Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, I'm With You

There are spoilers ahead. You might want to solve today's puzzle before reading further! I'm With You

Constructors: Amie Walker & Jasmeet Arora

Editor: Amanda Rafkin

Comments from Today’s Crossword Constructors

Amie: I'm standing on the bridge / I'm waiting in the dark / I thought that you'd be here by now

Jasmeet: There's nothing but the rain / No footsteps on the ground / I'm listening but there's no sound

Thanks for solving our puzzle!

What I Learned from Today’s Puzzle

• MIA (61D: Lucia's best friend in "The White Lotus") The White Lotus is a TV series about a fictional resort chain called the White Lotus. The show, which premiered in 2021, is an anthology series, one that presents a different story or may have a different cast or be set in a different location each season. I have learned about this show from previous crosswords, but am not familiar with the characters on the show. Lucia (Simona Tabasco) and MIA (Beatrice Grannò) are characters from the second season of The White Lotus, which was set in Sicily.

Random Thoughts & Interesting Things

• STEP (7A: Documentary based on a Baltimore dance team) STEP is a 2017 documentary about a high school dance team from Baltimore, Maryland. The film follows the lives of students on the STEP team at the Baltimore Leadership School for Young Women. STEP won a Special Jury Award for Inspirational Filmmaking at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival.
• MARIACHI MUSIC (18A: Traditional tunes often heard at quinceaneras) MARIACHI MUSIC has been designated by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Mexico. Traditional MARIACHI groups consist of violins, trumpets, a guitar, a vihuela (a high-pitched string instrument), and a guitarrón mexicano (six-string acoustic bass instrument). A quinceañera, a common tradition in Mexican and other Latin American cultures, is a celebration of a girl's 15th birthday.
• CAPITAL (25A: Boston or Phoenix) Boston is the CAPITAL of Massachusetts, and Phoenix is the CAPITAL of Arizona.
• REP (29A: AOC, for example) Alexandria Oasis-Cortez (AOC) is a representative (REP) in the U.S. House of Representatives from New York's 14th congressional district. The abbreviation AOC in the clue is a signal to solvers that the answer will be an abbreviation.
• TAMIA (33A: "So Into You" singer) TAMIA is a Canadian R&B artist. "So Into You" is a song from her 1998 self-titled debut album.
• SWIM-UP BAR (37A: Spot to get a mule in the pool, say) The mule in this clue is neither a shoe nor an animal, but is instead a cocktail made with vodka, ginger beer, and lime juice. I have never been in a pool that had a SWIM-UP BAR. HGTV has a list of the "12 Best SWIM-UP BARs Around the World."
• THE MEG (49A: Shark movie with a "Pleased to eat you" tagline) THE MEG is a 2018 movie about a Megaladon, a species of shark that is now extinct except in the movies. A sequel, MEG 2: The Trench, was released in 2023. Its tagline was "New MEG. Old chum."
• PAULI MURRAY (54A: Civil rights activist who fought for gender equality) PAULI MURRAY (1920-1985) was the first Black woman to be ordained as an Episcopal priest. PAULI MURRAY College, one of Yale University's fourteen residential colleges, is named for her. She wrote two autobiographies, Proud Shoes: The Story of an American Family (1956), and Song in a Weary Throat: The Autobiography of a Black Activist, Feminist, Lawyer, Priest and Poet (1989).
• EMIRS (60A: Kuwaiti leaders) EMIR is a title used by a ruler in Islamic countries. Kuwait is a country in Western Asia. Located on the Persian Gulf, Kuwait borders Iraq and Saudi Arabia. The country's current EMIR is Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah.
• RAP (66A: Missy Elliott genre) Missy Elliott is a RAP artist, songwriter, and record producer. She has won four Grammy Awards, and was the first female rapper inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. In 2020, Billboard ranked Missy Elliott number five on their list of the 100 Greatest Music Video Artists of All Time.
• TAPIR (4D: Long-snouted mammal) Although a TAPIR resembles a pig with a long snout, it is most closely related to a horse and a rhino. Their long snout is used to grab fruit and leaves.
• NODULE (6D: Bump on the roots of some plants) NODULEs are found on the roots of some plants, primarily legumes (such as beans, peas, and soybeans). The NODULEs are indicative of a symbiotic relationship with nitrogen-fixing bacteria. From an agricultural standpoint, this symbiosis reduces the plant's need for nitrogen fertilizer.
• STRIP (7D: Word before "poker" or after "Mobius") STRIP poker is self-explanatory! A Mobius STRIP is a looped structure that has only one side. Mobius STRIPs are fascinating. You can make a model of a Mobius STRIP by taking a STRIP of paper, and giving one end a half twist before taping the ends together into a loop. To demonstrate that the STRIP only has one side, draw a line down the center of the STRIP. Without lifting your pencil or pen, you will meet your starting point. If a Mobius STRIP is cut in half (along the line you drew down the center of the STRIP) it will result in a long loop with two twists in it, rather than two loops.
• THE CLIMB (8D: Miley Cyrus hit that uses a mountain metaphor) Miley Cyrus recorded "THE CLIMB" for the 2009 film Hannah Montana: The Movie. "There's always gonna be another mountain / I'm always gonna wanna make it move..."
• SAM (11D: "Unholy" singer Smith) "Unholy" is a 2022 song by SAM Smith and Kim Petras. The song won a Grammy Award for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance.
• SEATTLE (12D: "Grey's Anatomy" city) The medical drama Grey's Anatomy premiered in 2005, and just recently completed its 20th season. The show is set in Washington at the fictional SEATTLE Grace Hospital, which is later named the Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital. Although the show is set in SEATTLE, it is filmed primarily in Los Angeles, California and Vancouver, British Columbia.
• CHAI (19D: Word often redundantly used before "tea") You see, I just told you a few days ago that saying CHAI tea is essentially saying "tea tea."
• CAFE (25D: Cat ___ (coffee and kitty spot)) I have the perfect mug to be used as a Cat CAFE. It says, "Everything tastes better with cat hair in it." This mug is also appropriate in any house with a cat living in it!

• CLUELESS (36D: 1995 Amy Heckerling film loosely based on "Emma") and RSVP (55D: "May I please remind you that it does not say ___ on the Statue of Liberty" (36-Down quotes)) As the clue informs us, the movie CLUELESS, written and directed by Amy Heckerling, was loosely based on Jane Austen's 1815 novel, Emma. Fun cross-reference in the RSVP clue. "May I please remind you that it does not say RSVP on the Statue of Liberty."
• IRL (39D: Not online, for short) IRL = in real life
• MOANA (40D: Disney role for Auli'i Cravalho) Auli'i Cravalho made her acting debut in Disney's 2016 animated movie, MOANA. She will reprise the role in MOANA 2, scheduled to be released this November.
• REY (56D: "The Last Jedi" hero) Daisy Ridley portrays REY in Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015), Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017), and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019).

Crossword Puzzle Theme Synopsis

• MARIACHI MUSIC (18A: Traditional tunes often heard at quinceaneras)
• SWIM-UP BAR (37A: Spot to get a mule in the pool, say)
• PAULI MURRAY (54A: Civil rights activist who fought for gender equality)

Each theme answer contains the letter string IMU, or I-M WITH U (YOU): MARIACHI MUSIC, SWIM-UP BAR, and PAULI MURRAY.

"I'M WITH YOU" is a 2002 song by Avril Lavigne. If you're trying to remember the lyrics, I'll refer you back to Amie and Jasmeet's constructor notes! Today I'M WITH YOU is a clever crossword theme. I enjoy themes such as this that require parsing the title in a different way. Instead of I'M WITH YOU, think of this title as I-M WITH U. Thank you, Amie and Jasmeet, for this delightful puzzle.

For more on USA TODAY’s Crossword Puzzles

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

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