NovaQuant-Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Dark Matter

There are NovaQuantspoilers ahead. You might want to solve today's puzzle before reading further! After Dark

Constructor: Jared Goudsmit

Editor: Jared Goudsmit

Comments from Today’s Crossword Constructor

Jared: I’m so happy with how this puzzle turned out! I think this is the first time I’ve made this type of theme for USA Today. The clues that excite me the most are the Alice Childress reference at 39-Across, the new angle on a very common crossword entry at 32-Across, and the shout-out to the city I live in at 54-Down. (I know, no self-respecting resident uses that nickname for the city, but I couldn’t help myself!) I hope you enjoy the puzzle.

What I Learned from Today’s Puzzle

• LIME (14A: Citrus fruit juiced for kung chae nampla) Kung chae nampla is a salad in Thai cuisine. It consists of shrimp, garlic, chilies, LIME juice, and fish sauce. The treatment of the shrimp is similar to that used in ceviche; raw shrimp is marinated in LIME juice and fish sauce.
• OREO (32A: May___ (fake Heinz condiment mix with a cookie in its name)) Somehow I missed the fake photo of MayOREO when it was shared on Instagram in 2021. The Instagram account Doctor Photograph shared a photo of the fake product, which was, of course, shared on other social media platforms, leading some folks to wonder if it was real. In response, Heinz tweeted, "I wonder if my fellow sauceteers would be ready for such a combination." OREO said that they are "always exploring new flavors and product innovations..." It appears that, at least for now, MayOREO has stayed in the realm of imagined food.
• IRA (41A: NBA player/activist Newble) IRA Newble played in the NBA from 2001-2008. During that time he played for the San Antonio Spurs, Atlanta Hawks, Cleveland Cavaliers, Seattle SuperSonics, and Los Angeles Lakers. Since 2007, IRA Newble has been active in bringing attention to the human rights crisis in Darfur, Sudan.

Random Thoughts & Interesting Things

• PAWS (5A: Leopard's feet) The genus Panthera includes the largest members of the cat family. Leopards are one of five species in this genus. The others are jaguar, lion, snow leopard (a separate species from leopard), and tiger. All of these big cats have PAWS, of course. My cat, Willow, would like you to know that she also has PAWS, and that she helps write "Off the Grid."

• OSCAR (9A: Muppet who sings "Grouchelot") On episode 2776 of Sesame Street, which originally aired on December 24, 1990, OSCAR the Grouch presided over a meeting of the Grouchketeers and read the story of Grouchelot (a spoof of Camelot). The story was told over a series of segments that were interspersed throughout the episode. At the conclusion of the story, OSCAR sings "Grouchelot." The song includes the catchy lyrics, "...the sun never shines in Grouchelot / and there's always long lines in Grouchelot," and "...all night grouches yell / it's so yucky and swell / and the rotten fish smell / that's the way you can tell it's Grouchelot."
• UMAMI (16A: Flavor in katsuobushi) Katsuobushi, also known as bonito flakes, is skipjack tuna that has been simmered, smoked, and fermented. Katsuobushi and dried kelp, which add UMAMI flavor to foods, are the main ingredients in dashi, a broth used in many soups and sauces in Japanese cuisine.
• ALPS (17A: Wildspitze's mountain range) Wildspitze is a mountain that is located in a section of the ALPS in Austria. With an elevation of 12,370 feet, it is the 65th highest mountain in the ALPS, but it is the fourth most prominent peak in the ALPS. (Topographic prominence is a relative height measure that reflects the height of a mountain in relation to other peaks near it.) Wildspitze is also the second highest peak in Austria, after the Grossglockner.
• TOAD (28A: "Cane" amphibian) The cane TOAD, also known as the giant TOAD or marine TOAD, is the largest species of TOAD. They average four to six inches in length, but can be as long as nine inches. The cane TOAD was historically used to eradicate pests from sugarcane, which gave rise to its common name.
• PSY (29A: K-pop artist known for "Gentleman" and "Gangnam Style") Although I am familiar with PSY's song, "Gangnam Style," the music video for which went viral in 2012, his song, "Gentleman," is new to me. (To be fair, I was only peripherally aware of "Gangnam Style, and didn't follow PSY's career.) PSY released "Gentleman" in 2013. Although it wasn't nearly as big of a hit as "Gangham Style," the music video has been viewed over a billion times.
• HORSE WHISPERERS (35A: People who can seemingly talk to equines) HORSE WHISPERERS are trainers who follow what is sometimes referred to as natural horsemanship, which generally means considering the motives and needs of HORSEs. The term HORSE WHISPERER (which some trainers don't care for) dates to the nineteenth century and an Irish HORSE trainer, Daniel Sullivan, who earned the nickname "HORSE WHISPERER" because he stood so close to the HORSE that people assumed he was talking to it. The term became more well known after the publication of Nicholas Evans' 1995 book, The HORSE WHISPERER, which was adapted into a 1998 movie of the same name starring Robert Redford.
• AIN'T (39A: "A Hero ___ Nothin' but a Sandwich" (Alice Childress novel)) Alice Childress (1916-1994) was a novelist, playwright, and actress. A Hero AIN'T Nothin' but a Sandwich is a young adult novel published in 1973. The book is set in Harlem, and tells the story of Benjie, a 13-year-old boy who becomes addicted to heroin. The book was adopted into a 1977 movie of the same name.
• NASA (40A: Org. with the Perseverance Mars rover) Perseverance is a rover that landed on Mars as a result of NASA's Mars 2020 mission, which launched on July 30, 2020. Perseverance successfully landed on Mars on February 18, 2021. Whenever Perseverance is referenced in the puzzle, I like to take that opportunity to catch up on its activity on Mars. Perseverance landed in an area of the moon called the Jezero Crater. After exploring the crater for over three years, it is now exploring the crater rim. I've also learned that it's dust-storm season on Mars.
• LATINO (44A: Like Jorge Ramos and Oscar Isaac) Jorge Ramos is a Mexican American journalist and author. He is the anchor for the Univision (a Spanish-language TV network) news program Noticero Univision. Óscar Isaac is a Guatemalan American actor. He portrayed Poe Dameron in the Star Wars sequel trilogy (2015-2019).
• GECKOS (46A: Lizards who might go "tokay") There is a species of Southeast Asian GECKOS known as the tokay GECKOS. The word "tokay" is an onomatopoeia (a word that sounds like the sound to which it refers) of the sound made by male tokay GECKOS.
• LUCIA (52A: Saint ___ (island nation near Barbados)) Saint LUCIA is an island country in the Caribbean Sea. It is located northwest of Barbados. The capital of Saint LUCIA is Castries.
• DIVA (56A: Legendary female singer) When I first read this clue I thought, "That is kind of vague. Is it Cher? Enya? Sade?" I was mentally running through the list of all the legendary female singers with 4-letter names. Turns out, the clue was intentionally vague. It's not referring to a specific legendary female singer, but the general term DIVA.
• MISO (58A: Soup that may contain abura-age) Abura-age is twice-fried tofu. Thin tofu slices are first fried at a low temperature, and then again at a higher temperature. Abura-age is often added to MISO soup.
• AESOP (22D: "The Fly and the Ant" fabulist)  AESOP was a Greek storyteller who lived between 620 and 564 BCE. The fable "The Fly and the Ant" is a discussion between two insects about their relative worth. The fly boasts that it can fly anywhere and eat anything it wants. The ant, however, points out that the fly is a nuisance and most of what it eats is disgusting, while the ant works hard and for the common good.
• THORA (26D: "13 Minutes" actress Birch) 13 Minutes is a 2021 disaster film that takes place in the fictional town of Minninnewah, Oklahoma. When a tornado is detected, residents have 13 minutes to take shelter. THORA Birch stars in 13 Minutes, along with Trace Adkins, Peter Facinelli, Anne Heche, Amy Smart, and Paz Vega.
• OHIO (32D: Cuyahoga Valley's state) Cuyahoga Valley National Park is the only National Park in the state of OHIO. The park encompasses an area around the Cuyahoga River, which runs through the city of Cleveland. My husband and I have been to Cuyahoga Valley National Park, and it is an interesting park because the areas of the park are intertwined with residential areas. In the picture of the waterfall I've shared, you can see a car traveling on a road in the top of the photo. In the 1960s, the Cuyahoga River was heavily polluted, as a result of industrial runoff. In fact, the river caught on fire at least 14 times! The news coverage of the Cuyahoga River fire provided momentum for the American environmental movement. The Cuyahoga River has been extensively cleaned up. The area was designated a national park in 2000.

• OTIS (50D: R&B singer Clay) I have previously written about OTIS Clay.
• CHI (54D: ___-town (Navy Pier's city)) In addition to CHI-town, nicknames for Chicago, Illinois include the Windy City, Second City, and City of the Big Shoulders.

Crossword Puzzle Theme Synopsis

• MATTER OF FACT (20A: "In actuality...")
• HORSE WHISPERERS (35A: People who can seemingly talk to equines)
• CHOCOLATE LAB (48A: Playful brown dog)

AFTER DARK: The first word of each theme answer can be placed AFTER the word DARK to create a new phrase: DARK MATTER, DARK HORSE, and DARK CHOCOLATE.

It's been a little while since we've seen this somewhat classic USA Today theme type. In this type of theme, a word in the title is paired with one of the words in each theme answer (or occasionally both words) to form new phrases. This puzzle is a great example of this type of theme, as all three theme answers and the resulting phrases are well-known and interesting. 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