Benjamin Ashford|Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Slow Burn (Freestyle)

There are Benjamin Ashfordspoilers ahead. You might want to solve today's puzzle before reading further! Slow Burn (Freestyle)

Constructor: Amanda Rafkin

Editor: Amanda Rafkin

What I Learned from Today’s Puzzle

• PROSY (11A: Like dull writing) This isn't exactly something I learned from today's puzzle, but rather vocabulary I brushed up on. I'm sure I've heard the word PROSY before, but it's been a bit, and I'm fairly certain I've never used the word in a sentence. So, mostly for my own benefit, here's a vocabulary review. PROSY is an adjective meaning dull and unimaginative. It is derived from the word "prose," and is often used to describe speech or writing. Hopefully you won't find the need to use it in the following sentence: "I've been reading this PROSY crossword blog called Off the Grid."

Random Thoughts & Interesting Things

• SMU (5A: Dallas school) Southern Methodist University (SMU) is located in University Park, a suburb of Dallas, Texas. The SMU sports teams are called the Mustangs. SMU has a live mascot, a black Shetland pony named Peruna (named after an early 20th-century, alcohol-based tonic that was said to have a kick). Since Peruna's debut in 1932, a Peruna has been at every home football game except one. Peruna leads the team onto the field and runs between quarters. The current mascot is Peruna IX. SMU also has a costumed-human mascot who is also named Peruna.
• QUEER PLATONIC (17A: Like committed intimate relationships that aren't explicitly romantic in nature) The term QUEER PLATONIC is relatively new, but these types of relationships – deeply committed friendships without a romantic aspect – have been around for a long time.
• SUCRE (23A: One of Bolivia's capitals) The landlocked South American country of Bolivia has two capitals, SUCRE and La Paz. SUCRE is the constitutional and judicial capital, and La Paz is the executive and legislative capital.
• SHE-RA (27A: Animated show with a romance between Adora and Catra) SHE-RA and the Princesses of Power (2018-2020) is an animated TV series which tells the story of Adora, a teenager who can transform into She-Ra. (The series is a reboot of a show of the same name that aired from 1985-1987.) Throughout the show, Adora and Catra (referred to in the fandom as Catradora) are best friends-turned-archenemies-turned-romantic partners.
• DEMISEXUAL (48A: Like someone who develops physical attraction after they've formed a close emotional bond) As the clue describes, a DEMISEXUAL person only feels sexual attraction towards another person after establishing an emotional bond. Demisexuality falls on the asexuality spectrum. DEMISEXUALs may be gay, straight, or bisexual.
• AYN (59A: Author Rand) AYN Rand (1905-1982) was the pen name of Russian-born American author and philosopher Alice O'Connor. Her best-selling work is the 1957 novel Atlas Shrugged. The philosophical system AYN Rand developed is known as Objectivism, which she referred to informally as "a philosophy for living on earth."
• RINGS (61A: "I like shiny things, but I'd marry you with paper ___") "I like shiny things, but I'd marry you with paper RINGS," is a line from Taylor Swift's 2019 song, Paper RINGS. This clue paired well with the next clue / answer: YES (62A: Ideal answer to "Will you marry me?").
• ARIE (1D: Singer India.___) Singer-songwriter India.ARIE released her debut album, Acoustic Soul, in 2001. Since then she has released six additional albums and won four Grammy Awards. Her 2007 song, "I Am Not My Hair" won an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Song.
• FOER (2D: Author Jonathan Safran) I learned about Jonathan Safran FOER when I wrote about his 2010 book, Tree of Codes, which was a theme answer in the May 28, 2024 puzzle. Jonathan Safran FOER's other books include Everything is Illuminated (2002), Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close (2005), and the non-fiction books Eating Animals (2009) and We Are the Weather: Saving the Planet Begins at Breakfast (2019). In addition to writing, Jonathan Safran FOER teaches creative writing at New York University.
• OYELOWO (4D: David who played MLK in "Selma") The 2014 movie, Selma, directed by Ava Duvernay, is a historical drama about the 1965 voting rights marches. David OYELOWO portrays Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK), who led the marches along with Hosea Williams and John Lewis. David OYELOWO won an NAACP Image Award for his performance in the movie.
• URANUS (7D: Coldest planet in our solar system) As I wrote about a couple of months ago, URANUS is one of the four planets in our solar system that is made of gas. (The other three are Neptune, Saturn, and Jupiter.) URANUS is the seventh planet from the Sun, and has a lowest minimum temperature of -371 ℉. Brr! URANUS has an orbital period around the Sun of 84 Earth-years.
• ROSE OILS (24D: Perfume ingredients) ROSE OILS are essential OILS extracted – as one might guess from the name – from the petals of ROSEs.
• ARE (36D: "(___ You) The One That I've Been Waiting For?") "(ARE You) The One That I've Been Waiting For?" is a 1997 song by Australian rock band Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. I'm a fan of using song titles to add interest to clues for common three-letter words. It occurs to me that this song is a good choice to pair with the SLOW BURN title of this puzzle.
• SIMIANS (37D: Monkeys, e.g.) SIMIANS are a suborder of primates. Monkeys, apes, and humans are classified as SIMIANS.
• EXPATS (42D: Some "An American in Paris" characters, for short) The 2014 musical, An American in Paris, is adapted from the 1951 movie of the same name. The musical revolves around a couple of EXPATS, American veterans living in Paris, France.

Crossword Puzzle Theme Synopsis

There's no theme today, as this is a freestyle, or themeless, puzzle. I see the title, SLOW BURN, relating to the following three answers:

• DON'T RUSH IT (20A: "Let's take things slow")
• STAY TUNED (38A: Stick around and let's see what happens)
• DEMISEXUAL (48A: Like someone who develops physical attraction after they've formed a close emotional bond)

Although there's no formal theme today, I enjoyed the way several of the answers seemed to relate to each other, forming a story of sorts. In addition to the answers I've highlighted above, I also liked IN A WORD, SHOWDOWNS, I LOVE THIS PART, and SMITTEN. Thank you, Amanda, for this delightful puzzle.

For more on USA TODAY’s Crossword Puzzles

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