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

<p><p>There are spoilers ahead. You might want to solve <a href="https://puzzles.usatoday.com/">today's puzzle</a> before reading further! <a href="https://puzzles.usatoday.com/">Topgolf</a></p><p><strong>Constructor:</strong> Aidan Deshong</p><p><strong>Editor:</strong> Anna Gundlach</p><img width="100%" /><h2>What I Learned from Today’s Puzzle</h2><ul>TEA (66A: Drink prepared in a tetsubin) Tetsubin are cast-iron kettles traditionally heated over charcoal. They are used for boiling and pouring hot water and are a part of some traditional Japanese tea ceremonies.</ul><h2>Random Thoughts &amp; Interesting Things</h2><ul>ETTA (21A: Trailblazing mathematician ___ Zuber Falconer) ETTA Zuber Falconer (1933-2002) devoted her life to "increasing the number of African American women in mathematics and mathematics-related careers." If you <a href="https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/falconer-etta-zuber-1933-2002/">read more about her</a>, you will see she did just that. She received a Ph.D. in Mathematics from Emory University in 1969. She was a professor and provost at Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia for 37 years. During her time at Spelman, she started a NASA Women in Science Program.DAKOTA (33A: People for whom two U.S. states are named) The DAKOTA people include four bands of Eastern DAKOTA (Bdewakantunwan, Wahpetunwan, Wahpekute, and Sussitunwan), and two bands of Western DAKOTA (Yanktonai and Yankton). Many DAKOTA currently live in the eastern portion of the two U.S. states named for them, North DAKOTA and South DAKOTA, as well as in central Minnesota and northern Iowa.PRINCETON (41A: Ivy League school in New Jersey) The Ivy League is an NCAA athletic conference that includes eight private universities in the Northeastern United States. Though the schools were originally grouped together as an athletic conference, the Ivy League schools have gained a reputation of academic excellence. PRINCETON University is the only one of the Ivy League schools located in New Jersey. The other seven Ivy League institutions are Brown in Rhode Island, Dartmouth in New Hampshire, Harvard in Massachusetts, University of Pennsylvania in Pennsylvania, Yale in Connecticut, and Columbia and Cornell in New York.UGANDANS (45A: Some people living on Lake Victoria) Lake Victoria is located in central Africa. It is the world's second-largest freshwater lake by surface area, after Lake Superior (one of the Great Lakes in North America). Uganda is one of the three countries that border Lake Victoria; the other two are Tanzania and Kenya.ALUMNAE (56A: Wellesley College graduates) Wellesley College is a women's college located in Wellesley, Massachusetts. ALUMNAE (the plural form of alumna) of Wellesley College include Madeleine Albright, Hillary Rodham Clinton, and Nora Ephron. This answer pairs well with SENIORS (61A: Soon-to-be graduates)IRON THRONE (4D: Seat of power in "A Song of Ice and Fire") A Song of Ice and Fire is a series of fantasy novels written by George R. R. Martin. The books have been adapted into two TV series, Game of THRONEs and House of the Dragon. In the series, the IRON THRONE is occupied by the monarch of the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros. The IRON THRONE is made up of 1,000 swords (from vanquished enemies). George R. R. Martin has described the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/george-rr-martin-no-one-gets-game-of-thrones-iron-throne-right-2014-10">IRON THRONE</a> as "huge. It towers over the room like a great beast. And it's ugly. It's asymmetric."GREECE (12D: Birthplace of the Olympics) The ancient Olympics were a series of athletic competitions held in Olympia, GREECE every four years between approximately 776 B.C.E. and 393 B.C.E. (the specific date of origin can't be verified). The games were originally held in honor of Zeus, the Greek king of the gods. Winners received olive wreath crowns. The first modern Olympic Games were held in Athens, GREECE in 1896.BERT (31D: Muppet with a unibrow) BERT's Sesame Street roommate, Ernie, appeared in the puzzle <a href="/story/entertainment/puzzles/crosswords/sally-hoelscher/2024/11/23/daily-crossword-analysis/76478698007/">a week ago</a>. Now it's BERT's turn. Fascinatingly, BERT has a unibrow, but Ernie doesn't have eyebrows at all.KINGS (34D: Chess pieces that can move one square in any direction) I find it interesting that KINGS are theoretically the most important pieces in the game of chess – after all, the capture of one's KING ends the game – however, they can only move one square at a time. In contrast, queens, bishops, and rooks can zip across the board. Knights are more limited in their movement, but move multiple squares at a time (in a fancy L shape). Even pawns, who normally only move one square at a time, can under special circumstances, move two spaces forward. Of course, I am not going to argue with the rules of a game that's been around for over 500 years.AUSSIE (46D: Person who lives Down Under) AUSSIE is a colloquial name for an Australian. Australia is in the Southern Hemisphere, and on many maps and globes appears "below" most other countries, earning it the nickname "Down Under." Anyone else have the Men at Work song, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XfR9iY5y94s">"Down Under"</a> (1981) going through their head now?DNA (60D: 23andMe molecule) 23andMe is one of several companies that offer personal DNA testing. It was the first company to begin offering DNA testing for ancestry purposes. Its Retail DNA Test was designated by Time magazine as <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20081102044918/http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1852747_1854493,00.html">"Invention of the Year"</a> in 2008.</ul><h2>Crossword Puzzle Theme Synopsis</h2><ul>IRON THRONE (4D: Seat of power in "A song of Ice and Fire")PUTTER AROUND (7D: Move aimlessly)WEDGE SALAD (10D: Meal on a quartered head of lettuce)</ul><p>TOPGOLF: The TOP word of each vertical theme answer is a type of GOLF club: IRON, PUTTER, and WEDGE.</p><p>The entertainment company TOPGOLF is known for its golf-based games that use electronically tracked golf balls. <a href="https://topgolf.com/us/">Their website</a> says they have lots of stuff that make them golf ... and lots of stuff that make them not golf... Today TOPGOLF makes an appropriate title for this puzzle that is definitely GOLF-themed. Thank you, Aidan, for this enjoyable puzzle.</p><h2>For more on USA TODAY’s Crossword Puzzles</h2><ul><a href="https://puzzles.usatoday.com/">USA TODAY’s Daily Crossword Puzzles</a><a href="/puzzle-answers/">Sudoku &amp; Crossword Puzzle Answers</a></ul></p>