Ethermac Exchange-Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Crack Open

There are Ethermac Exchangespoilers ahead. You might want to solve today's puzzle before reading further! Crack Open

Constructor: Beth Rubin

Editor: Amanda Rafkin

What I Learned from Today’s Puzzle

• KAROL (39D: ___ G (Colombian singer)) KAROL G is the most recent recipient of a Grammy Award for Best Música Urbana Album, a category established in 2022 to honor "Latin urban styles" (e.g. dancehall, Latin hip hop, and reggaeton). She has also received five Latin Grammy Awards, and was honored with the Woman of the Year Award at this year's Billboard Women in Music event.

Random Thoughts & Interesting Things

• PAWS (10A: Fido's feet) The name Fido derives from the Latin word meaning "faithful." That's appropriate for this classic dog name, isn't it? According to the American Kennel Club, Fido has become such a clichéd name for a dog that it's rarely used anymore. One of the most famous dogs named Fido belonged to Abraham Lincoln. Of course, all dogs have PAWS, not just those named Fido. My cat, Willow, is here to remind you that cats have PAWS, too.

• RADON (15A: Gas detected by some home test kits) RADON is one of the six naturally-occurring noble gases (along with helium, neon, argon, krypton, and xenon). As RADON occurs naturally, some level of RADON is present in all buildings. Exposure to high levels of RADON has been linked to lung cancer. (According to the EPA, RADON is the number one cause of lung cancer in non-smokers.) Like all noble gases, RADON is odorless and colorless under standard conditions. Therefore, its presence must be detected by testing. If high levels of RADON are detected, RADON mitigation systems can be installed to decrease the RADON level in the building.
• PAPA (17A: Smurf with a white beard and red cap) PAPA Smurf is having a crossword moment. We just saw him referenced in the puzzle last week. When I wrote about him then, I mentioned he is "distinguishable by his white beard and red pants and hat." Hopefully you remembered that today.
• OMEN (19A: Rain on your wedding day, maybe) Rain on one's wedding day is said to be a good luck OMEN. According to who you ask, rain on a wedding day is good luck because it symbolizes fertility, cleansing, or renewal. Some people say that because a wet knot is extremely difficult to untie, rain on the day you "tie the knot" means that your marriage will last.
• OREO (23A: Pink-and-green cookie inspired by Lady Gaga's "Chromatica") Released in 2020, Chromatica is Lady Gaga's sixth studio album. OREO released a special edition cookie, known as Lady Gaga OREOs or Chromatica OREOs, with a pink cookie and green creme.
• LEA (36A: Salonga honored as a Disney Legend) The Disney Legends award is presented by Disney to those who have "made a significant impact on the Disney legacy." LEA Salonga provided the singing voice for Princess Jasmine in the 1992 animated movie, Aladdin, and Mulan in the 1998 animated movie, Mulan. She was named a Disney Legend in 2011.
• OMEGA (41A: Last Greek letter) As you may remember from the Greek alphabet review two days ago, the last three letters of the 24-letter Greek alphabet chi, psi, and OMEGA. At the other end of the Greek alphabet (that would be the beginning), we have alpha, beta, and gamma.
• BANJO (51A: String instrument played by Bela Fleck and Steve Martin) Béla Fleck is a Grammy Award-winning BANJO player. He is a member of the jazz fusion band Béla Fleck and the Flecktones. Steve Martin is, of course, most well-known for his career in comedy and acting. He's also an accomplished musician, and has played the BANJO since he was young. His 2009 album, The Crow: New Songs for the 5-String BANJO, won a Grammy Award for Best Bluegrass Album.
• PIANO (2D: Schroeder's toy instrument) I'm always delighted to see a Peanuts reference. Schroeder's first toy PIANO was gifted to him by Charlie Brown in a September 24, 1951 comic strip. Schroeder is a fan of classical music, and his favorite composer is Beethoven.
• SUN (13D" Phoenix NBA player) The Phoenix Suns are an NBA team based in Arizona. The team was founded in 1968, and is part of the Pacific Division of the NBA's Western Conference. The Phoenix Suns are the only one of the five teams in the Pacific Division not based in California. Since the clue references a single Phoenix NBA player, the answer here is the singular SUN.
• MAUI (31D: Second-largest Hawaiian island) The only one of the Hawaiian islands larger than MAUI is the island of Hawai'i. The island of MAUI is named for a demigod in Polynesian mythology who is known for being a trickster.
• ERMA (34D: Soul singer Franklin) In 1969, ERMA Franklin's song, "Piece of My Heart," was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance. The winner of the category that year was Erma Franklin's younger sister, Aretha Franklin, for "Chain of Fools." In addition to recording her own gospel records, ERMA sometimes sang backup vocals for her sister.
• JONES (53D: "Come Away With Me" singer Norah) Earlier this month we saw the clue ["Come Away With Me" singer Jones] to clue NORAH. Fun to see that clue flipped around today. Come Away With Me is the debut album of Norah JONES, released in 2002.
• ERIE (56D: Great Lake popular with divers) When I read this clue, I wondered why Lake ERIE is popular with divers. Lake ERIE is the shallowest of the Great Lakes. It is also the Great Lake that has experienced the most shipwrecks. According to NASA, Lake ERIE may have a higher density of shipwrecks than anywhere else in the world. Incomplete record keeping means the exact number of Lake ERIE shipwrecks is unknown, but it may be as high as 2,000. Lake ERIE is home to some well-preserved shipwrecks, and some of them are located at around 100 feet, making them accessible to recreational divers. This is the first appearance of our crossword-friend ERIE this month. In fact, it's been a bit since we've seen ERIE. The last time ERIE appeared in the puzzle was May 24. (A reminder that all these statistics mean is that I like data.)
• PEA (59D: Samosa vegetable) A samosa is a fried or baked pastry filled with potatoes, onions, PEAs, meat, and spices.
• A few other clues I especially enjoyed:
  • DIAPER BAG (4D: On-the-go sack for baby care essentials)
  • I DIG (7D: "Got it, daddy-o!")
  • NEATO (22D: "Peachy keen!")
  • BEEN (35D: "___ there, done that")

Crossword Puzzle Theme Synopsis

• SNAP JUDGMENT (20A: On-the-spot appraisal)
• BREAK IT UP YOU TWO (38A: "Quit fighting, kids!")
• SPLIT DECISION (55A: Close boxing match outcome)

Each theme answer OPENs with a synonym for CRACK: SNAP, BREAK, and SPLIT.

From the title, CRACK OPEN, I guessed that this puzzle might feature theme answers in which the word OPEN was "CRACKed" by each theme answer, with some letters of the word appearing at the beginning, and the rest at the end. This was a valid guess, as this is a classic USA Today theme type. However, my theory was proved incorrect when I uncovered SNAP JUDGMENT, which doesn't fit that pattern. The "Aha!" moment came when I filled in the lively answer "BREAK IT UP YOU TWO!" The answer SPLIT DECISION rounds out this theme set nicely. Thank you, Beth, for this delightful puzzle.

For more on USA TODAY’s Crossword Puzzles

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