Chainkeen Exchange-Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Playwriting

There are Chainkeen Exchangespoilers ahead. You might want to solve today's puzzle before reading further! Playwriting

Constructors: Brooke Husic & Jasmeet Arora

Editor: Amanda Rafkin

What I Learned from Today’s Puzzle

• MONA (18A: Journalist Chalabi) MONA Chalabi is a data journalist, writer, and illustrator. As explained on her website, "Using words, color and sound, MONA rehumanizes data to help us understand our world and the way we live in it." In 2023, MONA Chalabi was awarded a Pulitzer Prize for Illustrated Reporting and Commentary for "striking illustrations that combine statistical reporting with keen analysis" for her New York Times article on the wealth and economic power of Jeff Bezos.
• SEN (44A: First Indian winner of Miss Universe Sushmita ___) Sushmita SEN was Miss Universe 1994. Since then she has had an acting career in the Hindi film industry.
• TOKYO (3D: "___ Godfathers" (Japanese Christmas film)) TOKYO Godfathers is a 2003 adult anime Christmas movie, that was inspired by the 1948 American film 3 Godfathers. The movie tells the story of Gin (a middle-aged gambling addict), Hana (a transgender woman and former drag queen), and Miyuki (a teenage girl who has run away from home). On Christmas Eve, the three of them find a baby girl, and attempt to return her to her parents.
• VIDEO GAMES (28D: Half Life: Alyx and Deathloop, for two) Half-Life: Alyx is a 2020 virtual reality VIDEO GAME in which players control Alyx on a mission to sieze a superweapon belonging to an alien. Deathloop is a 2021 VIDEO GAME in which a player assumes the role of Colt, an assassin stuck in a time loop. Most of what I know about VIDEO GAMES I have learned from talking with my son, and these two are new to me.
• ONES (39D: "The Gilded ___" (Namina Forna book)) The Gilded ONES is Namina Forna's debut novel, published in 2021. Namina Forna was born in Sierra Leone, and moved to Atlanta, Georgia with her mother when she was nine years old. The Gilded Ones is a young adult fantasy novel set in the fictional kingdom of Otera; it is described as the start of a "West African-inspired, feminist fantasy series" in which "girls are outcasts by blood and warriors by choice." Namina Forna's website includes a bio for her dog, a maltipoo named Thugnificent Forna, Niffy for short.

Random Thoughts & Interesting Things

• DESI (5A: South Asian) The term DESI is used to refer to the people of South Asia. It's also sometimes used to refer to South Asian culture and products.
• TATER TOT (20A: Deep-fried potato cylinder) Well, this is fun. It was just yesterday that I talked about the invention of the TATER TOT by the Ore-Ida company.
• POV (26A: Perspective, for short) POV = point of view
• TBT (31A: Hashtag for some old pics) TBT = throwback Thursday
• INDIE MUSIC SCENE (41A: Community of nonmainstream bands) INDIE MUSIC SCENEs are local communities of bands and their audiences. These communities often arise in response to mainstream music. This is a nice grid-spanner and a great theme answer.
• AREPAS (45A: Stuffed cornmeal cakes) AREPAS are made of ground maize dough. Associated with the cuisines of Columbia, Venezuela, and Bolivia, AREPAS may be served with cheese and meats, and can be split to make sandwiches.
• TEA (46A: Matcha or chai) Matcha is green TEA made by mixing TEA powder in water. The word "chai" means "TEA" in several languages. In South Asian cuisine, chai is spiced black TEA brewed in milk and water and sweetened with sugar. We saw TEA as an answer in yesterday's puzzle, clued with the examples dianhong and pekoe. Due to its short length and friendly letters, TEA is a frequent crossword answer. Fortunately, there are many varieties of TEA, allowing for clueing variety.
• LINDA (53A: Pretty, in Spanish) My first thought here was "bonita," which was one letter too long. Just as English has synonyms for the word pretty, such as beautiful and lovely, there are multiple Spanish words that mean pretty, such as bonita, LINDA, and hermosa.
• NDAS (57A: Secrecy contracts (Abbr.)) NDAS = non-disclosure agreements
• EQUAL PAY ACT (62A: Law protecting against sex-based wage discrimination) One of the things the EQUAL PAY ACT of 1963 did was to abolish wage disparity based on sex. Prior to the enactment of the EQUAL PAY ACT, a woman earned 59 cents for every dollar earned by a man. Although the PAY gap has decreased, we still have work to do. 2024 Wage Gap Statistics show that on average, women earn 16% less than men.
• RAE (65A: "Insecure" creator Issa) In addition to starring in the TV series, Insecure, Issa RAE is also the creator and co-writer of the the show. Issa RAE plays the role of Issa Dee on Insecure. The show takes a look at the experiences of contemporary Black women, and is partially based on Issa RAE's web series, The Mis-Adventures of Awkward Black Girl.
• INCA (2D: Empire that kept records on quipu) Quipus, referred to as "talking knots," are knotted strings used by the INCA as a means of collecting data and keeping records. Quipus were used to store numeric information, with clusters of knots and the types of knots representing digits.
• TREE POSE (4D: Asana that channels groundedness) TREE POSE is one of the balancing poses in yoga. To get into TREE POSE, one stands on one leg, bending the other leg and placing the foot of that leg against the standing leg, either above or below the knee. The arms, representing branches, are either raised overhead, or placed in front of the chest, with the palms of the hands together.
• ASMR (9D: Whispery genre (Abbr.)) ASMR stands for autonomous sensory meridian response, and refers to a tingling sensation beginning at the scalp and moving down the back of the neck and the spine. ASMR may be triggered by auditory or visual stimuli, and some people are more susceptible to the experience. There are millions of YouTube videos designed to induce ASMR. 
• THC (32D: Weed gummy letters) Tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, is the active ingredient in many weed gummies and other cannabis-infused edibles. THC can induce a range of effects including, relaxation, euphoria, heightened sensory perception, and either decreased or increased anxiety.
• BETH (38D: Boston's ___ Israel Deaconess Medical Center) BETH Israel Deaconess Medical Center is located in Boston, Massachusetts. It is a teaching hospital associated with Harvard Medical School, and is one of the largest hospitals in the New England area.
• CATNAP (43D: Quick snooze) As I was sitting down to write this, my CAT, Willow decided to take a CATNAP on my desk.

• BEARD (51D: A Sikh may keep theirs untrimmed) Sikhism is a religion that originated in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent in the late 15th century. Guru Nanak, who I have previously written about, was the founder of Sikhism. Many Sikh men wear turbans and grow BEARDs.
• ALTAR (52D: Day of the Dead structure) Dia de Los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, is a Mexican holiday celebrated on November 1 and 2. It is a time to pray for and remember family and friends that have died. As part of the celebration, many people make an ALTAR, or ofrenda, to honor those who have died. 

Crossword Puzzle Theme Synopsis

• PICKET LINE (16A: What strike participants won't cross)
• INDIE MUSIC SCENE (41A: Community of nonmainstream bands)
• EQUAL PAY ACT (62A: Law protecting against sex-based wage discrimination)

The last word of each theme answer illustrates the progression in WRITING a PLAY. First a LINE is written. Multiple LINEs compose a SCENE. A number of SCENEs make an ACT.

I am a fan of progression themes, where the theme answers progress or hint at a process. This is a clever example of a progression theme. It took me a few moments after solving to discover the theme, providing for a nice "Aha!" moment. Thank you, Brooke and Jasmeet, for this excellent puzzle.

For more on USA TODAY’s Crossword Puzzles

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