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!

Constructor: May Huang

Editor: Amanda Rafkin

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. In the 2018 movie, “Crazy Rich Asians,” KRIS Aquino portrayed Princess Intan. Her 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 2010-2016. In recent years, KRIS Aquino has been dealing with multiple auto-immune diseases.
• KFC (41D: Fast-food chain that sells egg tarts in Hong Kong) – When expanding to other countries, KFC adapts its menu to regional tastes. In Hong Kong, custardy egg tarts are a popular dessert 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 enjoyed seeing ISSA Rae as President Barbie in the 2023 movie, “Barbie.” Although it’s taking longer than I would like, I believe 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 about doing a LINE drawing of LINE dancing.
• MENSA (13A: High-IQ group) – 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 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 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. 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, highlighting 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,” part of her 2024 album, “The Tortured Poets Department.”
• 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, served with chutney and sambar.
• TERESA (8D: Taiwanese singer Teng) – TERESA Teng (1953-1995) was referred to as the “Eternal Queen of Asian Pop.” She became popular in Japan in the 1970s, known for her melancholy love songs.
• APE (14D: Donkey Kong, for one) – Donkey Kong is a large gorilla character and the protagonist of the “Donkey Kong” video game franchise.
• MEOW (19D: “My bowl is empty and now you will hear about it”) – 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!”

• COX (30D: Charlie who plays Matt Murdock) – In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Matt Murdock is the alias of Daredevil. Charlie COX played Matt Murdock in the TV series “Daredevil” (2015-2018), as well as in several other Marvel productions.
• BEET (44D: Vegetable in a vegan beef Wellington) – A vegan version of the dish Beef Wellington 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, based on the 1949 Disney movie.
• ERNIE (51D: Bert’s roomie on “Sesame Street”) – I’m always happy to see a “Sesame Street” reference. Do you relate more to ERNIE or no-nonsense Bert?
• ALOHA (53D: Hi, in HI) – HI is the postal abbreviation for the U.S. state of Hawaii. ALOHA is used as a greeting in Hawaii, encompassing “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 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. Thank you, May, for this delightful puzzle.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY’s daily crossword puzzle, Tri-Tip

Source: USA TODAY