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

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

Constructor: Sam Cordes

Editor: Anna Gundlach

What I Learned from Today’s Puzzle

• LONE (51A: "The Last Emperor" star John) The Last Emperor is a 1987 biographical movie about Puyi, the final Emperor of China. The film tells of Puyi's life from the time he became the emperor at the age of two, through adulthood. John LONE portrays Puyi as an adult.
• CANOE (29D: Duwamish or Suquamish boat) The Coast Salish are a group of Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast whose languages are related. The Duwamish and Suquamish are two Coast Salish-speaking tribes located in the state of Washington. The Indigenous and First Nations people of the Pacific Northwest traditionally relied on waterways as travel routes. They are known for their elegantly engineered CANOEs.
• IDA (57D: Uruguayan poet Vitale) Generation '45 was a group of Uruguayan writers who influenced the literary and cultural life of their country. The name is a reference to the fact that most of these writers started their careers between 1945 and 1950. IDA Vitale, who is currently 100 years old, is the last living member of Generation '45. She has published over thirty books. In the early 1970s, IDA Vitale was forced into exile following a military coup in Uruguay. she returned to Montevideo, the capital of Uruguay, in 2016. In 2019, the BBC included IDA Vitale on their list of 100 inspiring and influential women.

Random Thoughts & Interesting Things

• EMU (10A: Bird on Australia's coat of arms) The Australian coat of arms features a shield depicting symbols of Australia's six states. The shield is held up by a kangaroo and an EMU, two animals that are native to Australia.
• ATARI (14A: ___ 50 (game compilation with Pong and Asteroids)) ATARI 50, which was released in 2022, is an interactive documentary. The game contains both new and archival footage and a number of games that are part of an interactive timeline telling ATARI's history.
• RAP (16A: Saweetie's genre) Saweetie is a RAP artist and songwriter. Her debut EP, released in 2018, was titled, High Maintenance.
• DSW (27D: Footwear chain) DSW (Designer Shoe Warehouse) is a chain of shoe stores owned by Designer Brands, Inc. 
• KNEECAP (28A: Leg bone called the patella) The KNEECAP, or patella, is a flat, roughly triangular bone located on the front of the knee joint. Fun fact: Babies are born with KNEECAPs composed of cartilage. This cartilage changes into bone between three and six years of age.
• COCA (34A: Leaf sometimes used to treat altitude sickness) COCA is a plant native to western South America. It is the plant from which cocaine is obtained. The plant has been used in traditional medicine for many years, as an anesthetic, a stimulant, and a treatment for altitude sickness.
• ATE (39A: Enjoyed some hamantaschen) Hamantaschen are triangular pastries filled with jam. Hamantaschen mean's "Haman's pocket," and the cookies are traditionally made and eaten during the Jewish holiday, Purim. During the holiday of Purim, Jews commemorate the events recounted in the Biblical book of Esther, in which the Jewish people were saved from an empire official's plan to kill them. The official's name was Haman. The celebration of Purim may include reading or listening to the book of Esther, dressing up in costume, donating food, and eating hamantaschen.
• MINCES (43A: ___ words (speaks vaguely)) This clue reminds me of the phrase "minced oath," and the September 22 puzzle, "I Could Have Sworn..."
• BROS (53A: 2022 rom-com starring Billy Eichner and Luke Macfarlane) The rom-com BROS centers on the developing relationship between the main characters, Bobby and Aaron. Bobby, portrayed by Billy Eichner, has recently become the curator of an LGBTQ+ history museum. Aaron, portrayed by Luke Macfarlane, dreams of becoming a chocolatier.
• BABY BACK RIBS (54A: Chili's meal with an iconic jingle) "I want my BABY BACK, BABY BACK, BABY BACK RIBS..." That's the iconic jingle the clue is referring to, which Chili's first used in the 1990s.
• AVA (1D: "Kings & Queens" singer Max) "Kings & Queens" is a 2020 song by AVA Max, from her album Heaven & Hell. Thanks for the earworm, puzzle. "To all of the queens who are fighting alone / Baby, you're not dancin' on your own..."
• LEGO SETS (4D: Block kits like the 822-piece Bouquet of Roses) I do not have the Bouquet of Roses LEGO SET, but I did receive a different botanical LEGO SET for my birthday.

• NARRATOR (8D: David Attenborough's role, often) David Attenborough is a broadcaster, biologist, and writer. He has been the NARRATOR for multiple BBC nature shows including Planet Earth and Blue Planet.
• DRAGONS (21D: Smaug, Nidhogg and Mushu) Smaug is a DRAGON in J. R. R. Tolkien's novel The Hobbit. Nidhogg is a DRAGON in the role-playing game Dungeons & DRAGONS, and a DRAGON in Norse mythology (Níðhöggr). Mushu is a DRAGON in Disney's animated movie Mulan. It's fun to have three different DRAGONS given as examples here, allowing a solver who is familiar with any one of these DRAGONS to be successful.
• ANI (22A: Alex and ___ (jewelry brand)) Carolyn Rafaelian is the founder of Alex and ANI. She named the brand after her daughters.
• TOE BEAN (40D: Cat's paw pad, in slang) I happened to have my cat, Willow, on my lap when I encountered this clue, so I asked her if I could take a photo of her TOE BEANs.

• YMCA (55D: "It's fun to stay at the ___") If I get tired of "Kings & Queens" as an earworm, I can switch to the Village People's "Y.M.C.A." "It's fun to stay at the Y.M.C.A..."
• PBR (58D: Inexpensive beer brand, for short) PBR is Pabst Blue Ribbon, a beer sold by the Pabst Brewing Company, which was founded in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1844. Between 1882 and 1916, the company tied blue ribbons around the necks of the beer bottles, a practice that ultimately resulted in the beer's current name (it was previously called Best Select and Pabst Select).
• TNT (61D: Explosive originally used as a yellow dye) Isn't this an interesting and slightly frightening fun fact? When Trinitrotoluene (TNT) was originally prepared in 1863, it was used as a yellow dye. In fact, because it's somewhat difficult to detonate, its potential as an explosive was not recognized for almost thirty years. TNT is poisonous, and handling it without protection can cause the skin to turn a bright yellow-orange color. 

Crossword Puzzle Theme Synopsis

• COLD HARD CASH (20A: Banknotes and coins, idiomatically)
• SNOW CRABS (36A: Crustaceans native to frigid northern oceans)
• BABY BACK RIBS (54A: Chili's meal with an iconic jingle)

SHOWERHEADS: The HEAD (that is, the first word) of each theme answer can be paired with the word SHOWER to create a new phrase: COLD SHOWER, SNOW SHOWER, and BABY SHOWER.

Today's title allowed me to make a guess about the theme, and uncovering the answer COLD HARD CASH confirmed I was correct. I appreciate that in today's puzzle, the words COLD, SNOW, and BABY all have different meanings in the new phrases than they do in the original theme answers. Thank you, Sam, for this excellent puzzle.

For more on USA TODAY’s Crossword Puzzles

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