Ethermac Exchange-Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, All Kid-ding Aside

There are Ethermac Exchangespoilers ahead. You might want to solve today's puzzle before reading further! All Kid-ding Aside

Constructors: Amie Walker & Jasmeet Arora

Editor: Amanda Rafkin

Comments from Today’s Crossword Constructors

Amie & Jasmeet: we had such a fun time making this adorable puzzle together! we love collaborating -- this is our first collab, but not our last! we also thought it'd be cute/on theme to include pics of our pups as babies!

What I Learned from Today’s Puzzle

• SIDE (65A: "The Other ___" (Jacqueline Woodson picture book)) As I did the last time I wrote about Jacqueline Woodson, I recommend taking a few moments to read the bio on her website, where she muses about going from telling lies as a child to writing lies on the page. Although I am familiar with some of Jacqueline Woodson's work, her 2012 picture book, The Other SIDE, is new to me, and I am happy to learn about it. The book tells the story of two girls, Clover and Annie, who become friends in a small, segregated rural town.
• TROLL (31D: Geller Cup doll, in "Friends") Nearly everything I know about the show Friends, I have learned by listening in from the other room while my daughter watched it, or from crosswords. Therefore, I had to rely on crossing answers here. The Geller Cup was featured in a third season episode of Friends, titled "The One With The Football." In the episode, which occurs on Thanksgiving Day, Monica and Ross reveal that when they were kids they played football on Thanksgiving and competed for a homemade trophy – a TROLL doll on a stand – that they referred to as the Geller Cup.
• MOSAICS (40D: Some tile-based works by the street artist Invader) Invader is the pseudonym of a French artist known for his street art that depicts pixelated video game characters using tile MOSAICS. Invader's art is displayed on bridges, tunnels, sidewalks, fountains, bus stops, etc. in various cities around the world, including Paris, France; Sao Paulo, Brazil; and New York City in the United States. Invader also creates MOSAICS using Rubik cubes.
• RAIN (56D: "Mouths of ___" (essay collection by queer Black writers)) Mouths of RAIN: An Anthology of Black Lesbian Thought includes writings by Audre Lorde, Alice Walker, Bettina Love, and others. The anthology, edited by Briona Simone Jones, was published in 2021, and includes essays, poetry, short fiction, and recollections written from 1909 to 2019.

Random Thoughts & Interesting Things

• DOSA (1A: Pancake often served with sambar) A DOSA is a thin pancake in South Indian cuisine made from a fermented batter of lentils and rice. Sambar is a lentil-based vegetable curry.
• LIMA (5A: Peru's capital) and OSLO (Norway's capital) It's always fun to get a little review of world capitals with the crossword.
• MAGMA (19A: Molten rock) When molten rock is underground, it is referred to as MAGMA. Once molten rock breaks through the Earth's surface – spewed out of a volcano, say – it is known as lava.
• AS I (21A: "Take Me ___ Am" (Mary J. Blige song)) "Take Me AS I Am" is a 2006 song by Mary J. Blige from her album, The Breakthrough. 
• ANO (27A: Year, in Portuguese) I have previously written about why ANO is clued in reference to Portuguese rather than Spanish.
• KITTEN HEELS (30A: Short stilettos popularized by Audrey Hepburn) KITTEN HEELS are generally less than two inches in height. It was the 1960s when Audrey Hepburn popularized the style. We have seen KITTEN HEELS as a theme answer previously in a puzzle with a similar type of theme.
• MEMBER (35A: Sweden is NATO's newest one) The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is a military alliance established with the signing of the North Atlantic Treaty in 1949. Including Sweden, which joined NATO on March 7 of this year, NATO is comprised of 32 MEMBER states.
• BREED (39A: Produce offspring) and LACED (33D: Like some "big kid" shoes) These two answers feel like theme-adjacent bonuses, with their references to producing offspring (i.e. kids) and shoes for a "big kid."
• MOS (40A: Jan. and Sept.) The abbreviation of January and September in the clue alerts solvers that the answer will be an abbreviation. Any two months (MOS) would have worked in this clue. As constructors, how do you choose which months to use? I happen to have a little bit of inside information here, and know that Jasmeet and Amie's birthdays are in January and September, which is fun.
• RYAN GOSLING (45A: Margot Robbie's "Barbie" co-star) In the 2023 movie, Barbie, directed by Greta Gerwig, Margot Robbie portrays the title character, and RYAN GOSLING plays the role of Ken.
• IRL (55A: "Not online", online) IRL stands for "in real life."
• LIME (67A: Green fruit) and ACAI (53D: Purple berry) These two clues have me imagining a crossword full of food items that are all clued in reference to their color, which makes me chuckle.
• LIU (5D: Connections editor Wyna) This clue made me so happy! Connections is a New York Times (NYT) game that consists of 16 words that must be sorted into four categories of four. (For fans of the British game show, Only Connect, it is reminiscent of the Connecting Wall round.) The game is edited by Wyna LIU, who is an associate puzzle editor at NYT, and an assistant editor at the American Values Club Crossword (AVCX). Wyna LIU is, in my opinion, a lovely person who definitely deserves a shoutout in the crossword puzzle.
• ANY IDEAS (8D: "Do you have any suggestions?") and HEAR ME OUT (10D: "Before you say no...") These two answers could be a conversation between crossword collaborators. How do I know? BEEN THERE (36D: "I know what that's like").
• SEAS (13D: Ariel and her sisters rule over seven, in 2023's "The Little Mermaid") In the 2023 live-action version of The Little Mermaid, Ariel and her sisters, whose names are Perla, Indira, Karina, Caspia, Mala, and Tamika, represent the seven SEAS.
• OMEGA (29D: Last Greek letter) Time for a review of the Greek alphabet. Made up of 24 letters, the Greek alphabet begins with the letters alpha, beta, gamma, and ends with the letters, chi, psi, OMEGA.
• EVITA (32D: Musical set in Argentina) The 1978 musical, EVITA, is based on a 1976 concept album of the same name by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice. EVITA tells the story of the life of Eva Perón, whose nickname was EVITA. Eva Perón was the first lady of Argentina from 1946-1952.
• SNAPS (51D: Poetry slam sounds) A poetry slam is a spoken word competition in which poets perform before a live audience and judges. SNAPS are used as a way to show appreciation at poetry slams, as SNAPS are less likely to distract the performer than other means of showing appreciation such as clapping.
• BALL (52D: ___ culture ("Pose" subject)) Pose is a TV series that originally aired from 2018-2021. The show centers on the Black and Latino LGBTQ and gender-nonconforming drag BALL culture of the 1980s and 1990s.

Crossword Puzzle Theme Synopsis

• HUSH PUPPY (17A: Deep-fried cornmeal snack)
• KITTEN HEELS (30A: Short stilettos popularized by Audrey Hepburn)
• RYAN GOSLING (45A: Margot Robbie's "Barbie" co-star)
• CALF RAISE (62D: Lower leg exercise)

At the SIDE of each theme answer is found a term used for a young animal, that is a KID. Our KIDs at the SIDE are PUPPY (dog), KITTEN (cat), GOSLING (goose), and CALF (cow).

What's not to like about a theme about baby animals? I appreciate that the theme answers alternate between the "KID" appearing on the right and left SIDE of the answer. And, of course, I am a fan of the PUPPY photos Jasmeet and Amie have shared with us. In honor of the theme, I'm sharing a photo of my cat, Willow, as a KITTEN. Thank you, Amie and Jasmeet, for this amazing puzzle.

For more on USA TODAY’s Crossword Puzzles

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