Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Ladies First

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

Constructors: Wendy L. Brandes & Sally Hoelscher

Editor: Amanda Rafkin

Comments from Today’s Crossword Constructors

Wendy: It’s always great to work with Sally on a puzzle.  The idea for this one came from Sally’s wonderful New York Times puzzle which celebrated First Ladies. Amanda, as always, was incredibly helpful — pitching in with ideas for one of our themers.  Hat tip to her and to the entire USA Today team!

Sally: I am happy that Wendy invited me to collaborate on this theme idea. Not only is Wendy always a joy to work with, but I'm also honored she took inspiration from my New York Times puzzle. That puzzle, which ran on Presidents' Day in 2020 (February 17), is special to me for a couple of reasons. I was delighted to have a puzzle that highlighted women, and it was my first ever published crossword. (You can find a link to a write-up of the puzzle here – with spoilers, of course. If you have an NYT crossword subscription, you can also find it in the archive.) Delighted to once again have the opportunity to put LADIES FIRST.

Random Thoughts & Interesting Things

• TITAN (1A: Saturn's largest moon) Unlike the Earth, which has one moon orbiting it, Saturn has many moons. Scientists know of at least 146 moons orbiting Saturn, of which TITAN is the largest. TITAN is actually larger than the planet Mercury, and is the only moon known to have a dense atmosphere. TITAN is the second-largest moon in the Solar System, after Ganymede, a moon of Jupiter.

• GAGA (10A: Head over heels) My first thought here was to clue this in reference to Lady GAGA. Then I remembered the theme of the puzzle and decided that angle was a bit of a dupe for the theme.

• ANITA (14A: Hill who wrote "Speaking Truth to Power") ANITA Hill is a lawyer and a professor of social policy, law, and women's studies at Brandeis University. In 1991, she accused U.S. Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas of sexual harassment. In her 1998 book, Speaking Truth to Power, Hill discusses details of events before, during, and after the confirmation hearings. ANITA Hill has authored two additional books: Reimagining Equality: Stories of Gender, Race, and Finding Home (2011) and Believing: Our Thirty-Year Journey to End Gender Violence (2021).

• LEO (25A: Person born in August, perhaps) Oh, it's me!

• HSU (51A: "Everything Everywhere All at Once" actress Stephanie) Stephanie HSU portrays Joy Wang in the 2022 movie Everything Everywhere All at Once. She was nominated for an Academy Award (aka Oscar) for Best Supporting Actress for this role. Ultimately, that award went to Jamie Lee Curtis for her role as IRS inspector Deirdre Beaubeirdre in Everything Everywhere All at Once. Just two days ago we saw mention of Michelle Yeoh's Oscar award for her performance in Everything Everywhere All at Once.

• RAT (53A: Pizza ___ (rodent in a meme)) In 2015, Matt Little posted a video on social media that showed a RAT carrying a slice of pizza down the steps at a New York City Subway station. The video went viral, and has been viewed over 12 million times.

• VIOLET (55A: The "V" of ROYGBIV) ROYGBIV is a mnemonic used to remember the colors of the rainbow in order: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and VIOLET.

• JUSTICE LEAGUE (57A: DC Comics superhero team) The JUSTICE LEAGUE made their first appearance as a team in the DC comic book, The Brave and the Bold #28 in 1960. The superhero members of the JUSTICE LEAGUE usually operate independently, but occasionally they join forces to tackle formidable opponents. The founding members of the JUSTICE LEAGUE are Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, The Flash, Green Lantern, Aquaman, and Martian Manhunter.

• EDIE (61A: LGBTQ+ activist Windsor) EDIE Windsor was the plaintiff in the 2013 Supreme Court case, United States v. Windsor. EDIE Windsor and Thea Spyer were married in New York in 2008. When Spyer died the following year, EDIE tried to claim the federal estate tax exemption for surviving spouses, but could not do so because of Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which denied federal recognition of same-sex marriages. She sued the federal government, and the case ended up in the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court ruled that Section 3 of DOMA was a violation of the Fifth Amendment. EDIE Windsor continued to advocate for LGBT rights until her death in 2017 at the age of 88.

• IRON (62A: Fe, on the periodic table) It occurs to me that if this puzzle had run before the May 9th puzzle, this clue might have been helpful in figuring out the theme of that puzzle, which is titled, "Isn't It Ironic?"

• TREE (69A: Joshua ___ National Park) Although it is TREE-like in appearance, the Joshua TREE is not actually a TREE, but a plant in the genus Yucca. Joshua TREEs are native to the southwestern United States. Joshua TREE National Park in southeastern California takes its name from these plants, which are abundant in the northern section of the park. It just so happens that when Wendy and I were writing clues for this puzzle back in February, my husband and I were on a road trip, and one of the places we visited was Joshua TREE National Park. Therefore, it was on my mind when thinking of a clue for the word TREE. Here's a photo of a Joshua TREE.

• SONS (70A: What Jon Snow and Bran were to Ned Stark) Ned Stark, and his SONS Bran Stark and Jon Snow, are characters in George R. R. Martin's fantasy book series, A Song of Ice and Fire. Those novels were adapted into the HBO series, Game of Thrones. This is Wendy's clue, and I was happy to take her word for it, as I haven't read the books or watched the TV show.

• TIMBUKTU (3D: Ancient city in Mali) TIMBUKTU is a Western African city in the country of Mali. Timbuktu is located north of the Niger River, and on the southern edge of the Sahara Desert. The city was founded in the 5th century, becoming an intellectual and spiritual center for Islams from the 13th to 17th centuries. In 2012 and 2013, many of TIMBUKTU's historic buildings, including its three mosques, were destroyed when al-Qaida forces occupied the city. Additionally, many historical manuscripts were in danger and some were destroyed. I have previously written about the book, The Bad-Ass Librarians of TIMBUKTU, which tells of the efforts of Abdel Kader Haidara to smuggle manuscripts out of TIMBUKTU.

• GENRES (12D: Cozy mystery and historical fiction, e.g.) Cozy mystery is my favorite literary GENRE. In cozy mysteries, the murders and violence occur "off-stage" so to speak. While a body may be encountered, it's after the murder has occurred. The focus of a cozy mystery is the solving of the crime, and that's often done by an amateur detective. Think of Jane Marple in some of Agatha Christie's novels, or Jessica Fletcher in the Murder She Wrote TV series. Historical fiction is a GENRE that takes its plot, and perhaps some of its characters, from historical events. The telling of the events are aided by the author's creativity and imagination.

• DOO-WOP (21D: Music genre popular in the 1950s) DOO-WOP is a sub-genre of rhythm and blues. The focus of DOO-WOP is vocal group harmony with little to no instrumentation. DOO-WOP peaked in the 1950s, with groups such as the Drifters and the Platters. There have been occasional DOO-WOP or DOO-WOP-influenced hits since then, and the style remains popular with a cappella groups.

• GENEVA (36D: Swiss city where the Red Cross is based)  GENEVA, Switzerland hosts the highest number of international organizations in the world, including the headquarters of many United Nations agencies and the Red Cross. The International Committee of the Red Cross is a neutral, impartial, and independent organization that provides humanitarian aid around the world.

• KERRI (38D: Olympic medalist Strug) KERRI Strug represented the United States in gymnastics at the 1996 Summer Olympics. She was part of the women's gymnastic team referred to as the "Magnificent Seven," that won the first women's gymnastics team gold medal for the United States. KERRI Strug's 1997 memoir is titled Landing on My Feet: A Diary of Dreams.

• ATHLETES (40D: NCAA softball players, for example) There are many types of ATHLETES, of course. I think it's particularly fitting in this LADIES FIRST puzzle, that we chose to highlight the women ATHLETES who play college softball.

• ENDS (60D: "Perhaps the World ___ Here" (Joy Harjo poem)) Joy Harjo was the U.S. Poet Laureate from 2019-2022. Her signature project as U.S. Poet Laureate was Living Nations, Living Words: A Map of First Peoples Poetry. Joy Harjo's poem, "Perhaps the World ENDS Here," can be read on the Poetry Foundation website.

• ENT (64D: Doc who treats tinnitus) Tinnitus, the experience of hearing sound that isn't from external sources, is sometimes referred to as "ringing in the ears," but the sounds may also be perceived as clicking, buzzing, hissing, or roaring. An ear, nose, and throat doctor, or ENT is the one to see for treatment of tinnitus.

• REY (65D: "Radio" singer Lana Del ___) "Radio" is a song from Lana Del REY's 2012 album, Born to Die.

Crossword Puzzle Theme Synopsis

• BIRD SANCTUARY (20A: Protected spot for our feathered friends)

• LUCK OF THE DRAW (37A: Total chance)

• JUSTICE LEAGUE (57A: DC Comics superhero team)

The FIRST word of each theme answer can follow the word LADY to form a new phrase. We have LADY BIRD, LADY LUCK, and LADY JUSTICE.

I'm all for celebrating women any day, so am delighted to have collaborated with Wendy on this LADIES FIRST puzzle. Thank you, Wendy, for the collaboration, and thanks to Amanda for fabulous editing. I hope you enjoyed our puzzle. Although I didn't manage to work a cat reference into this puzzle, my cat, Willow, helped me – in her own way – while I was writing this.

For more on USA TODAY’s Crossword Puzzles

• USA TODAY’s Daily Crossword Puzzles

• Sudoku & Crossword Puzzle Answers

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Crossword Blog & Answers for May 11, 2024 by Sally Hoelscher