Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, SOS (2024)

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

Constructor: Prasanna Keshava

Editor: Amanda Rafkin

What I Learned from Today’s Puzzle

• MAR (36A: Awkward Moments Day mo.) Awkward Moments Day is celebrated (I'm not sure if celebrated is the right word for awkward moments...) on March (MAR.) 18 each year. It's a day for remembering that awkward moments happen to everyone. No one seems to know the history of Awkward Moments Day or how it came to be an event. Well, that's a bit awkward...

Random Thoughts & Interesting Things

• GEN (28A: Next ___ (cutting-edge)) Next-GEN, a shortened form of next-generation, is a term used to refer to a brand-new version of something. It's often associated with technology, but can be used to refer to other products as well. According to Merriam-Webster, the first known use of "next-GEN" was in 1995, although "next-generation" has been in use since 1965.
• ABU (31A: ___ Dhabi (Capital of UAE)) The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is located on the Arabian Peninsula. The city of ABU Dhabi is the capital of the UAE. It is the UAE's second-most populous city, following Dubai.
• ROBYN (32A: "Be Mine" singer from Sweden) ROBYN is a Swedish singer and songwriter. "Be Mine!" is a song from her 2005 studio album ROBYN.
• GOOD (35A: "The ___ Place" (sitcom)) The GOOD Place(2016-2020)is a TV sitcom about a heaven-like utopia where humans spend their afterlife. Ted Danson plays the role of Michael, an afterlife "architect" who designs the GOOD Place. D'Arcy Carden portrays Janet, an artificial intelligence guide ("not a robot" and "not a girl") who provides residents of the GOOD Place with whatever they desire.
• EYE TESTS (45A: Exams where Snellen charts are read) The Snellen chart used for EYE TESTS is named after Dutch ophthalmologist Herman Snellen, who developed the chart in 1862. The chart contains capital letters arranged in rows. The first row contains one large letter (often the letter E), with each subsequent row containing an increasing number of letters that decrease in size. When read from 20 feet away, the smallest row a person can read determines their visual acuity.
• SULU (59A: "Star Trek" crewman played by George Takei) It's only been three days since we saw SULU in the puzzle clued as ["Star Trek" lieutenant]. If you read "Off the Grid" three days ago, maybe you remembered that George Takei portrayed Lieutenant SULU from 1966-1996. Since 2009, John Chu has portrayed Lieutenant SULU.
• ELIDE (61A: Skip over, like a syllable) Saying, "I dunno," instead of "I don't know," is an example of eliding, or skipping over, a syllable.
• ELMO (63A: Muppet with a pet named Tango) ELMO's puppy, Tangodebuted in a 2021 animated Sesame Street special titledFurry Friends Forever: ELMO Gets a Puppy. ELMO and Tango appear together on Sesame Street in a series of animated segments titled "ELMO & Tango's Mysterious Mysteries." As the title suggests, in each 5-minute segment, ELMO and Tango solve a mystery.
• TEAS (68A: Tetley offerings) The Tetley TEA company was founded by brothers Joseph and Edward Tetley in Yorkshire, England in 1837.
• SARAH (2D: "Building a Mystery" singer McLachlan) I have previously written about Canadian singer SARAH McLachlan. "Building a Mystery" is a song from her fourth studio album, Surfacing. The song won SARAH McLachlan a Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.
• SYNERGY (4D: Corporate buzzword related to cooperation) The word SYNERGY has been around since the 17th century, though it didn't become a corporate buzzword until the 1990s. The word is derived from a Greek word meaning "working together." Examples of SYNERGY – an interaction that results in an outcome greater than the sum of its parts – are seen in physics, chemistry, pharmacology, and sociology, as well as many other disciplines. I'm guessing SYNERGY existed in the corporate world long before it became a buzzword.
• EL DORADO (9D: Fabled city of gold) The fabled city of gold known as EL DORADO is said to be located somewhere in the Americas. Stories of this mythical city surfaced in Europe in the 16th and 17th centuries, but although many have searched for it, none have found it.
• REY (22D: Marina del ___, CA) Marina del REY is Spanish for "Marina of the King." A harbor known as Marina del REY is located in a seaside community of the same name near Los Angeles, California.
• DOSAS (29D: South Indian crepes) DOSAS are crepes (thin pancakes) made from a fermented batter of lentils and rice. DOSAS are often served with chutney and sambar.
• BABE (34D: "Good Luck, ___!" (Chappell Roan hit)) "Good Luck, BABE!" is a single from Chappell Roan's 2023 debut album, The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess. "It's fine, it's cool / You can say that we are nothing, but you know the truth..."
• FWIW (40D: "In case this is useful...") FWIW = for what it's worth
• GAMES (48D: Terraforming Mars and Scattergories, e.g.) I'm always happy to see GAMES in the puzzle, both in general, and specific examples. Terraforming Marsis a board GAME in which players attempt to transform (hypothetically, of course) the planet Mars into a habitable environment. Scattergories is a word GAME in which players attempt to list words in specific categories that start with a specific letter.
• ILANA (52D: Actress Glazer) ILANA Glazer co-starred with Abbi Jacobson in the TV sitcom,Broad City(2014-2019). The show was developed from a web series of the same name and is based on their real-life friendship and New York City adventures. More recently, ILANA Glazer co-wrote and starred in the movie Babes, which was released in May of this year.
• A few other answers I especially enjoyed:
  • THERMOS (23A: Lunch bag item that might hold soup)
  • CAMEO (25D: Small but significant role)
  • SOFT SPOT (41D: Point of sentimental weakness)

Crossword Puzzle Theme Synopsis

• SAME OLD STORY (20A: "We've heard it all before")
• SENSE OF SELF (38A: One's own personal image)
• SINK OR SWIM (54A: Success/failure options)

SOS: Each theme answer is a phrase with the initials S.O.S.: SAME OLD STORY, SENSE OF SELF, and SINK OR SWIM.

No, the SOS in today's puzzle isn't a cry for help. Instead, it's a hint to the puzzle's theme. I enjoyed this set of theme answers, particularly SAME OLD STORY. Did you know that when the International Radio Telegraphic Convention of 1906 first adopted SOS as a universal Morse code distress signal (three dots, three dashes, three dots, with no spaces between the letters), the SOS didn't stand for anything? The association of SOS with the phrase "Save Our Ship" is a backronym, a meaning created later. Thank you, Prasanna, for this excellent puzzle.

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