SALLY HOELSCHER

Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, An Average Puzzle

Sally Hoelscher

USA TODAY

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

Constructor: Matthew Luter

Editor: Anna Gundlach

Comments from Today’s Crossword Constructor

Matthew: This one started out as a proposed set with the theme-related words at the end of phrases like HIGHWAY MEDIAN, WHAT DO YOU MEAN, and DEPECHE MODE. Amanda suggested that a little bit tighter set might have those words at the beginning of phrases, so after a bit of brainstorming, here we are. I do always enjoy getting references to music that I love into the puzzles I make. So, while Depeche Mode didn't make the final cut, I was glad to get SINEAD in here at 30A and The Specials in the clue at 68A. Happy listening, and happy solving.

What I Learned from Today’s Puzzle

USA (60A: "Burn Notice" network) Burn Notice is a TV series that originally aired on the USA network from 2007-2013. The show's title is a reference to burn notices issued by intelligence agencies to discredit agents or sources that are no longer reliable. The show centers on former spy Michael Weston (portrayed by Jeffrey Donovan), who has been cut off from the agency he used to work for and finds himself in Miami, Florida. Throughout the series he attempts to figure out who burned him and why.
FIRE (29D: Pokemon type that is immune to burns) My knowledge of Pokémon is limited to what I have picked up in general conversation and from crosswords. There are various types of Pokémon, of which FIRE is one. A Pokémon's type impacts their appearance, as well as how they fare in combat. Fortunately, it was fairly inferable that a FIRE Pokémon would be immune to burns, so with a little help from crossing answers, I was able to figure this out.

Random Thoughts & Interesting Things

ROOMBA (1A: Robotic vacuum brand) The ROOMBA, the robotic vacuum made by iRobot, has been making the rounds since September 2002 when it was first introduced.
NBA (7A: Org. with Cavs and Mavs) The NBA teams informally known as the Cavs and Mavs are the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Dallas Mavericks.
ICE AGE (16A: Manny the Mammoth's movie franchise) Manny the Mammoth (voiced by Ray Romano) was first introduced in the animated 2002 movie Ice Age. He has appeared in five movies so far, and the standalone spin-off, The Ice Age Adventures of Buck Wild. The sixth movie in the Ice Age franchise is scheduled to be released in December 2026.
NEON (19A: Gas in glowing tubes) and INERT (53D: Chemically nonreactive) NEON is an INERT gas that is used in NEON lights.
X-MEN (20A: Rogue's superhero team) The X-MEN are a team of superheroes appearing in Marvel comic books, TV shows, films, and video games. X-MEN are humans born with the X-gene, a genetic mutation that confers superhuman abilities. In the X-Men franchise, ANNA Paquin portrays Rogue, who is capable of absorbing the powers, abilities, and knowledge of those she touches, and using them as her own.
SINEAD (30A: "The Emperor's New Clothes" singer O'Connor) "The Emperor's New Clothes" is a 1990 song by SINEAD O'Connor, from her second studio album, I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got. "Through their own words / They will be exposed / They've got a severe case of / The emperor's new clothes..."
SARI (38A: Garment whose name comes from the Sanskrit for "strip of cloth") This name is fitting, as a SARI consists of a single unstitched length of fabric that varies in length from four and a half to nine yards. The SARI can be wrapped and draped in a variety of styles.
MAHI (41A: When doubled, a Hawaiian fish) The MAHI-MAHI is also known as the common dolphinfish, though it is not related to dolphins. In Hawaiian, "MAHI-MAHI" means "very strong."
RAITA (52A: Indian yogurt-based condiment) RAITA is a condiment of seasoned yogurt with raw or cooked vegetables, often cucumber and onion. The herbs and spices used in RAITA include coriander, cumin, mint, cayenne pepper, and chaat masala.
TIM (65A: "I Think You Should Leave With ___ Robinson") I Think You Should Leave With TIM Robinson is a Netflix TV series that premiered in 2019. The sketch comedy show was created by TIM Robinson and Zach Kanin. Many of the show's sketches involve someone making an embarrassing mistake and refusing to admit it. For his role on the show, TIM Robinson won an Emmy Award in 2023 for Outstanding Actor in a Short Form Comedy or Drama Series.
SKA (68A: The Specials genre) The Specials were a British SKA band. Their last album, released in 2021, is titled Protest Songs 1924-2012. The Specials were active (off and on) from 1977-2022. After the death of one of the bands founding members, Terry Hall, in 2022, The Specials are no longer performing together as a band. The last filmed concert by the band before Terry Hall's death was broadcast in December 2024 as The Specials: Live From Coventry Cathedral.
GIN (69A: Tom Collins liquor) A Tom Collins is a cocktail made with GIN, lemon juice, simple syrup, and carbonated water.
TWEAKS (70A: Makes minor changes to) I enjoy the word TWEAKS. At least, I enjoy it in this sense – which is how I usually use it – but not in the sense of a sharp pinch, as when one TWEAKS your nose.
OREO (3D: Vowel-heavy cookie) This is a nice crossword-centric clue for crossword's favorite cookie, OREO.
MODE MAGAZINE (23D: Workplace of TV's "Ugly Betty") Ugly Betty is a TV series that originally aired from 2006-2010. The series was based on the telenovela Yo soy Betty, la fea. Despite her lack of fashion sense, the title character on the show, Betty Suarez (portrayed by America Ferrera), lands a job at MODE MAGAZINE, a trendy fashion magazine.
WELSH (26D: From Cardiff or Swansea) Cardiff is the capital and largest city of Wales. Swansea is the second-largest city in Wales.
LASIK (50D: Vision-correcting surgery acronym) LASIK stands for "laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis." I can understand why it's referred to as LASIK. LASIK surgery is performed to correct nearsightedness, farsightedness, or astigmatism.
SVEN (55D: "Frozen" reindeer) In the Disney animated movies Frozen (2013) and Frozen II (2019), SVEN is Kristoff's reindeer companion. (Kristoff is an iceman living in the mountains at the beginning of the first movie.) Although SVEN is not a talking animal, Kristoff sometimes "talks" for him, voicing what SVEN might be thinking. Jonathan Groff who voices Kristoff, also provides SVEN's voice for those moments.
ETTA (57D: Jazz singer James) ETTA James is making back-to-back puzzle appearances. Yesterday we saw ETTA clued as ["At Last" singer James].

Crossword Puzzle Theme Synopsis

MEAN BUSINESS (4D: Behave in a no-nonsense way)
MEDIAN STRIP (17A: Space between halves of a divided highway)
MODE MAGAZINE (23D: Workplace of TV's "Ugly Betty")

AN AVERAGE PUZZLE: The first words of the theme answers – MEAN, MEDIAN, and MODE – are types of AVERAGEs.

When we see a math-related clue, I often joke, "Who put math in our word puzzle?" Today the entire theme is math-related! MEAN, MEDIAN, and MODE are different types of AVERAGEs. The MEAN is what many people think of when they hear the word AVERAGE. It's the sum of the numbers in a set divided by how many numbers are in the set. The MEDIAN is the value that is halfway between the maximum and minimum values in a set of numbers. And the MODE refers to the most frequent value in a set of numbers. This is an enjoyable theme, especially for those of us who like math and words. Thank you, Matt, for this delightful puzzle.