There are spoilers ahead. You might want to solvetoday's puzzlebefore reading further!Food Festival Lineup Constructor:Will Eisenberg Editor:Amanda Rafkin Will:This puzzle was originally titled "Combo Meal". I still like the title, but it does rely on the solver knowing that a band can also be called a 'combo', which is a little tricky. It was really fun to combine my love of music and food in one puzzle! I think the genesis of the theme was trying to get GOOEYBUTTERCAKE into a puzzle--a St. Louis specialty that I think is delicious enough to become a national hit. Happy birthday, Shannon! SUV (31A: Honda Prologue, e.g.) I know very little about cars, so although I recognized Honda and knew this was some sort of vehicle, I relied on crossing answers to let me know that the Honda Prologue is an SUV (sports utility vehicle). When I looked up the Honda Prologue, I discovered that it's an electric vehicle and it was first produced in 2024. KIA (40A: ___ ora (Maori greeting)) Māori is the language of the Māori people, the indigenous people of mainland New Zealand. KIA ora is a Māori greeting that has a literal translation of "have life" or "be healthy." SET (42A: Spot for many scenes in "The Studio")The Studiois an Apple TV+ series that premiered in March of this year. The series is a satire of the movie industry. Seth Rogen stars as the head of a Hollywood studio who is struggling to balance corporate demands with his desire to make quality films. Since the series is about the movie industry, many scenes occur on SET. OWL (11A: Duolingo's mascot, for one) Duolingo is a language teaching app whose mascot is a green cartoon OWL named Duo Keyshauna Renee Lingo, commonly known as Duo. In February of this year, as a publicity stunt, Duolingo announced that Duo had been hit by a Tesla Cybertruck and had died. Duolingo challenged users of the app to work together to reach a goal and resurrect Duo. Once the goal was met,Duo was resurrected. LIME (21A: Kaffir ___ leaves (ingredients in Thai cuisine)) Kaffir LIME is a citrus fruit native to Southeast Asia. The crushed leaves, which are used in Thai cuisine (as the clue notes) give off an intense citrus fragrance. KOALA (22A: Eucalyptus eater) The KOALA is native to Australia and is mostly found in woodlands where its diet consists of the leaves of eucalyptus trees. Although there are over 600 types of eucalyptus trees, the KOALA is particular, and will only feast on about 30 of those species. SOONER (24A: University of Oklahoma athlete) SOONER was a name given to a settler who entered what is now the state of Oklahoma before the official start of the Oklahoma Land Rush of 1889. The word had a negative connotation when it was originally used, but it has come to be used as a demonym for people living in Oklahoma. The University of Oklahoma, located in Norman, adopted the nickname SOONERs for their athletic teams. PEAS (48A: Aloo mutter veggies) Aloo mutter is a dish that consists of potatoes and PEAS in tomato gravy. GOOEY BUTTER CAKE (55A: Signature St. Louis dessert)GOOEY BUTTER CAKEoriginated in St. Louis Missouri in the 1930s or 1940s (the origin is contested). The name appropriately describes this rich, decadent dessert. I must say that GOOEY BUTTER CAKE is delicious. My husband is especially fond of it. ALEX (2D: Alternative to Xander) ALEX and Xander are nicknames for Alexander. TACO (4D: Bit of food truck fare) This feels like a bonus answer. What would a festival be without a TACO truck? ASH (5D: Ketchum who became a Pokemon World Champion in 2022) ASH Ketchum was the protagonist of thePokémonanime series for its first 25 seasons. Pikachu was his first Pokémon. ASH became a Pokémon World Champion inPokémon Ultimate Journeys: The Series. SKELETON KEY (6D: It'll open many doors for you) This is a fun clue! A SKELETON KEY is a type of master KEY that will literally open many doors. CHAMP (7D: Victor, for short) My first thought here was VIC, particularly following the ALEX / Xander clue. However, Victor here is not a name, but a synonym of champion – CHAMP, for short. RUNE (8D: Character on a fantasy map) A RUNE is a character used in Germanic alphabets from the third to the thirteenth centuries. Many fantasy maps feature RUNEs. CUCKOO (10D: Bird that doesn't raise its own young) Some CUCKOO species are brood parasites, which means they lay their eggs in the nests of other birds, leaving the eggs for the other birds to take care of. OCEAN (11D: Habitat for a 12-Down) and WHALE (12D: Animal with gray and blue species) This is a nice pairing of these consecutive clues and answers. LAMAR (13D: Jackson who won MVP twice with the Ravens) LAMAR Jackson is a quarterback for NFL's Baltimore Ravens. In 2019, his second NFL season, LAMAR Jackson was named as the NFL's Most Valuable Player. He also received MVP honors in 2023. URSA (32D: ___ Major) URSA Major, also known as the Great Bear, is a constellation visible in the northern sky. Its main seven stars form the Big Dipper. DAME (34D: Imelda Staunton, for one) DAME Imelda Staunton is an English actress and singer. One of her roles was portraying Queen Elizabeth II in the fifth and sixth seasons ofThe Crown(2022-2023). SPHYNX (42D: Hairless cat) A SPHYNX is a breed of cat that lacks fur. My cat, Willow, has plenty of fur. PPE (47D: N-95s, etc.) PPE here stands for personal protective equipment. N-95s are a type of filtering facemask. PATSY (48D: "She's Got You" singer Cline)"She's Got You"is a 1962 song by PATSY Cline. The song was a number one country hit. "The only thing different, the only thing new / I've got your picture ... she's got you." TUBA (50D: Lowest voice in a brass quintet) A brass quintet typically includes two trumpets, one French horn, one trombone, and a TUBA. PELE (54D: Brazilian soccer legend) PELÉ (1940-2022) is considered one of the greatest soccer players of all time. During his career, PELÉ averaged a goal per game. PEACHES AND CREAM (17A: Southern summer dessert) GLUTEN-FREE BREAD (36A: Celiac-friendly loaf) GOOEY BUTTER CAKE (55A: Signature St. Louis dessert) FOOD FESTIVAL LINEUP: Each theme answer is a FOOD item in which the last word is the name of a band: CREAM, BREAD, and CAKE. In today's crossword FESTIVAL, the bands CREAM, BREAD, and CAKE are the headliners. Sounds delicious! Unfortunately, this LINEUP is only going to happen in a crossword, as these bands were not all active at the same time. It is nice that we have multiple decades represented: CREAM from the 1960s, BREAD from the 1970s, and CAKE from the 1990s to the present. CAKE is the only one of these bands that is still active. I enjoyed the combination of food and music in this theme. Thank you, Will, for this enjoyable puzzle. USA TODAY's Daily Crossword Puzzles Sudoku & Crossword Puzzle Answers This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Crossword Blog & Answers for July 7, 2025 by Sally Hoelscher
