Breaking down the “Passing Remarks” theme for Wednesday.
Expert Solve & Verification
Getting stuck on a crossword is part of the fun, but sometimes you just need that one word to break the grid open. At wordfindertips.com, we solve the USA Today crossword every morning as soon as it drops. We don’t use bots or scrapers; we sit down and solve it to make sure every hint and answer provided here is 100% accurate for the 2026-02-11 puzzle.
Today’s USA Today puzzle, themed “Passing Remarks”, is a great example of how the editor uses daily trends to build a cohesive grid. It’s a 15×15 layout that balances easy “gimme” clues with a few tricky intersections that might require a second look.
How to Solve Today’s Grid
If you’re finding the “Passing Remarks” theme a bit tough, try these tips:
Start with the Blanks: Look for “Fill-in-the-blank” clues. They are usually the most straightforward and help you get some letters on the board fast.
The Suffix Rule: Check your plural clues early. If the clue is plural, the answer almost always ends in ‘S’. This can help you reveal the starting or ending of crossing clues.
Cross-Check the Vowels: If a long Across word isn’t clicking, solve the 3-letter Down clues around it. USA Today loves using common 3-letter words (like ERA, ORE, or ANT) as anchors.
Theme Logic: Once you solve one or two theme clues, you’ll see a pattern related to “Passing Remarks”. Use that logic to guess the remaining long entries.
25. Smallest member of the Furious Five, in the “Kung Fu Panda” franchise
Starts with “M” (6 letters)MANTIS
26. Amazing bargain
Starts with “S” (5 letters)STEAL
28. “___ to that!”
Starts with “A” (4 letters)AMEN
30. Number of Winter 2026 Olympians representing Benin
Starts with “O” (3 letters)ONE
31. The “L” of “TIL”
Starts with “L” (7 letters)LEARNED
34. Places to sleep
Starts with “B” (4 letters)BEDS
35. Quarterback’s before-the-snap phrase
Starts with “H” (10 letters)HUTHUTHIKE
37. Part of a molecule
Starts with “A” (4 letters)ATOM
39. Poetic tribute
Starts with “O” (3 letters)ODE
40. Many people in Algeria
Starts with “A” (5 letters)ARABS
43. Competed in a race
Starts with “R” (3 letters)RAN
44. “Later!”
Starts with “B” (3 letters)BYE
45. “LEGO Friends” voice actor Mendez
Starts with “E” (5 letters)ERICA
47. Final Greek letter
Starts with “O” (5 letters)OMEGA
49. Where one might tune in for the nightly moos
Starts with “F” (4 letters)FARM
52. Hit with electricity
Starts with “Z” (3 letters)ZAP
53. Polite request for some seasoning, perhaps
Starts with “M” (15 letters)MAYIHAVETHESALT
57. “Fantastic Four” star Jessica
Starts with “A” (4 letters)ALBA
58. Male goat
Starts with “B” (5 letters)BILLY
59. Support for a hammock, often
Starts with “T” (4 letters)TREE
60. Observed
Starts with “S” (4 letters)SEEN
61. Religion with Five Pillars
Starts with “I” (5 letters)ISLAM
62. Caterer’s coffee holders
Starts with “U” (4 letters)URNS
63. Solidify
Starts with “S” (3 letters)SET
64. Poke fun at
Starts with “T” (5 letters)TEASE
65. Schrute Farms vegetable
Starts with “B” (4 letters)BEET
Today’s Down Clues
01. Mixtures of two or more single-origin coffees, e.g.
Starts with “B” (6 letters)BLENDS
02. Floor plan
Starts with “A” (6 letters)AROMAS
03. Get even for
Starts with “L” (6 letters)LAYOUT
04. Home plate, for example
Starts with “T” (7 letters)TAMALES
05. Common pancetta substitute
Starts with “A” (6 letters)AVENGE
06. Coffee grinder parts
Starts with “H” (8 letters)HONEYBEE
07. Figure skater Rippon
Starts with “B” (4 letters)BASE
08. Green cocktail garnish
Starts with “A” (4 letters)ALUM
09. Films not saved in archives, e.g.
Starts with “G” (5 letters)GIANT
10. “What’s your ___ Empire?”
Starts with “F” (5 letters)FILET
11. Like flip-flops
Starts with “B” (3 letters)BAH
12. People as a whole
Starts with “B” (5 letters)BACON
13. Assets
Starts with “A” (4 letters)AHOY
21. ___ mignon
Starts with “A” (4 letters)ABIT
22. Friend of Luke and Chewbacca
Starts with “B” (5 letters)BURRS
27. Grad
Starts with “R” (4 letters)RUDE
28. Poker pot fee
Starts with “V” (4 letters)VISE
29. “I’m not impressed”
Starts with “A” (4 letters)ADAM
32. “___, matey!”
Starts with “A” (4 letters)ANTE
33. Inconsiderate
Starts with “F” (5 letters)FELLA
34. Grizzly, e.g.
Starts with “L” (4 letters)LIME
35. Worker who might generate a lot of buzz?
Starts with “M” (3 letters)MEH
36. Krispy ___ donuts
Starts with “A” (5 letters)ATLAS
37. Pleasant scents
Starts with “L” (9 letters)LOSTMEDIA
38. Food in corn husks
Starts with “R” (5 letters)RHYME
41. Very strange
Starts with “H” (3 letters)HAN
42. Triangle that isn’t equilateral or isosceles
Starts with “K” (5 letters)KREME
44. “___! Humbug!”
Starts with “R” (5 letters)ROMAN
46. End-of-year H.S. exam scored from 1 to 5
Starts with “B” (4 letters)BEAR
48. ___ Slalom (Winter Olympics event)
Starts with “S” (4 letters)STUB
49. Chap
Starts with “O” (7 letters)OPENTOE
50. Book of maps
Starts with “B” (7 letters)BIZARRE
51. What frogs and dogs do
Starts with “M” (7 letters)MANKIND
54. Not very much
Starts with “S” (7 letters)SCALENE
55. Workbench clamp
Starts with “P” (7 letters)PLUSSES
56. Ticket remnant in a scrapbook
Starts with “A” (6 letters)APTEST
USA Today Crossword FAQ
Is today’s USA Today crossword hard?
Generally, USA Today crosswords are considered accessible for all skill levels. Today’s “Passing Remarks” grid has a medium difficulty curve, making it perfect for both beginners and experienced solvers.
How are the answers verified?
Every solution you see on wordfindertips.com is checked manually. We solve the grid just like you do to ensure that every letter and intersection is correct before we publish.
What time does the USA Today crossword refresh?
The daily puzzle is typically updated at midnight ET. You can find our updated solver guide shortly after the new grid is released.
