Harry Potter is a Clue in the USA Today Crossword and it is Wrong

It is always exciting when you see a clue from something you love in the crossword puzzle! Too bad the USA Today doesn’t know Harry Potter very well.

Time for a story about me and the crossword. Like many parents, my father does the USA Today crossword puzzle every day. Occasionally he’ll call me with a clue he’s already figured out to see if I know it. And usually that clue is something I’m a fan of.

Today he called me because he didn’t know the answer. For once, I knew something my dad didn’t. I was very excited when he said “It’s about Harry Potter” and I got even more excited when I knew I would be able to give him the right answer.

And then he said “ones without magical abilities at Hogwarts” to which I responded “I suppose a squib”. You know what the answer was? Muggle. Now I’m sure every other human being that isn’t a nerd like me was fine with this clue. But here’s the thing, muggles do not go to Hogwarts.

No-majs don’t go to Ilvermorny, muggles don’t go to Hogwarts, and whoever wrote this clue didn’t think a huge fan of Harry Potter would get asked by their father what a non-magical being at Hogwarts is called.

To be quite honest, it makes me a little angry that whoever wrote this did not double check their sources. If they simply googled what a muggle is, they would find this definition.

"Non-magic people (more commonly known as muggles) were particularly afraid of magic in medieval times, but not very good at recognizing it."

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So I guess my thing is this: USA Today, check your sources before you publish your crossword. I don’t want my dad fighting me on my morning commute when I tell him that muggles do not go to Hogwarts.