Benjamin Ashford|Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Biting Remarks

There are Benjamin Ashfordspoilers ahead. You might want to solve today's puzzle before reading further! Biting Remarks

Constructor: Emily Carroll

Editor: Amanda Rafkin

What I Learned from Today’s Puzzle

• CHEESE AND RICE (56A: "Oh my gosh!") CHEESE AND RICE – when used as an exclamation, and not the name of a possibly delicious casserole – is an example of a minced oath. A minced oath is a euphemism for words a speaker wants to avoid saying. The use of "darn" for "damn" or "gosh" for "God," are examples of minced oaths. CHEESE AND RICE is a minced oath for Jesus Christ. It took the help of crossing answers for me to uncover CHEESE AND RICE while solving. Once I looked the expression up, I do recall hearing it before. It's definitely colorful and expressive. I suddenly have an urge to walk around expressively proclaiming, "CHEESE AND RICE!"

Random Thoughts & Interesting Things

• EVER (8A: "...and they lived happily ___ after") and I DO (61D: Promise exchanged at the altar) "I DO" ... "and they lived happily EVER after." These two answers caught my attention. The words are in opposite corners of the grid, but the clues pair together nicely. This is a timely pairing for me, as my daughter got married yesterday. Lots of love and best wishes for the newlyweds.
• REC (12A: "Parks and ___" (Former NBC sitcom, for short)) The mockumentary sitcom Parks and Recreation, known as Parks and REC, for short, originally aired on NBC from 2009-2015. Amy Poehler stars as Leslie Knope, the deputy director of the Parks and REC department in the fictional town of Pawnee, Indiana. If you are a Parks and REC fan, I recommend checking out Amy Poehler's memoir, Yes, Please. My husband and I listened to the audiobook on a recent road trip. I have not seen many episodes of Parks and REC, but I still enjoyed hearing the behind-the-scenes stories.
• LISA (15A: Maggie's sister on "The Simpsons") On the animated sitcom The Simpsons, the children of Homer and Marge Simpson are Bart, LISA, and Maggie. LISA, the middle child and an intelligent 8-year-old, is voiced by Yeardley Smith. (Although The Simpsons is in its 35th season, the show uses a floating timeline in which the characters never age.) The character of LISA Simpson holds liberal political views, and advocates for peace, equality, and the environment.
• ASPEN (40A: Colorado skiing destination) The city of ASPEN, Colorado was founded as a mining camp in the late 1800s. It was named for the abundance of ASPEN trees in the area. ASPEN Mountain, with a peak elevation of 11,212 feet above sea level, is located just outside the city of ASPEN. The ASPEN Skiing Company was founded in 1946, and the area has been known as a skiing destination since that time.
• SEPHORA (2D: Popular cosmetics chain) SEPHORA is a French retailer with a cosmetics line. SEPHORA was founded in France in 1969. The company's name is derived from a combination of the Greek word, "sephos," which means beauty, and the name Zipporah, who was the wife of Moses.
• ELMO (8D: "Tickle Me" Muppet) Tickle Me ELMO is a stuffed version of the furry red Muppet, that, when squeezed, shakes vibrates, and giggles. Released in July of 1996, the toy became immensely popular later that year, and sold out at many stores. By the end of December, one million Tickle Me ELMO dolls had been sold. I remember the Tickle Me ELMO fad well (fortunately, my kids were too young at the time to express interest). It's a bit of a shock to realize it's been nearly 28 years since Tickle Me ELMO made an appearance on the market.
• ESSENCE (10D: Magazine with the motto "Where Black Women Come First") Since 1970, ESSENCE magazine's monthly issues have covered fashion, beauty, entertainment, and culture in articles written for Black women readers. 
• HBO (23D: "The White Lotus" channel) The White Lotus is a TV series made for HBO about a fictional resort chain called White Lotus. The show, which premiered in 2021, is an anthology series, one that presents a different story or may have a different cast or be set in a different location each season. The first season of The White Lotus was set in Hawaii. The second season of The White Lotus took place on the Italian island of Sicily. The third season of The White Lotus (with a likely 2025 release date) is being filmed in Thailand.
• NET (26D: Leap and a ___ will appear) "Leap and a NET will appear," is an inspirational saying used to encourage taking chances and trying new things. It's similar, I think, to the advice "Fake it till you make it," and "Just do it." The idea is that sometimes you need to act before you feel ready. My personal feeling is that the reality is more along the lines of "Leap and a NET may or may not appear, but somehow, you'll figure things out along the way." That's probably not ever going to catch on as an inspirational saying.
• BLONDIE (28D: "Heart of Glass" band) "Heart of Glass" is a 1979 song by the band BLONDIE. The disco-inspired song was a number one hit in the U.S. and the U.K. In 2015, "Heart of Glass" was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame for having "qualitative or historical significance." Songs have to be at least 25 years old to be considered for the Grammy Hall of Fame; it's been 45 years since "Heart of Glass" hit the charts. It had been a long time since I'd heard this song, so I spent a few enjoyable moments watching the music video and taking a trip down memory lane.
• URSA (48D: ___ Minor (North Star's constellation) URSA Minor is a constellation consisting of seven stars, the brightest of which is the North Star, Polaris. In Latin, URSA Minor means "Little Bear," which is another name used for the constellation.
• A few other clues I especially enjoyed:
  • LOVE (55A: Subject of a Valentine's Day card)
  • MINIVAN (22D: Soccer mom's vehicle, stereotypically)
  • NINE (58D: Number of Supreme Court seats)

Crossword Puzzle Theme Synopsis

• HOLY GUACAMOLE (20A: "Oh my gosh!")
• GOOD GRAVY (37A: "Oh my gosh!")
• CHEESE AND RICE (56A: "Oh my gosh!")

Each theme answer is a REMARK that includes food items (i.e. items perfect for BITING).

Oh my gosh! HOLY GUACAMOLE! GOOD GRAVY! CHEESE AND RICE! Choose your expression of choice to describe this cleverly-themed puzzle. I thoroughly enjoyed the use of the same clue for all three theme answers. Thank you, Emily, for this delightful puzzle.

For more on USA TODAY’s Crossword Puzzles

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