Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Breaking Bread

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

Constructors: Michael Drusedum & Jason Reuben

Editor: Jared Goudsmit

What I Learned from Today’s Puzzle

• SKA (20A: The Fuss genre) SKA is a music genre that originated in Jamaica. It combines elements of mento, calypso, jazz, and rhythm and blues. This I knew, but the SKA band, The Fuss, is new to me. The Fuss is a SKA and rocksteady band from Washington, D.C.
• SEPT (52A: Eat an Extra Dessert Day mo.) Mark your calendars now! Eat an Extra Dessert Day is SEPT. 4. I was unable to discover who started this fabulous holiday. Whoever you are, thank you.
• RAT (13A: Rodent such as Roddy) Flushed Away is a 2006 animated movie about RATs living in the sewer system in London. Roddy St. James (voiced by Hugh Jackman) is a pampered pet RAT who ends up getting flushed into the sewer system and finds himself in Ratropolis, a sewer city that resembles London.
• SAPPORO (43D: Japanese city known for beer) SAPPORO is a city in northern Japan. It is the home of SAPPORO Breweries, founded in 1876. SAPPORO is Japan's oldest brand of beer.

Random Thoughts & Interesting Things

• UGLI (14A: Fruit aka the Jamaican tangelo) UGLI fruit, also known as the Jamaican tangelo, is a natural hybrid of a tangerine and a grapefruit. The hybrid arose spontaneously in Jamaica, and was discovered growing wild in the early 1900s. UGLI is a trade name for the Jamaican tangelo used by Cabel Hall Citrus Limited. UGLI fruit has rough, wrinkled, greenish-yellow rind.
• OPERA (16A: "The Barber of Seville," e.g.) The Barber of Seville is an 1816 OPERA by Gioachino Rossini. The OPERA tells the story of a whirlwind romance between Count Almaviva (a Spanish nobleman) and Rosina. The difficulty is that Rosina's guardian, Dr. Bartolo, is set on marrying Rosina himself. Count Almaviva enlists the help of Figaro, the titular barber, to assist him in his quest to marry Rosina. Antics, ensue, as they usually do in such a scenario. Although it is over 200 years old, The Barber of Seville remains popular. The OPERA even inspired a Looney Tunes short, Rabbit of Seville, in which Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd feature.
• T'NIA (35A: "Sex Education" actress Miller) Sex Education is a Netflix TV series centered on the lives of the students, staff, and parents at the fictional Moordale Secondary School. Asa Butterfield plays the role of Otis Milburn, a teenager that gives sex advice to other students. In the show's second season, T'NIA Miller had a guest role on the show as the chair of the school board.
• BTS (53A: "DNA" K-pop band) The K-pop band BTS recorded their 2017 song, "DNA" in two languages, Korean and Japanese. Last year the song was inducted into Korea World Music Culture's Hall of Fame.
• IBM (59A: "Big Blue" co.) Although IBM (International Business Machines Corporation) was founded in 1911 (originally as Endicott, New York), the nickname of Big Blue did not emerge until the 1980s. The origin of the the nickname is unclear, though it may be related to its blue logo adopted in 1972. Some have suggested the nickname may also be related to the dark blue suits that used to be worn by IBM salespeople.
• BEDSPREAD (62A: Decorative cover similar to a comforter) Although I was easily able to fill in this answer – knowing it needed to start with a B and end with a D to fit into the theme – the clue made me wonder, "Just what is the difference between a BEDSPREAD and a comforter?" According to The Spruce, a comforter is "a thick, insulated blanket," while a BEDSPREAD is a "lightweight warm weather bedding topper that covers the entire bed." For what it's worth, this same article claims that BEDSPREADs are "somewhat out of fashion for home use."
• FARSI (66A: Language related to Tajik) FARSI is the official language of Iran. It is also spoken in Afghanistan and Tajikistan, with each country speaking its own variety of the language. Tajik is the variation of FARSI spoken in Tajikistan by the ethnic group known as the Tajiks.
• ASIA (68A: Cho Oyu's continent) Cho Oyu is a mountain located in ASIA on the Tibet-Nepal border. At 26,864 feet, Cho Oyu is the sixth-highest mountain in the world.
• SERB (71A: The NBA's Nikola Jokic, for one) Nikola Jokić is a basketball player for NBA's Denver Nuggets. He was born in Sombor, Serbia. Jokić played for the Serbian Basketball Team in the 2016 Summer Olympics, winning a silver medal after Serbia was defeated by Team USA in the finals. 
• TIANA ((7D: Disney princess who sings "Almost There") TIANA is the protagonist of the 2009 Disney animated movie, The Princess and the Frog. The movie is set in New Orleans, where TIANA is a waitress aspiring to open her own restaurant, as she and her dad had dreamed about before he died. Anika Noni Rose (who we saw as a theme answer June 26), voices the role of TIANA, and sings the song, "Almost There."
• BUTTRESS (38D: "Flying" architectural support) A BUTTRESS is an architectural structure that projects from a wall and is designed to provide stability. A flying BUTTRESS forms an arch as it projects out from the wall. Flying BUTTRESSes are often used to support vaulted ceilings. They were particularly popular during the Gothic period. Flying BUTTRESSes are a notable feature of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, France.
• FWIW (40D: Texter's "Not sure if this is helpful, but...") FWIW = for what it's worth...
• SIAMESE (45D: Short-haired cat breed from Asia) The SIAMESE cat, known for its distinctive features – almond-shaped blue eyes, triangular ears, short hair, and slender body – is one of the most popular cat breeds in the world. The SIAMESE cat was derived from one of several varieties of cats native to Thailand. My cat, Willow, is not a SIAMESE cat, but she is happy to see her cat cousin mentioned in the puzzle.

• ZEBRAS (51D: Striped African mammals) There are three different varieties of ZEBRAS – plains ZEBRA, Grevy's ZEBRA, and mountain ZEBRA. All three species are native to Africa. The pattern of a ZEBRA'S stripes is unique, much like a human fingerprint.

Crossword Puzzle Theme Synopsis

• BEACH READ (17A: Romance novel enjoyed by the ocean, e.g.)
• BREASTFED (38A: Nursed, like a baby)
• BEDSPREAD (62A: Decorative cover similar to a comforter)

The word BREAD is broken by each theme answer: BEACH READ, BREASTFED, and BEDSPREAD.

I discovered that not only is BEACH READ a description of a certain type of novel read in a particular place, but there is also a book with the title BEACH READ. It's a romance written by Emily Henry and published in 2020. I feel like one would be obligated to take BEACH READ to the BEACH in order to READ it. Anyway, back to today's enjoyable puzzle, which may certainly be solved on the BEACH, but there's no obligation to do so. Congratulations to Michael Drusedum and Jason Reuben, who are both making their USA Today debuts! Thank you, Michael and Jason, for this fun puzzle.

For more on USA TODAY’s Crossword Puzzles

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

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