<p>-
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Take a Trip</p>
<p>Sally Hoelscher, USA TODAYJune 25, 2025 at 1:00 AM</p>
<p>There are spoilers ahead. You might want to solve today's puzzle before reading further! Take a Trip</p>
<p>Constructors: Dan Kammann & Zhouqin Burnikel</p>
<p>Editor: Amanda Rafkin</p>
<p>June 25, 2025What I Learned from Today's Puzzle -</p>
<p>ELI (29D: "Borderlands" director Roth) Borderlands is a 2024 sci-fi movie based on the video game series of the same name. ELI Roth directed the movie and co-wrote the screenplay with Joe Crombie. The movie stars Cate Blanchett as Lilith.</p>
<p>SPY (65D: Many a "Black Bag" character) Black Bag is a movie that was released in March of this year. The SPY thriller stars Michael Fassbender as a British intelligence officer who is asked to investigate another intelligence officer – his wife, portrayed by Cate Blanchett – who is suspected of being a SPY. This makes two Cate Blanchett movies in today's puzzle.</p>
<p>Random Thoughts & Interesting Things -</p>
<p>OMAHA (16A: Nebraska city near Iowa's border) OMAHA is Nebraska's most populous city. It is located on the Nebraska-Iowa border, across the Missouri River from Council Bluffs, Iowa.</p>
<p>OPTIC (19A: ___ nerve (part of the eye)) The OPTIC nerve is responsible for transmitting visual information from the eye (the retina, specifically) to the brain.</p>
<p>IAN (37A: 007 creator Fleming) During World War II, IAN Fleming (1908-1964) worked for Britain's Naval Intelligence Division. After the war, he worked for the Kemsley newspaper group, overseeing correspondents of The Sunday Times. In 1952, during a three-month vacation to Jamaica, IAN Fleming wrote his first book, Casino Royale. The book was published in 1953, introducing the world to James Bond aka 007, an MI6 agent. IAN Fleming wrote a totally of 12 novels and two collections of short stories about James Bond. His writings have, of course, been adapted into many movies. Fun fact: IAN Fleming named his famous character after American ornithologist James Bond (1900-1989).</p>
<p>CANDY CANES (3D: Sweet Christmas tree decorations) When I first read this clue, I thought the word "sweet" was being used in the sense of "cute" or "angelic." I soon realized, however, that the clue was referring to Christmas tree decorations that are literally sweet, CANDY CANES.</p>
<p>ROAST BEEF (6D: Dish often served with Yorkshire pudding) ROAST BEEF, potatoes, Yorkshire pudding (a British dish similar to popovers), and gravy are components of a traditional British Sunday dinner.</p>
<p>PHI (11D: ___ Beta Kappa) PHI Beta Kappa is an academic honor society founded in 1776 at the College of William & Mary in Virginia. There are currently 293 PHI Beta Kappa chapters. The group's members include select arts and sciences students who are usually inducted in their senior year of college.</p>
<p>SONAR (15D: Submarine-detecting tech) SONAR uses sound propagation underwater to detect and measure objects, such as submarines. The first recorded use of the technique was in 1490 by Leonardo da Vinci, who used a tube inserted into water to listen for vessels. The first patent for a device that used underwater echo-ranging techniques was filed by English meteorologist Lewis Fry Richardson in 1912, a month after the sinking of Titanic. The term SONAR began being used in the 1930s in reference to underwater sound-detection technology developed by American engineers.</p>
<p>RAYA (31D: "___ and the Last Dragon") RAYA and the Last Dragon is an animated Disney movie released in 2021. Kelly Marie Tran voices the character of RAYA, a warrior princess training to become a Guardian of the Dragon Gem. Awkwafina voices the character of Sisu, the last dragon in existence. As the title suggests, during the movie RAYA embarks on a search for the last dragon.</p>
<p>GLASSDOOR (35D: Platform named for its transparency on companies' salaries and culture) GLASSDOOR was founded in 2007 and launched its website the following year. Employees can leave reviews, post salaries, and have candid conversations about their jobs. Employers can respond to reviews and post jobs.</p>
<p>FELINES (38D: Lions and tigers) My cat, Willow, is always delighted to see her big cat cousins in the puzzle. The other day Willow was sitting on my desk. She was sitting off to the side, instead of right in front of my computer monitor as she usually does, so that was helpful. She draped her tail over my arm, however, to make sure I knew she was there.</p>
<p>Willow -</p>
<p>DRE (40D: Dad on "black-ish") The TV series black-ish originally aired on ABC from 2014-2022. The show centers on a Black family headed by Andre "DRE" Johnson (Anthony Anderson) and his wife, Dr. Rainbow Johnson (Tracee Ellis Ross).</p>
<p>PLAY-DOH (46D: Kids' modeling medium) PLAY-DOH has been around since the mid-1950s, so multiple generations have grown up playing with it. Entering this answer immediately made me think of the iconic smell of PLAY-DOH. In 2018, Hasbro trademarked PLAY-DOH's distinctive scent, which it describes as a "combination of a sweet, slightly musky, vanilla-like fragrance, with slight overtones of cherry, and the natural smell of a salted, wheat-based dough."</p>
<p>Crossword Puzzle Theme Synopsis -</p>
<p>SIDE BUSINESS (20A: Secondary source of income)</p>
<p>FIELD DAY (38A: Outdoor school event with games)</p>
<p>EXTENDED FAMILY (57A: Grandparents, aunts, cousins, etc.)</p>
<p>TAKE A TRIP: Each word of each theme answer can be paired with the word TRIP: SIDE TRIP, BUSINESS TRIP, FIELD TRIP, DAY TRIP, EXTENDED TRIP, and FAMILY TRIP.</p>
<p>I'm always up for a TRIP, and I enjoyed realizing there are so many words that can pair with TRIP. It's extra fun when all of the words in the theme answers are involved in the theme. Thank you, Dan and Zhouqin, for this excellent puzzle.</p>
<p>For more on USA TODAY's Crossword Puzzles -</p>
<p>USA TODAY's Daily Crossword Puzzles</p>
<p>Sudoku & Crossword Puzzle Answers</p>
<p>This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Crossword Blog & Answers for June 25, 2025 by Sally Hoelscher</p>
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