Cornmeal cakes . . . and a punny name for the starred clues' answers

Latest answer — September 17, 2026

16 Across

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Clue explained

Hush puppies are fried cornmeal cakes. The answer also supplies the punny name for the starred dog-breed entries—SHAR PEI, SHIH TZU, and SHIBA INU—which are discussed by the DOG WHISPERERS entry.

Clue type:
Pun or wordplay
Golden fried cornmeal hush puppies served as a side dish

USA Today Crossword

This clue's Thursday, September 17, 2026 appearance

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Across

  1. 1Group that won Eurovision in 1974 with "Waterloo"
  2. 5Top of a wave
  3. 10Where MA and PA are
  4. 13Caddie's selection
  5. 14Greeted someone
  6. 15Snooze
  7. 16Cornmeal cakes . . . and a punny name for the starred clues' answers
  8. 18Not post
  9. 19Pooh's sad friend
  10. 20When you'll show up, for short
  11. 21Hospital scans
  12. 22Like Mars, but not Uranus
  13. 24Old-timey "you"
  14. 26*Furry friend known for its wrinkles
  15. 29*Fluffy toy?
  16. 32Female horses
  17. 33Flutes' neighbors in an orchestra
  18. 35Sn, on the periodic table
  19. 36Matched a face to a name, say
  20. 37Skidded
  21. 38Craeless mistake?
  22. 39Install, like tile
  23. 40*Breed similar to the Akita
  24. 43The mind's "I"
  25. 44Rejections
  26. 45Place for a soak
  27. 49Childbirth support provider
  28. 51"All By Myself" singer Celine
  29. 53Clean air org.
  30. 54Canine behavior experts . . . and what people talking about 26-, 29- and 40-Across might be called
  31. 58On
  32. 60Church walkway
  33. 61Texter's "However . . ."
  34. 62"Stay in your ___!"
  35. 63Comedian Wanda
  36. 64Pump or platform
  37. 65Common merch table purchases
  38. 66Must
  39. 67Central Perk and Monica's apartment, for "Friends"

Down

  1. 1Feel sore
  2. 2Primary color
  3. 3Bustling
  4. 4Just hated
  5. 5Maximum
  6. 6Mature, like fruit
  7. 7Modify
  8. 8Put in a sword holder
  9. 9"Where ignorance is bliss, ___ folly to be wise"
  10. 10TLC song with the lyric "You can buy all the makeup that MAC can make"
  11. 11Draped garment
  12. 12Bonobos, e.g.
  13. 14"I was wrong! Get over it!"
  14. 17Kudos
  15. 21"Not impressed"
  16. 23Garlicky sauces
  17. 25He/him/___
  18. 26Beamed
  19. 27Tried
  20. 28"Is it my turn yet?"
  21. 29Fountain drink
  22. 30Move really fast
  23. 31Call in a card game
  24. 34Race day accessory
  25. 37"Dexter: Resurrection" network
  26. 38"Tsk" relative
  27. 40Catch
  28. 41"Knock on wood!"
  29. 42Zilch
  30. 46Start showing canines?
  31. 47Pull from the ground
  32. 48Big parties
  33. 50Bounds along
  34. 51Computer storage devices
  35. 52Bit of land in the sea
  36. 55Clean with soap
  37. 56"Well, hey there!"
  38. 57"I'm Coming Out" singer Diana
  39. 58Key next to the space bar
  40. 59___ kwon do

The answer to “Cornmeal cakes . . . and a punny name for the starred clues' answers” in the USA Today crossword is HUSHPUPPIES — a 11-letter word. It most recently appeared in the USA Today crossword on September 17, 2026, a Thursday puzzle, at 16-Across. Below you'll find why that fill fits, every other answer we've recorded for this clue, and links into the puzzle it came from.

“Cornmeal cakes . . . and a punny name for the starred clues' answers” answer

HUSHPUPPIES (11 letters)

Reveal the solution one letter at a time with the tiles above if you'd rather nudge yourself toward it than see the whole word at once. Just want it outright? The answer is HUSHPUPPIES.

What does HUSHPUPPIES mean?

Reading the plain dictionary sense of HUSHPUPPIES is often the fastest way to see why it answers this clue.

(noun)

  • lightweight casual shoes made of soft suede or leather
  • small cakes of maize dough which are quickly deep-fried

When else has “Cornmeal cakes . . . and a punny name for the starred clues' answers” appeared?

USA Today reuses clues across dates, sometimes with a different answer depending on the grid. Here's where this exact clue has shown up, and what the answer was each time — handy when you're checking whether today's fill is the only one.

September 17, 2026 (most recent) → HUSHPUPPIES. We haven't indexed another appearance of this exact clue yet.

Frequently asked questions

What is the answer to “Cornmeal cakes . . . and a punny name for the starred clues' answers”?

The answer is HUSHPUPPIES, a 11-letter word. It most recently appeared in the USA Today crossword on September 17, 2026.

How many letters is the answer to “Cornmeal cakes . . . and a punny name for the starred clues' answers”?

11 letters: HUSHPUPPIES.

When did this clue appear?

Most recently in the USA Today crossword on September 17, 2026 (a Thursday puzzle), at 16-Across.

Can “Cornmeal cakes . . . and a punny name for the starred clues' answers” have a different answer?

Yes — USA Today sometimes reuses a clue with a different solution to fit the grid. The answers we've recorded for each date it appeared are listed above when available.

Where can I find the rest of this day's USA Today answers?

The full grid for September 17, 2026 is on the USA Today answers page, with every clue and answer from that puzzle.

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