2 hours ago 1

Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Carpe Diem (Freestyle)

There are spoilers ahead. You might want to solve today's puzzle before reading further! Carpe Diem (Freestyle)

Constructor: Dena R. Witkes

Editor: Amanda Rafkin

What I Learned from Today’s Puzzle

KENYAN (45D: Beatrice Chebet, ethnically) Beatrice Chebet is a KENYAN long-distance runner. She holds the world record in the women's 10,000 meters with a time of 28:54.14. At the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France, Beatrice Chebet won gold medals in the 5,000 meters and the 10,000 meters.
WWE (50D: Org. with the wrestler Gail Kim) WWE, which stands for World Wrestling Entertainment, is making back-to-back appearances, as we also saw it in yesterday's puzzle. Gail Kim is a professional wrestler who has worked in the WWE and Total Nonstop Action (TNA) Wrestling. She's currently semi-retired from wrestling, and doing other things, like appearing on the TV series The Traitors Canada.
ALMA (53D: Abstract painter Thomas) ALMA Thomas (1891-1978) taught art at Shaw Junior High School in Washington, D.C. for 35 years. It was only after she retired from teaching that she began a career as a professional artist. In the mid-1960s she began creating the brightly-colored abstract paintings she's now known for. In 1972, ALMA Thomas was the first Black woman to have a solo exhibition at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City. I enjoyed exploring ALMA Thomas's work. I particularly like her painting, "The Eclipse."

Random Thoughts & Interesting Things

AAA (23A: Org. that offers TripTiks) The American Automobile Association, more commonly known by its initials, AAA, offers its members a variety of services such as roadside assistance, insurance, and TripTik Travel Planners. TripTik is an interactive tool that can be used to help plan road trips. From personal experience, I can tell you that prior to the widespread accessibility of GPS, TripTiks were a tremendous help in planning trips. You told AAA where you wanted to go and what stops you wanted to make, and you received a personalized booklet that included maps for each leg of your trip. Now you can access TripTik online, and access it on your phone.
INSTA (25A: App for sharing selfies and shelfies) The word shelfie, as you might guess, is a portmanteau of the words selfie and shelf. The word was coined to refer to pictures of bookshelves that show off collections – whether that's books, action figures, or something else. The word is sometimes used as a hashtag on INSTA (aka Instagram). I decided to take a shelfie to share with you. It was difficult to choose which of our many bookcases to photograph. Here's a photo of my Agatha Christie collection. Yes, it takes up three shelves! Someday maybe I'll get the set converted to hardcovers, but so far I haven't been able to part with the paperback editions that have been well-read and are well-loved.

PANT (27A: What hot dogs do) This clue made me chuckle. It's a delightful misdirect that might make you think of hot dogs in a bun that you eat. However, the clue is actually referring to dogs (the kind that bark) that are hot. Well done.
OPI (36A: Cyborg Again nail polish brand) According to the OPI website, Cyborg Again is "a metallic lilac gel nail polish coded in liquid metal beats."
PINOTS (40A: Grigio and noir grapes) and ALE (43A: Drink that can be blonde or brown) This puzzle has options for wine and beer drinkers.
KATE (45A: "The Regime" actress Winslet) The Regime is a miniseries that aired on HBO earlier this year. KATE Winslet portrays Chancellor Elena Vernham, the authoritarian leader of a fictional Central European country.
FLEX (46A: "Weird ___, but OK") The phrase "weird FLEX, but OK" is used on social media, often to call out someone who is bragging about something that seems inappropriate or incongruous in the current situation.
KAFKA (47A: "The Metamorphosis" author Franz) The Metamorphosis is a 1915 novella written by Franz KAFKA. The story tells of a man who wakes up in the morning to inexplicably discover he has transformed into a huge insect (commonly depicted in modern adaptations as a cockroach).
MANE (52A: Lions' locks) My cat Willow is not a lion (thank goodness!) but she does have a patch of longer hair underneath her chin that we refer to as her MANE.

ALIA (60A: "Arrested Development" star Shawkat) Arrested Development is a TV series that revolves around the Bluth family. The Bluths used to be wealthy, and continue to live extravagantly even though they are no longer rich. ALIA Shawkat portrays teenager Mae "Maeby" Fünke. The creator of the show, Mitchell Hurwitz, named ALIA Shawkat's character after his daughters Maisy and Phoebe.
KITT (63D: Singer and LGBT advocate Eartha) Eartha KITT (1927-2008) was a singer and actress. Many people know her for the Christmas song, “Santa Baby.” In 1967, Eartha KITT portrayed Catwoman in the TV series Batman. Eartha KITT was a vocal advocate for LGBTQ rights and appeared at many LGBTQ fundraisers.
I've grouped these three clues together because they all reference the letter pattern of their respective answers:
- TESS (65A: Name hidden in "quintessence") Quintessence is the most typical example of something, and it also contains the name TESS.
- KAYAK (47D: Palindromic river rental) Whether you spell it forward or backwards, the name of this boat is a KAYAK.
- AIOLI (48D: Vowel-heavy sauce) Four vowels and a single consonant make AIOLI particularly crossword-friendly. The majority of words in English are comprised mostly of consonants. Vowel-heavy words – like AIOLI and Erie and Asia – are useful to provide connections between consonant-laden words in a crossword grid.
NADIA (13D: Gymnast Comaneci who received the first 10 at the Olympics) That first perfect score of 10.0 was awarded to NADIA Comaneci for a routine on the uneven bars at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal. NADIA Comaneci, who represented Romania at the Olympics, went on to receive another six perfect scores, winning three gold medals, a silver medal, and a bronze medal. NADIA Comaneci was 14 at that Olympics, and holds the record for the youngest woman to be the Olympics gymnastics all-around champion. Since the Olympic Games have since raised the age requirement and gymnasts are now required to be 16 in the same calendar year of the Olympics, this particular record will only be broken if the requirements are changed again.
AAPI (28D: ___ Heritage Month (May)) Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month is observed annually in the United States during May. This clue reminded me of two previous USA TODAY puzzles that celebrate AAPI Heritage, one by Paolo Pasco, and the other by Hoang-Kim Vu & Erica Hsiang Wojcik.
A few other clues I especially enjoyed:
- OTHER (20A: "My ___ car is a broom")
- ERA (18D: Inspiration for a Swiftie's concert outfit)
- PROP (27D: Mary Poppins' umbrella, e.g.)
- BITE-SIZE (38D: Like pigs in a blanket)

Crossword Puzzle Theme Synopsis

CARPE DIEM (Freestyle): There's no theme today because this is a freestyle, or themeless, puzzle. The title is a nod to YOU ONLY LIVE ONCE (57A: "If not now, when?").

We occasionally see YOLO, the acronym meaning YOU ONLY LIVE ONCE, in the crossword. It was fun to see the phrase in its entirety today. Perhaps an attitude of YOU ONLY LIVE ONCE could help one face a situation that evokes the phrase, "NEW FEAR UNLOCKED" (17A: "Here's one more thing to be terrified of"). Thank you, Dena, for this enjoyable puzzle.