Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's crossword, I'm Cliche, Who Cares? (Freestyle)

There are spoilers ahead. You might want to solve today's puzzle before reading further! I'm Cliche, Who Cares? (Freestyle)

Constructors: Amie Walker & Amanda Rafkin

Editor: Amanda Rafkin

Comments from Today’s Crossword Constructor

Amanda: Happiest of birthdays to the lovely Amie Walker, collaborator and human being extraordinaire! 

What I Learned from Today’s Puzzle

• TOWA (9A: "Sorry Sorry" singer ___ Bird) "Sorry Sorry" is a song from TOWA Bird's debut album, American Hero, which was released in June of this year. TOWA Bird first gained recognition on TikTok in 2020, when she began posting videos of herself playing guitar riffs over the songs of other artists. In a tie-in with another answer in today's puzzle, I learned that TOWA Bird was the lead guitarist for Reneé RAPP'S Snow Hard Feelings Tour.
• FARM (38A: Setting for the board game Agricola) The board Agricola has been out since 2007, but it's new to me. During the game, each player has a FARM that they tend to by sowing fields and raising livestock. The winner is determined based on the size and prosperity of their FARM at the end of the game.

Random Thoughts & Interesting Things

• MOMO (14A: Steamed Tibetan dumpling) I enjoy the fact that almost every cuisine has some version (sometimes more than one) of a dish that is basically some type of filling wrapped in dough. In Tibetan and Nepali cuisine, a MOMO is a dumpling that is steamed and served with dipping sauces.
• PU PU (17A: ___ platter) A PU PU platter consists of an assortment of meat and seafood appetizers, such as egg rolls, spare ribs, chicken wings, fried shrimp, crab rangoon, etc. PU PU platters are associated with American Chinese restaurants.
• POETS (18A: "The Tortured ___ Department") and ENDS (59A: "And I hope I never lose you, hope it never ___") Although CHAPPELL ROAN is the star of this puzzle, the constructors managed to work in a couple of Taylor Swift references. The Tortured POETS Department is Taylor Swift's most recent album, released in April of this year. "And I hope I never lose you, hope it never ENDS," is a line from Taylor Swift's song, "Cornelia Street," from her 2019 album Lover.
• CHAPPELL ROAN (19A: "The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess" artist) and GOOD LUCK BABE (48A: 19-Across song with the lyric "You'd have to stop the world to stop the feeling") The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess is CHAPPELL ROAN's debut studio album, released last year. "GOOD LUCK, BABE!" is a single from the album. "GOOD LUCK, BABE!" includes the line, "You'd have to stop the world to stop the feeling." Today's title – "I'M CLICHE, WHO CARES" – is also a line from this song. I have previously mentioned that I learned about CHAPPELL ROAN when she was interviewed on the NPR podcast, "Wait, Wait ... Don't Tell Me!" Since then, the crossword has been on a quest to make sure I not only remember her, but am familiar with her discography!
• STINE (27A: "Goosebumps" author R.L.) R.L. STINE is the author of the children's horror fiction series, Goosebumps. Sixty-two books have been published in the original Goosebumps series, and R.L. STINE has also written a number of spin-off series. The Goosebumps stories have been adapted to TV, film, video games, and comics.
• NEA (29A: Org. for teachers) The National Education Association (NEA) was founded in 1857. It represents public school teachers and support personnel, college and university faculty and staff, and retired teachers, as well as college students preparing to be teachers. With just under 3 million members, the NEA is the largest labor union in the U.S.
• CATWALK (36A: Fashion runway) My cat, Willow, approves of this answer, "CATWALK, you say, this CAT will WALK wherever I want!" The other day I opened up one of my desk drawers and Willow decided she needed to be in the drawer.

• ANKH (39A: Egyptian cross) An ANKH has a cross shape, but the upper vertical bar is replaced with a loop: ☥. This ancient Egyptian hieroglyph was used to represent life.
• READS (44A: Enjoys "Bad Behavior," say) Bad Behavior is a 1988 collection of short stories by Mary Catskill. There is another book of the same title: Bad Behavior: A Memoir of Bullying and Boarding School. That book is Rebecca Starford's 2015 memoir, which was adapted into a TV miniseries in 2023.
• SID (45A: Neve's "Scream" character, for short) Neve Campbell portrays Sidney Prescott (SID, for short) in the five Scream movies.
• POOH (46A: Bear who said, "Some people care too much. I think it's called love") Aww, that Winnie the POOH is a wise bear.
• YURT (57A: Mongolian tent) A YURT is a portable round tent used as housing by several nomadic groups in Central Asia. The word YURT is from Turkic languages, and means "dwelling place." The Mongolian word "ger" is also used to refer to these round tents.
• RAPP (61A: "Mean Girls" star Renee) From 2019-2020, Reneé RAPP starred on Broadway as Regina George in the musical Mean Girls. She reprised the role in the 2024 Mean Girls movie (the version of the movie based on the musical).
• DIOS (62A: "Vaya con ___") "Vaya con DIOS" is Spanish for "Go with God."
• SHIA (3D: Branch of Islam) SHIA is the second-largest branch of Islam. The largest branch of Islam is Sunni.
• WET (11D: Like some burritos) In Mexican and Tex-Mex cuisine, a burrito consists of filling tightly wrapped inside a flour tortilla (dough wrapped filling!). A "WET" burrito is one that is covered in sauce, and eaten with utensils rather than with one's hands.
• OCALA (21D: Florida city hidden in "local anesthetic") OCALA, Florida, located in the north central part of the state, takes its name from Ocale, a historical Timucua village and chiefdom in the 16th century. The word "Ocale" is thought to mean "Big Hammock" in the Timucua language. One of OCALA's nicknames is "Horse Capital of the World," as it is home to over 400 thoroughbred farms and training centers.
• KEHLANI (40D: "The Way" and "After Hours" singer) The singer-songwriter KEHLANI began their singing career as the lead vocalist for PopLyfe, a band that placed fourth on season 6 of America's Got Talent in 2011. KEHLANI now has a solo career. Two of their songs are "The Way" (2015) and "After Hours" (2024).
• RECESS (44D: Break that may be indoors in Arizona) I thought this clue was interesting. In Arizona, RECESS is sometimes indoors as a result of extremely hot weather. Where I live in Iowa, a more common reason for indoor RECESS is extremely cold weather.
• ETSY (52D: Website where you might buy a Femininomenon embroidered tank top) If this puzzle had a theme, this would be a bonus theme answer! "Femininomenon" is a song by CHAPPELL ROAN. And yes, you can indeed buy a Femininomenon embroidered tank top on ETSY.
• A LA (54D: Arroz ___ tumbada) Arroz A LA tumbada is a traditional Mexican dish. It is a one-pot dish of rice and seafood cooked with tomato, onion, garlic, and red pepper.
• BOP (55D: Catchy song) An appropriate answer today, as this puzzle highlights plenty of BOPs.
• A few especially fun long answers (that I haven't mentioned yet):
  • SURPRISE ME (4D: "I want you to decide")
  • I SWEAR BY IT (30D: "You can't go wrong with this")
  • CANOODLED (32D: Kissed and cuddled lovingly)

Crossword Puzzle Theme Synopsis

I'M CLICHE, WHO CARES (Freestyle): Today's puzzle is a freestyle, or themeless, so there's no theme. The title is a lyric from GOOD LUCK BABE (48A: 19-Across song with the lyric "You'd have to stop the world to stop the feeling"), which is sung by CHAPPELL ROAN (19A: "The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess" artist).

This is one of my favorite types of freestyle puzzles – one that has two or more connected answers. I refer to these puzzles as "themed-ish." Sometimes a puzzle like this one makes me wonder where the line between a themed and a themeless puzzle really is. Of course, it doesn't really matter. Whatever you choose to call this puzzle, it was an enjoyable solve. Thank you, Amie and Amanda, for this delightful puzzle.

For more on USA TODAY’s Crossword Puzzles

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