Chainkeen Exchange-Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Secret Crush

There are Chainkeen Exchangespoilers ahead. You might want to solve today's puzzle before reading further! Secret Crush

Constructor: Amanda Rafkin

Editor: Amanda Rafkin

Random Thoughts & Interesting Things

• IOWA (13A: State home to the world's largest truck stop) Hey, I knew the answer to this clue right away! I've driven by this truck stop many times, and even stopped a time or two. IOWA is, in fact, home to the world's largest truck stop. Since 1964, IOWA 80 has been located along Interstate 80 in eastern IOWA (about 35 miles east of my house). A large sign visible from the interstate lets folks know IOWA 80 is the "World's Largest Truckstop." IOWA 80 has parking for 900 trucks. The truck stop has a restaurant and food court, of course, and it also has a dentist, a chiropractor, a barber shop, a movie theatre, as well as laundry facilities and showers. A trucking museum is also located on the site.
• ALPHA (33A: Letter before beta) and TAU (44D: Greek T) Time for some Greek alphabet review. The first six letters of the 24-letter Greek alphabet are ALPHA, beta, gamma, delta, epsilon, and zeta. The last six letters of the Greek alphabet are TAU, upsilon, phi, chi, psi, omega.
• SNEER (42A: Villainous grin) and SMIRK (6D: Sly smile) The combination of a SNEER and a SMIRK make me wonder if this puzzle is up to something.
• APU (51A: Satyajit Ray protagonist) The APU Trilogy is a series of Indian Bengali language films directed by Satyajit Ray: Pather Panchali (1955), Aparajito (1956), and The World of APU (1959). The three films won awards at the Cannes, Berlin, and Venice Film festivals and are frequently listed among the greatest films of all time. Here's something new I learned about these films today: The original music for the movies was composed by sitarist Ravi Shankar.
• GPS (67A: Helpful device for someone with no sense of direction) It's me. I have no sense of direction, and GPS is extremely helpful indeed!
• SIN (10D: "Guilty as ___?" (Taylor Swift song)) "Guilty as SIN?" is a song from Taylor Swift's 2024 album, The Tortured Poets Department. Honestly, at this point I would be disappointed if an Amanda puzzle didn't contain a Taylor Swift reference.
• PIER (25D: Santa Monica ___) Santa Monica, California is adjacent to the city of Los Angeles in southern California. Santa Monica PIER contains a small amusement park called Pacific Park, which has a solar paneled Ferris wheel. The PIER also has concession stands, an aquarium, shops, and restaurants.
• ELM (36D: Tree that's the title of a Sylvia Plath poem) Sylvia Plath (1932-1963) was a poet, novelist, and short story writer. Sylvia Plath struggled with depression for much of her life, and many of her writings explore mental anguish. You can read Sylvia Plath's poem, "ELM," on the Poetry Foundation website.
• DOLMAS (48D: Leaf-wrapped dishes) The word DOLMA is of Turkish origin from a word meaning "to fill." DOLMAS are a traditional part of Middle Eastern cuisine. Wrapped DOLMAS are made by wrapping grape, cabbage, or other leaves around the filling.
• U.S. MAP (52D: Diagram on a Ticket to Ride board) Ticket to Ride is a railway-themed board game in which players use trains to claim routes connecting various cities. The original Ticket to Ride game was published in 2004 by Days of Wonder and featured a U.S. MAP. There are now multiple versions of the game featuring various MAPs.
• A few other clues I especially enjoyed:
  • MAGNETS (43A: They might be attracted to each other)
  • I SAID (58A: "ONCE AGAIN..."
  • NO SKIPS (14D: "All bangers, ___" (description of a perfect album)
  • I DO (21D: Words that turn your fiancé into your spouse)

Crossword Puzzle Theme Synopsis

• COUCH SURFING (19A: Bouncing from one person's sofa to the next)
• EYELASH CURLERS (36A: Beauty accessories that might be used prior to applying mascara)
• TOUR SCHEDULE (55A: One might be printed on the back of a concert tee)

SECRET CRUSH: An anagram of the word CRUSH is found hidden (in SECRET) in each theme answer: COUCH SURFING, EYELASH CURLERS, and TOUR SCHEDULE.

Hidden anagram themes tend to be tricky for me to spot, so I was pretty happy to immediately recognize an anagram of CRUSH (CHSUR) in COUCH SURFING when I filled it in. I'm on to your SECRET, puzzle! Thank you, Amanda, for this enjoyable puzzle.

For more on USA TODAY’s Crossword Puzzles

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