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

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

Constructor: Rebecca Goldstein

Editor: Amanda Rafkin

What I Learned from Today’s Puzzle

• PENN STATE (35A: Team that won the Rose Bowl in 2023) I will rarely know the answer to a clue that asks about the specific outcome of a particular sports event. However, as I had already deduced the theme by the time I reached this clue, that information came in handy; I knew that five of this answer's letters would be P-E-N-N-E. The Rose Bowl is an annual college football game played in Pasadena, California. It is traditionally played on January 1 (unless the date falls on a Sunday, in which case it is played on January 2). In 2023, the Rose Bowl game was between PENN STATE and the University of Utah. As the clue informs us, PENN STATE won the game; the score was 35-21.
• TREY (14D: "Platitudes" author Ellis) TREY Ellis is a novelist, screenwriter, and essayist, and a professor at Columbia University. Platitudes is his debut novel, published in 1988. The book tells the story of a Black student at a private high school in New York City. Platitudes was republished in 2003 in combination with an essay TREY Ellis wrote in 1989 titled "The New Black Aesthetic."
• ARKS (17D: They're opened for Kol Nidrei) Kol Nedrei is a proclamation recited in Jewish synagogues before the beginning of Yom Kippur services. Yom Kippur is a Day of Atonement observed in late September or early October. (The dates of Jewish holidays are determined by the Hebrew calendar.) The ARK, the ornamental chamber holding the Torah scrolls, is opened prior to Kol Nedrei.

Random Thoughts & Interesting Things

• AUNTS (1A: Niblings' favorite babysitters, maybe) Nibling is a non-gender-specific term that can be used to refer to the children of one's siblings. 
• SKY (24A: "The Starry Night" backdrop) Vincent Van Gogh painted, The Starry Night, in 1889 after voluntarily admitting himself to the Saint-Paul-de-Mausole asylum. The painting depicts the view of the SKY from his window just before sunrise, with the addition of an imaginary village. The Starry Night is part of the collection at New York City's Museum of Modern Art (MOMA). Here I am visiting the painting in 2019.

• YETI (31A: Stanley competitor) The companies YETI and Stanley are both known for their travel mugs and water bottles. In case you're not online much, the "Stanley Cup" has recently received a lot of attention.
• TRAP (38A: "The Parent ___") The 1998 movie, The Parent TRAP (a remake of the 1961 movie of the same name), featured Lindsay Lohan as identical twins, Hallie and Annie, who were separated at birth when their parents divorced. The twin are reunited, and learn of each other's existence, at summer camp. In the 1961 version of the movie, Hayley Mills portrayed twins Susan and Sharon.
• ASS (42A: Eeyore, for example) My first thought here was "sad," but I realized that didn't quite work because the clue would need to be [Like Eeyore, for example]. Then it dawned on me that the answer was ASS, and I thought, "It's a bit harsh to call Eeyore an ASS ... oh, wait, he is literally an ASS, aka a donkey." This clue / answer pair and my inner dialogue made me chuckle.
• ASHE (54A: Activist and tennis legend Arthur) Tennis great Arthur ASHE (1943-1993) was the first Black player to win the US Open (1968), Australian Open (1970), and Wimbledon (1975). He was also known for his advocacy work, speaking out for civil rights and racial equality. Arthur ASHE was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1985. 
• FOR (57A: The "F" of 57-Down) and FYI (57D: "Heads up" in a text) This is a fun pair of related and crossing answers. FYI, FYI stands for "FOR your information."
• ING (64A: Suffix in a gerund) In case it's been some time since you've studied grammar, the gerund form of a verb is known more familiarly as the "-ING form." Writing is a gerund, as is reading. In English, a gerund can act as a noun (taking an object) or a verb (being modifiable by an adverb). 
• IT'S ME (66A: "___, hi, I'm the problem, ___") This clue made me laugh and provided me with an earworm. "IT'S ME, hi, I'm the problem, IT'S ME," is a lyric from Taylor Swift's 2022 song "Anti-Hero"
• ASPEN (1D: "Quaking" tree) The quaking ASPEN is so named because its leaves appear to tremble with the slightest bit of wind. A fun fact about ASPEN trees is they propagate through their roots, so when you see a grove of ASPEN trees, it is often one organism sharing a common root system. There are many ASPEN trees in Colorado, which makes for some scenic vistas in the fall when the leaves change color.

• NO NOTES (3D: "Don't change a thing!") When we saw NO NOTES in the March 20 puzzle clued as ["That was perfect!"], it stumped my husband, who confessed he'd never heard the expression before. Hopefully he'll have better luck today.
• CECE (6D: Gospel singer Winans) CECE Winans founded the record label PureSprings Gospel in 1999. The label's first release was her album, Alabaster Box, which reached number one on Billboard's Top Gospel Albums chart. CECE Winans has won 15 Grammy Awards and seven NAACP Image Awards.
• HORNETS (11D: Charlotte NBA squad) The Charlotte HORNETS were founded in 1988 as an expansion team in the NBA. In 2002, the team moved to New Orleans, eventually becoming the New Orleans Pelicans. Two years later, a new NBA team was established in Charlotte, North Carolina, named the Charlotte Bobcats. The former team name was reclaimed in 2014.
• EDM (12D: Genre for a DJ mix) EDM, or electric dance music, includes the genres dance-pop, house, techno, trance, drum and bass, dubstep, and trap. 
• SAY LESS (22D: "Please stop talking") and TMI (60D: "Pls stop talking") I'm getting the feeling today's puzzle would like me to be quiet... The abbreviation of the word "please" in the 60-Down clue alerts us the answer will be the abbreviation TMI (too much information).
• SINE (24D: The "S" of SOHCAHTOA) SOHCAHTOA is a math mnemonic used to remember which angles of a triangle are used to calculate the trigonometric functions SINE, cosine, and tangent. SOHCAHTOA: SINE = opposite / hypotenuse; cosine = adjacent / hypotenuse; tangent = opposite / adjacent.
• CENA (26D: Wrestler and actor John) I wrote about John CENA when we saw this same clue a few weeks ago.
• MUPPETS (29D: Dr. Bunsen Honeydew and Beaker, e.g.) MUPPETS in the crossword will always bring me joy. Dr. Bunsen Honeydew is a lab scientist, and Beaker (a MUPPET of few words, and most of them are "Meep!") is his assistant. MUPPETS and science – this is a great clue.
• NOLA (36D: City with Mardi Gras Parade Krewes, for short) New Orleans, Louisiana – NOLA, for short – is known for its annual Mardi Gras celebrations. Mardi Gras, also known as Shrove Tuesday, is the day before Ash Wednesday, which marks the start of Lent in the Christian tradition). Mardi Gras festivities in New Orleans usually last for about two weeks, leading up to the actual day. The Mardi Gras Parades are organized by social clubs known as krewes.
• RACCOON (39D: "Trash panda") The RACCOON has earned the nickname "trash panda" for its ability to break into food waste bins in order to forage for food.
• SITCOM (47D: "Abbott Elementary" or "Schitt's Creek") Abbott Elementary is a mockumentary TV series created by Quinta Brunson. The SITCOM focuses on a group of educators in the Philadelphia public school system. Schitt's Creek is a SITCOM about a formerly wealthy family that relocates to a small town named Schitt's Creek, which they once purchased as a joke.

Crossword Puzzle Theme Synopsis

• PENNY ARCADE (16A: Coin-operated amusement center)
• PENN STATE (35A: Team that won the Rose Bowl in 2023)
• PENNANT RACE (58A: World Series precursor)

The word PENNE, a type of NOODLE, is found AROUND each theme answer: PENNY ARCADE, PENN STATE, PENNANT RACE.

Taking this puzzle's advice, I will SAY LESS, and simply conclude by saying "NO NOTES!" Thank you, Rebecca, for this delightful puzzle.

For more on USA TODAY’s Crossword Puzzles

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