NovaQuant-Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Hot in Here

There are NovaQuantspoilers ahead. You might want to solve today's puzzle before reading further! Hot in Here

Constructor: Zhouqin Burnikel

Editor: Jared Goudsmit

What I Learned from Today’s Puzzle

• LEE (7D: "Russian Doll" actress Greta) Russian Doll is a Netflix TV series that originally aired from 2019 to 2022. Natasha Lyonne portrays a game developer named Nadia, who is stuck in an ongoing time loop and repeatedly dies and relives the same night, the night of her 36th birthday party. Greta LEE portrays Maxine, Nadia's friend who throws her birthday party. I knew of the show Russian Doll, and I learned about Greta LEE a few months ago, but I didn't realize that Greta Lee was in Russian Doll.

Random Thoughts & Interesting Things

• SEA (20A: Giant kelp's habitat) Despite its appearance, kelp are not plants, but a type of multicellular algae classified as heterokonts. Giant kelp, also known as bladder kelp, grows in dense kelp forests in the SEA near the coast. "Giant" is an appropriate description, as individual kelp may grow as much as two feet per day, and reach a height of 150 feet.
• PTS (23A: Tamika Catchings scored 7,380 in the WNBA) Tamika Catchings is a retired professional basketball player. She played for WNBA's Indiana Fever for her entire 15-year career. During that time, she was selected for ten WNBA All-Star teams and was on four USA teams that won Olympic gold medals (2004, 2008, 2012, and 2016). As the clue informs us, she scored 7,380 PTS (points) during her WNBA career. (She is currently fifth in WNBA career PTS.) Tamika Catchings was inducted into the WNBA Hall of Fame in 2020. 
• EEL (26A: Unagi nigiri fish) Unagi is a Japanese word for freshwater EEL. Nigiri is a type of sushi.
• ASHES (32A: Tandoor remnants) A tandoor is a large cylindrical oven made of clay or metal. To me, many tandoors resemble large vases. The heat is generally provided by charcoal, which is burned within the tandoor, resulting in ASHES.
• ADA (40A: Mathematician/writer Lovelace) ADA Lovelace (1815-1852) was one of the first computer programmers, and is considered to be one of the first to recognize the full potential of computers. In the 1840s, ADA Lovelace translated an article by Luigi Menabrea (an Italian military engineer who later became Prime Minister of Italy) about the Analytical Engine. She supplemented the translation with her notes, and one of her notes contains what is considered to be the first computer program.
• LETTER (43A: E or G, e.g.) This is a lovely clue. With 26 LETTERs to choose from, it was a fun choice to match the abbreviation "e.g." (which stands for the Latin phrase "exempli gratia," and can also be interpreted as "example given").
• EST (46A: Redundant suffix for "most") I had the mostest fun trying to come up with a way to illustrate that I have the mostest appreciation for this silly clue.
• ALES (58A: Brews used to make Welsh rarebit) Welsh rarebit is a dish consisting of hot cheese sauce on toast. The cheese sauce for this British dish often includes ALE, mustard, or Worcestershire sauce.
• ANYA (3D: "Last Night in Soho" actress Taylor-Joy) Last Night in Soho is a 2021 psychological horror movie starring Thomasin McKenzie as Ellie Turner, a young woman aspiring to be a fashion designer who begins dreaming of events that occurred in the 1960s. Ellie's dreams are about a woman named Sandie. ANYA Taylor-Joy plays the role of Sandie, and Diana RIGG played an older version of Sandie. Last Night in Soho is the final film appearance of Diana Rigg, who died in 2020 at the age of 82.
• POPE (9D: Holy See leader) The Holy See, or the See of Rome, is the term used to describe the jurisdiction of the Bishop of Rome, known as the POPE.
• AVON (19D: Cosmetics brand founded in 1886) Wow, I didn't realize that AVON has been around for 138 years! The company began by selling perfume, and now sells beauty products, jewelry, and clothing. AVON is currently the second-largest multi-level marketing company in the world, after Amway.
• SPRY (25D: Like Johanna Quaas, the oldest active competitive gymnast) I learned about Johanna Quaas from the April 24, 2022 puzzle (also constructed by Zhouqin Burnikel). In that puzzle, the word NIMBLE was clued as [Like Johanna Quaas]. Johanna Quaas is a German gymnast; SPRY and NIMBLE are apt words to describe her. In 2012, when she was 86 years old, Johanna Quaas was certified by the Guinness Book of World Records as the world's oldest active competitive gymnast. She has not competed since 2018, and is currently 98 years old (she'll be 99 next month).
• CHEAT CODES (29D: Secret commands that gamers might use for an advantage) Many CHEAT CODES are created by game designers, often to enable play testing of certain features of the game. When it comes to video games, my opinion is that it's your game, and you may choose to play it however you want. If CHEAT CODES make the game more enjoyable, go for it.
• HI HO (52D: ___! Cherry-O (counting game)) HI HO! Cherry-O is a children's board game in which players compete to be the first to collect 10 cherries from the tree into their bucket. Game play involves a spinner that gives directions about taking a certain number of cherries off the tree, or replacing cherries back on the tree. The first player to collect all cherries from their tree calls "HI HO! Cherry-O!" This clue brought back some memories! My Grandma Doris had this game at her house, and any visit to her involved multiple games of HI HO! Cherry-O.
• YETI (53D: Beast in Sherpa myths) The Sherpas are an ethnic group who live in the high mountain region of the Himalayas, a mountain range in Asia. YETI, also known as Bigfoot or the Abominable Snowman, is a creature in Himalayan Folklore.

Crossword Puzzle Theme Synopsis

• PSYCHOTHERAPIST (17A: Mental health professional)
• NACHO TOPPINGS (27A: Guac, salsa, sour cream, etc.)
• WHO TOLD YOU THAT? (51A: "How did this rumor spread?!")

HOT IN HERE: Each theme answer contains the word HOT: PSYCHOTHERAPIST, NACHO TOPPINGS, and WHO TOLD YOU THAT?

I really enjoyed this puzzle. The theme is straightforward, but there's nothing wrong with that. I especially like the theme answer "WHO TOLD YOU THAT?" The rest of the puzzle has a lot of enjoyable entries, and there were multiple clues that made me smile. Thank you, Zhouqin, for this excellent puzzle.

For more on USA TODAY’s Crossword Puzzles

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