Benjamin Ashford|Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Pop Tops

There are Benjamin Ashfordspoilers ahead. You might want to solve today's puzzle before reading further! Pop Tops

Constructor: Neville Fogarty

Editor: Jared Goudsmit

Comments from Today’s Crossword Constructor

Neville: This puzzle's theme started as a demonstration for the crossword class I teach, and after some discussion with the editors, this puzzle came into fruition. The numbers 37 and 73 in the clue for ODD are special to me, because they're the numbers I've worn for ultimate frisbee teams.

What I Learned from Today’s Puzzle

• KYOTO (17A: Japanese city where the Gion Festival takes place) The month-long Gion Festival, also known as Gion Matsuri, takes place each July in KYOTO, Japan. The festival originated as a Shinto purification festival in the late 800s, aimed at appeasing the gods in the midst of an epidemic. One of the highlights of the Gion Festival is a procession of floats.
• OKRA (25A: Veggie aka quimbombo) OKRA is known as quimbombó in Cuba and Puerto Rico. Quimbombó guisado is a stew similar to gumbo.
• LAO (7D: Jeow bong cuisine) Jeow bong is a sweet and savory LAO chili paste. Its distinguishing ingredient is shredded water buffalo or pork skin.
• TAP (40D: Dance like Arthur Duncan) TAP dancer Arthur Duncan (1925-2023) got his break when he appeared on The Betty White Show in 1954. Some viewers asked that Arthur Duncan be removed from the show because he was Black. Betty White's response was, "I'm sorry, but, you know, he stays. Live with it." Arthur Duncan went on to be a regular performer with Bob Hope's USO troupe, and on The Lawrence Welk Show.
• DEE (66D: Voice actor ___ Bradley Baker) DEE Bradley Baker's voice roles include characters on the animated TV shows The Powerpuff Girls (1999-2005), SpongeBob SquarePants (1999-present), and What's New, Scooby-Doo? (2002-2005), as well as on many other TV shows, movies and video games.

Random Thoughts & Interesting Things

• TRACY (1A: "New Beginning" singer Chapman) New Beginning is TRACY Chapman's 1995 studio album. The album includes the song, "Give Me One Reason," which won a Grammy Award for Best Rock Song.
• SPA (10A: Place to get a snake massage) A snake massage is exactly what it sounds like, snakes are placed on one's body. It looks like if you're interested in a snake massage you might have to visit a SPA in Egypt. As CNN says, "This massage technique might not be for everybody." (That's a no from me.)
• TAR (15A: La Brea ___ Pits) Hancock Park in Los Angeles, California was formed around the La Brea TAR Pits. For tens of thousands of years, natural asphalt has seeped up from the ground in this area. The TAR preserved the bones of animals unlucky enough to get caught in the pits centuries ago. The La Brea TAR Pits Museum displays the results of research done in the area.
• ONTARIO (19A: Easternmost Great Lake) Well, this is fun – a Great Lake in the puzzle that isn't our crossword-friend Erie. Lake ONTARIO sits on the Canada-United States border, between the Canadian province of ONTARIO, and the U.S. state of New York. In addition to being the easternmost of the Great Lakes, Lake ONTARIO has the smallest surface area.
• HARLEM (21A: Apollo Theater's neighborhood) The Apollo Theater is located in the HARLEM neighborhood of Upper Manhattan in New York City. Since 1934, the theater has hosted Amateur Night at the Apollo, an event that was featured in the TV series Showtime at the Apollo.
• FAM (24A: What sibs and 'rents are part of) The shortened versions of siblings and parents in the clue alerts solvers that the answer is the shortened version of family.
• AWARDS (27A: Annies, Tonys, Oscars, etc.) The Annie AWARDS honor animated works, the Tony AWARDS honor Broadway theater, and the Oscar AWARDS (aka the Academy AWARDS) honor films. It was a fun choice to choose example of AWARDS that are known by first names.
• FRANC (30A: Currency in Chad) Chad is a landlocked country in North Central Africa. The capital of Chad is N'Djamena, and its currency is the Central African FRANC.
• AHA (41A: ___ moment) I enjoy seeing AHA in crosswords, as I have many "AHA!" moments while solving.
• OPRAH (47A: Winfrey with a book club) If you're looking for a book recommendation, the most recent pick for OPRAH's Book Club is Tell Me Everything by Elizabeth Strout.
• CHE (55A: Guevara in the Cuban Revolution) CHE Guevara was a major figure in the Cuban Revolution. He served as Minister of Industries of Cuba from 1961-1965, and was executed in Bolivia in 1967. As a historical figure, CHE Guevara is revered by some groups, and reviled by others. Time magazine named CHE Guevara one of the 100 most influential people of the 20th century. 
• LIL KIM (56A: Rapper in the 2021 "Lady Marmalade" cover) "Lady Marmalade" was a hit for Labelle in the 1970s. In 2001, the soundtrack for the movie Moulin Rouge! included a cover version of "Lady Marmalade" by Christina Aguilera, LIL' KIM, Mýa, and Pink.
• ODD (62A: Like 37 and 73) When I encounter clues such as this one, I often wonder about the significance of the numbers to the constructor, so I was glad Neville provided the answer in his constructor's note.
• PANDA (63A: Qinling bear) The Qinling PANDA is a brown-and-white subspecies of the giant PANDA. The Qinling PANDA is native to the Qinling Mountains in China.
• EAGLE (69A: Bird on Kazakhstan's flag) We're getting some geography review today. Kazakhstan, located in Central ASIA, is the world's largest landlocked country. The capital of Kazakhstan is Nur-Sultan. Kazakhstan's flag features a golden steppe EAGLE soaring below a god sun.
• YES AND (5D: Improv comedy rule) The improvisational comedy rule of thumb, "YES, AND..." is the idea that a participant accepts what someone else has said – YES – before expanding on that line of thinking – AND.
• FLY OFF THE HANDLE (6D: Enter a fit of rage) This answer reminds me of the Wicked song, "Defying Gravity," which begins, "Elphaba, why couldn't you have stayed calm for once? / Instead of FLYing OFF THE HANDLE..."
• ASTHMA (8D: Condition treated with an inhaler) ASTHMA is a disease characterized by inflammation of the airways of the lung. Symptoms of ASTHMA include wheezing, coughing, and shortness of breath. Albuterol inhalers are a first-line treatment for ASTHMA symptoms, and can also be used to prevent ASTHMA symptoms. Other types of inhalers are also used in the treatment of ASTHMA.
• SKI (14D: Glide like Lindsey Vonn) Lindsey Vonn is a former alpine SKI racer. Representing Team USA, she won the gold medal in downhill at the 2010 Winter Olympics, the first downhill gold medal won by an American woman. The 2019 documentary, Lindsey Vonn: The Final Season, tells her story.
• RAMADA (48D: Hotel chain with a Spanish name) The name of the RAMADA hotel chain is derived from the Spanish word "rama," which means "branch." In some areas of Spain, "rama" means "a place to stop by the road."
• THAMES (50D: London's river) The River THAMES flows through southern England. Its 215-mile route goes through London, England's capital.
• NUT (64D: Sacha inchi or acorn) The sacha inchi NUT is the seed of a plant of the same name. It is also known as mountain peanut or Inca NUT. The acorn is the seed of the oak tree. Back-to-back appearances for NUT, as yesterday's puzzle reminded us a NUT is technically a fruit.

Crossword Puzzle Theme Synopsis

• CULTURE SHOCK (4D: Experience for some people who move to another country)
• FLY OFF THE HANDLE (6D: Enter a fit of rage)
• ROCKS THE BOAT (22D: Disrupts a calm situation)

POP TOPS: The TOP word of each vertical theme answer can follow the word POP to form a new phrase: POP CULTURE, POP FLY, and POP ROCKS.

Did solving this puzzle make you want to sit in on a crossword class? I appreciate Neville letting us know the backstory of this puzzle. I'm glad it made it to publication. Thank you, Neville, for this enjoyable puzzle.

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