Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY’s daily crossword puzzle, Tear Down

Contents

What I Learned from Today’s Puzzle Random Thoughts & Interesting Things Crossword Puzzle Theme Synopsis For more on USA TODAY’s Crossword Puzzles

There are spoilers ahead. You might want to solve today’s puzzle before reading further! Tear Down

Constructor: Matthew Stock

Editor: Amanda Rafkin

What I Learned from Today’s Puzzle

UGANDA (16A: African country whose national bird is the grey crowned crane) UGANDA is a landlocked country in East Africa. Its neighbors are Kenya, South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, and Tanzania. The capital of UGANDA is Kampala. The grey crowned crane lives in grassland and wetland areas of Africa, particularly eastern and southern Africa. They have distinctive stiff golden-yellow feathers that stand upright on their heads, and their breeding display involves dancing that includes both sexes as well as immature birds. In addition to being the national bird of UGANDA, the grey crowned crane is a symbol on the Ugandan flag.
AUDIBLES (41A: QB’s last-minute play changes) I have heard the term “call an AUDIBLE” in relation to football, but I would not have been able to tell you what it means. Until now! As the clue explains, AUDIBLES are last-minute play changes. Plays are decided on when the team huddles, but once the team lines up, a quarterback may change his mind about the play based on how the defense is lined up. To change the play, the quarterback audibly calls out a predetermined code to alert players of the change.
RAYE (59D: British R&B singer nominated for Best New Artist at the 2025 Grammys) RAYE released her debut studio album, My 21st Century Blues, in 2023. Her song, “Escapism,” became her first number one hit in the UK and charted on the U.S. Billboard‘s Hot 100.
SUI (66D: “The Studio” actress Chase ___ Wonders) The Studio is an Apple TV+ series that premiered in March of this year. The series is a satire of the movie industry. Chase SUI Wonders portrays Quinn Hackett, assistant to the CEO of a movie studio.

Random Thoughts & Interesting Things

TANG (31A: Drink taken on NASA missions) TANG was first marketed in powdered form in 1959. The creator of TANG, food scientist William A. Mitchell, also invented Pop Rocks and Cool Whip. Although not invented for the U.S. space program, TANG has been used on NASA manned space flights.
TURBANS (58A: Sikh hair coverings also called dastars) Dastārs are TURBANS associated with Sikhism, a religion that originated in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent. Among Sikh men and women who wear dastārs to cover their long, uncut hair, the headwear represents equality, honor, self-respect, courage, spirituality, and piety.
LOUD (1D: Like an amp tuned to 11) This reminded me of the recent appearance of the word ELEVEN in the puzzle clued in reference to This Is Spinal Tap.
YAA GYASI (7D: Author of “Homegoing” and “Transcendent Kingdom”) Homegoing is YAA GYASI’s 2016 debut novel. The book tells the stories of the descendants of an Asante woman named Maame. The Asante are in ethnic group native to modern-day Ghana. Homegoing won an American Book Award, as well as several other honors. Transcendent Kingdom is YAA GYASI’s second novel, released in 2020. The book tells the story of Gifty, a 28-year-old PhD candidate in neuroscience as she balances research and caring for her Ghanaian-American mother, who is suffering from depression. In writing Transcendent Kingdom, YAA GYASI drew on her own experience as the daughter of immigrants from Ghana. I knew YAA GYASI because I’ve written about her before, but I was grateful for crossing answers to assist with my spelling.
URDU (8D: South Asian language) URDU is a language spoken mainly in South Asia. It is the national language of Pakistan.
MEYER (9D: ___ lemon) The MEYER lemon is a hybrid citrus fruit native to China. It was likely established thousands of years ago (long before it was named the MEYER lemon). This lemon variety is named for Frank Nicholas MEYER, a U.S. Department of Agriculture employee who collected a sample of the plant while visiting China.
MATTEA ROACH (26D: Canadian “Jeopardy! Masters” competitor) MATTEA ROACH was a contestant on Jeopardy! in 2022. They had a 23-game winning streak, making them the most successful Canadian Jeopardy! contestant. Jeopardy! Masters is an invitational competition that features notable Jeopardy! champions. MATTEA ROACH participated in the 2023 and 2024 Jeopardy! Masters seasons.
WIFE (35D: Certain spouse) and HUBBY (53D: Certain spouse, casually) This is a fun pairing.
MOUTHY (44D: Loquacious) Loquacious is an excellent word. It means excessively talkative, wordy, or MOUTHY.
TEN (50D: Two more than 56-Down) and EIGHT (56D: Two less than 50-Down) This is the type of clue pairing that solvers may either get irritated with or appreciate for its cleverness. I’m in the latter camp here.
A few other clues I especially enjoyed:
- LADY LUCK (17A: Metaphorical person who smiles down on winning gamblers)
- TAG (42A: Word heard before “You’re it!”)
- SIGHTS (71A: What tourists travel to see)

Crossword Puzzle Theme Synopsis

PLANET EARTH (3D: Our home)
LATE ARRIVAL (17D: Guest who missed the surprise of a surprise party, say)
MATTEA ROACH (26D: Canadian “Jeopardy! Masters” competitor)

TEAR DOWN: The word TEAR appears going DOWN in each vertical theme answer: PLANET EARTH, LATE ARRIVAL, and MATTEA ROACH.

When the title contain a word such as top, fall, up, or DOWN, it’s a hint to solvers that the theme may be found in the DOWN answers. Such is the case today. I appreciate that we have each possible variation of the word TEAR as it is broken across the two words in each answer: T/EAR, TE/AR, and TEA/R. Thank you, Matthew, for this enjoyable puzzle.

One more thing today: As I mentioned yesterday, these “Off the Grid” articles are coming to an end, at least for the time being. USA Today has decided to pause “Off the Grid,” effective at the end of this month. Before I began writing “Off the Grid,” I wrote about the USA Today crosswords on my own blog site, Sally’s Take on the USA Today Crossword. Whether you followed me to “Off the Grid” from Sally’s Take, or you discovered these articles when they began to appear in USA Today, I appreciate you taking the time to read my musings. Writing this blog brings me great joy, and I’m always honored when folks take the time to read what I’ve written. I will be continuing to blog about the USA Today crosswords on my own site; I hope you’ll check it out.