Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Go To Extremes

There are spoilers ahead. You might want to solve today's puzzle before reading further! Go To Extremes

Constructor: Jon Pennington

Editor: Anna Gundlach

Comments from Today’s Crossword Constructor

Jon: I’m honored to make my debut today in USA Today. I’m not a Billy Joel fan, but I came up with the title, because I remember that Billy Joel once had a song titled, “I Go To Extremes.” Some of my favorite clues were 35A, 47A, 49A, and coming up with something new for 64A. I also liked giving some recognition to the actress at 9D and my clues for my two longest non-theme answers (8 letters!) for 10D and 37D. Other clues I liked working on include 26D (you’ll see why!), 28D, and 49D.

What I Learned from Today’s Puzzle

• LEE (23A: Jeet Kune Do founder Bruce) Jeet Kune Do (JKD) is a hybrid martial art practiced by martial artist and actor Bruce LEE (1940-1973). JKD is considered more of a philosophy than a style, and it incorporates concepts of Zen Buddhism, Taoism, and Eclecticism. Although JKD is new to me, I am familiar with Bruce LEE, so this answer was gettable.
• ANGELO (35D: "Twin Peaks" composer Badalamenti) Composer and arranger ANGELO Badalamenti (1937-2022) is best known for the compositions he did for movies and television. In 1990, he won a Grammy Award for the "Twin Peaks Theme." ANGELO Badalamenti also composed scores for the movies Blue Velvet (1986) and National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989), as well as many others.

Random Thoughts & Interesting Things

• A number of clues in today's puzzle refer to space-related topics. This mini-theme was likely unintentional, but it seems appropriate for an EXTREME-themed puzzle. Hooray for science in the crossword! I enjoyed finding the connections between these clues:
  • MONTH (1A: Period of time that lasts about one lunar cycle) The lunar cycle – the time it takes for the Moon to go from new Moon to new Moon (or full Moon to full Moon) – is approximately 29.5 days. This is slightly longer than the MONTH of February, and slightly shorter than the rest of the MONTHs.
  • TIDE (32A: Ocean's ebb and flow) The TIDE – the rise and fall of ocean levels – is caused by the gravitational forces of the Moon (and to a lesser extent the Sun).
  • NASA (3D: Hubble Telescope org.) The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) launched the Hubble Telescope into low Earth orbit in 1990, and it remains in operation over three decades later. Orbiting outside of Earth's atmosphere (333-336 miles above the Earth) allows the Hubble Telescope to capture extremely-high resolution images. Visiting the NASA website to learn more about the Hubble Telescope and check out images it has captured is a good use of time (in my opinion).
  • URANUS (46D: Planet with the moons Ariel and Miranda) URANUS is the seventh planet from the Sun. Along with Neptune, URANUS is one of two ice giants in the Solar System. URANUS has 28 known moons; its five main moons are Miranda, Ariel, Umbriel, Titania, and Oberon
  • WANED (49D: Went from full to crescent) When referring to the Moon, the opposite of WANED is waxed.
• IDAHO (14A: The Gem State) More than 240 minerals, including aquamarine and vivianite, are found in IDAHO. Deposits of gold, zinc, lead, copper, and cobalt can be found in IDAHO, and the gems opal, tourmaline, topaz, and star garnet can also be found there. Therefore, IDAHO's official nickname of "The Gem State," makes sense. The unofficial nickname of IDAHO is "The Potato State."
• GRAND PIANO (20A: Instrument at an Alicia Keys concert) Singer and songwriter Alicia Keys is a classically trained pianist. Her Grammy Award-winning debut studio album, Songs in A Minor, was released in 2001. This is a nice clue for GRAND PIANO. It occurs to me that Alicia Keys has a fitting name for a pianist.
• DRUM (22A: Tabla or bongo) A tabla is a pair of hand DRUMs of slightly different sizes and shape. Tabla originated from the Indian subcontinent, and it is the main percussion instrument in Hindustani classical music. Bongos are open-bottomed pairs of DRUMs of different sizes that are played with the hands.
• ANSWERS (24A: They're often at the back of a crossword book) I enjoyed this clue. It's always fun to see a crossword clue reference crosswords.
• AOC (35A: Congresswoman from Queens, for short) Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) represents New York's 14th congressional district (that includes portions of the Bronx, Queens, and Riders Island in New York City) in the U.S. House of Representatives.
• GRADUATION PHOTO (36A: Pic in which a diploma might be held up) This is a fun grid-spanning entry, with a perfect descriptive clue.
• ANTE (47A: Chip in a poker chip) This is a fun and just slightly tricky clue. The clue is not referring to a chip (or nick) in a poker chip. The first two words are read together as "chip in" (toss in, add, etc.) to get to the answer of ANTE.
• GEICO GECKO (54A: TV lizard that hawks insurance) The last time we saw GEICO mentioned in the puzzle, it was in reference to their Hump Day ads featuring a camel. GEICO is known for their entertaining ads, and the GEICO GECKO is the insurance company's main spokesperson (spokeslizard?). Did you know the GEICO GECKO has a name? His name is Martin, and he is voiced by Jake Wood.
• OSLO (64A: World capital on a fjord) OSLO is the capital of Norway. It is located on the appropriately named OSLO Fjord. Norway's coastline is over 17,000 miles long, and consists mainly of long, deep inlets known as fjords. For comparison, the baseline coastline (drawn in a straight line without following the fjords) is just over 1,500 miles.
• TYPOS (68A: Mistaeks in this cluue) This clue was painful to read, and tricky to type. (Yes, spellcheck, I want to make these mistaeks...) In other words, I like it.
• MING (1D: Dynasty known for its porcelain) Among other things, China's MING Dynasty (1368-1644) was notable as a time of innovation in ceramic manufacture. Blue and white porcelain is particularly associated with this era, though vases of other colors were also made.
• THINLY (4D: How meat for pho and bulgogi is cut) Pho is a soup originating from Vietnam; it consists of broth, rice noodles, THINLY-sliced meat, and herbs. Bulgogi is a Korean grilled dish made of THINLY-sliced, marinated beef or pork.
• IKEA (7D: Store that sells KALLAX shelving) The KALLAX shelving sold by IKEA is named after the village of Kallax in Sweden.
• NAE NAE (8D: Hip-hop dance coined by We Are Toonz) The hip-hop group We Are Toonz is credited for inventing the phrase "NAE NAE," with their 2013 song, "Drop That NAENAE." The dance (placing one arm in the air and swaying side to side) is based on a character from Martin, a 1990s sitcom.
• TYSON (9D: "The Trip to Bountiful" actress Cicely) The Trip to Bountiful is a 1953 Broadway play by Horton Foote. The play tells the story of Carrie Watts, a mother living with her son and daughter-in-law, but dreaming of returning to Bountiful, the town where she grew up. In the 2013 Broadway revival of the play, Cicely TYSON portrayed Carrie Watts. She won a Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play for her performance.
• SANDWICH (10D: Po' boy or hero) and DARE I ASK (37D: "Might deeply regret this question, but...") As Jon noted in his constructor notes, these two entries are the longest non-theme answers in the puzzle.
• PETSAT (21D: Watched a kitty or pooch) and DOG (26D: Puggle or schnoodle) It's nice that the PETSAT here provides something for both cat and DOG people. Two crossbreeds mentioned in the DOG clue: a puggle is a cross between a Pug and a Beagle, and a schnoodle is a cross between a Schnauzer and a Poodle. To accompany these clues, Jon was kind enough to send me a photo of his dogs, Smokey and Bandit, who he says are "a bit like an old married couple." In this photo, Bandit is on the left, and Smokey is on the right. Welcome to the Pets of Sally's Take and Off the Grid, Smokey and Bandit!

• NBA (28D: Org. with Magic and Heat) Two Florida NBA teams highlighted here, the Orlando Magic and the Miami Heat.

Crossword Puzzle Theme Synopsis

• GRAND PIANO (20A: Instrument at an Alicia Keys concert)
• GRADUATION PHOTO (36A: Pic in which a diploma might be held up)
• GEICO GECKO (54A: TV lizard that hawks insurance)

The letters of the word GO are pushed TO the EXTREME edges of each theme answer: GRAND PIANO, GRADUATION PHOTO, and GEICO GECKO.

Billy Joel released his song, "I GO TO EXTREMES" in 1990, so it only took 24 years for it to become a crossword theme. (Unlike today's constructor, I am a Billy Joel fan, and enjoyed this reference.) This is a fun theme, and an excellent set of theme answers. Congratulations to Jon Pennington making his USA TODAY debut! Thank you, Jon, for this excellent puzzle.

For more on USA TODAY’s Crossword Puzzles

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