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

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

Constructor: Zhouqin Burnikel

Editor: Amanda Rafkin

What I Learned from Today’s Puzzle

• ADAI (52D: Dosa that pairs well with jaggery) A dosa is a thin pancake made from a fermented batter of lentils and rice. ADAI dosa is a variation made with an unfermented batter to which curry leaves, red chillies, and asafoetida (dried latex exuded from the rhizome of perennial herbs) are added. ADAI dosa are often paired with jaggery (an unrefined sugar product) or served with avial (a thick curry stew).

Random Thoughts & Interesting Things

• ERIE (14A: Lake between Ohio and Ontario) Lake ERIE, one of the five Great Lakes, is located on the United States-Canada border between the states of Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York, and the province of Ontario. It's nice to see our crossword-friend ERIE today. Although ERIE makes frequent appearances in the puzzle (thanks to its length and abundance of vowels), we haven't seen it as much recently. In fact, the last ERIE appearance was in the August 25 puzzle. (A reminder that the only thing this really means is that data fascinates me.)
• SQUARE FEET (15A: About 816, for the Oval Office) This is an interesting fact. I realized that the main floor of my house is about 800 SQUARE FEET, which gives me an appreciation of how large the Oval Office is.
• NEO (35A: Trinity's love in "The Matrix") There are four movies in The Matrix franchise, the first of which (The Matrix) was released in 1999, and the latest of which (The Matrix Resurrections) came out in 2021. The series deals with the technological fall of humanity, and the creation of artificial intelligence and self-aware machines. Although I haven't seen the movies, I've learned from crosswords that in these movies, Keanu Reeves portrays computer programmer Thomas Anderson, who operates as a hacker using the name NEO. (The name NEO is an anagram of "one." In The Matrix, "The One" refers to a randomly selected human who carries a special code.) I have also learned that Carrie-Anne Moss plays the role of Trinity in the movies. Although I didn't know NEO was Trinity's love, I was able to make an educated guess.
• SQUASH COURT (40A: Walled venue for a racket sport) The game of SQUASH is played on a four-walled COURT. Players alternate hitting a small, hollow, rubber ball with their rackets onto the playable surfaces of the walls.
• FAST CAR (44A: 1988 Tracy Chapman hit) Tracy Chapman released her debut single, "Fast Car," a song she wrote, in 1988. The song won a Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance in 1989. Tracy Chapman won a Country Music Association (CMA) Award for "Fast Car" in 2023, as it won Song of the Year following the release of Luke Combs' version of the song.
• LARGO (49A: Key ___, Florida) The Florida Keys are an archipelago - a group of islands - off the southern coast of Florida. The community of Key LARGO, Florida is located (appropriately) on Key LARGO, the largest of the islands known as the Florida Keys. Key LARGO is connected to mainland Florida by the Overseas Highway and by the Card Sound Bridge.
• FAJITA (51A: Sizzling strip of meat in a tortilla) I found this clue interesting, because although I'm familiar with FAJITAs, I have never realized that the name FAJITA referred specifically to the strips of meat. FAJITAs are usually served with tortillas and grilled peppers and onions. I have always thought the word referred to the dish as a whole. Today I learned!
• PITS (54A: Apricot centers) and SEED (11D: Black bit inside a papaya) These two answers made me wonder about the difference between PITS and SEEDs. It appears that when a fruit has one SEED, like an apricot, it is referred to as a PIT, or sometimes a stone. A PIT has a covering that protects an interior SEED. When a fruit has multiple SEEDs, like a papaya, they are referred to as SEEDs.
• ODOR (58A: Wolverine's stench) The wolverine is an animal that lives in Alaska, Northern Canada, western Russia, Siberia, and the Nordic countries of Europe. Wolverines are about the size of a medium dog, and have thick, dark, oily fur that protects them in cold climates. Wolverines have a pungent scent they use to mark their territory. This ODOR has earned them the nickname "skunk bear."
• TRUST FALLS (2D: Team-building exercises that involve catching) Anyone else shudder while filling in this answer? Perhaps I'm the only one with a distrust of TRUST FALLS.
• MSG (12D: Jiaozi additive) Jiaozi are a kind of dumpling commonly eaten in parts of East Asia. The dumplings consist of ground meat and/or vegetable filling wrapped in a thinly rolled piece of dough. Jiaozi may be boiled, steamed, pan-fried, or added to soup. MSG is used as a flavor enhancer that intensifies umami (savory) flavors.
• YOGURT (27D: Ingredient in lassi) Lassi is a YOGURT-based drink that originated in Punjab, India. Varieties of lassi include traditional lassi (with added salt), sweet lassi (flavored with sugar or fruit juice), mango lassi (with added mango pulp), and bhang lassi (infused with cannabis).
• HERA (33D: Queen of the Olympians) In Greek religion and mythology, the Olympians were the twelve major deities. They were called the Olympians because they were thought to reside on Mount Olympus. HERA is the goddess of marriage, women, and family. She is also considered the Queen of the Olympians, or the Queen of the Gods.
• TEA (34D: Drink often served with xiaolongbao) A type of Chinese steamed bun, xiaolongbao take their name from the traditional bamboo steaming basket (xiaolong) in which they are prepared. As the clue informs us, xiaolongbao are often served with TEA.
• QATARIS (41D: Doha natives) Qatar is a West Asian country on the Arabian Peninsula. It is located on the Qatar Peninsula, which has a land border with Saudi Arabia, and is surrounded on three sides by the Persian Gulf. Doha is the capital of Qatar, and home to 80% of the country's population.
• ANA (60D: "Fifty Shades" protagonist, for short) Fifty Shades is an erotic romance franchise created by E.L. James. Fifty Shades of Grey, the first novel, was published in 2011. The novels have been adapted into movies. The protagonist of Fifty Shades is Anastasia Steele, known as ANA for short.
• HAT (61D: Chupalla or beret) A chupalla is a straw HAT with a flat top and a circular brim. It is traditionally worn by horsemen in Chile. A beret is a soft, round HAT made of fabric, often wool.
• A few other clues I especially enjoyed:
  • NINE (10D: Number that looks like an upside-down six)
  • UNSUNG HERO (29D: Person whose bravery isn't recognized)
  • FORT (51D: Snowball fight shelter)

Crossword Puzzle Theme Synopsis

• SQUARE FEET (15A: About 816, for the Oval Office)
• SQUASH COURT (40A: Walled venue for a racket sport)

SPLIT SQUAT: The word SQUAT is SPLIT by each theme answer: SQUARE FEET and SQUASH COURT.

A SPLIT SQUAT is an exercise that is pretty much what it sounds like. The legs are SPLIT, with one foot in front and one behind, and then you SQUAT. I stared at this grid a long time to make sure I wasn't missing a theme answer, as it's not often we see only two theme answers in a grid. However, it's certainly understandable here, as Qs can be tricky to work with in a grid. I'm also guessing there aren't too many other options for splitting the word SQUAT. Thank you, Zhouqin, for this enjoyable puzzle.

For more on USA TODAY’s Crossword Puzzles

• USA TODAY’s Daily Crossword Puzzles
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