Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, USA Today

There are spoilers ahead. You might want to solve today's puzzle before reading further! USA Today

Constructor: Jared Goudsmit

Editor: Jared Goudsmit

What I Learned from Today’s Puzzle

• BARBARA ESS (36A: "I Am Not This Body" photographer) Photographer BARBARA ESS (1944-2021) was known for her large-scale works shot using a pinhole camera. A collection of her work, I Am Not This Body: The Pinhole Photographs of BARBARA ESS, was published in 2001. BARBARA ESS said she was "attracted to pinhole photography because my mind works better when my means are narrowed."
• ETHEL (10D: Jazz musician Ennis) ETHEL Ennis (1932-2019) was known in her hometown of Baltimore, Maryland as the "First Lady of Jazz." Although she recorded for major labels in the 1950s and 1960s, after that she returned to Baltimore, having become disillusioned with the demands of being a national celebrity.
• GONG (41D: Gamelan percussion instrument) A gamelan is a traditional Indonesian ensemble made up of percussion instruments. Instruments in a gamelan include GONGs, xylophones, and drums.
• AVA (56D: "Do Revenge" actress Capri) Do Revenge is a 2022 movie loosely inspired by Alfred Hitchcock's 1951 movie Strangers on a Train (that was in turn based on Patricia Highsmith's novel Strangers on a Train). Do Revenge centers on a group of high school students, some of whom are out to get revenge for past actions. AVA Capri portrays a high school student named Carissa.

Random Thoughts & Interesting Things

• ACT (42A: Perform in "Radio Golf") The Pittsburgh Cycle is a series of ten plays by August Wilson. The decade-by-decade chronicle dramatizes the Black American experience in the twentieth century. Radio Golf is the final installment of The Pittsburgh Cycle. It was also August Wilson's final work before he died in 2005 at the age of 60. Radio Golf won the 2007 Tony Award for Best Play.
• ASIA (43A: Potala Palace's continent) The Potala Palace is located in China (therefore in ASIA) in the city of Lhasa in the Tibet Autonomous Region. It is built in the Dzong style of architecture, used to build fortified monasteries. The Potala PALACE served as the winter palace of the Dalai Lamas from 1649 to 1959. The building is now a museum, and has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1994. This is the first appearance of our crossword-friend ASIA this month.
• TENS (47A: Bills aka sawbucks) I knew that the term "sawbuck" is used to refer to a TEN-dollar bill, but this clue made me curious about how that term came to be used. In woodworking, a sawbuck refers to a structure that is similar to a sawhorse, and is used to hold wood while it is cut into pieces. A sawbuck has wood pieces at each end crossed to resemble an "X." An early version of the TEN-dollar bill featured the Roman numeral X on the back side. It's thought that the similarity between the Roman numeral X and a sawbuck might have led to TENS being referred to as sawbucks.
• OH A WISE GUY EH (48A: "So we're dealing with a real smart aleck, hm?") The phrase "OH, A WISE GUY, EH?" is associated with The Three Stooges, who frequently used various configurations of this sentiment.
• IOWA (58A: American Gothic House state) American Gothic is a painting by IOWA native Grant Wood. Even if you don't recognize the title of this 1930 painting, you'd probably recognize the image. A dour couple stands in front of a house; the man is holding a pitchfork. The house in the painting is located in Eldon, IOWA. The architectural style of the house, Carpenter Gothic, inspired the name of the painting. The couple in the painting are Grant Wood's sister, Nan Wood Graham, and their dentist, Dr. Byron McKeeby. The painting is currently on display at the Art Institute of Chicago. When my husband and I visit the Chicago Art Institute, we like to stop by and say hello to this IOWA painting.

• RIVER (59A: Congo or Amazon) The Congo RIVER is the second-largest RIVER in Africa, shorter only than the Nile. The Amazon RIVER is located in South America. By discharge volume of water, the Amazon RIVER is the largest RIVER in the world. (By length, it is disputed whether the Amazon or the Nile is the longest RIVER in the world, though the Nile is generally considered to be longer.)
• CAIRO (6D: City home to the Egyptian Museum) CAIRO is the capital of Egypt, and the country's largest city. CAIRO is home to the Egyptian Museum, whose formal name is the Museum of Egyptian Antiquities.
• ATTA (7D: Gehun ka ___ (type of flour)) Gehun ka ATTA is a type of wholemeal wheat flour that is often used to make flatbreads.
• MEWL (8D: Whine like a kitten) It has been over 12 years since my cat, Willow, has been a kitten, but she definitely believes she's still my baby.

• GAYBORHOOD (11D: Chicago's Boystown, e.g.) Boystown is a neighborhood in the Lake View area of Chicago, Illinois. The Boystown GAYBORHOOD is an LGBTQ+ cultural center, and the host of the annual Chicago Pride Parade.
• OTOE (11D: Chiwere speakers) The OTOE are indigenous people of the Midwestern United States. Their language, Chiwere, is part of the Siouan family of languages. The Missouria and Iowa peoples also originally spoke Chiwere. The language is endangered, as the last two fluent speakers died in 1996, and a limited number of semi-fluent speakers of Chiwere remain.
• SAUL (13D: Name hidden in "somersault") I enjoyed this hidden word clue.
• AMELIA EARHART (18D: Aviator who said "Adventure is worthwhile in itself") In 1932, AMELIA EARHART made a solo transatlantic flight, becoming the first female aviator to fly solo across the Atlantic. It was five years later, in 1937, that AMELIA EARHART disappeared while attempting to become the first female pilot to complete a circumnavigational flight of the globe. 
• THETA (28D: Letter before iota) Yesterday we reviewed the 18th, 19th, and 20th letters of the Greek alphabet, sigma, tau, and upsilon. Today's review moves us closer to the beginning of the 24-letter Greek Alphabet. THETA is the eighth letter of the Greek alphabet. THETA precedes iota, as the clue informs us, and follows eta.
• SAUCE (33D: Goma-dare or pesto) Goma-dare is a sesame seed SAUCE, and pesto is a SAUCE made with basil, garlic, and pine nuts.
• RASTA (37D: Follower of Jah) I wrote about Rastafarianism when we saw RASTA as an answer a couple of weeks ago. RASTA beliefs include monotheism, a belief in one God, who is referred to as Jah. 
• ISLA (50D: Actress Fisher) ISLA Fisher's acting credits include the roles of Henley Reeves (The High Priestess) in the movie, Now You See Me (2013), and Mary in the TV series Wolf Like Me (2022-present). She is also the author of the children's book series, Marge in Charge.
• A couple of other clues I especially enjoyed:
  • GOOFY (41A: Cartoon dog whose name is a synonym of "silly")
  • EWES (52D: Mamas who go "Mama")

Crossword Puzzle Theme Synopsis

• I'VE HAD IT WITH YOU (17A: "Enough! We aren't buddies anymore!")
• BARBARA ESS (36A: "I Am Not This Body" photographer)
• OH A WISE GUY EH (48A: "So we're dealing with a real smart aleck, hm?")

The last words of the theme answers TODAY sound like the letters USA: YOU, ESS, EH.

This is a fun theme, and, of course, appropriate for today's holiday. And, of course, I greatly appreciate the meta quality of a crossword titled USA TODAY appearing in USA TODAY! Thank you, Jared, for this excellent puzzle.

For more on USA TODAY’s Crossword Puzzles

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