Welcome to “Off the Grid”, a series where we breakdown USA TODAY’s daily puzzles. Today we’re breaking down “Look Behind You!” a freestyle crossword that’s sure to put those puzzle skills to test, fresh from the pages of our newspaper. Sally, our crossword Off the Grid expert extraordinaire, is here to show you how to solve it!
The Theme: Look Behind You!
“Look Behind You!” . The name suggests some fun may be in store, perhaps involving backwardness or wackiness.
The Structure
Off the Grid Themeless puzzles (or freestyle crosswords) are often built around a more open grid, with longer words and a reduced number of black squares, which allows for some more exotic and interesting words. This is reflected in the grid of “Look Behind You!”
Table of Contents
Notable Clues and Answers
Off the Grid Now, let’s go through some of the main clues and their answers from “Look Behind You!”:
- 17-Across: “Aptly named orange soda brand” (CRUSH)
This clue is a blend of the ordinary general information and some amusing language. The answer to this, CRUSH, is a brand name for an orange soda and also a term that aptly describes it. - 23-Across: “Part of a flight” (STAIR)
Here the clue is little tricky as it’s a double meaning clue i.e. flight means airplane but the answer is flight ofstairs. - 34-Across: “Capital of Norway” (OSLO)
A simple geography clue to give a puzzle balance with an easier entry. - 42-Across: “Comic strip character who says, ‘Good grief!'” (CHARLIEBROWN)
In the puzzle, this cultural reference to the comic strip Peanuts imparts a nostalgic touch. - 58-Across: “Common concert souvenir” (T-SHIRT)
A modern cultural reference that many solvers can relate to, which will make the puzzle feel current and engaging for people.
Strategies for Solving
“Off the Grid Look Behind You!” is a freestyle crossword (also known as a themeless) that Sally wrote in 2016. Here, she highlights a few strategies that are useful to keep in mind when solving freestyle crosswords.Welcome to “Off the Grid”, a series where we breakdown USA TODAY’s daily puzzles. Today we’re breaking down “Look Behind You!” a freestyle crossword that’s sure to put those puzzle skills to test, fresh from the pages of our newspaper. Sally, our crossword Off the Grid expert extraordinaire, is here to show you how to solve it!
- Start with the Fill-in-the-Blanks:
These types of hints are usually easier to figure out and could be a great prelude for the rest of the puzzle. In a “Look Behind You!”, the clues like “36-Across: ‘_ and flow’” (EBB) are a good place to start from.Off the Grid Easy answers often reveal themselves quickly and can help get you started on harder parts of the puzzle. For example, clues like 1-Across: “First letter of the Greek alphabet” (ALPHA) are pretty straightforward. - Look for Short Answers:
- Off the Grid Easy answers often reveal themselves quickly and can help get you started on harder parts of the puzzle. For example, clues like 1-Across: “First letter of the Greek alphabet” (ALPHA) are pretty straightforward.
- Use Crosses to Your Advantage:
- Off the Grid Sometimes solving the first and most obvious clue in a crossword can uncover some less obvious letters in other answers, which can lead to a chain reaction of easier clues.These types of hints are usually easier to figure out and could be a great prelude for the rest of the puzzle. In a “Look Behind You!”, the clues like “36-Across: ‘_ and flow’” (EBB) are a good place to start from.Off the Grid Themeless puzzles (or freestyle crosswords) are often built around a more open grid, with longer words and a reduced number of black squares, which allows for some more exotic and interesting words. This is reflected in the grid of “Look Behind You!”