Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Double Bar (2025)

There are spoilers ahead. You might want to solve today's puzzle before reading further! Double Bar

Constructor: Billy Ouska

Editor: Anna Gundlach

What I Learned from Today’s Puzzle

• JACKASS (57A: Onetime MTV reality stunt show) The TV series JACKASS aired on MTV for three seasons between October 2000 and August 2001. The show featured stunts and pranks designed to cause pain and embarrassment. The episodes featured frequent warnings and disclaimers about the dangerous nature of the stunts. After the TV series ended, JACKASS grew into a media franchise featuring several movies and TV specials, and leading to two spin-offs, Wildboyz and Viva La Bam.
• HAKEEM (50D: NBA all-star Olajuwon) HAKEEM Olajuwon is a former NBA player. He played center for the Houston Rockets from 1984 to 2002, after being selected by the team as the first overall pick in the 1984 NBA draft. He led the Houston Rockets to back-to-back championships in 1994 and 1995. During his last NBA season (2001-2002), HAKEEM Olajuwon played for the Toronto Raptors. HAKEEM Olajuwon was born in Lagos, Nigeria, and was the first non-American to be an NBA All-Star.

Random Thoughts & Interesting Things

• ILIAD (19A: Trojan War epic) The ILIAD is an ancient Greek epic poem attributed to Homer. It is set during the 10-year siege of Troy known as the Trojan War. It depicts a fierce quarrel between a warrior named Achilles and King Agamemnon.
• ATE (25A: Gobbled down) and DEVOUR (42D: Gobble down) A fun clue echo that seems especially appropriate given the theme answers SIDE SALAD and SUSHI TACO.
• OPI (43A: "I'm a Princess, You're Not!" nail polish brand) "I'm a Princess, You're Not!" is a discontinued color of nail polish from OPI. It appears to be an iridescent sheer polish that might add some glitter as a top coat. It would be fun to have the job of naming nail polish colors, wouldn't it?
• ACE (54A: The "A" of LGBTQIA+, for short) ACE is short for asexual. Persons identifying as asexual have a low or absent interest in sexual activity.
• TUDOR (55A: British-inspired architectural style) TUDOR architecture is characterized by steeply pitched gable roofs, embellished doorways, and groupings of windows. Half-timbering is another feature of TUDOR architecture, with spaces between the wood framework filled with masonry or stucco. The TUDOR style is a medieval architecture style popular in Britain during the TUDOR period (1485-1603).
• USHER (65A: Theater attendant) According to Merriam-Webster, the first known use of USHER was in the 13th century. That's your fun fact for the day.
• IRIS (69A: Colorful part of the eye) IRIS is making back-to-back puzzle appearances. We saw IRIS yesterday clued as [Rainbow goddess].
• UFOS (70A: "Arrival" vehicles) The 2016 movie, Arrival, is based on Ted Chiang's 1998 novella "Story of Your Life." The movie stars Amy Adams as linguist Louise Banks, who is recruited by the U.S. Army to communicate with extraterrestrials who have arrived on Earth – in their UFOS.
• TOMMY (71A: "Pinball Wizard" rock opera) The song, "Pinball Wizard," is sung by The Who, and was featured on their 1969 rock opera album, TOMMY. The rock opera tells the story of a fictional character, TOMMY Walker, who becomes a spiritual leader and a messianic figure.
• MISO (1D: Bean paste fermented with koji) MISO is a thick paste made by fermenting soybeans with salt and kōji (a filamentous fungus also used in making sake).
• EMERALD (4D: The ___ City (largest city in the Land of Oz)) This clue has the song, "One Short Day," from Wicked going through my head. "One short day in the EMERALD City..."
• SKIS (11D: Competes like Lindsey Vonn) Lindsey Vonn is a former alpine SKI racer. Representing Team USA, she won the gold medal in downhill at the 2010 Winter Olympics, the first downhill gold medal won by an American woman. The 2019 documentary,Lindsey Vonn: The Final Season, tells her story.
• PALAU (27D: Micronesian nation comprised of over 300 islands) PALAU is an island country in Micronesia (a subregion of Oceania in the Northwestern Pacific Ocean). The capital of PALAU is Ngerulmud.
• EAR (30D: Organ with a hammer, anvil and stirrup) Our crossword friend EAR is making an appearance with a clue unrelated to corn! The hammer, anvil, and stirrup are bones in the middle EAR. These three tiny bones are referred to collectively as the ossicles, and their official names are the malleus, incus, and stapes. The function of these bones is to receive, amplify, and transmit sound. Hooray for science in the crossword.
• NSA (40A: Cybersecurity defense org.) The National Security Agency (NSA) was established in 1952. The agency is involved in monitoring, collection, and processing of information and data. Much of their work is clandestine by nature.
• ICARLY (51D: Nickelodeon teen sitcom about a web streamer)ICARLY (stylized as iCarly)is a TV show about making a web show. Miranda Cosgrove plays the title character, social media influencer Carly Shay. The show originally aired on Nickelodeon from 2007-2012, and was revived by Paramount+ in 2021.
• DRESS (56D: Stella McCartney creation) English fashion designer Stella McCartney launched her fashion house in 2001. She has had many partnerships and collaborations, including Adidas and Disney.
• ELSE (64AD: "Nothing ___ Matters" (Metallica hit)) and ORE (67D: Metallic resource) It was a fun to see the clue [Metallic resource] immediately after the clue referencing Metallica. "Nothing ELSE Matters" is a 1992 song by Metallica.
• A few other clues I especially enjoyed:
  • SPILT (26A: Like milk not worth crying over)
  • USA (45A: OH and OK's country)
  • WHALE (5D: Animal that swallowed Pinocchio)
  • YODA (8D: Green Jedi master)

Crossword Puzzle Theme Synopsis

• SIDE SALAD (17A: Leafy accompaniment to an entree)
• OPEN SPACE (29A: Undeveloped tract of land)
• SUSHI TACO (49A: Mexican-Japanese fusion dish)
• POWER TOOL (66A: Electric screwdriver, for one)

DOUBLE BAR: Both words of each theme answer can precede the word BAR: SIDE BAR, SALAD BAR, OPEN BAR, SPACE BAR, SUSHI BAR, TACO BAR, POWER BAR, and TOOL BAR.

So many BARs! It's fun to have a theme that utilizes both parts of each theme answer. I hadn't formulated a guess about the theme after reading the title, but when I filled in SIDE SALAD, I had that wonderful "Aha!" moment. Thank you, Billy, for this enjoyable puzzle.

For more on USA TODAY’s Crossword Puzzles

• USA TODAY’s Daily Crossword Puzzles
• Sudoku & Crossword Puzzle Answers