Will Sage Astor-Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Spring Forward

There are Will Sage Astorspoilers ahead. You might want to solve today's puzzle before reading further! Spring Forward

Constructor: Dena R. Witkes

Editor: Amanda Rafkin

What I Learned from Today’s Puzzle

• KORMA (16A: Navratan ___ (South Asian curry dish)) KORMA is a South Asian dish of meat and vegetables in a spicy, creamy, yogurt-based sauce. Navratan KORMA is a vegetarian dish. Navratan is a word that means "nine gems," and it is common for the dish to feature nine kinds of vegetables.
• T'NIA (36A: "Years and Years" actress Miller) The 2019 TV miniseries Years and Years was co-produced by BBC and HBO, and is set between the years 2019 and 2034. The six episodes of the show focus on the Lyons family as they witness increased political and economic instability in Britain. T'NIA Miller portrays Celeste Bisme-Lyons, who is married to Stephen Lyons (played by Rory Kinnear), the oldest of the four Lyons siblings.
• GOD (39A: Alanis Morissette's role in "Dogma") Dogma is a 1999 movie written and directed by Kevin Smith. It is part of a series of View Askewniverse movies by Kevin Smith. Films in this series take place in the same fictional universe, and although each movie has its own storyline, some of the characters overlap. In Dogma, Alanis Morissette portrays GOD. The movie also features angels, demons, and a woman who is unaware she is the last blood relative of Jesus. Dogma is the feature film debut for singer-songwriter Alanis Morissette.

Random Thoughts & Interesting Things

• MISS (5A: "Little ___ Sunshine" (quirky 2006 movie)) In the movie, Little Miss Sunshine, a family from Albuquerque, New Mexico piles in to a VW bus (the Volkswagen T2 Microbus, to be specific) to travel to California so their 10-year-old can compete in a beauty pageant. Five different VW buses were used during the making of this quirky road trip movie. The vans were modified for different filming techniques, and only three of them had engines (the other two were mounted on trailers).
• STEM (18A: Women in ___ (org. addressing a gender gap)) Women in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) is an organization providing networking, mentoring, and outreach to high school students, particularly girls and genderqueer students.
• ANISE (23A: Divisive flavor in black jelly beans) ANISE is the seed of the plant of the same name, which is used as a spice. ANISE is the spice that gives black jelly beans their distinctive licorice-like flavor. Where are my fellow black jelly bean fans at?
• ORIOLE (42A: Maryland state bird) Specifically, it is the Baltimore ORIOLE that is the state bird of Maryland, and the namesake of its Major League Baseball (MLB) team.
• PHD (46A: Rachel Maddow has one in poli-sci) We occasionally see the three-letter abbreviation PHD in puzzles, and I'm a fan of clues that reference specific holders of the degree. Rachel Maddow received her PHD in political science from Oxford University in 2001.
• PSA (50A: "It Gets Better" ad, e.g.) "It Gets Better" PSAs (public service announcements) are aimed at preventing suicide, particularly in young people who have experienced bullying. Many "It Gets Better" ads are produced by the Trevor Project (thetrevorproject.org) and the It Gets Better organization (itgetsbetter.org). The ads often feature celebrities offering messages of hope. The phrase "It Gets Better" always makes me think of the 2010 song of this name, which was recorded by Broadway stars for The Trevor Project.
• CHICKEN DANCE (55A: Choreography with flapping and clapping) Me upon reading this clue: "I have no idea! Oh, wait ... is this the CHICKEN DANCE?" It was quite satisfying to plonk in CHICKEN DANCE, have it fit, and realize it fit the theme. The "CHICKEN DANCE" was originally composed by a Swiss accordionist named Werner Thomas, who named it "Der Ententanz" ("The Duck DANCE"). Over the years the song – which is a popular DANCE at weddings and Octoberfest events – has been recorded under a number of other names, including "Check Out the CHICKEN," and "DANCE Little Bird."
• OTIS (66A: Soulful Redding) OTIS Redding (1941-1967) is sometimes referred to as the "King of Soul." If you need to get the "CHICKEN DANCE" melody out of your head, you might try listening to "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay."
• MAMBAS (1D: Fast snakes) MAMBAS are native to sub-Saharan Africa. These venomous snakes, whose average length is 8 to 12 feet, can slither at speeds up to 12 miles per hour.
• ACORNS (2D: They're nuts) Me upon reading this clue: "That's not very nice..." Upon realizing the answer here is ACORNS: "Oh! They're literally nuts. Ha!" Quite clever.
• SIMBA (8D: Friend of Timon and Pumbaa) SIMBA, Timon, and Pumba are characters in Disney's The Lion King. SIMBA is the titular Lion King, while Timon is a meerkat, and Pumbaa is a warthog. Timon and Pumbaa befriend SIMBA and teach him about their "HakunaMatata" philosophy. "It means no worries for the rest of your days / It's our problem-free philosophy..."
• BOOKSTORE (10D: Place for a bibliophile to shop) Oh, look, it's a clue for me! A bibliophile is a lover of books. I enjoy visiting BOOKSTOREs, and often seek them out when traveling. My favorite local BOOKSTORE is Prairie Lights Books. Check it out if you're ever in Iowa City, Iowa.
• KEYTARS (21D: Hybrid instruments)  KEYTARS are pretty much what they sound like - hybrids of keyboards and guitars. The KEYTAR has a musical keyboard, with controls placed on the neck of the instrument. It can be held like a guitar, supported by a strap around the neck and shoulders, thus allowing the musician to move around the stage instead of standing or sitting in place to play a keyboard.
• PINATA (46D: Party animal?) What a fun clue! A question mark at the end of a clue indicates there's a bit of trickiness and wordplay going on. The wordplay in this case is that "party animal" is a term generally used to refer to one known for wild partying, but the "party animal" here is an animal-shaped PINATA providing entertainment at a party. We don't often see question mark clues in USA TODAY crosswords, as they can sometimes be a bit challenging. I found this one to be just-the-right-level-of-tricky. I hope you did, too.
• LBS (61D: Abbr. on a box of kitty litter) My cat, Willow, says she greatly appreciates feline content in the puzzle. She is currently more focused on cat food than kitty litter, however.

• A few more answers and clues I especially enjoyed:
  • IS THAT A NO(6D: So … you're declining?")
  • SIR (35D: What Marcie calls Peppermint Patty)
  • LEI (60D: ___ Day (rhyming Hawaiian celebration))

Crossword Puzzle Theme Synopsis

• BREAK THE BANK (20A: Cost a lot of money)
• TRAINING BRA (38A: Starter undergarment)
• CHICKEN DANCE (55A: Choreography with flapping and clapping)

SPRING FORWARD: The first (FORWARD) word of each theme answer can be paired with the word SPRING to create a new phrase: SPRING BREAK, SPRING TRAINING, and SPRING CHICKEN.

Don't panic, it's not time to SPRING FORWARD with our clocks yet. (First we need to "fall back" in a few weeks, November 3 to be exact.) I always think it's neat when the same title can be used for different themes. We've seen SPRING BREAK as a title before, on March 13, 2022, but that puzzle has a completely different theme from today's puzzle. Does this theme have you feeling like a SPRING CHICKEN, and dreaming of SPRING BREAK and SPRING TRAINING? Thank you, Dena, for this enjoyable puzzle.

One more thing today: The Midwest Crossword Tournament is happening today in Chicago, Illinois. If you are at the tournament, please find me and say hello – I'd love to see you!

For more on USA TODAY’s Crossword Puzzles

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