Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Tri-Tip

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

Constructor: May Huang

Editor: Amanda Rafkin

Comments from Today’s Crossword Constructor

May: This puzzle was inspired by my favorite sandwich order at Berkeley Bowl. Coincidentally, one of my favorite clues in here is also food-related: "41-down: Fast food chain that sells egg tarts in Hong Kong." IYKYK, as they say. Thanks for solving!

What I Learned from Today’s Puzzle

• KRIS (41A: Filipino actress Aquino) KRIS Aquino is a Filipino actress, TV personality, and producer. Over the years she has been the host of several talk shows, including Today with KRIS Aquino (1996-2001) and Boy & KRIS (2007-2009). In the 2018 movie, Crazy Rich Asians, KRIS Aquino portrayed Princess Intan. KRIS Aquino's mother, Corazon Aquino, was the President of the Philippines from 1986-1992, and her brother, Benigno Aquino III, was the President of the Philippines from 2019-2016. For the last several years, KRIS Aquino has been dealing with health challenges; she has been diagnosed with multiple auto-immune diseases.
• KFC (41D: Fast-food chain that sells egg tarts in Hong Kong) Well, this is a fun fact! When expanding to other countries, KFC adapts its menu to adopt to regional tastes. In Hong Kong, a custardy egg tart is one of the popular desserts on the KFC menu.

Random Thoughts & Interesting Things

• ISSA (1A: Rae who played President Barbie) and HER (35D: Pronoun sometimes added to the front of "story") I thoroughly enjoyed seeing ISSA Rae as President Barbie in the 2023 movie, Barbie. Although it's taking longer than I personally would like, I do think that someday a woman will make HERstory by becoming the first female President of the United States.
• LINE (9A: Word before "dancing" or "drawing") Sometimes I go on silly tangents, like when I read this clue and thought, "What about doing a LINE drawing of LINE dancing?"
• MENSA (13A: High-IQ group) In order to join MENSA, prospective members need to score in the 98th percentile or higher on an IQ or other approved intelligence test. On the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Test, this translates to an IQ of 132.
• ENBY (16A: Identity for some nonbinary people) Nonbinary is a term used for people who don't identify solely as male or female. Some nonbinary people use the identity of ENBY, which is derived from the sound of the initials NB.
• DMED (36A: Messaged on Mastodon) Mastodon is a social networking site created in 2016. It offers microblogging (short posts) similar to several other social networking sites.
• APEX PREDATOR (37A: "Mean Girls" song with the lyric "every food chain has its acme") The 2017 musical Mean Girls is based on the 2004 movie of the same name. A movie adaptation of the musical was released in January of this year. "APEX PREDATOR" is a song sung by the characters Janis and Cady about "mean girl" Regina George. An APEX PREDATOR is a PREDATOR at the top of the food chain. It's fun that this answer was clued to the song.
• RAW (52A: Like sashimi) In Japanese cuisine, sashimi is a delicacy of thinly-sliced RAW fish or meat (or sometimes vegetables). RAW fish is cut into different thicknesses to highlight its delicate flavor.
• DIE (58A: "Old habits ___ screaming" ("The Black Dog" lyric)) "Old habits DIE screaming," is a line from the Taylor Swift song, "The Black Dog." The song is part Taylor Swift's 2024 album, The Tortured Poets Department. "The Black Dog" is one of the songs on the second part of the double album, which is subtitled The Anthology.
• DOSA (67A: Crepe served with chutney and sambar) A DOSA is a thin pancake in South Indian cuisine made from a fermented batter of lentils and rice. Dosa is often served with chutney (a spread made from fresh or pickled ingredients) and sambar (a lentil-based vegetable curry).
• TERESA (8D: Taiwanese singer Teng) TERESA Teng (1953-1995) has been referred to as the "Eternal Queen of Asian Pop." The Taiwanese singer became popular in Japan in the 1970s, and was known for her melancholy love songs.
• APE (14D: Donkey Kong, for one) Donkey Kong is a large gorilla character. The APE is the protagonist of the Donkey Kong video game franchise. Donkey Kong also makes appearances in video games in the Mario franchise.
• MEOW (19D: "My bowl is empty and now you will hear about it") Well, I obviously knew this answer right away! Other things it might mean when my cat, Willow, says, "MEOW": "Hello, hello, hello, hello!" "Please stop working and pet me," or "Look, I've brought you a present!" The other day, I walked into my office and discovered that Willow had commandeered my desk chair. Now if I could just teach her to do my work...

• COX (30D: Charlie who plays Matt Murdock) In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Matt Murdock is the alias of Daredevil. Matt Murdock is blind, and has trained his other senses to develop to superhuman levels. He is a defense lawyer by day, and a masked vigilante by night. Charlie COX played Matt Murdock in the TV series Daredevil (2015-2018), as well as in several other Marvel productions, including the movie Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021).
• BEET (44D: Vegetable in a vegan beef Wellington) Beef Wellington is a dish that originated from England. It consists of steak, pâté, and duxelles (mushrooms, onions, and herbs sautéed in butter) wrapped in puff pastry. A vegan version of this dish is known as BEET Wellington.
• MR. TOAD (45D: Amphibian with a Disneyland ride)  MR. TOAD's Wild Ride is one of the original attractions at Disneyland Park in Anaheim, California. The ride has been operational since the park opened in July 1955, though it was updated in 1983. The ride is loosely based on the 1949 Disney movie, The Adventures of Ichabod and MR. TOAD, which is an adaptation of Kenneth Grahame's 1908 book The Wind in the Willows. On the ride, guests assume the role of MR. TOAD recklessly driving a period motorcar.
• ERNIE (51D: Bert's roomie on "Sesame Street") I'm always happy to see a Sesame Street reference in the puzzle. Do you relate more to silly and energetic ERNIE, or no-nonsense Bert?
• ALOHA (53D: Hi, in HI) This is an excellent clue. HI (with capital letters) is, of course, the postal abbreviation for the U.S. state of Hawaii. ALOHA is used as a greeting in Hawaii. The meaning of the word is more than simply "hi." It also encompasses "love, affection, peace, compassion, and mercy."
• A few other clues I especially enjoyed:
  • TOUCHÉ (33A: "Good point...")
  • SNAP (54A: "Oh ___!" ("Sick burn!"))
  • LEARN (9D: "Watch and ___")

Crossword Puzzle Theme Synopsis

• PEAK PERFORMANCE (17A: One's A game)
• APEX PREDATOR (37A: "Mean Girls" song with the lyric "every food chain has its acme")
• POINT OF NO RETURN (59A: You can't go back from this)

The three (indicated by TRI- in the title) theme answers each begin with a word that is a synonym of TIP: PEAK, APEX, and POINT.

This is an excellent set of theme answers. I appreciate May sharing with us about the inspiration for this theme. Crossword theme inspiration can come from many things, including the name of a sandwich! Thank you, May, for this delightful puzzle.

For more on USA TODAY’s Crossword Puzzles

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