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There are spoilers ahead. You might want to solve today's puzzle before reading further! Belly Up

Constructor: Wendy L. Brandes

Editor: Amanda Rafkin

Comments from Today’s Crossword Constructor

Wendy: The theme for this puzzle came from our search for a rescue dog.  So many of the blurbs on petfinder.com and other rescue sites  describe puppies as loving belly rubs.  What better image to use as a springboard for a puzzle!  I love that the "belly" related theme entries are happy ones -- laugh, rub and button.

The theme entry that spans the grid – RUB SOME DIRT ON IT – has particular meaning for me, since my dad used to say that when we scraped our knees, etc.  Whenever I hear that phrase, it makes me smile.

The choice of FISH in the clue is a nod to my son who is a Tampa Bay Rays fan....

As always, I want to thank Amanda and the USA Today team for making my puzzle so much better!   And thanks to Sally for her column whose existence is an incredible resource for constructors and solvers and is fun to read :)

What I Learned from Today’s Puzzle

• IDA (38A: Actor and director Lupino) IDA Lupino (1918-1995) was one of the few female filmmakers in the 1950s. She directed eight films during her career, six of them for The Filmakers Inc., an independent company she co-founded with the goal of creating issue-oriented, socially-conscious movies. IDA Lupino's directing credits include Outrage (1950), The Hitch-Hiker ( 1953), and The Bigamist (1953). IDA Lupino's acting credits are numerous, and include the movies The Hard Way (1943) and The Devil's Rain (1975), and the TV series Mr. Adams and Eve (1957-1958).

Random Thoughts & Interesting Things

• OSU (13A: Sch. that eliminates the letter "M" from campus before games against Michigan) There are many college football rivalries. A notable one is the rivalry between Ohio State University (OSU) – the Ohio State Buckeyes – and the University of Michigan – the Michigan Wolverines. The Buckeyes and the Wolverines play each other annually in football, and the week before the game is known as Rivalry Week. It's tradition on the OSU campus to eliminate the letter "M" for that week, wherever it appears on the OSU campus.
• RATTAILS (19A: Some punk hairstyles) The main characteristic of a RATTAIL hairstyle is a portion of hair on the back of the head that is significantly longer than the rest of the hair. The RATTAIL may be left as is, or braided or curled. In punk fashion, sometimes RATTAILS are dyed a different color than the rest of the hair.
• NETS (25A: Knicks crosstown competition) Speaking of rivalries ... New York City has two NBA teams, the New York Knicks and the Brooklyn NETS. (I accidentally wrote "New York NETS" at first – I might have gotten some emails about that!)
• ELVIS (42A: "Neptune Frost" star Ngabo) Neptune Frost (2021) is an Afrofuturist movie set in post-civil war Rwanda in a Burundi village made of computer parts. Neptune Frost is described as being "set between states of being - past and present, dream and waking life, colonized and free, male and female, memory and prescience." ELVIS Ngabo and Cheryl Isheja portray Neptune, an intersex runway.
• SPEW (45A: Erupt, like a geyser) When a geyser erupts, it SPEWs water and steam. This answer reminded me of a recent event at Yellowstone National Park, which is home to many geysers and other geothermal features. A week ago, a hydrothermal explosion occurred in the Biscuit Basin area of the park. Rocks, mud, and steam began to SPEW forth. The video of the hydrothermal explosion is quite dramatic, but in fact these types of explosions are not uncommon at Yellowstone.
• ANISE (61A: Star ___ (spice)) Star ANISE is part of the fruit from a particular species of evergreen tree. Its pod resembles an eight-pointed star. The flavor of star ANISE closely resembles the flavor of ANISE, which is the seed of a flowering plant that tastes similar to black licorice. Star ANISE is a common ingredient in five-spice powder.
• BUTTON NOSE (3D: "With a corn-cob pipe and a ___ and two eyes made out of coal" ("Frosty the Snowman" lyric)) Well, now I have the song, "Frosty the Snowman" going through my head! "Frosty the Snowman was a jolly happy soul // With a corn-cob pipe and a BUTTON NOSE and two eyes made out of coal..."
• DOSA (4D: Pancake that might accompany Aloo Masala) A DOSA is a thin pancake in South Indian cuisine made from a fermented batter of lentils and rice. Aloo Masala is a South Indian dish of spiced potatoes that is sometimes served as a side with DOSA. This is your occasional reminder that aloo is a South Asian term for potatoes.
• SCAR (15D: "The Lion King" antagonist loosely based on King Claudius) King Claudius is the antagonist in William Shakespeare's play, Hamlet. (King Claudius is fictional; there has never been a Danish king of that name.) Like King Claudius, the character of SCAR in The Lion King, resorts to trickery and murder to get his way. The characters differ in that King Claudius was consumed by guilt, while SCAR delights in his evil ways.
• WREATH (46D: Headwear for some Greek gods) and TENS (57D: Top scores for divers) A Greek reference and a diving clue seem timely for the 2024 Summer Olympics happening in Paris, France at the moment.
• ADAM (55D: Actor Driver) ADAM Driver's acting credit include the role of Ben Solo / Kylo Ren in three Star Wars movies, portraying Charlie Barber in the 2019 movie, Marriage Story, and playing Enzo Ferrari in the 2023 movie Ferrari.

Crossword Puzzle Theme Synopsis

• BUTTON NOSE (3D: "With a corn-cob pipe and a ___ and two eyes made out of coal" ("Frosty the Snowman" lyric))
• RUB SOME DIRT ON IT (7D: Dismissive phrase encouraging toughness)
• LAUGH IT OFF (29D: Brush something aside with humor)

BELLY UP: The topmost (UP) word of each vertical theme answer can be paired with the word BELLY: BELLY BUTTON, BELLY RUB, and BELLY LAUGH.

This is a fun theme. It's been a little while since we've seen a puzzle with vertical theme answers, but the word UP in the title was a tip-off to look for them today. My cat, Willow, says that BELLY RUB is the best of the BELLY phrases. Thank you, Wendy, for this delightful puzzle.

For more on USA TODAY’s Crossword Puzzles

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