NovaQuant-Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Chest Binders

There are NovaQuantspoilers ahead. You might want to solve today's puzzle before reading further! Chest Binders

Constructors: Sara Cantor & Kaitlin Hsu

Editor: Amanda Rafkin

What I Learned from Today’s Puzzle

• MIKU (5A: Virtual idol Hatsune) Hatsune MIKU is a pop star. She has a Spotify profile, and has performed at Coachella. However, Hatsune MIKU isn't human. As the clue notes, she's a virtual idol. Her voice was created in 2007 by the Japanese media company Crypton. When Hatsune MIKU "performs" onstage, her image is projected on a giant screen. Hatsune MIKU's name means "the first sound of the future."
• DANE (17A: Lili Elbe, for one) Lili Elbe (1882-1931) was one of the earliest recipients of gender-affirming surgery (sex reassignment surgery). A transgender woman, Lili Elbe was a painter, but stopped painting after her transition. Lili Elbe's life was the inspiration for the novel (2000) and movie (2015) The Danish Girl.
• MEN (11D: "I'm Afraid of ___" (Vivek Shraya book)) Vivek Shraya is a writer, musician, visual artist, and an assistant professor at the University of Calgary. Her memoir, I'm Afraid of MEN (2018) was a finalist for the Lambda Literary Award for Transgender Nonfiction. In the book, Vivek Shraya "explores how masculinity was imposed on her as a boy and continues to haunt her as a girl–and how we might reimagine gender for the twenty-first century."
• CHAN (35D: Poet and drag artist Wo who performs as The Illustrious Pearl) You can read a poem by Wo CHAN, "june 8, the smiley barista remembers my name," on the Poetry Foundation website.

Random Thoughts & Interesting Things

• WHO'S (1A: "___ Afraid of Gender?" (Judith Butler book)) Judith Butler is a philosopher, gender theorist, professor, and author. Their first book, Gender Trouble: Feminism and the Subversion of Identity was published in 1990. Their most recent book, published in March of this year, is WHO'S Afraid of Gender? The book explores the effects of a fear of gender on reactionary politics around the world.
• HENNA (12A: Reddish dye applied during Rasm-e-Heena) Rasm-e-Heena is a traditional part of Pakistani weddings. During the ceremony, usually held prior to the wedding, family and friends paint HENNA designs on the hands of the bride and groom.
• TAO (23A: "Mozart of Math" Terence) Terence TAO is a professor of mathematics at the University of California, Los Angeles. He is regarded as one of the greatest living mathematicians, and has been called the "Mozart of Math." Terence TAO has won a number of awards, including a Fields Medal (described as the Nobel Prize of mathematics) and a MacArthur "Genius" Fellowship. Terence TAO has authored a number of math textbooks, and writes a blog on mathematical topics. Terence TAO's full name was a theme answer in the July 29, 2023 puzzle.
• SYNC (27A: "The time has come ... for you to lip-___ ... for your life!") "The time has come ... for you to lip-SYNC ... for your life!" is a line said by RuPaul prior to the lip-SYNC battles on RuPaul's Drag Race.
• H MART (32A: "Crying in ___" (Michelle Zauner memoir)) Crying in H MART is the 2021 memoir of Michelle Zauner, the lead vocalist of the band Japanese Breakfast. In the book, Michelle Zauner discusses her relationship with her mother and her grief after her mother's 2014 death as a result of pancreatic cancer. Crying in H MART is being adapted into a movie. Japanese Breakfast will provide the film's soundtrack.
• ESME (44A: Writer Weijun Wang) The debut novel of ESMÉ Weijun Wang, The Border of Paradise, was published in 2016. Her second book, The Collected Schizophrenias (2019), is a series of essays about her experiences with schizoaffective disorder. In addition to writing her own books, ESMÉ Weijun Wang founded The Unexpected Shape, an online writing academy "specifically for the ambitious unheard and those living with limitations."
• ELI (50A: "Riverdale" actor Goree) In the third and fourth seasons of the TV show, Riverdale, ELI Goree portrayed the recurring character Munroe "Mad Dog" Moore. ELI Goree also played the role of Muhammad Ali in the movie, One Night in Miami (2020).
• KIVA (58A: Pueblo meeting space) Many Pueblo KIVAs are large circular rooms that are underground. A KIVA is used for spiritual and political gatherings.
• OPAL (61A: Gem fusion of Pearl and Amethyst, in "Steven Universe") Steven Universe is an animated TV show that tells of the adventures of magical alien warriors known as the Crystal Gems. The title character, Steven Universe, is a hybrid between a "Gem" and a human. The Crystal Gems are working to protect the Earth and the fictional town of Beach City. At times, two or more Gems may combine to create a larger, more powerful Gem, as is the case when Pearl and Amethyst fuse to create OPAL. The character of OPAL is voiced by Aimee Mann.
• ELLEN (62A: Broidy who was a co-organizer of the first gay pride march) It was in 1970 that ELLEN Broidy, along with Linda Rhodes, Craig Rodwell, and Fred Sargeant, organized the first gay pride march in honor of the Stonewall Riots that had taken place the previous year. On the Addresses Project website, you can read an interview with ELLEN Broidy in which she talks about organizing the march.
• TAPAS (20D: Tortilla de patatas and croquetas, e.g.) TAPAS are a variety of appetizers or snacks that are popular in Spanish cuisine. Tortilla de patatas, also known as Spanish omelette, is a dish made with eggs and potatoes. Croquetas are a type of fried dumpling made of a thick batter surrounding a filling.
• ERAGON (21D: Fantasy novel hero who rides a dragon) ERAGON is a book by Christopher Paolini that is the first in a tetralogy known as The Inheritance Cycle. ERAGON was adapted into a 2006 movie of the same name. The title character is a farm boy who becomes a Dragon Rider.
• GECKOS (42D: Lizards with hydrophobic skin) I'm a fan of a clue that shares a fun animal fact. GECKOS are small lizards that have been found on every continent except Antarctica. The hydrophobic skin of GECKOS has been observed to have anti-bacterial properties.
• EVAN (54D: ___ Rachel Wood) Earlier this year, EVAN Rachel Wood appeared as Audrey, opposite Darren Criss as Seymour, in the Off-Broadway revival of Little Shop of Horrors.

Crossword Puzzle Theme Synopsis

• CHOPSTICK REST (19A: Implement that prevents certain utensils from rolling off the table)
• CHEESE ON TOAST (35A: Dairy-and-bread dish)
• CHECKERED PAST (53A: Shady history)

Each theme answer is held within the word CHEST. In other words, CHEST acts as a BINDER for each theme answer: CHOPSTICK REST, CHEESE ON TOAST, and CHECKERED PAST.

This is a classic USA today theme type, executed nicely here with a great set of theme answers. In addition to the answers I've highlighted above, I also especially enjoyed the clue for ACHE (56A: It might make you go "Oof ouch owie"). This clue made me laugh! Thank you, Sara and Kaitlin, for this excellent puzzle.

For more on USA TODAY’s Crossword Puzzles

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