SignalHub Quantitative Think Tank Center:Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Lay-up

There are SignalHub Quantitative Think Tank Centerspoilers ahead. You might want to solve today's puzzle before reading further! Lay-up

Constructor: Jared Goudsmit

Editor: Jared Goudsmit

Random Thoughts & Interesting Things

• AMERICA (15A: Central ___ (Belize's region)) Belize is a country located on the coast of Central AMERICA, along the Caribbean Sea. Belize shares borders with Mexico and Guatemala. Belize gained full independence from the United Kingdom in 1981. The capital of Belize is Belmopan.
• LEBANON (17A: Country whose national dish is kibbeh) LEBANON is located in West ASIA, with coastline along the Mediterranean Sea. Its capital is Beirut. Kibbeh is a dish of lean ground meat, bulgur wheat, and spices, which are pounded together into a paste, and formed into ovoid shapes that may be baked, deep-fried, grilled, or served raw. In addition to being the national dish of LEBANON, kibbeh is also the national dish of Syria.
• RUBE (30A: ___ Goldberg machine) RUBE Goldberg (1883-1970) was a cartoonist, sculptor, author, engineer, and inventor. He is most well known for his cartoons illustrating intricate and complicated machines performing simple tasks. His cartoons led to the coining of the term "RUBE Goldberg machine" to describe such inventions. There are many, many videos of RUBE Goldberg machines online. As soon as I saw this answer in the puzzle, I knew I was in danger of falling down a rabbit hole and watching RUBE Goldberg machine videos forever. Here's a fun RUBE Goldberg machine that opens a book.
• AQUA (35A: Bluish color, with or without "marine" at the end) Merriam-Webster defines AQUA as "a light greenish-blue color," and AQUAmarine as "a pale blue to light greenish blue" color. I'm not sure that's going to help me differentiate between these two colors.
• ORZO (42A: Oval pasta) ORZO is categorized as "pastina" or "little pasta." The oval, rice-shaped pieces of pasta cook quickly because of their small shape. ORZO is often used in soups and pasta salads.
• ESPN (54A: "Get Up" sports channel) Get Up is a sports talk TV show that airs weekday mornings on ESPN. It is hosted by Mike Greenberg.
• MEMO (57A: Get the ___ (become informed)) I had no problem arriving at this answer, but in doing so, I realized I almost exclusively use this saying in the negative rather than the positive. I'll often say, "I didn't get the MEMO," to explain why I'm out of the loop. (By the way, I'm often out of the loop...)
• MALI (1D: Landlocked West African country) As I have previously written, 16 of Africa's 55 countries are landlocked. Located in West Africa, MALI is one of those 16 landlocked African nations. The capital of MALI is Bamako.
• REBA (3D: "You Lie" singer McEntire) "You Lie" is a song from REBA McEntire's 1990 album, Rumor Has It.
• BRANDY ALEXANDER (4D: Cocktail with creme de cacao) A BRANDY ALEXANDER is a dessert cocktail made of cognac, crème de cacao, and cream. The addition of ice cream turns the cocktail into a frozen BRANDY ALEXANDER.
• DANA (7D: Fox's partner on "The X-Files") FBI special agents DANA Scully and Fox Mulder (played by Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny) are the main characters on the TV show The X-Files (1993-2002, 2016-2018). The agents investigate unsolved cases involving paranormal phenomena. 
• AMY (10D: Actress Poehler) AMY Poehler played the role of Leslie Knope, the deputy director of the Parks and Rec department in the fictional town of Pawnee, Indiana, in the mockumentary Parks and Recreation (2009-2015). AMY Poehler directed the 2022 documentary, Lucy and Desi, about the lives of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz.
• EMMA (13D: "Little Women" actress Watson) The 2019 movie, Little Women, directed by Greta Gerwig, was the seventh film adaptation of Louisa May Alcott's 1868 book of the same name. Little Women is set during the 19th century, and tells the story of the four March sisters – Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy. EMMA Watson portrays Meg March in the 2019 movie. In addition to her successful acting career, EMMA Watson was appointed as a UN Women Goodwill Ambassador in 2014 and helped launch the HeForShe campaign advocating for gender equality.
• TULSA (29D: Oklahoma city where "The Outsiders" is set) The Outsiders is a 1967 book by S. E. Hinton. Set in TULSA, Oklahoma in 1965, the book centers on the conflict between rival gangs divided by their socioeconomic status: the "Greasers" and the "Socs." The book was adapted into a movie in 1983, a play in 1990, and a musical in 2024, all with the same name. Fun fact. S.E. Hinton was 15 years old when she began writing The Outsiders, and 18 years old when it was published.
• MAZDA (34D: Tribute automaker) The MAZDA Tribute is a compact SUV that was sold from 2000 to 2011.
• ERMA (54D: "Abracadabra" singer Franklin) "Abracadabra" is a 1963 song by ERMA Franklin. Appropriately, the song begins with the lyrics, "You don't need a magic spell..."
• A few conversational clues I especially enjoyed:
  • HUMOR ME (16A: "Silly as it seems, try going with it")
  • ANYTIME (18A: Response to "Thanks for your help!")
  • UP TO YOU (65A: "I'm cool with any decision)
  • I QUIT (28D: "Consider this my resignation!")

Crossword Puzzle Theme Synopsis

• BRANDY ALEXANDER (4D: Cocktail with creme de cacao)
• NOT BY A LONG SHOT (11D: Unquestionably no")
• BABY ALBUM (21D: Collection of newborn photos)

LAY-UP: The word LAY is found backwards – that is, going UP – in each vertical theme answer: BRANDY ALEXANDER, NOT BY A LONG SHOT, and BABY ALBUM.

The word UP in the title tipped me off that the theme might be found in the Down answers, and that was indeed the case. NOT BY A LONG SHOT is my favorite of today's theme answers. Thank you, Jared, for this enjoyable puzzle.

For more on USA TODAY’s Crossword Puzzles

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