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

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

Constructor: Will Eisenberg

Editor: Jared Goudsmit

Comments from Today’s Crossword Constructor

Will: This puzzle took inspiration from a few different places. One was a USA Today puzzle that had entries that used the vowels AEIOU in order, which I thought was a really intriguing idea. I also owe a debt to a 2020 Boswords puzzle by Sid Sivakumar, that used the revealer FIVE-SECOND RULE for entries like BAHAMA MAMA and PANAMA CANAL. After hitting on the title, I found there were a whole raft of lively options that Sid hadn't used.

What I Learned from Today’s Puzzle

• ROE (30D: Toast Skagen eggs) Toast Skagen, also known as Swedish Shrimp Toasts, is a dish in Swedish cuisine. It features toast (of course) served with a prawn salad garnished with ROE. The dish is named after a fishing port in Denmark. (Fun fact: Skagen is the northernmost town in Denmark.)
• MARLA (46D: Jazz singer Glen) Jazz singer MARLA Glen grew up on the South Side of Chicago in the 1960s and 1970s. He has lived in Germany since 1998. His debut album, This is MARLA Glen, was released in 1993. MARLA Glen's memoir, co-written with Stacey McClain, was published last year, and is titled The Cost of Freedom.

Random Thoughts & Interesting Things

• OMAN (14A: Muttrah's country) Muttrah is the old commercial center of OMAN. It is located on the Gulf of OMAN, west of Muscat, OMAN's capital.
• GARAM MASALA (21A: Spice blend that usually includes cloves and cumin) The composition of the South Asian spice blend GARAM MASALA varies by region, but may contain bay leaves, peppercorns, cloves, cinnamon, mace, cardamom, cumin, coriander, and/or chili powder.
• SITCOMS (23A: Shows such as "What We Do in the Shadows" and "The Golden Girls") What We Do in the Shadows (2019-present) is a mockumentary TV series (based on a 2014 movie of the same name) that follows four vampire roommates living in Staten Island. The Golden Girls (1985-1992) is a TV series about the lives of four older women who are roommates living in Miami, Florida. It's a nice touch that both SITCOMS given as examples center on four roommates.
• DRAMA LLAMA (29A: Person who often overreacts) What a great entry! We've probably all known someone deserving of the title DRAMA LLAMA, one who is overly dramatic even in non dramatic situations. At times when there seems to be a lot of DRAMA in my life, I have asked, "Who's bringing the DRAMA today?" Perhaps it's time to update my question to, "Who's the DRAMA LLAMA today?"
• RASTA PASTA (41A: Rhyming dish with jerk chicken and bell peppers) I learned about the Jamaican-inspired dish RASTA PASTA from a crossword earlier this year.
• BANH MI (49A: Sandwich similar to a num pang) Yum! This puzzle is making me hungry. In Vietnamese cuisine BANH MI is a sandwich served on a baguette. It often contains pork and vegetables (such as cucumber, pickled carrots, and daikon radishes) with chili sauce and mayo. Num pang is a similar sandwich in Cambodian cuisine.
• BANANAGRAMS (52A: Word game stored in a fruit-shaped bag) BANANAGRAMS is a word-forming game similar to Scrabble, but played without a board. All working at the same time, each player is trying to form interconnected words from their own letters. When a player shouts, "Peel!" everyone must draw another tile.

• ANT (55A: "Fire" or "electric" insect) a fire ANT is a stinging variety of ANT. There are several different species of these ANTs, which inject a toxin called solenopsin when they sting. Solenopsin causes a painful reaction in humans similar to the sensation of being burned by fire - hence the name. An electric ANT, also known as little fire ANT is a tiny ANT (1/16 inch long) that has a painful sting. I would not like to encounter either of these ANTs.
• BRASS (57A: French horn metal) The French horn is a BRASS instrument with a circular shape. It was fun to see this clue in today's puzzle. Here's some INTEL: Today's constructor plays the French horn.
• AREA (62A: 728,215 square miles, for Sudan) I enjoy when the word AREA is clued in respect to the AREA of a specific country, as this helps me gain perspective about the relative size of countries. Sudan is the third-largest country in Africa by AREA, following Algeria (919,595 square miles) and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (905,355 square miles). For perspective, Alaska, the largest U.S. state, has an area of 665,384 square miles.
• MOLES (1D: Undercover spies) and INTEL (51D: What a spy gathers) Double spy content ... be on the lookout for MOLES gathering INTEL.
• UMAMI (2D: Flavor in Parmesan and soy sauce) and TASTE (48D: Sour or 2-Down, e.g.) The five basic TASTEs detected by TASTE buds are salty, sweet, bitter, sour, and UMAMI (savory).
• END (4D: Burnt ___ (bit of Kansas City BBQ)) Kansas City, Missouri is known for BBQ, and burnt ENDs are a traditional dish in Kansas City-style barbecue. Burnt ENDs are made from the "point" END of a brisket, which tends to be fattier than the rest of the cut. Due to the fattier content, the brisket points require a longer cooking time than other cuts, giving rise to the name burnt ENDs.
• CARAMEL (5D: Dobos torte's sweet topping) A Dobos torte, also sometimes called a Dobosh, is a dessert that originated from Hungary. It is named for its creator, Hungarian chef József C. Dobos. It consists of sponge cake layered with chocolate buttercream, and topped with CARAMEL. I'd definitely eat that!
• POEM (8D: Haiku or sestina) The short form of poetry known as Haiku originated in Japan. Traditional Japanese Haiku consists of three lines, with a syllabic pattern of 5,7, 5 and contains a seasonal reference. The seasonal reference may be a word related to specific season. Modern Haiku and non-Japanese Haiku do not always include a seasonal reference. A sestina is a POEM with six stanzas of six lines each followed by a three line stanza. The sestina follows a specific format in which the words that end each line of the first stanza are used as line endings in each of the following stanzas, rotated in a specific pattern.
• SALSA (10D: Genre for Celia Cruz) Celia Cruz (1925-2003) was known internationally as the "Queen of SALSA." She won multiple Grammy Awards and Latin Grammy Awards, and in 2016 she was honored with a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.
• ESTAS (13D: "Hola! Como ___?") "Hola! Como ESTAS?" is Spanish for "Hello! How are you?" I'm good, puzzle. Thanks for asking.
• ADS (34A: "Want a break from the ___?" (infamous Spotify line)) Ha! This clue made me laugh. Spotify is a music streaming service. Users can listen for free – with ADS – or pay for a subscription that eliminates ADS. Beginning in 2012, Spotify launched its own AD, which featured a male voice saying, "Want a break from the ADS?" The Spotify AD offered 30 AD-free minutes in exchange for watching a short video. The message has been spoofed on social media and used as a reference in memes.
• ROSA (41D: NAACP activist Parks) ROSA Parks became an NAACP activist in 1943. She participated in several civil-rights campaigns prior to her actions in 1955 that led to her arrest for civil disobedience in violation of Alabama's segregation laws. Her refusal to give up her seat on the bus spurred the NAACP to organize the Black community to boycott Montgomery buses for over a year.
• A LA MODE (42D: With ice cream on top) Suddenly I'm hungry for pie À LA MODE.
• MAORI (50D: People who speak te reo) MĀORI are the indigenous people of New Zealand. Te reo MĀORI, commonly shortened to te reo, is the language of the MĀORI people. Te reo was recognized as an official language of New Zealand beginning in 1987.
• ROTI (54D: Missi ___ (flatbread)) ROTI is a round flatbread that originated from the Indian subcontinent. Missi ROTI is a type of ROTI with added spices, such as red chili, cumin, and turmeric. Missi ROTI is served with gravy or vegetables.

Crossword Puzzle Theme Synopsis

• GARAM MASALA (21A: Spice blend that usually includes cloves and cumin)
• DRAMA LLAMA (29A: Person who often overreacts)
• RASTA PASTA (41A: Rhyming dish with jerk chicken and bell peppers)
• BANANAGRAMS (52A: Word game stored in a fruit-shaped bag)

The only vowel in each theme answer is the letter A.

I give this puzzle an A, of course! A great set of theme answers today. I also enjoyed the plethora of food references in this puzzle. Thank you, Will, for this grade A puzzle.

For more on USA TODAY’s Crossword Puzzles

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