Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY’s daily crossword puzzle, Watch Out

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

Contents

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

Constructor: Zhouqin Burnikel

Editor: Amanda Rafkin

What I Learned from Today’s Puzzle

HONDA (8A: Odyssey automaker) I generally do not pay attention to car makes and models, and I’m constantly amazed when my husband recognizes the make of a car as it passes us on the road. If I’m paying attention, I might be able to tell you what color the car is! Therefore, even though the Odyssey is a minivan introduced by HONDA in 1994, I did not know this answer. Situations like this are where crossing answers are helpful.
PITA (45D: Pocketed bread for arayes) Arayes are crispy meat-stuffed PITAs found in Lebanese cuisine. PITA bread is stuffed with seasoned ground meat, and then the sandwiches are pan-fried, grilled, or baked.

Random Thoughts & Interesting Things

OAR (13A: Magical tool for Moana) Moana is the title character of Disney’s animated movie Moana (2016) and its sequel Moana 2 (2024). The movies are set on and around a Polynesian island, and Moana (voiced by Auli’i Cravalho) is the daughter of a chief of a coastal village. Moana’s OAR is imbued with magical powers by her ancestors.
MSNBC (20A: “Morning Joe” network) Morning Joe is a morning news talk show on MSNBC. Former U.S. Representative Joe Scarborough discusses the news of the day with his co-hosts and guests.
DORA (22A: Explorer with a talking backpack) The title character of the animated children’s TV series, DORA the Explorer (2000-2019) is a seven-year-old Latina girl. Each episode of the show sees DORA going on an adventure accompanied by her talking purple backpack and a monkey named Boots. DORA’s helpful talking map lives inside her backpack.
ERIE (23A: Great Lake with frequent storms) Our crossword friend ERIE is making its fourth appearance of the month. We last saw ERIE in the crossword just yesterday. Lake ERIE is the shallowest of the Great Lakes, a fact that combines with its unique geography to make the area around the lake prone to frequent storms. Lake ERIE can see storm surges of eight to ten feet, causing dramatic short-term changes in the level of the lake.
O’NEAL (41A: NBA Hall of Famer Shaq) Shaquille O’NEAL, whose nickname is Shaq, is a former professional basketball player and a current sports analyst for Inside the NBA. Shaquille O’NEAL was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2016.
EDIT (49A: Make tweaks to a text) This made me chuckle, as I often think of EDITing as something done to longer pieces of writing than texts. However, I must admit that I do EDIT my texts, as I tend to make multiple typing errors when trying to type quickly.
ONE (51A: Number of time zones in Egypt) Egypt is a country in the northeast corner of Africa that extends into the southwest corner of Asia (via the Sinai Peninsula). The country observes Egypt Standard Time (EST), which is equivalent to Eastern European Time and Central Africa Time. Egypt currently observes Daylight Saving during the summer months.
WATER SPINACH (55A: Semiaquatic veggie often stir-fried with garlic) WATER SPINACH, also known as kangkung, grows in WATER or moist soil. Stir-fried WATER SPINACH is a dish in some Asian cuisines.
OPERA (69A: Drama with arias) OPERA is making back-to-back puzzle appearances. We saw it yesterday clued as a cross-reference with ARIA.
LARD (6D: Fat in many mooncakes) Mooncake is a a rich pastry filled with a thick filling made from red bean paste or lotus seed paste. Mooncakes are a part of the celebration of the Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as the Moon Festival, or the Mooncake Festival, which is celebrated in China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau, and Vietnam, and by Chinese and Vietnamese communities around the world.
OBIE (9D: Off-Broadway award) The OBIE Awards, also known as the Off-Broadway Theater Awards are presented annually to honor off-Broadway and off-off-Broadway theatre. The OBIE Awards were created in 1955 by The Village Voice newspaper.
PASTA (19D: Rigatoni or radiatori) Rigatoni is a tube-shaped PASTA similar to penne or ziti. Radiatori is a short and squat PASTA that is named for its resemblance to the shape of radiators.
ETNA (39D: Europe’s highest volcano) Mount ETNA (also referred to simply as ETNA) is an active volcano on the island of Sicily, Italy. ETNA has a height of just over 11,000 feet; its height varies with eruptions. ETNA is in an almost constant state of activity.
SEED (40D: Jackfruit bit) A jackfruit is a large tree fruit. It is commonly used in South and Southeast Asian cuisines. A jackfruit can have 100-500 SEEDs per fruit. A SEED from a ripe jackfruit is edible, and may be boiled, baked, or roasted.
TOFU (57D: Doenjang-jjigae ingredient) Doenjang is a soybean paste, and a jjigae is a stew-type dish. Doenjang-jjigae, which originated from Korea, is a stew-like dish made with TOFU, with optional additions of meat, seafood, and/or vegetables.
HOPI (60D: Tribe known for its pottery and weaving) The HOPI are one of several indigenous groups of people known as Pueblo because they traditionally lived in villages (pueblos). Weaving and pottery are two arts that have been an integral part of the HOPI culture for many years.

Crossword Puzzle Theme Synopsis

WARMUP PITCH (18A: Preparatory toss before the first inning)
WHAT’S THE CATCH (34D: “Isn’t this too good to be true…?”)
WATER SPINACH (55A: Semiaquatic veggie often stir-fried with garlic)

WATCH OUT: The word WATCH is found at the OUTside edges of each theme answer: WARMUP PITCH, WHAT’S THE CATCH, and WATER SPINACH.

The title of today’s puzzle let me know just what to WATCH OUT for theme-wise. I appreciate that the word WATCH is broken in a different place in each theme answer: WA/TCH, W/ATCH, and WAT/CH. When a theme is broken in this kind of theme, it’s nice to either have the break be consistent in each theme answer or have the break point be different in each answer. Thank you, Zhouqin, for this splendid puzzle.