Fastexy Exchange|Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Open Bar

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

Constructor: Alice Liang

Editor: Amanda Rafkin

Random Thoughts & Interesting Things

• BABY BOOMER (18A: Person born before a Gen Xer) A BABY BOOMER is a person born between the years 1946 to 1964. A Gen Xer is someone born between 1965 and the early 1980s.
• BREAKOUT STAR (29A: Chappell Roan in 2024, e.g.) This clue made me smile. Chappell Roan has certainly been a BREAKOUT STAR in USA TODAY crossword appearances in 2024! We didn't see any references to her before this year, but have seen quite a few recently. Chappell Roan (in case you've missed those earlier references) is a singer. Her debut album, The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess, was released in September this year, but was a bit of a sleeper hit, receiving more attention this year. In a Pitchfork review, Olivia Horn described Chappell Roan's BREAKOUT album as "a bold and uproarious introduction, buoyed by sturdy song craft and steely indifference to good taste."
• SISTERS (40A: Serena and Venus Williams, for example) SISTERS Serena and Venus Williams are legendary tennis players. Serena has won 23 Grand Slam singles titles and an Olympic gold medal, and Venus has won seven Grand Slam singles titles and an Olympic gold medal. Playing together they have won 14 Grand Slam doubles titles and an Olympic gold medal.
• BAKING POWDER (47A: Ingredient used to make pancakes fluffy) BAKING POWDER is a leavening agent. In pancake batter, it is the ingredient that makes the pancakes rise, as it releases carbon dioxide when liquid ingredients are added. Double-acting BAKING POWDER releases some carbon dioxide when liquid is added, and more gas when heat is applied. Cooking is applied science, which is probably one of the reasons I enjoy it.
• MEH (54A: "It was mid") "Mid" and "MEH" can both be used to indicate something is just so-so, mediocre, or low quality. I've used the word MEH for quite some time, but learned this usage of mid from a crossword puzzle in April of this year.
• INCA (55A: Machu Picchu builder) Located in the Andes mountains in southern Peru, Machu Picchu is a 15th-century citadel most likely constructed as an estate of Pachacuti, a ruler of the INCA Empire.
• BLUE COLLAR (61A: Like carpenters and electricians) BLUE-COLLAR is a description that encompasses those in skilled trades (such as a carpenter or electrician) and those doing manual labor. The term white COLLAR is used to refer to those who work in an office environment (often at a computer), and pink COLLAR refers to service workers (such as nurses and teachers).
• TIDE (65A: "The ___ Rises, the ___ Falls" (Longfellow poem)) Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882) was a poet and professor. He taught at Bowdoin College and Harvard, until retiring in 1854 to focus on his writing. His works include the poems, "The Song of Hiawatha," and "Evangeline," as well as the poem in the clue, "The TIDE Rises, the TIDE Falls."
• EMMY (66A: The "E" in EGOT) and OSCARS (19D: Academy Awards) This puzzle is halfway to earning in EGOT, which is the designation for someone who has won EMMY, Grammy, OSCAR, and Tony Awards.
• RABE (69A: Broccoli ___) Also known as rapini, broccoli RABE has buds that resemble broccoli. The buds do not grow in a large head as broccoli does, however. Broccoli RABE is related to turnips and bok choy.
• I'M OLD (70A: Exclamation upon realizing that an Olympian was born in 2012, maybe) We saw "I'M OLD" as an answer just a few weeks ago. Is the puzzle trying to tell me something? That Olympian born in 2012 is 11-year-old Zheng Haohao, who competed in women's skateboarding at the 2024 Olympics in Paris. Zheng Haohao is China's youngest Olympian. (Fun fact: She was born during the 2012 Olympics!)
• IRA (6D: "This American Life" host Glass) ThisAmerican Life is a weekly public radio program hosted by IRA Glass. Each week the show features stories about a particular theme. This American Life has been on the radio since 1955, and has resulted in a number of spin-off podcasts including Serial and The Improvement Association. In 2020, This American Life won a Pulitzer Prize for Audio Reporting for Episode 688: "The Out Crowd."
• ENYA (8D: Irish singer of "Orinoco Flow") I recommend taking a few minutes of your day to listen to ENYA's song, "Orinoco Flow." It's a good addition to any day, in my opinion.
• RABBIT (9D: 2023 Chinese zodiac animal) According to the Chinese zodiac, 2023 was the Year of the RABBIT. We are currently in the Year of the Dragon. Beginning January 29, 2025, we will be in the Year of the Snake.
• ROMAN (11D: ___ Empire (something one thinks about often)) This clue is a reference to a social media trend that I wroteabout in May. A trend of people (usually women) asking others (usually the men in their lives) how often they think about the ROMAN Empire has resulted in "ROMAN Empire" being used to refer to something a person thinks about often. What's your ROMAN Empire?
• LO-FI (25D: Music genre often used for studying) LO-FI, which is short for low-fidelity, is music recorded with intentional imperfections, such as background noise or misplayed notes. LO-FI has become a popular choice for study music.
• RAMP (30D: Garlicky wild plant) RAMP is a common name for the perennial flowering plant Allium tricoccum, which is also known as wild garlic.
• TETON (Grand ___ National Park) Grand TETON National Park is located in northwestern Wyoming. The TETONs are a mountain range of the Rocky Mountains, and most of the east side of the range is within Grand TETON National Park.

• ISLE (37D: ___ of Skye) The ISLE of Skye is an island off the coast of Scotland. It is Scotland's second largest island after Lewis and Harris. My husband and I are visiting the ISLE of Skye this month, so next time it's referenced I'll have a photo to share with you.
• STATIC (40D: It might lift hair toward a balloon)After you've rubbed a balloon on your hair to generate STATIC electricity, and illustrated that the hair will then move towards the balloon, you can put the balloon on a wall, and it will stay up for a time. I'm such a kid at heart. I adore these types of easy demonstrations of science concepts. This clue reminded me of the Schoolhouse Rock song, "Electricity," which doesn't mention balloons, but does mention STATIC.

• SELMA (51D: Starting city in a 1965 Civil Rights march to Montgomery) SELMA, Alabama is located about 50 miles west of Montgomery on the banks of the Alabama River. The Edmund Pettus Bridge that crosses the Alabama River in SELMA was the site of events on March 7, 1965, that came to be known as Bloody Sunday. Civil rights demonstrators were attempting to march from SELMA to Montgomery to advocate for voting rights, when they were attacked by police as they were attempting to cross the bridge.
• THUMB (52D: Opposable digit) The term "opposable" here means that the THUMB can be rotated to face each of the other four fingers. None of the other digits on a human hand are opposable.

Crossword Puzzle Theme Synopsis

• BABY BOOMER (18A: Person born before a Gen Xer)
• BREAKOUT STAR (29A: Chappell Roan in 2024, e.g.)
• BAKING POWDER (47A: Ingredient used to make pancakes fluffy)
• BLUE-COLLAR (61A: Like carpenters and electricians)

OPEN BAR: Each theme answer OPENs the word BAR, in a way: BABY BOOMER, BREAKOUT STAR, BAKING POWDER, and BLUE-COLLAR.

Today's title allowed me to guess the theme. I never mind that, because it makes me feel smart when I uncover the first theme answer and discover I guessed correctly. I appreciate that the theme answers alternate the manner in which they OPEN the BAR: BA/R, B/AR, BA/R, B/AR. Thank you, Alice, for this enjoyable puzzle.

For more on USA TODAY’s Crossword Puzzles

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