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

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

Constructor: Will Nediger

Editor: Anna Gundlach

What I Learned from Today’s Puzzle

• ANTONIA GENTRY (37A: "Ginny & Georgia" co-star) The TV series Ginny & Georgia premiered on Netflix in 2021. The third season is currently in production. ANTONIA GENTRY plays the role of Ginny, the teenage daughter of Georgia (Brianne Howey), and the older sister of nine-year-old Austin (Diesel La Torraca). At the beginning of the series, Georgia, Ginny, and Austin have recently moved to a new town after the death of Georgia's husband.
• CECILIA GENTILI (57A: Argentine-born activist who worked to decriminalize sex work in New York) CECILIA GENTILI (1972-2024) was an advocate for sex workers and transgender people. Her work as a legislative lobbyist included working on the passage of the New York Gender Expression and Discrimination Act, which was enacted in 2019. She also worked on the repeal of the New York Law commonly referred to as the "Walking While Trans Ban," which disproportionately targeted trans women and women of color. CECILIA GENTILI was the author of several books, including a 2022 memoir, Faltas: letters to everyone in my hometown who isn't my rapist.

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Random Thoughts & Interesting Things

• MALE (17A: Drake, gander or tom) I like the choice to use examples that are all birds. A drake is a MALE duck, a gander is a MALE goose, and a tom is a MALE turkey.
• ALICE (19A: Jazz musician Coltrane) ALICE Coltrane (1937-2007), also known by her adopted Sanskrit name, Turiyasangitananda, was a jazz musician and composer. She was one of only a few jazz harpists, and she also played keyboard and organ. Alice Coltrane was married to jazz saxophonist, John Coltrane.
• RAMS (34A: Male animals with the scientific name Ovis aries) There are a couple of clues in the scientific name Ovis aries, that might be helpful in arriving at this answer (for those of us unfamiliar with this scientific name). Solvers familiar with the adjective "ovine" that refers to sheep, might guess (correctly) that this word is derived from the genus name here, Ovis. And then, the symbol for the zodiac sign, Aries, is the RAM.
• DORITOS (46A: Chips with a Tapatio flavor) Tapatío is a brand of hot sauce that I learned about when it appeared in a crossword last year. DORITOS began making Tapatío-flavored chips in 2011.
• ELIDE (62A: Omit in pronunciation) "What are you doin'?" This sentence ELIDEs, or omits, the letter G at the end of the word "doing."
• TEAS (69A: Celestial Seasonings products) The Celestial Seasonings company is headquartered in Boulder, Colorado. The company sells herbal, black, and green TEAS. According to their website, Celestial Seasonings sells 105 varieties of TEA.
• BRASILIA (2D: City that replaced Rio de Janeiro as its country's capital) BRASILIA was founded in 1960 to be the capital of Brazil. Rio de Janeiro is located on the eastern coast of Brazil. Making BRASILIA the capital moved the government to a more central location in the country. Brasília is a planned city with sectors designated for specific activities, such as the Banking Sector and the Hotel Sector. Brasilia has been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site for its artistic urban planning.
• FLAG (5D: Pan-African ___ (three-colored symbol)) The Pan-African FLAG is a horizontal triband of red, black, and green. The FLAG was adopted by the Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League (UNIA-ACL) in 1920. Pan-Africanism is a movement aimed at strengthening bonds of solidarity among ethnic groups of African descent.
• ANIMAL (10D: Bat, cat or rat) Nice to have rhyming ANIMAL examples here. My favorite of these three ANIMALs is the cat. (That is not a surprise to any of you, I'm sure!) Last week I took a quick trip out-of-town. My cat, Willow, is never a fan of me being gone. When I came home, she perched on top of my suitcase as if to say, "You are not to leave again."

• TECH (13D: The "T" in STEM) STEM is a term used to refer to the disciplines of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Since STEM is an acronym, it alerts us that the answer will be TECH instead of technology.
• OCELOT (47D: Spotted wild cat) The OCELOT is a medium-sized wild cat. The OCELOT's length is 21 to 39 inches, not counting its tail which can be 12 to 17 inches long. Ocelots weigh between 15 to 34 pounds. In comparison, domestic cats average 18 inches in body length (plus a 12 inch tail) and typically weigh 9 to 11 pounds. (Though there have been domestic cats that weighed up to 46 pounds!) Essentially, an OCELOT is a bit larger than a house cat. OCELOTs are native to the southwestern United States, Mexico, Central America, and South America.
• SPY (65D: Secret agent) I thoroughly enjoyed this SPY hiding in the corner of the grid in plain sight. This is a great bonus for this SECRET AGENTS puzzle.

Crossword Puzzle Theme Synopsis

• SUCH A GENTLEMAN (20A: "How chivalrous of you!")
• ANTONIA GENTRY (37A: "Ginny & Georgia" co-star)
• CECILIA GENTILI (57A: Argentine-born activist who worked to decriminalize sex work in New York)

The word AGENT is found in each theme answer: SUCH A GENTLEMAN, ANTONIA GENTRY, and CECILIA GENTILI.

Today I was able to guess the theme from the puzzle's title. Three excellent theme answers here, and I appreciated learning about ANTONIA GENTRY and CECILIA GENTILI. Uncovering the SPY in the corner was an added bonus. Today's constructor, Will Nediger, is the editor of the weekly Spyscape Crossword, which makes this puzzle's theme particularly appropriate. Spyscape is a museum in New York City (that my husband and I have visited and I highly recommend!), and their website is also fun to explore. Thank you, Will, for this delightful puzzle.

For more on USA TODAY’s Crossword Puzzles

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