Sally breaks down USA TODAY’s daily crossword, Page-turner (Freestyle)

There are spoilers ahead. You might want to solve today’s puzzle before reading further! Page-turner (Freestyle)

Constructor: Dena R. Verkuil

Editor: Jared Goudsmit

What I Learned from Today’s Puzzle

• CLAM (1A: Jogaetang mollusk) Jogaetang is a CLAM soup or CLAM stew in Korean cuisine.

• APRICOT (19A: National fruit of Armenia) The scientific name of the APRICOT tree is Prunus armeniaca. It is so named because APRICOTs have been cultivated in Armenia for many years. It was originally thought the trees originated in Armenia, but genetic studies have shown that domestication of APRICOT trees occurred in Central Asia and China, before making its way to Armenia in West Asia. Nonetheless, as the clue informs us, the APRICOT is the national fruit of Armenia, and images of APRICOTs are often depicted on Armenian souvenirs.

• CELLO (38D: Sol Gabetta’s instrument) Sol Gabetta has been playing the CELLO since she was four years old. She has performed with orchestras around the world, including the New York Philharmonic and Chicago Symphony Orchestra in the U.S. In addition to performing, Sol Gabetta teaches at the Basel Music Academy in Basel, Switzerland.

• NBA (59D: Org. in which Brittni Donaldson coaches) Brittni Donaldson is an Assistant Coach for the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks. She is the team’s first female coach. In learning about Brittni Donaldson, I discovered she was born in Iowa, and attended the University of Northern Iowa.

Random Thoughts & Interesting Things

• IMAN (15A: One-named model with a Global Chic line) IMAN is a model and actress. She founded IMAN Cosmetics in 1994, focusing on difficult-to-find shades for women. Global Chic is IMAN’s line of handbags, jewelry, clothing, and fashion accessories, which have been available exclusively through the Home Shopping Network (HSN).

• HALEY (17A: “Queen” author Alex) Queen: The Story of an American Family was published in 1993, a year after Alex HALEY’s death. Before he died, the author asked screenwriter David Stevens to finish the historical novel about his ancestors. Queen is based on the life of Alex HALEY’s grandmother, Queen Jackson HALEY, who was the daughter of an enslaved woman and a plantation owner. The book was adapted into a TV miniseries, Alex HALEY’s Queen, that originally aired in 1993. Halle Berry starred in the miniseries as the title character.

• UTERUS (25A: “Mind Your Own ___” (reproductive rights slogan)) On Etsy, one can find a number of products – shirts, mugs, stickers – with the reproductive rights slogan, “Mind Your Own UTERUS.”

• APU (36A: Hari Kondabolu’s “The Problem with ___”) The Problem with APU is Hari Kondabolu’s documentary focusing on The Simpsons‘ character APU Nahasapeemapetilon. The film explores negative stereotypes of people of Indian and South Asian heritage.

• STEPDAD (39A: Jay Pritchett, to Manny, on “Modern Family) and SON (34D: Homer Simpson, to Abe) Today’s puzzle is testing my knowledge of fictional family relationships. Modern Family (2009-2020) is a mockumentary TV series that follows the lives of three families. One of the families is that of Jay and Gloria. Manny is Gloria’s son from a previous marriage, making Jay his STEPDAD. On the sitcom The Simpsons, Abe is Homer Simpson’s father, meaning Homer is Abe’s SON, of course.

• LIU (41A: Simu who played a Ken) The “a Ken” in this clue, rather than “Ken” made me chuckle. Simu LIU portrays “Tourist Ken,” one of eight characters named Ken in the 2023 movie Barbie.

• MAHALO (49A: Hawaiian “Thank you”) The Hawaiian word, “MAHALO,” means thanks, gratitude, admiration, and praise. We frequently see the Hawaiian word, “aloha,” in the puzzle, which is used as a greeting, and whose meaning also encompasses love, affection, peace, compassion, and mercy. I enjoyed seeing an additional Hawaiian word today.

• BAIL (64A: Target of Illinois’ Pretrial Fairness Act) The Pretrial Fairness Act is a section of a 2021 Illinois law known as the SAFE-T Act (Safety, Accountability, Fairness and Equity-Today Act). The Pretrial Fairness Act took effect in 2023. One of the aspects of the law was elimination of cash BAIL. Pretrial release decisions are instead focused on safety and flight considerations.

• ANDY (67A: Buzz Lightyear’s owner in “Toy Story”) I’m going to (quietly) admit that I have never seen the animated 1995 movie Toy Story (or any of its sequels). Side note: Has it really been almost 30 years since Toy Story was originally released?! Anyway, because I haven’t seen Toy Story, I had to reach deep to come up with the name of ANDY, the young boy who owns the toys in the movie. I’m not going to lie, I was pretty proud of myself for coming up with ANDY without any help from crossing answers.

• AVID READER (10D: Bookworm) Are you an AVID READER? What are you reading? A couple of months ago when I asked this question, I shared that I was reading the first book in a cozy mystery series, The Accidental Alchemist by Gigi Pandian. I am currently on the seventh book in the series, The Alchemist of Monsters and Mayhem. There are eight books in the series, and I will be sad when I am done with them. I am really enjoying the quirky characters in these books, a 300-year-old alchemist named Zoe, and a stone gargoyle named Dorian who has come to life and is an accomplished French chef.

• STATE (22D: Iowa or Idaho) Hello from Iowa! Nice alliteration in the choice of STATEs here. There are two other U.S. STATEs that start with the letter I, Illinois and Indiana.

• PURINA (28D: Fancy Feast brand) and CAMO (9A: Pattern you don’t want to be seen in) Fancy Feast is a brand of wet cat food by PURINA. My cat, Willow, has never tried Fancy Feast, but I’m sure she would be a fan. I’ve paired this clue with the clue for CAMO, because it reminded me of a cat-patterned fleece blanket that we have, which works as CAMO for Willow.

• GAS (43D: Krypton or oxygen) Krypton is a chemically inert, colorless, odorless noble GAS. It is used in lighting (similar to the noble gases neon and argon) and in photography. Oxygen, on the other hand, is a highly reactive element. Oxygen is the second-most abundant GAS in the atmosphere, after nitrogen.

• EATALY (46D: Market chain founded in Turin) The first EATALY opened in Turin, Italy in 2007. The chain, whose name is a portmanteau of “eat” and “Italy,” now has stores worldwide.

• DUA (48D: “Illusion” singer Lipa) “Illusion” is a 2024 song by DUA Lipa. It is from her album Radical Optimism.

• IBEX (56D: Mountain-climbing goat) The IBEX is a species of wild goat found in Eurasia, North Africa, and East Africa. Both male and female IBEX have large horns that curve backwards and have knobby ridges. IBEX are well-suited for living in mountainous terrain, as their hooves have sharp edges and concave undersides that act similar to suction cups. Here’s a fun fact: IBEX can jump more than six feet straight up without a running start.

• CAN (60D: “We ___ Do It!” (1943 poster phrase)) “We CAN Do It!” motivational posters were originally used in the 1940s by the Westinghouse Company. The posters show a woman wearing a red-and-white, polka dot bandana. Since the 1980s, she has been known as Rosie the Riveter.

• TEA (62D: Sencha or rooibos) Sencha is a type of Japanese green TEA made by infusing processed whole tea leaves in hot water.Rooibos is a red TEA made from the leaves of the rooibos plant, which is naturally caffeine-free.

Crossword Puzzle Theme Synopsis

PAGE-TURNER (Freestyle): There’s no theme today, as this is a freestyle, or themeless, puzzle. The title is a nod to AVID READER (10D: Bookworm). We have a book referenced in the grid as well, Queen by Alex HALEY at 17-Across.

Some venues don’t give titles to their themeless puzzles, opting to simply use “Themeless” or “Freestyle” as a title. USA TODAY has chosen to label themeless puzzles as “Freestyle” but also give them titles that refer to one or more answers in the grid. I like this choice. Using the word Freestyle lets solvers know not to spend time looking for a theme. Using a title as well is a way for the constructor to highlight a favorite answer or two in the grid. Thank you, Dena, for this enjoyable puzzle.

For more on USA TODAY’s Crossword Puzzles

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Crossword Blog & Answers for March 12, 2025 by Sally Hoelscher