Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, There Will Be Signs

There are spoilers ahead. You might want to solve today's puzzle before reading further! There Will Be Signs

Constructor: Rebecca Goldstein

Editor: Amanda Rafkin

Random Thoughts & Interesting Things

ACLU (4A: "A threat to any minority is a threat to all minorities" org.) I'm always happy to highlight theAmerican Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)and the legal advocacy work they do. Believing that "a threat to any minority is a threat to all minorities," the ACLU works to protect the rights of those segments of the population who have traditionally been denied their rights, including people of color, women, gay and transgender people, prisoners, immigrants, and people with disabilities.

IDIOM (8A: Phrase that might be tough to translate) and AXIOMS (44D: Self-evident truths) Although the words IDIOM and AXIOM sound similar, their meanings are quite different. An IDIOM is a phrase whose meaning is not related to the literal meaning of its words. For example, the IDIOM "break a leg" means "good luck," not "I hope you hurt yourself by breaking your femur." AXIOMS are fundamental statements that are accepted as true. For example, "parallel lines never cross" is an example of an AXIOM, because if lines do cross, they aren't parallel.

SIGMA (16A: S, in the Greek alphabet) and SIERRA (50A: S, in the NATO alphabet) Well, this is fun! Today we have an opportunity to review both the Greek and NATO alphabets. And I'm a fan of the letter S, so it's nice to see SIGMA and SIERRA in the puzzle. Since we've started with the letter S, I thought I'd use my initials – SRH – for today's Greek and NATO alphabet review. In the Greek alphabet my initials are SIGMA, rho, eta. (Eta is the Greek letter corresponding to the "h" sound.) In the NATO alphabet, my initials are SIERRA, Romeo, Hotel.

SLOWS (19A: Heeds a yellow light) It's true, a yellow light on a stoplight means "SLOW down and prepare to stop." It does not mean "floor it so you'll make it through the light before it turns red."

UBE (19A: Flavor of some purple ice cream) UBE is a species of yam with a vivid purple color.The taste of UBE is similar to sweet potato or taro.UBE is commonly used in Filipino cuisine, particularly in desserts such as UBE cake, UBE crinkles (a type of cookie), or UBE ice cream.

GO FISH (40A: "I don't have any sixes" card game) and UNO (48A: Game with Reverse cards) Anyone up for a game of GO FISH or UNO?

STAIN (57A: Blotch on a blouse) I'm not fond of a STAIN on my shirt, but I do appreciate the alliteration in the phrase "blotch on a blouse."

LATTE (61A: Espresso beverage with the most milk) and AFFOGATO (38D: Espresso-and-ice cream treat) Care for a double shot of espresso? A LATTE is espresso served with steamed milk. Although a cappuccino is also espresso with steamed milk, a LATTE has more milk than a cappuccino, and is often served in a glass rather than a cup. An AFFOGATO is a dessert made by pouring espresso over (usually) vanilla ice cream.

SELA (63A: Actress Ward) SELA Ward has won two Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series. In 1994 she received the award for her portrayal of Teddy Reed in Sisters (1991-1996). Her second Emmy Award was for the role of Lilly Manning in Once and Again (1999-2002).

SAMOSA (3D: Pastry that may be served with chutney) SAMOSAs are fried or baked triangular pastries filled with potatoes, onions, peas, meat, and spices.

DILL (9D: Herb in some kosher pickles) and BRINES (45D: Pickling liquids) This puzzle has multiple examples of pairs of answers whose clues are related. I always enjoy finding pairs of related clues in a puzzle. It's definitely not a requirement in a crossword, but it feels like a little "Eureka!" moment to discover such a connection. I'm also a fan of kosher DILL pickles, so this pair was a fun find.

TRASH CAN (24D: Oscar the Grouch's home) As I've mentioned before, Oscar the Grouch's home on Sesame Street is no ordinary TRASH CAN. Oscar's TRASH CAN is bigger inside than it appears on the outside (it's large enough to hold his 17 pet elephants!), and it has a back door that leads to his hometown, Grouchland, USA.

RACE (27D: The Kentucky Derby, for one) The Kentucky Derby is one of three horse RACEs that comprise the Triple Crown. The other two RACEs of the triple crown are the Preakness Stakes and the Belmont Stakes. The Kentucky Derby is held at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky on the first Saturday of May.

IT'S (28D: "___ a jolly holiday with Mary") "IT'S a jolly holiday with Mary" is a line from the song "Jolly Holiday." The song first appeared in Disney's 1964 movie Mary Poppins, sung by Bert (Dick Van Dyke) and Mary (Julie Andrews).

ITO (31D: Olympic skater Midori) ITO Midori is a former professional figure skater. She was the 1989 World Champion, and won a silver medal for Japan at the 1992 Olympics. ITO Midori has been ranked among the"Top 10 Greatest Female Figure Skaters of All Time."

LEMUR (32D: Primate from Madagascar) Madagascar is an island country in the Indian Ocean. LEMURs, of which there are 103 known species and subspecies, are endemic (native) to Madagascar.LEMURs are recognizable by their large eyes, pointed snout, and long tail.

TOURISM (36D: Major industry in the Maldives) Maldives is an island country in South Asia. Located in the Indian Ocean southwest of India and Sri Lanka, Maldives is an archipelagic country of 1,192 coral islands, about 200 of which are populated. The Maldives is the smallest country in Asia, but its land is spread out over approximately 35,000 square miles. The major industries in the Maldives are fishing and TOURISM.

GRU (40D: The Minions' boss) The animated movieDespicable Mewas released in 2010, introducing the world to GRU (voiced by Steve Carell), a supervillain who turns out to be not as evil as he thought he was.Despicable Me also introduced the Minions, GRU's childlike yellow assistants.The most recent movie starring GRU – now a reformed supervillain – isDespicable Me 4, which was released last year.

CREOLE (46D: Leah Chase's cuisine) Leah Chase (1923-2019), known as the Queen of CREOLE Cuisine, was a chef based in New Orleans. In 2018, the restaurant Leah and her husband founded, Dooky Chase (named for her husband), was named one of the 40 most important restaurants of the last 40 years byFood & Wine magazine. Dooky Chase was a gathering place for Civil Rights Movement participants in the 1960s, and was known as a gallery due to its extensive collection of art by Black artists. Leah Chase authored three cookbooks:The Dooky Chase Cookbook(1990),And I Still Cook(2003), andDown Home Healthy: Family Recipes of Black American Chefs(1994).

A few other clues I especially enjoyed:

VAX (49A: Protective jab)

SNORES (2D: Goes "honk shoo, honk shoo")

I GOT THIS (10D: "Let me take care of it")

Crossword Puzzle Theme Synopsis

HOME NURSE (17A: Medical professional who makes house calls)

MAKE SOME NOISE (37A: "Let me hear you cheer")

OH COME NOW (59A: "Good grief")

THERE WILL BE SIGNS: Each theme answer contains the word OMEN: HOME NURSE, MAKE SOME NOISE. and OH COME NOW.

When my husband and I traveled together in the times before GPS, he was the driver and I was the navigator. (We learned through trial and error that this was the best system.) When our route wasn't clear from the maps we had available I would often say, "There'll be a sign." It became a bit of a catchphrase. And there (almost) always was a sign. This is all to explain why the title of today's puzzle made me smile as it brought back these memories. (Also, I am truly grateful for GPS and mapping apps.) The word OMEN frequently appears in crosswords, thanks to its 4-letter length and crossword-friendly letters. It was fun to see it as the focus of the theme today. Thank you, Rebecca, for this enjoyable puzzle.

For more on USA TODAY’s Crossword Puzzles

USA TODAY’s Daily Crossword Puzzles

Sudoku & Crossword Puzzle Answers

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Crossword Blog & Answers for July 19, 2025 by Sally Hoelscher