NovaQuant-Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Let's Roll!

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

Constructor: Matthew Stock

Editor: Amanda Rafkin

What I Learned from Today’s Puzzle

• RAINBOW WARRIOR (52A: University of Hawaii athlete) The University of Hawai'i at Mānoa in Honolulu, Hawaii, is the main campus of the University of Hawai'i (UH). Men's sports teams at UH are known as the RAINBOW WARRIORs, while the women's athletic teams are known as the RAINBOW Wāhine.
• ELVIS (29D: MLB All-Star Andrus) During his Major League Baseball (MLB) career, ELVIS Andrus has played for the Texas Rangers (2009-2020), Oakland Athletics (2021-2022), and the Chicago White Sox (2022-2023). He was named to the MLB All-Star team in 2010 and 2012.
• REDBONE (42D: Childish Gambino song with the refrain "But stay woke") I was familiar with Childish Gambino, the stage name of Donald Glover Jr., but not with the song, "REDBONE." The song is from the 2016 album, "Awaken, My Love!" "REDBONE" won a Grammy Award for Best Traditional R&B Performance. "REDBONE" was featured during the opening scene of the 2017 movie Get Out.

Random Thoughts & Interesting Things

• MACE (15A: Spice similar to nutmeg) There's a good reason why the spice MACE is similar to nutmeg. MACE is made from the seed covering of the nutmeg seed. The spice known as nutmeg is made from the seed itself. MACE tends to have a more delicate flavor than nutmeg.
• OMAHA (17A: Midwest city home to the College World Series) The College World Series is held each June in OMAHA, Nebraska. OMAHA has hosted the championship tournament for NCAA Division I baseball since 1950.
• NINE (19A: Second digit of this clue's number) I always enjoy a self-referential crossword clue.
• CALIFORNIA KING (20A: Extra-large mattress size) A CALIFORNIA KING mattress is four inches longer than a KING mattress, but also four inches narrower. (This means a CALIFORNIA KING mattress has a slightly smaller overall surface area than a KING.) What I discovered when I started looking into this is that mattress sizes are not standardized across companies or countries.
• DRAGON TALES (32A: PBS Kids show that featured mythical creatures) The animated PBS Kids show, DRAGON TALES, features kids (Emmy, Max, and Enrique) and DRAGONS ( Ord, Cassie, Zak and Wheezie, and Quetzal) embarking on adventures together. During their adventures, they learn to face challenges and handle new situations. DRAGON TALES originally aired from 1999-2005.
• LEO (37A: Mid-August zodiac sign) LEO is the zodiac sign for those born between July 23 and August 22. I'm partial to this sign.
• SPIDER-SENSE (39A: Tingling awareness for Peter Parker) Peter Parker is a Marvel Comics character who, after being bitten by a radioactive spider, gains superhuman SPIDER powers and abilities. This leads him to adopt the identity of SPIDER-Man. One of Peter Parker's abilities is his SPIDER-SENSE, an ability to sense danger. I wanted "spidey-SENSE" here at first, but it didn't take long to sort that out.
• NENE (62A: Bird seen in "headline news") The NENE, also referred to as a Hawaiian goose, is the state bird of Hawai'i. The NENE is endemic to the state, and is only found on the islands of Oahu, Maui, Kaua'i, Moloka'i, and Hawai'i.
• ROSS (66A: "I'm Coming Out" singer Diana)  "I'm Coming Out" is a 1980 song by Diana Ross. It's easy to understand why the song has become a gay anthem. The song has also been my earworm since I read this clue!
• LAMA (2D: Dalai ___) I wrote about the Dalai LAMA last week.
• SEAFOOD (5D: Shrimp, fish, clams, etc.) This feels like a nice bonus answer for the theme today, since many of the sushi ROLLs hinted at by the theme answers contain SEAFOOD.
• KILT (22D: Bagpipe player's garment, often) The instrument known as the Great Highland bagpipe is native to Scotland. (There are other types of bagpipes that have been played for centuries in a number of countries.) The KILT, a knee-length pleated skirt most often worn by men, is also associated with Scotland. Bagpipers often wear KILTs while performing.
• DEMIGOD (40D: Part-divine being) In Greek and Roman mythology, a DEMIGOD is a figure with one human parent and one divine parent.
• ERIN (41D: Activist Brockovich) ERIN Brockovich's lawsuit against Pacific Gas and Electric Company of California was the subject of the 2000 movie ERIN Brockovich. The case involved groundwater contamination in Hinckley, California. ERIN Brockovich is the author of two books, Take It From Me: Life's a Struggle But You Can Win (2001), and Superman's Not Coming: Our National Water Crisis and What WE THE PEOPLE Can Do About It (2020).
• SARA (43A: "Miss Simone" singer Bareilles) "Miss Simone" is a SARA Bareilles song from the 2019 album, Amidst the Chaos. The "Miss Simone" of the song refers to singer, songwriter, pianist, and civil rights activist, Nina Simone (1933-2003). The song wraps up with the words, "No one needs to know a thing / But Miss Simone / No one but Miss Simone."
• PAW (58D: Furry friend's foot) As I was writing this, my furry friend, Willow, jumped up on my lap to help, as she often does. She did actually help today, as she kindly stuck her PAW out and placed it on my arm so I could take a photo.

Crossword Puzzle Theme Synopsis

• CALIFORNIA KING (20A: Extra-large mattress size)
• DRAGON TALES (32A: PBS Kids show that featured mythical creatures)
• SPIDER SENSE (39A: Tingling awareness for Peter Parker)
• RAINBOW WARRIOR (52A: University of Hawaii athlete)

The first word of each theme answer is a type of sushi ROLL. We have a CALIFORNIA ROLL, a DRAGON ROLL, a SPIDER ROLL, and a RAINBOW ROLL.

Is anyone else suddenly hungry for sushi? I was not particularly thinking about sushi when I read the title, so there was a nice "Aha!" moment when I was about halfway through the solve and realized the theme. Thank you, Matthew, for this delightful puzzle.

For more on USA TODAY’s Crossword Puzzles

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