USA TODAY's crossword commentary reveals wordplay wizardry
Alona Yadav | Mar 13, 2025, 23:00 IST
( Image credit : AP )
Sally Hoelscher reviews a cleverly constructed crossword puzzle titled 'Rear Ends,' featuring the word 'REAR' split between theme answers REFINED SUGAR, REFRIGERATOR CAR, and REKHA SHANKAR. The puzzle introduces her to new cultural references, including comedian Rekha Shankar, and explores educational and amusing moments with modern references and playful clues.
Sally Hoelscher's latest breakdown of USA TODAY's daily crossword reveals the clever construction behind the puzzle titled "Rear Ends." Created by the collaborative team of Neville Fogarty and Erik Agard with editing by Amanda Rafkin, the March 13, 2025 puzzle presents a deceptively simple yet elegant theme.
The crossword's title "Rear Ends" playfully hints at the puzzle's core concept: the word "REAR" appears split between the beginning and end of three theme answers. As Hoelscher notes, the theme answers—REFINED SUGAR, REFRIGERATOR CAR, and REKHA SHANKAR—each contain the letters R-E at the beginning and A-R at the end, effectively breaking "REAR" across both "ends" of the words.
Fogarty's comment about the puzzle humorously acknowledges that despite the potentially cheeky title, the puzzle's construction is quite sophisticated. "I echo his thanks to Amanda for her willingness to green-light a puzzle whose title apparently refers to butts," Fogarty quips in the constructor notes.
The puzzle introduced Hoelscher to several cultural references she wasn't familiar with, including comedian REKHA SHANKAR, who hosts the PowerPoint presentation comedy show "Smartypants" on Dropout and appears in the Dungeons & Dragons actual-play show "DesiQuest." Hoelscher admits being pleasantly distracted by clips of SHANKAR's comedy while researching the answer.
Other educational moments included learning about "Bear GREASE," an indigenous adaptation of the classic musical, and "GREEDY," a collection of essays by bisexual author Jen Winston. The puzzle also featured contemporary references like the memoir "SPARE" by Prince Harry and Representative Ilhan Omar's HIJAB, which Hoelscher appreciates for being "clued in reference to a HIJAB-wearer."
Some clues provided moments of amusement, like "Cool part of a train" for REFRIGERATOR CAR, which temporarily confused Hoelscher as she pondered what might be considered the "coolest" train car before realizing the literal cooling function was the answer.
The puzzle also included nostalgic references to the video game "Just Dance" on the Nintendo WII and classic television characters like OSCAR the Grouch from "Sesame Street" and ERIN from "The Office."
Hoelscher concludes her analysis by praising the consistency of the theme execution and expressing her delight in discovering new cultural references through the puzzle. "This is a fun and straightforward theme. I appreciate that the word REAR is split in the same way in each theme answer," she writes, reaffirming her enjoyment of Fogarty and Agard's collaborative work.
The crossword's title "Rear Ends" playfully hints at the puzzle's core concept: the word "REAR" appears split between the beginning and end of three theme answers. As Hoelscher notes, the theme answers—REFINED SUGAR, REFRIGERATOR CAR, and REKHA SHANKAR—each contain the letters R-E at the beginning and A-R at the end, effectively breaking "REAR" across both "ends" of the words.
Fogarty's comment about the puzzle humorously acknowledges that despite the potentially cheeky title, the puzzle's construction is quite sophisticated. "I echo his thanks to Amanda for her willingness to green-light a puzzle whose title apparently refers to butts," Fogarty quips in the constructor notes.
The puzzle introduced Hoelscher to several cultural references she wasn't familiar with, including comedian REKHA SHANKAR, who hosts the PowerPoint presentation comedy show "Smartypants" on Dropout and appears in the Dungeons & Dragons actual-play show "DesiQuest." Hoelscher admits being pleasantly distracted by clips of SHANKAR's comedy while researching the answer.
Other educational moments included learning about "Bear GREASE," an indigenous adaptation of the classic musical, and "GREEDY," a collection of essays by bisexual author Jen Winston. The puzzle also featured contemporary references like the memoir "SPARE" by Prince Harry and Representative Ilhan Omar's HIJAB, which Hoelscher appreciates for being "clued in reference to a HIJAB-wearer."
Some clues provided moments of amusement, like "Cool part of a train" for REFRIGERATOR CAR, which temporarily confused Hoelscher as she pondered what might be considered the "coolest" train car before realizing the literal cooling function was the answer.
The puzzle also included nostalgic references to the video game "Just Dance" on the Nintendo WII and classic television characters like OSCAR the Grouch from "Sesame Street" and ERIN from "The Office."
Hoelscher concludes her analysis by praising the consistency of the theme execution and expressing her delight in discovering new cultural references through the puzzle. "This is a fun and straightforward theme. I appreciate that the word REAR is split in the same way in each theme answer," she writes, reaffirming her enjoyment of Fogarty and Agard's collaborative work.