USA Today Crossword Puzzle Answers February 03, 2024
Author: by Rafael Musa
Across
| Body part inside a mitten | HAND |
| Man-made water source | WELL |
| Small jumps | HOPS |
| Black-and-white whale | ORCA |
| Creative concept | IDEA |
| Vegetable that can make people cry | ONION |
| Mark from a kitty cat claw | SCAR |
| ___ colada | PINA |
| This crossword’s is “Oh, hi!” | TITLE |
| “This issue is resolved now” | THATSETTLESTHAT |
| “___ so tall and handsome as hell” (Taylor Swift lyric) | HES |
| Small battery type | AAA |
| Twelve-month periods, for short | YRS |
| ___ into (explore in depth) | DELVE |
| ___ quo | STATUS |
| General vicinity | AREA |
| “Please shear me!” | BAA |
| Groups of eight | OCTETS |
| Mexican holiday with ofrendas and calaveras | DIADELOSMUERTOS |
| Sneaky plot | SCHEME |
| Piece of body art | TAT |
| Lots | ATON |
| ___ Pieces (peanut butter candy) | REESES |
| Birds that symbolize grace | SWANS |
| Frying liquid | OIL |
| Sch. in upstate NY | RPI |
| Word before “talk” or “rally” | PEP |
| “Can’t believe I’m running into you here!” | WHATASMALLWORLD |
| ___ Peace Prize | NOBEL |
| Urgent request | PLEA |
| Hideaway | LAIR |
| Drive faster than posted limits allow | SPEED |
| Mortgage, for example | LOAN |
| Peru’s capital | LIMA |
| Massachusetts state trees | ELMS |
| Very, very long time periods | EONS |
| ___ and steady wins the race | SLOW |
Down
| Have people over | HOST |
| St. Louis monument | ARCH |
| Campus sports org. | NCAA |
| “Star Wars” supervillain | DARTHVADER |
| Towelettes | WIPES |
| Revise, like an essay | EDIT |
| Period before Easter | LENT |
| Yellow Teletubby with a repetitive name | LAALAA |
| Cholula, Tapatio or Tabasco | HOTSAUCE |
| “Already solving this” | ONIT |
| Brief but expressive | PITHY |
| Type of renewable energy | SOLAR |
| Traps for catching butterflies | NETS |
| Have eyes on | SEE |
| Have a meal at a restaurant | EATOUT |
| Papas | DADS |
| South Korea-based singer Nam | ERIC |
| Name that’s an anagram of “heal” | LEAH |
| ___ Luis, Brazil | SAO |
| Have a bite of | TASTE |
| Unofficial surveys | STRAWPOLLS |
| Censors, like a curse word on a broadcast | BLEEPS |
| Jazz legend James | ETTA |
| Animated character | TOON |
| Nine-digit IDs | SSNS |
| Green gems | EMERALDS |
| More, in Spanish | MAS |
| Not complicated | SIMPLE |
| Do some stitching | SEW |
| Has | OWNS |
| “Fingers crossed!” | IHOPE |
| Sticker with nutritional information | LABEL |
| “Any ___ for the weekend?” | PLANS |
| ___ with (be full of) | TEEM |
| ___ gobi | ALOO |
| Like meats with low fat content | LEAN |
| Part of a train track | RAIL |
| Swanky, long vehicle | LIMO |
| Tie | DRAW |