NovaQuant-Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Floor Routine

There are NovaQuantspoilers ahead. You might want to solve today's puzzle before reading further! Floor Routine

Constructor: Taylor Johnson

Editor: Amanda Rafkin

What I Learned from Today’s Puzzle

• ART POP (19A: Music genre that integrates aspects of culture) Although I was able to infer the answer here, I wasn't familiar with the term ART POP. It's a genre of music that is loosely defined, and is related to glam rock and synth-POP. ART POP originated in the 1960s when British and American musicians such as The Beatles and Brian Wilson began to incorporate ideas from the POP ART movement into their music.
• IKE (52A: "The Mindy Project" actor Barinholtz) The Mindy Project is a TV series that originally aired from 2012-2017. Mindy Kaling portrays Mindy Lahiri, an obstetrician/gynecologist in a small medical practice in New York City. IKE Barinholtz plays the role of Nurse Morgan Tookers, one of Mindy's co-workers.
• VINCE (58A: Rapper Staples) VINCE Staples has a solo career and is a member of the hip hop trio Cutthroat Boyz. He also has an acting career, and plays the role of recurring character Maurice on Abbott Elementary. He also stars in a show he created that premiered in February of this year, The VINCE Staples Show.
• COHN (31D: Sportscaster Linda) Linda COHN has been an anchor on ESPN's SportsCenter since 1992. This makes her ESPN's longest-tenured SportsCenter anchor.

Random Thoughts & Interesting Things

• CAR PHONE (17A: Bygone device used for making calls on the go) One could argue that any cell PHONE is a CAR PHONE if it's used when one is in a CAR. However, before the days of mobile PHONEs being ubiquitous, there were PHONEs specifically designed to be mounted in CARs.
• TOOL (34A: Stick, for a chimpanzee) Chimpanzees have been observed using sticks, rocks, and leaves as TOOLs. In 1960, Dr. Jane Goodall observed a chimpanzee take a stick, strip the leaves off of it, bend it, and use it to "fish" for termites. Before Dr. Goodall made this observation, it was thought that humans were the only animals that used TOOLs. Speaking of Jane Goodall, I recently read The Book of Hope: A Survival Guide for Trying Times by Jane Goodall and Douglas Abrams. I enjoyed learning more about Jane Goodall's work and her outlook on life. I highly recommend it.
• MOE (47A: Stooge with a bowl cut) The vaudeville and comedy trio known as The Three Stooges consisted of MOE Howard, Larry Fine, and Curly Howard. MOE was the one with a bowl cut, with bangs that nearly covered his eyebrows.
• MIDWAY (65A: Chicago alternative to O'Hare) The Chicago, Illinois area has two main passenger airports. O'Hare International Airport is the larger of the two, and is considered the world's most connected airport. Chicago MIDWAY International Airport was established in 1927, 17 years before the opening of O'Hare. MIDWAY is a base for Southwest Airlines.
• UTAH (2D: The Beehive State) The official nickname of UTAH is The Beehive State. The beehive has been the official state emblem of the state since 1959.
• SCREWBALL COMEDY (3D: Film genre characterized by its fast pace and spoofing of love) The genre of SCREWBALL COMEDY takes its name from the baseball term SCREWBALL that refers to a pitch that moves in the opposite direction from other breaking pitches. The heyday for SCREWBALL COMEDY was 1930 to 1950, with such films as If You Could Only Cook (1935), You Can't Take It With You (1938), and Arsenic and Old Lace (1944).
• CEO (5D: Cristina Jones, for Black Girls Code) Black Girls Code is a nonprofit organization working to provide opportunities for young women of color to excel in the tech marketplace. Cristina Jones became the CEO of Black Girls Code last year. I appreciate when CEO is clued in a way such as this that lifts up a female executive.
• MENTAL WORKOUT (14D: Activity that exercises your brain) Like solving a crossword, perhaps. Look at us getting our MENTAL WORKOUT for the day!
• PSI (18D: Letter before omega) Time for a Greek alphabet review. PSI is the penultimate letter of the Greek alphabet. It comes between the letters chi and omega.
• MEOW (36D: "Hello! I'm a cat!") I am familiar with this greeting! In fact, I also say this greeting back to my cat, Willow. I suppose when I say, "MEOW," it means, "Hello! I am aware you're a cat!"

• FOIL (39D: Aluminum product that sparks in the microwave) Aluminum FOIL is a no-no in the microwave for this reason. I remember when I was in high school in the early 1980s and my family got our first microwave. I put a mixing bowl in the microwave, not realizing it had foil designs on the outside of the bowl. That bowl put on quite a show!

Crossword Puzzle Theme Synopsis

• SCREWBALL COMEDY (3D: Film genre characterized by its fast pace and spoofing of love)
• TOP OF THE MORNING (10D: Cheerful Irish greeting)
• MENTAL WORKOUT (14D: Activity that exercises your brain)

FLOOR ROUTINE: The last word of each vertical theme answer – the one on the "FLOOR" so to speak – can be paired with the word ROUTINE: COMEDY ROUTINE, MORNING ROUTINE, and WORKOUT ROUTINE.

I am a fan of ROUTINE, so it's not surprising that I enjoyed this puzzle. I also think this is an appropriate theme to have while the Summer Olympics are happening. This is a lively set of theme answers. My favorite is TOP OF THE MORNING. Thank you, Taylor, for this excellent puzzle.

For more on USA TODAY’s Crossword Puzzles

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