the USA Today puzzles, and I hope that's come across. When USA Today stopped carrying the blog on their site (just over a year ago), I considered quitting then. But I decided that when I did decide to be done, I wanted it to be on my terms, not dictated by someone else. That was a good decision, and I am feeling that now is the time. I still love writing the blog, but it does take a lot of my time. I'm feeling pulled in other directions at the moment, so it feels like the right time to step away. I'll still be around in the crossworld: constructing, editing at Lil AVCX, and co-organizing the Midwest Crossword Tournament. I will have more to say after August 31, including a ton of gratitude for so many people who helped me along the way, but for now, thank you for reading. Writing this blog has brought me a ton of joy. Knowing that people were reading what I wrote (and mostly appreciating it) was icing on the cake. Thank you.