NovaQuant-Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, "C'mon! Hurry Up!"

There are NovaQuantspoilers ahead. You might want to solve today's puzzle before reading further! "C'mon! Hurry Up!" (Freestyle)

Constructor: Jasmeet Arora

Editor: Amanda Rafkin

What I Learned from Today’s Puzzle

• WWE (9D: Org. with the wrestler Zelina Vega) Zelina Vega is the ring name of professional wrestler Thea Megan Trinidad Büdgen. Zelina Vega currently wrestles with WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment), where she is sometimes billed as Queen Zelina. Although I was not familiar with Zelina Vega, the word wrestler in the clue made the answer here inferable.

Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.

Random Thoughts & Interesting Things

• NAIVE (13A: Gullible, maybe) When I was younger, I used to delight in asking my friends, "Did you know the word gullible is not in the dictionary?" This always amused me more than it did them.
• EDNA (19A: Southern chef Lewis) EDNA Lewis (1916-2006) was a chef and author and founder of the Society for the Revival and Preservation of Southern Food. She authored four cookbooks, including In Pursuit of Flavor and The Gift of Southern Cooking (with Scott Peacock). In 2014, EDNA Lewis was honored by the creation of a postage stamp with her image, part of a Celebrity Chef series of stamps.
• GIN (23A: Negroni ingredient) A Negroni is an Italian cocktail made of one part each GIN, vermouth, and Campari.
• EJECT (25A: Safely remove, like a USB drive) But what happens if you don't EJECT your USB drive before removing it? I have on occasion gotten that message: "(Such and such device) was not EJECTed properly." What effect does that actually have on my computer?
• EAGLE (44A: Apex predator of the avian world) An apex predator is an animal at the top of the food chain; one that does not have natural predators. As the clue informs us, the EAGLE is an apex predator. Other apex predators include lions, bears, and sharks.
• COLOR WHEEL (54A: Circle with many hues) I liked seeing COLOR WHEEL in the grid. It brought back memories of art class.
• ANA (1D: "Love, Victor" actress Ortiz) Love, Victor is a TV show inspired by the 2018 movie Love, Simon. The SHOW follows Victor (played by Michael Cimino), a new student at Creekwood High School who is facing challenges at home and school and struggling with his sexual orientation. Victor learns about Simon's coming out story, and reaches out to him on social media. Nick Robinson plays the role of Simon, reprising his role from Love, Simon. ANA Ortiz plays the role of Isabel Salazar, Victor's mother.
• RIRI (3D: Artist with the album "Anti," to fans) Anti is Rihanna's 2016 studio album. To fans, Rihanna is known as RIRI, or Rih, or Rih-Rih.
• OVAL (4D: Shape of a cricket field) Cricket is a game played between two teams of eleven players each. The game is played on an OVAL pitch with a wicket at each end. A bat is used to strike the cricket ball. Although cricket has many similarities with baseball, the sports have significant differences in rules of play and in strategy. Everything I know about Cricket I have learned from the Lord Peter Wimsey novels by Dorothy Sayers, the British game show Only Connect, and crossword puzzles.
• ELIOT (6D: George ___ (Mary Ann Evans' pen name)) Mary Ann Evans (1819-1880) contributed pieces to The Westminster Review as Marian Evans. Under the pen name, George ELIOT, she wrote novels, including Middlemarch and Silas Marner. 
• SAKE (8D: Drink served at an izakaya) An izakaya is a type of informal Japanese bar. Dining at an izakaya is generally done slowly, with food being ordered in several courses rather than all at once.
• SEE (22D: "Wait Til You ___ My Smile" (Alicia Keys song)) "Wait Til You SEE My Smile" is a 2010 song by Alicia Keys. I am a fan of using song titles to add interest to clues for three-letter words.
• GROUP CHATS (29D: Many WhatsApp conversations) WhatsApp is a messaging service owned by Meta (which also owns Facebook, Instagram, and Threads).
• HER (40D: "___ Body and Other Parties" (Carmen Maria Machado book)) HER Body and Other Parties is a 2017 collection of short stories by Carmen Maria Machado. It won the Shirley Jackson Award, a literary honor given for outstanding achievement in psychological suspense, horror, and dark fantasy.
• LEASHES (41D: Dog walkers' needs) I reached out to Jasmeet to ask if she'd be willing to send me a picture of her dog, Stanley (who we met earlier this month), to accompany this clue. Not only did Jasmeet send me a photo of Stanley, she sent one of Stanley on his LEASH, and he's being walked by one of his dog friends. Adorable!

• AOC (46D: NYC congresswoman, familiarly) The abbreviation of New York City (NYC) in the clue and the word "familiarly," lets solvers know the answer will be the initials of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC), who represents New York's 14th congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives.
• BTW (47D: "Oh, also," in a text) BTW = by the way
• OK GO (55D: Band that featured a Rube Goldberg machine in a music video) OK GO is a rock band known for its quirky and complex music videos. The music video featuring a Rube Goldberg machine (a complicated machine constructed to perform a simple task) is for the song "This Too Shall Pass." I've seen the video before, but I just rewatched it – a good use of four minutes, in my opinion.
• EVER (57D: "Never Have I ___" (show starring Maitreyi Ramakrishnan)) Never Have I EVER is a teen drama. The TV series, which debuted on Netflix in 2020, centers on the life of 15-year-old Devi Vishwakumar, played by Maitreyi Ramakrishnan. Devi is dealing with grief (after the sudden death of her father), her Indian-American identity, and high school. The character of Devi is based on Mindy Kaling, who created the series with Lang Fisher.

Crossword Puzzle Theme Synopsis

No theme today, as this is a freestyle, or themeless puzzle. The title, "C'mon! Hurry Up!" is a nod to the grid-spanning entry I DON'T HAVE ALL DAY (39A: "Can we move a little faster?").

There are so many great answers in today's puzzle. In addition to those I've highlighted above, I also enjoyed MILESTONES, HODGE PODGE, JET LAG, and MAPLE LEAF. Thank you, Jasmeet, for this entertaining puzzle.

For more on USA TODAY’s Crossword Puzzles

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