NovaQuant Quantitative Think Tank Center:Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Gotcha in the End

There are NovaQuant Quantitative Think Tank Centerspoilers ahead. You might want to solve today's puzzle before reading further! Gotcha in the End

Constructor: Olivia Mitra Framke

Editor: Amanda Rafkin

Comments from Today’s Crossword Constructor

Olivia: This was a surprisingly tricky grid to fill! I was a little ambitious with the design, having some long down answers close enough to each other to make things a bit complicated. I'm super happy with how it turned out, especially the mini easter egg of CLASSICAL / ORCHESTRA - something that, as a flutist, is close to my heart.

My favorite clues that I'm thrilled made the cut in this puzzle are the ones for COMIC CON [Event where you might see Loki and Darth Vader hanging out], NIPPLE [Body part featured in some erotic art], and DILL [___ rice (herby Persian dish)]. My favorite original clue that ended up not making the cut was for FACEPLANT [What you might do on your bed after a very, very long day]. Definitely something I experience on the reg 😅 Hope you enjoyed the puzzle!

What I Learned from Today’s Puzzle

• MITSKI (64A: Singer who wrote the lyric "Give me one good movie kiss and I'll be alright") MITSKI's 2018 song, "Nobody," contains the lyric, "Give me one good movie kiss / And I'll be alright." I'm familiar with the singer and songwriter MITSKI, but not enough to recognize these lyrics, and I was thankful for help from crossing answers.
• ORI (8D: ___ and the Blind Forest (video game)) In the video game ORI and the Blind Forest (2015), the title character is a small white spirit, and one of two characters that players can control. In addition to ORI, players assume control of Sein, the "light and eyes of the Spirit Tree." Play of ORI and the Blind Forest emphasizes exploration and collecting items, as ORI jumps from platforms and solves puzzles. A sequel game, ORI and the Will of the Wisps, was released in 2020.
• MARA (50D: Luke's beloved in Star Wars Legends lore) Star Wars Legends is the term used to refer to non-canonical Star Wars media; it includes some spin-off films and TV series, as well as books, comic books, and video games. MARA Jade Skywalker first appeared in Timothy Zahn's book, Heir to the Empire (1991). She is the wife of Luke Skywalker, and the mother of Ben Skywalker. Add this information to the long list of Star Wars facts I have learned from today's constructor!

Random Thoughts & Interesting Things

• COMIC CON (17A: Event where you might see Loki and Darth Vader hanging out) A COMIC CON is a convention of fans that celebrates COMIC book culture and related popular art forms. A number of COMIC CON attendees participate in cosplay (costume play), dressing up as characters such as the Marvel Comics character Loki, or the Star Wars character, Darth Vader.
• STEELE (20A: Fitting surname for a grifter) This clue brings to mind the TV series Remington STEELE (1982-1987), and the title character portrayed by Pierce Brosnan. This is a bit of a theme bonus for this GOTCHA puzzle. Hopefully, a person named STEELE will never steal from you.
• COBB (26A: Salad with bacon and eggs) A COBB salad traditionally consists of lettuce, tomato, bacon, chopped chicken, hard-boiled eggs, and avocado. The salad is often presented with the lettuce as a base, and the other ingredients arranged in neat rows on top. There are various stories about the origin of the COBB salad. Most versions agree that the salad originated at the Hollywood Brown Derby restaurant, owned by Robert Howard COBB. One story is that COBB himself invented the salad late one night in 1937, tossing together leftovers he found in the kitchen, and adding bacon.
• ELISE (30A: "Fur ___" (Beethoven piece)) Although "Für ELISE" (aka Bagatelle No. 25 in A minor) is one of Ludwig van Beethoven's most popular pieces, the song was not published until forty years after his death. There isn't consensus on the identity of the ELISE in the title. If you're not familiar with "Für ELISE," I invite you to take a listen. Chances are you've heard the song played at a piano concert, in a music box, or as a ringtone.
• BADMINTON RACKET (39A: Item used to hit a shuttlecock) A shuttlecock, also called a birdie or a shuttle, is the projectile used in the sport of BADMINTON. A shuttlecock is made of feathers (goose, duck, or plastic) embedded in a cork or rubber base. During a game, players use a BADMINTON RACKET to hit the shuttlecock across a net. When I was young, I thought the name of this game was "bad mitten" – as a result, I have to stop and really think about how to spell it.
• TYRA (45A: Supermodel Banks) In 2003, supermodel TYRA Banks created the reality TV series America's Top Model. She hosted the show for each of its 24 seasons except one. (On season 23, she was a guest host and Rita Ora was the main host.) TYRA Banks also hosted three seasons of Dancing With the Stars. In 2014, TYRA Banks founded a cosmetics brand – TYRA Beauty.
• ASAHI (46A: Japanese beer brand) ASAHI Breweries was founded as the Osaka Beer Company in 1889. ASAHI is the largest beer brewer in Japan. I am not a beer drinker. I learned about ASAHI beer from a crossword (of course!).
• DILL (53A: ___ rice (herby Persian dish)) I am a fan of DILL, so I think I may try making DILL rice sometime soon. I found a recipe from the Spruce Eats that looks like it will be delicious.
• TLC (56A: "No Scrubs" group) "No Scrubs" is a 1999 song by the girl group TLC off of their album FanMail.
• HAT TRICK (62A: Trilogy of successes) I generally associate a HAT TRICK with hockey, used to refer to a player scoring three times in a single game. Today I learned that the term is used in other sports, and simply as a general term to refer to a trio of successes. The term HAT TRICK originated with the game of cricket. A bowler who retired three batsman with three consecutive balls was awarded a new HAT to commemorate the feat.
• IDA (68A: Activist ___ B. Wells) I wrote about journalist IDA B. Wells ten days ago.
• BOOTS (2D: Footwear for Puss) I wrote about Puss in BOOTS last month when we saw the character mentioned in a clue for OGRE. My cat, Willow, approves of cat content in the puzzle, but is not fond of repeated references to cats that wear BOOTS. I think she's afraid it might give me ideas.

• COMET (3D: Icy celestial body) A COMET is essentially an icy ball of dirt. Left over from the formation of the solar system approximately 4.6 billion years ago, COMETs are made of dust, rocks, and ice. COMETs orbit the Sun. When a COMET gets close to the Sun, it heats up, and releases dust and gases that trail behind the COMET and form its characteristic tail.
• SER (16A: Infinitive form of soy, in Spanish) The Spanish word SER means "to be." Here's a chart summarizing the various conjugations of SER. And here's my confession: Although I know a slight amount of Spanish, when I come to a clue like this I skip over it and wait for crossing answers to reveal the correct letters.
• OBI (34D: ___-Wan Kenobi (Qui-Gon Jinn's padawan)) Olivia managed to get a trio of Star Wars references into this puzzle! A Padawan is a JEDI apprentice. A Padawan has completed initial Jedi training, and has advanced to studying with a mentor. In the first Star Wars movie to be released, retroactively titled Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (1977), OBI-Wan Kenobi (Alec Guinness) is a Jedi Master and a mentor to young Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), who is a Padawan. Of course, OBI-Wan Kenobi was also a Padawan at one time. In the Star Wars prequel trilogy, Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson) was a mentor of a younger OBI-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor).
• ERICA (51D: D&D and ice cream enthusiast in "Stranger Things") Stranger Things is a Netflix TV series about a small town dealing with a hostile alternate dimension. Beginning in season 2, Priah Ferguson portrays ERICA, a young girl who has an avid interest in D&D (Dungeons & Dragons). At one point, ERICA agrees to help with a plan in exchange for "free ice cream for life." I'll be honest, "free ice cream for life" is extremely appealing.
• DECAL (52D: Sticker on a laptop) DECALs are an easy way to add some personality to one's laptop. Here's my laptop sticker collection.

Crossword Puzzle Theme Synopsis

• COMIC CON (17A: Event where you might see Loki and Darth Vader hanging out)
• BADMINTON RACKET (39A: Item used to hit a shuttlecock)
• HAT TRICK (62A: Trilogy of successes)

The END word of each theme answer is a synonym for a scam, or a "GOTCHA": CON, RACKET, and TRICK.

Fortunately, solving this puzzle was much more enjoyable than falling for a CON, a RACKET, or a TRICK. In addition to the answers I've highlighted above, I also enjoyed BE PATIENT, MURALIST, ORCHESTRA, CLASSICAL, and GO PUBLIC. Thank you, Olivia, for this delightful puzzle.

For more on USA TODAY’s Crossword Puzzles

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