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

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

Constructor: Catherine Cetta

Editor: Amanda Rafkin

Random Thoughts & Interesting Things

• ACTS (10A: Plays a role in "Merrily We Roll Along") Merrily We Roll Along is the name of a 1934 Broadway play by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart. The play features reverse chronology, telling its story – that spans a period of 20 years – from the present and moving backward in time. Merrily We Roll Along is also the name of a 1981 Broadway musical by Stephen Sondheim and George Furth that is based on the play. Additionally, Merrily We Roll Along is the title of an upcoming movie by Richard Linklater (currently in production and being filmed over the course of 20 years), which is based on the musical and the play. The great thing about this clue is that it can refer to any of these versions of Merrily We Roll Along.
• RENE (14A: "The Thomas Crown Affair" actress Russo) The Thomas Crown Affair is a 1999 heist film. Pierce Brosnan plays the role of the title character, Thomas Crown, a billionaire who steals a painting from an art gallery. RENE Russo portrays Catherine Banning, an insurance investigator looking into the theft. The 1999 movie is a remake of a 1968 movie of the same name that starred Faye Dunaway and Steve McQueen. Faye Dunaway makes an appearance in the 1999 remake, playing a psychiatrist.
• ATTA (17A: Flour made with a chakki mill) ATTA is a wholemeal wheat flour with a high gluten content. It is used to make flatbreads such as roti, naan, and chapati. A chakki mill is a small flour mill designed to allow grinding wheat (or other grains) into flour at home.
• DORY (19A: Hunky-___) We often see the word DORY clued in reference to the forgetful fish character in the Finding Nemo and Finding Dory movies. While I enjoy these movies (and the character DORY), it was hunky-DORY to see a different clueing angle used today.
• STARK (29A: Tony ___ aka Iron Man) In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Tony STARK, played by Robert Downey Jr., is an industrialist, genius inventor, playboy, MIT grad (he graduated at age 17), and the CEO of Stark Industries. Tony STARK is commonly known by his alter ego, Iron Man.
• GOD (34A: Odin or Thor) In Norse mythology, Odin is a GOD associated with wisdom and healing. One of Odin's sons is Thor, the GOD of lightning, thunder, and storms.
• ODE (54A: Lucille Clifton's "homage to my hips," e.g.) Lucille Clifton (1936-2010) was a poet and educator. She was the Poet Laureate of Maryland from 1979 to 1985. Lucille Clifton's ODE, "homage to my hips" was published in her 1980 book of poetry, Two-Headed Woman. I highly recommend spending a couple of minutes of your day to watch Lucille Clifton read her poem, "homage to my hips."
• IDES (67A: Bad day for Caesar) As I have previously mentioned, Julius Caesar was assassinated on the IDES of March.
• BRACES (1D: Invisalign alternative) Invisalign is a brand of clear aligners, orthodontic devices that are made of transparent plastic that fit over the teeth and are an alternative to BRACES in some cases.
• CAROL (21D: Cate Blanchett film based on the novel "The Price of Salt") The 2015 movie, CAROL, is based on Patricia Highsmith's semi-autobiographical 1952 novel, The Price of Salt. In the movie, Cate Blanchett plays the role of CAROL Aird, and Rooney Mara plays the role of Therese Belivet.
• BATCAVE (42D: Secret lair under Wayne Manor) This puzzle had something for the Marvel Comics fans in the clue for STARK. Here is something for DC Comics fans. The BATCAVE is, of course, the subterranean headquarters for Batman aka Bruce Wayne, who lives in Wayne Manor.
• SAM (46D: Actor and playwright Shepard) SAM Shepard (1943-2017) wrote 58 plays; many of them were bleak, stark, and surreal. One of his plays, Buried Child, won the 1979 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. SAM Shepard's acting career included a portrayal of Chuck Yeager in the 1983 movie The Right Stuff.
• OTIS (58D: Redding who sang "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay") OTIS Redding recorded "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay" on December 10, 1967, just three days before he died in a plane crash. The song was released in January 1968, and became the first posthumous song to top Billboard's Hot 100.
• A few other clues I especially enjoyed:
  • ERR (23A: Accidentally send a NSFW message to your boss, say)
  • SARI (62A: Garment that can be draped over 100 ways)
  • TORNADO (12D: Natural disaster in "The Wizard of Oz")

Crossword Puzzle Theme Synopsis

• COIN COLLECTION (20A: Money that may be worth more than it's worth)
• COLOR CODING (38A: Using highlighters to organize study notes, for example)
• COMMON COURTESY (57A: Basic politeness)

Each theme answer consists of two words, which each begin with the letters CO. Therefore, each theme answer is a COCO: COIN COLLECTION, COLOR CODING, COMMON COURTESY.

This is a fun set of COCO theme answers. I especially appreciated the clues for COIN COLLECTION and COLOR CODING. In addition to the answers I've highlighted above, I always enjoy seeing AHA (41D: "Oh, now I get it!") in puzzles, as I often experience "AHA!" moments while solving. Thank you, Catherine, for this delightful puzzle.

For more on USA TODAY’s Crossword Puzzles

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