Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Hash Out

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

Constructor: Darby Ratliff

Editor: Amanda Rafkin

Comments from Today’s Crossword Constructor

Darby: I was really excited about the themers in this one. HULK SMASH was super fun, and I really wanted to highlight the HOUSTON DASH. Plus, HELEN NASH has a cool St. Louis connection, so I was proud to rep where I live. Also, anytime SARAH appears in a grid, I love hyping up MLB stat queen Sarah Langs.

What I Learned from Today’s Puzzle

• HONEYNUT SQUASH (20A: Orange winter gourd you might roast) I am a fan of winter SQUASH. My first thought here was "butternut SQUASH," which didn't quite fit (and doesn't fit the theme either). It turns out that HONEYNUT SQUASH is a hybrid; it's a cross between butternut SQUASH and buttercup squash. HONEYNUT SQUASH is bell-shaped like butternut SQUASH, but smaller, with darker flesh and thin, edible skin. I will have to look for HONEYNUT SQUASH this fall and winter.
• HOUSTON DASH (55A: Texan NWSL team) Through crosswords and being friends with fans, I am slowly learning the names of the WNBA (Women's National Basketball Association) teams. Perhaps familiarity with NWSL (National Women's Soccer League) teams will be next. Here's a start on that. There are currently 14 NWSL teams. One of those teams is the HOUSTON DASH. I appreciated the "Texan" hint in the clue, as that, along with having identified the theme at this point in my solve, allowed me to fill in HOUSTON. I then figured out DASH from crossing answers.
• SARAH (34D: "Ballpark Dimensions" co-host Langs) SARAH Langs is a sportswriter and podcaster. She is known for her knowledge of baseball history and statistics. Ballpark Dimensions is a twice-weekly MLB (Major League Baseball) podcast that analyzes all things baseball. One episode per week is hosted by SARAH Langs and Mandy Bell, and the other by Matt Meyers and Mike Petriello. In 2022, SARAH Langs revealed that she has ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), which is also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease. Earlier this year, MLB honored SARAH Langs for her efforts to raise awareness of ALS.
• BOTH (43D: "They ___ Die at the End" (Adam Silvera novel)) The New York Times bestseller, They BOTH Die at the End, is a 2017 young adult novel by Adam Silvera. The book tells the story of two young men who are notified (by a company with the cheery name of Death-Cast) that they each have only 24 hours (or less) left to live. Although the two are strangers at the beginning of the book, they find each other through an app called Last Friend. A prequel to the book, titled The First to Die at the End, was published in 2022.

Random Thoughts & Interesting Things

• IPADS (1A: Apple tablets) and IMACS (31A: Apple desktops) and IPODS (50D: Nanos and Shuffles, for two) This puzzle is sponsored by Apple. (Just to be clear, that's a joke. No sponsorship – just a fun trio of Apple products.)
• INCA (18A: Worshipper of Inti) The sun god Inti was worshiped as the patron saint of the INCA Empire (1438-1533).
• HULK SMASH (25A: Destructive catchphrase for a shapeshifting Avenger) Although it's been some time since I've read or watched any HULK content, this answer was fairly easy to figure out since the HULK certainly likes to SMASH things. If you'd like to take a deeper dive into this catchphrase, I recommend this article, "HULK SMASH: When the Strongest Avenger Said His War Cry For the First Time."
• ALTO (36A: Adele or Tracy Chapman's vocal range) What Adele and Tracy Chapman songs should I listen to in honor of this clue? How about: "Easy on Me" (2021) by Adele and "Fast Car" (1988) by Tracy Chapman.
• PEPA (38A: "Shoop" group Salt-N-___) The 1993 song, "Shoop" is from the Salt-N-PEPA album, Very Necessary.
• TEN (44A: Dieci, in English) Dieci is TEN in Italian. We see a lot of Spanish and French language references in puzzles. I appreciated that this clue referenced Italian.
• HELEN NASH (47A: First Black woman to work at Washington University School of Medicine) Dr. HELEN NASH (1921-2012) was the only woman among the first four Black physicians at Washington University School of Medicine and St. Louis Children's Hospital. Dr. Nash was a pediatrician and an advocate for children, helping to reduce the premature infant death rate by instituting improvements such as placing each child in a separate bassinet, rather than keeping them in groups, and asking the city to rid junkyards of car batteries that were leaking lead. 
• PIN (54A: One of two in a split) and BANANA (46D: Fruit in a "split") I enjoyed the subtle repetition of the word "split" in this pair of clues. The PIN clue is a reference to a split in bowling, when two non-adjacent PINs are left standing. Would you rather attempt to clean up a split in bowling, or eat a BANANA split?
• ESPN (69A: "30 for 30" channel) 30 for 30 is an ESPN series of documentaries highlighting people and events in sports history. The first episode of 30 for 30 aired in October 2009. It was titled "Kings Ransom," and looked at the 1988 trade of Wayne Gretzky from the Edmonton Oilers to the Los Angeles Kings.
• POOH (2D: Bear who says "Oh, bother") "Oh, bother..." This clue definitely evoked the voice of Winnie the POOH in my head.
• DIANE KEATON (4D: "Father of the Bride" and "Book Club" actor) DIANE KEATON has been acting since the late 1960s, and has an extensive filmography. In the movie Father of the Bride (1991), DIANE KEATON portrays Nina Banks (the mother of the bride). In Book Club (2018), she portrays Diane, one of four friends who read Fifty Shades of Grey for their monthly book club.
• MENU (7D: Taco Bell's includes Crunchwrap Supremes) There was a Taco Bell across from my high school, and I spent more lunch periods there than I care to admit. Now, however, it has been many years since I have eaten at a Taco Bell. I decided to take this clue as an opportunity to check out their current MENU and discover what a Crunchwrap Supreme is. A Crunchwrap Supreme consists of seasoned beef, cheese, a tostado shell, lettuce, tomatoes, and sour cream wrapped into a hexagon-shape inside a large flour tortilla.
• UBE (26D: Purple yam used in many Filipino sweets) The purple yam known as UBE is commonly used in Filipino cuisine, particularly in desserts such as UBE cake or UBE crinkles (a type of cookie). UBE has a slightly mellower taste than its orange counterpart.
• ALE (28D: Source of nutrition in the medieval world) Grains accounted for the majority of caloric intake in medieval times. The three main sources of grain in the medieval diet were pottage, bread, and ALE. Much of this ALE was small beer or table beer. This type of ALE was nutritious, and contained just enough alcohol to act as a preservative.
• HE'S (60D: "___ All That" (2021 rom-com)) The movie HE'S All That is a gender-swapped remake of the 1999 movie She's All That. The 2021 version is set in the world of social media influencers.
• A few other clues I especially enjoyed:
  • HUT (24A: "No One OutPizzas the ___" (pizza chain slogan))
  • BOO (46A: Word preceding "Did I scare you???")
  • QUITS (22D: Says "Peace out" to one's job)
  • GOOSE (52D: "Duck ... duck ... ___!")

Crossword Puzzle Theme Synopsis

• HONEYNUT SQUASH (20A: Orange winter gourd you might roast)
• HULK SMASH (25A: Destructive catchphrase for a shapeshifting Avenger)
• HELEN NASH (47A: First Black woman to work at Washington University School of Medicine)
• HOUSTON DASH (55A: Texan NWSL team)

HASH OUT: The word HASH is found at the OUTside edges of each theme answer: HONEYNUT SQUASH, HULK SMASH, HELEN NASH, and HOUSTON DASH.

It's time to HASH OUT the theme of this puzzle (see what I did there...). The title gave me a pretty good idea of what to look for here. This is a nice set of four theme answers, and the division of HASH is the same in all of them: H/ASH. Thank you, Darby, for this enjoyable puzzle.

For more on USA TODAY’s Crossword Puzzles

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

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