<p>-
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Boundary Surveys</p>
<p>Sally Hoelscher, USA TODAYJuly 14, 2025 at 7:00 AM</p>
<p>There are spoilers ahead. You might want to solve today's puzzle before reading further! Boundary Surveys</p>
<p>Constructor: Erik Agard</p>
<p>Editor: Amanda Rafkin</p>
<p>July 14, 2025What I Learned from Today's Puzzle -</p>
<p>PROTECT THE DOLLS (17A: Slogan on a viral t-shirt worn by Pedro Pascal) Pedro Pascal is an actor who is currently starring in the TV series The Last of Us, which I have written about previously. Earlier this year, Pedro Pascal attended the premiere of Marvel's movie Thunderbolts* dressed in a Conner Ives-designed t-shirt with the slogan "PROTECT THE DOLLS." The slogan is a call to support and PROTECT trans women. "DOLLS" is an affectionate term used by the LGBTQ+ community for trans women. It's not uncommon for me to miss moments that go viral. I'm glad to learn about this one now.</p>
<p>Random Thoughts & Interesting Things -</p>
<p>LATIN (1A: Language that "bona fide" comes from) The phrase "bona fide" means "in good faith" in LATIN. In English the phrase is used to describe something that's genuine and sincere.</p>
<p>CARB (10A: Nutrient abundant in quinoa, for short) Quinoa is a pseudocereal or pseudograin. Its edible seeds are high in carbohydrates, or CARBs, and protein-rich.</p>
<p>ANY (46A: "___ Man of Mine" (Shania Twain song)) "ANY Man of Mine" is a 1995 song by Shania Twain. It was her first number one country hit, and it won Single of the Year at the Canadian Country Music Awards.</p>
<p>HBO (53A: "True Detective" network) True Detective is an anthology TV series that airs on HBO. An anthology is one in which each season is self-contained with a different set of characters and story lines. The show first aired in 2014, and there have been four seasons so far. A fifth season is in development, scheduled to air in 2027.</p>
<p>POLITICAL NOVELS (56A: "All the King's Men" and "The Man Who Cried I Am," for two) All the King's Men is a 1946 POLITICAL NOVEL by Robert Penn Warren. The book tells the story of a charismatic governor in the southern United States named Willie Stark. It was inspired by the real-life story of Huey P. Long (1893-1935), who was a governor of Louisiana and a U.S. Senator. Robert Penn Warren won the Pulitzer Prize for All the King's Men in 1947. The book was adapted into film several times, most recently in 2006. The Man Who Cried I Am is a 1967 POLITICAL NOVEL by John A. Williams. The book focuses on Max Reddick, a novelist and journalist, as he reflects on his life and considers the complexities of being Black in late-twentieth century America.</p>
<p>NOLA (60A: French Quarter city's nickname) The French Quarter is the oldest neighborhood in New Orleans, Louisiana (NOLA, for short). It is the section of the city around which development occurred when the city was founded in 1718 by Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville.</p>
<p>GOTH (63A: Pastel ___ (macabre aesthetic with soft colors)) GOTH originated as a music subculture in the early 1980s. Developed by fans of gothic rock, it was also influenced by 19th century Gothic fiction and horror movies. GOTH style is known for its abundance of black – black hair, black clothing, and black makeup. Pastel GOTH (a subculture of the subculture so to speak) emerged in 2010. As the name implies, the Pastel GOTH aesthetic adds color, particularly pastel pinks, blues, and purples, to the underlying palette of black.</p>
<p>LIP READ (1D: See what someone is saying?) The phrase "see what someone is saying" means to understand what someone is getting at. However, this clue ends in a question mark, meaning there's a bit of wordplay and trickiness. When a person LIP READs, they literally see what someone is saying.</p>
<p>CHEETO (18D: Orange puff made by Frito-Lay) CHEETO is making back-to-back puzzle appearances, as we saw it yesterday clued as [Orange puff].</p>
<p>REBUS (30D: Puzzle involving pictures) A REBUS is a type of puzzle that involves wordplay and visual elements. For example, a picture of an "eye" followed by a picture of a can of food might be used to represent the phrase, "I can."</p>
<p>PAT (35D: "Movement in Black" poet Parker) PAT Parker's Movement in Black is a collection of poems originally published in 1978. These poems by PAT Parker (1944-1989) relate to her experiences as a Black woman, lesbian, feminist, mother, writer, poet, and activist. I enjoyed this article about PAT Parker, which discusses her work and her friendship with Audre Lorde.</p>
<p>LISBON (36D: Capital of Portugal) LISBON is the capital and largest city of Portugal, a European country on the Iberian peninsula.</p>
<p>SHEEPLE (37D: Portmanteau for easily influenced folks) SHEEPLE is a portmanteau of the words "sheep" and "people."</p>
<p>RAIDERS (41D: Vegas NFL team) The Las Vegas RAIDERS are an NFL team. They moved to the Las Vegas area from Los ANGELES in 2020, and play their home games in Allegiant Stadium in Paradise, Nevada.</p>
<p>ANGELES (42D: Second word of the second-most populous U.S. city) Perhaps appropriately, I had to read this clue a couple of times to understand it. Los ANGELES is the second-most populous city in the U.S., following New York City. ANGELES is the second word in the city's name.</p>
<p>DYNASTY (43D: Zhou or Qin, in Chinese history) The Zhou DYNASTY was China's longest DYNASTY, lasting from 1050 to 771 BCE. The Qin DYNASTY (221-206 BCE) was the shortest DYNASTY in Chinese history.</p>
<p>MR. T (48D: "The A-Team" star) The A-Team is a TV series that originally aired from 1983-1987. The titular team was composed of former members of a fictitious U.S. Army Special Forces unit that had been court-martialed for a crime they hadn't committed. After escaping from prison, the group tries to clear their name, while working as soldiers of fortune. MR. T portrays Sergeant First Class Bosco "B.A." Baracus. (B.A. stands for "Bad Attitude.")</p>
<p>NIVEA (50D: Skincare brand whose name translates to "snow white") NIVEA is a German personal care brand whose name comes from the LATIN word meaning "snow white."</p>
<p>A few other clues I especially enjoyed:</p>
<p>IRONY (14A: "The ___ is not lost on me")</p>
<p>HUNT (44A: Search for treasure or a house)</p>
<p>ASKING (45D: "___ for a friend")</p>
<p>Crossword Puzzle Theme Synopsis -</p>
<p>PROTECT THE DOLLS (17A: Slogan on a viral t-shirt worn by Pedro Pascal)</p>
<p>POOL BALLS (35A: Some are solid and some are striped)</p>
<p>POLITICAL NOVELS (56A: "All the King's Men" and "The Man Who Cried I Am," for two)</p>
<p>BOUNDARY SURVEYS: The word POLLS, a synonym of SURVEYS, is found at the BOUNDARY (i.e. edges) of each theme answer: PROTECT THE DOLLS, POOL BALLS, and POLITICAL NOVELS.</p>
<p>This is a common USA Today theme type, where we have each theme answer nested inside a word. Often, the title gives solvers a hint to the word on the edges, or BOUNDARY. Here, however, an extra step is required to figure out the theme. First one has to recognize that the word POLLS is found at the edges of each theme answer, and then one needs to notice that POLLS is a synonym of SURVEYS. This provides a nice "Aha!" moment on discovery. It's also fun that the split in the word POLLS shifts by one letter each time as we move from the top to the bottom of the puzzle: P/OLLS, PO/LLS, POL/LS. Additionally, the construction of this grid is impressive. Each corner contains a column of three 7-letter words, and all 12 of those words are interesting fill. Thank you, Erik, 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 July 14, 2025 by Sally Hoelscher</p>
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