There are spoilers ahead. You might want to solvetoday's puzzlebefore reading further!Mind-blowing Constructor:Lynn K. Watson Editor:Anna Gundlach NINJA (22D: Spy also called a shinobi) In feudal Japan (1185-1868), a NINJA, or shinobi, was a covert agent. NINJA is having a moment, as we saw FRUIT NINJA as a theme answeryesterday. HOP IN (14A: "Come take this car for a spin with me!") and IN HERE (48D: "Come hide with me!") This puzzle is ready for some escapades. ELENA (17A: "My Brilliant Friend" author Ferrante) ELENA Ferrante is the author of multiple books, including a coming-of-age series of four books known as theNeapolitan Novels, of whichMy Brilliant Friendis the first. The TV seriesMy Brilliant Friend(2018-2024) is based on ELENA Ferrante'sNeapolitan Novelsseries. ELENA Ferrante is a pseudonym. In spite of her recognition as an influential writer, the Italian author has kept her identity secret since her first book was published in 1992. FITBIT (24A: Step-counting gadget) The step-counting FITBIT is an example of wearable tech. I used to have a FITBIT. In fact, I've had two different FITBITs, and both of them broke. I took this as a sign that I was simply not destined to know how many steps I take each day. OAHU (35A: Island with a state capital) The island of OAHU is home to Honolulu, the state capital of Hawaii. JETER (38A: Yankees legend Derek) Derek JETER is a former professional baseball player. He spent his entire 20-year MLB career (1995-2014) with theNew York Yankees. During that time he was a 14-times All-Star and a 5-times World Series champion. Derek JETER was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2020. MAID IN MANHATTAN (40A: Jennifer Lopez rom-com set in a New York hotel) In the 2002 movieMAID IN MANHATTAN, Jennifer Lopez stars as the titular MAID. Ralph Fiennes stars as a high-profile politician. The movie is a rom-com, so you can probably figure out how the story unfolds. TETE (45A: Head, in French) Whenever I see the word TÊTE in crosswords, I think of the phrase TÊTE-À-TÊTE, which literally means "head-to-head." NES (46A: The Legend of Zelda console)The Legend of Zeldais a video game franchise. The originalLegend of Zeldawas released by Nintendo in 1986. NES stands for Nintendo Entertainment System. ROARED (49A: Sounded like a lion) My cat, Willow, can't ROAR like her big cat cousins, because house cats don't have the ability to ROAR. However, she can purr, which is something house cats can do that big cats can't. Generally, a cat can either purr or ROAR, but not both. Here's a picture of Willow living on the edge – the edge of the SOFA (53A: Piece of furniture in a den), that is. CHEF (1D: Julia Child, e.g.) Julia Child (1912-2004) was a CHEF, author, and TV personality. She introduced many Americans to French cuisine with her cookbook,Mastering the Art of French Cooking(1961), and her TV shows. HOLI (2D: Hindu festival of colors) HOLI, also known as the "festival of spring" and the "festival of colors," is a Hindu festival celebrating the end of winter and the arrival of spring. The date of HOLI varies with the lunar calendar. This year HOLI was celebrated on March 13 and 14. KELP (7D: Seaweed like kombu) Kombu is edible KELP. The seaweed is full of umami and is used to make dashi stock. SUN (11D: Closest star to Earth) The SUN is, of course, the star at the center of the Solar System, of which the Earth is a part. The Earth orbits the SUN at an average distance of 93-million miles. The nearest star to the Earth after the SUN is Proxima Centauri, which is 4.25 light years – approximately 25.5 trillion miles – away. ROMAN (28D: Like the numeral MMXXV) In case your ROMAN numeral knowledge is a bit rusty, MMXXV is, appropriately, 2025. ALDI (31D: Germany-based grocery chain) Here's a fun fact: Headquartered in Germany, ALDI is actually the name of two supermarket chains, ALDI Nord and ALDI Süd. Although the two ALDI chains appear as a single enterprise, and they have contractual agreements with each other, they are owned and operated independently. It is ALDI Süd that operates in the United States. ETTA (39D: "At Last" singer James) ETTA James (1938-2012) is in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Blues Hall of Fame, and the Grammy Hall of Fame. She recorded "At Last" in 1960 as the title track for her debut album. Her recording of the song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999. TEAS (58D: Oolong and hojicha) Oolong is a TEA made from semi-oxidized TEA leaves, and can be made from a variety of TEA plant cultivars. Oolong is similar to black TEA. Hojicha is a roasted Japanese green TEA. The roasting process results in a TEA with a nutty, toasty, sweet flavor with little to no bitterness. SIRE (61D: "Your majesty") It's true, SIRE is an equivalent form of address to "your majesty." Years ago when my daughter was in high school, she instructed my iPhone to refer to me as "your majesty." To this day (over 11 years and several iPhones later), my phone still addresses me as "your majesty," and if I ask it, "Who is your majesty?" it will show me a picture of myself. I'm not tech-savvy enough to undo this, and honestly, why would I want to? A couple of other clues I especially enjoyed: OUT (23A: Call in baseball and tennis) TUNES (71A: Twists the pegs on an ukulele) FIND MY IPHONE (20A: App that locates lost Apple devices) MAID IN MANHATTAN (40A: Jennifer Lopez rom-com set in a New York hotel) HIT AND MISS (56A: Unreliably successful) MIND-BLOWING: Each theme answer contains an anagram of the word MIND: FIND MY IPHONE, MAID IN MANHATTAN, and HIT AND MISS. The word "BLOWING" in the title is a hint to solvers that today's theme is a hidden anagram theme. In each theme answer the word MIND is blown (in a way) and reconstructed with a different letter order. We have the MIND anagrams IND/M, D/IN/M, and ND/MI. Thank you, Lynn, for this MIND-BLOWING puzzle. USA TODAY's Daily Crossword Puzzles Sudoku & Crossword Puzzle Answers This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Crossword Blog & Answers for May 28, 2025 by Sally Hoelscher
