Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Leo Rising

There are spoilers ahead. You might want to solve today's puzzle before reading further! Leo Rising

Constructor: Amie Walker

Editor: Amanda Rafkin

Comments from Today’s Crossword Constructor

Amie: In a full-circle moment, I first learned about BEAGLE OR BAGEL from Amanda's September 30, 2023 puzzle and Sally's blog write-up. Now it's one of our family's favorite games. Hope you enjoy this puzzle!

What I Learned from Today’s Puzzle

• MARKET (48A: "On ___ Street" (kids' book with an A-to-Z shopping spree)) On MARKET Street is a 1981 picture book by Arnold Lobel, illustrated by Anita Lobel. Arnold Lobel is the author of the Frog and Toad series of children's books. On Market Street features a child shopping for items beginning with each letter of the alphabet. The illustrations show each vendor dressed entirely in the items they are selling, whether it be apples, or doughnuts, or kites, or zippers. I'm a little bit surprised I was not familiar with this book, as I am a fan of children's books. I'm delighted to learn about it now. The illustrations are not to be missed. Also, I will not spoil the ending and tell you who the child is buying all these items for, but it was a lovely surprise.

• SHOEGAZE (56A: Ethereal alt-rock subgenre) SHOEGAZE is a subgenre of alt-rock music that arose in Ireland and the United Kingdom in the late 1980s. SHOEGAZE is characterized by obscured vocals and an overwhelmingly loud volume that creates a sound in which individual instruments are not distinguishable. The name SHOEGAZE came about because of the tendency of performers to stare down at their feet and the pedals used to create various effects. Bands associated with SHOEGAZE include My Bloody Valentine and Slowdive.

• NINA (2D: Actress Dobrev) NINA Dobrev portrays the character of Elena Gilbert on the TV series The Vampire Diaries. She also plays the role of Elena's doppelgänger, Katerina Petrova. NINA Dobrev's movie credits include XXX: Return of Xander Cage (2017) and Love Hard (2021).

• EVES (3D: Australian pop singer Karydas) EVES Karydas's most recent single, titled "Sunday Drive," was released a couple of weeks ago. In 2022, the Australian pop singer issued a statement via Instagram about the pressure she has experienced as a female artist, and announcing that she would be self-managed from that point.

• YURT (33D: Round home with a shangyrak) A YURT is a portable round tent. The word YURT is from Turkic languages, and means "dwelling place." Several groups of nomadic peoples in the mountains and steppes of Asia have traditionally used YURTs. The shangyrak is the wooden crown of the tent. I knew about YURTs, but today I learned the term "shangyrak."

Random Thoughts & Interesting Things

• INERT (1A: Nonreactive, like neon and argon) Neon and argon are members of group 18 of the periodic table (an ordered arrangement of the chemical elements). This group of chemical elements is known as the noble gases, and are also referred to as the INERT gases, due to their very low reactivity. Hooray for science in crosswords!

• SOO (15A: "Hamilton" actress Phillipa) In 2015, Phillipa SOO originated the role of Eliza Hamilton in the Broadway production of Hamilton. Her other Broadway roles include the title role in Amélie (2017), Rebecca in The Parisian Woman (2017), Cinderella in Into the Woods (2022), and Guinevere in Camelot (2023).

• ORTEGA (22A: "Wednesday" actress Jenna) Wednesday Addams is the daughter of the Addams Family franchise, which is based on characters created by cartoonist Charles Addams. Wednesday is a TV series based on the character that premiered on Netflix in November 2022. Jenna ORTEGA plays the title character.

• ALY (28A: Gymnast Raisman) ALY Raisman is a retired gymnast. She was the captain of the USA women's gymnastic team in 2012 (known as the "Fierce Five") and 2016 (known as the "Final Five"). Team USA won the gold medal in the women's gymnastics team competition both of those years. ALY Raisman's 2017 memoir is titled Fierce: How Competing for Myself Changed Everything.

• ASU (34A: Tempe sch. with a "Psychology of Taylor Swift" course) Arizona State University (ASU) is located in Tempe, Arizona. Beginning last fall, ASU joined several other schools around the world – such as Ghent University in Belgium and New York University – in offering a course associated with Taylor Swift. The ASU course is named "Psychology of Taylor Swift – Advanced Topics of Social Psychology." The course utilizes Taylor Swift's work and life to teach social psychology topics.

• KOI (59A: Fish with an Ochiba variety) KOI are colored varieties of carp. Ochiba KOI are light blue-gray, with copper, bronze, or yellow patterns.

• SIS (63A: Halle, to Chloe Bailey) Halle and Chloe Bailey are the sisters that comprise the R&B duo, Chloe x Halle. At the 2020 Billboard Women in Music ceremony, Chloe x Halle won the Rising Star Award, which was presented by their mentor, Beyoncé.

• RED HOTS (4D: Spicy cinnamon candies) RED HOTS were first introduced in the late 1930s by Ferrara Candy Company, and were originally marketed as "Cinnamon Imperials."

• TIGERS (5D: Big cats whose stripes are unique like fingerprints) The stripes of TIGERS function as camouflage, allowing them to blend into the trees and grass while stalking their prey. While stripes of bright orange and black might not seem to us like a good choice for camouflage, mammals that TIGERS hunt, like deer, are colorblind to orange. My cat, Willow, is always happy to see a mention of her big cat cousins in the puzzle. In honor of one of today's theme answers, I'm sharing a photo of Willow in BAGEL pose (though she's not quite as good at imitating a BAGEL as a BEAGLE is).

• ISLE OF DOGS (9D: 2018 stop-motion Wes Anderson film) The movie ISLE OF DOGS is set in the year 2038 in the fictional Japanese city of Megasaki. All DOGS have been banished to an island due to a canine influenza pandemic. A 12-year-old boy named Atari sets out to find his former pet on the ISLE OF DOGS.

• BEAGLE OR BAGEL (14D: Card game in which sleeping dogs might be mistaken for breakfast rolls) BEAGLE OR BAGEL? is a card game of optical illusions. As you might guess from the game's name, each of the game's 80 cards displays a photo of either a BEAGLE OR a BAGEL. Like Amie, I also learned about this game when Amanda Rafkin used it as a clue in her September 30, 2023 puzzle. It was fun to be able to use that knowledge today!

• URSA (26D: ___ Major) URSA Major, also known as the Great Bear, is a constellation visible in the northern sky. Its main seven stars form the "Big Dipper."

• TRUFFLE OIL (27D: Fungus-derived umami topping) TRUFFLEs are a type of fungi. TRUFFLE OIL may be made using the residue of TRUFFLEs, but interestingly, many TRUFFLE OILs are made without the use of TRUFFLEs, utilizing a synthetic compound. TRUFFLE OIL is sometimes used as a finishing OIL for dishes. We've seen TRUFFLE OIL as a theme answer before, but it's been a couple of years.

• REY (38D: Jedi Master played by Daisy Ridley) In the Star Wars franchise, REY is the main protagonist of the sequel film trilogy. Daisy Ridley portrays the Jedi Master REY in Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015), Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017), and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019).

• DELTAS (45D: Triangular Greek letters) We saw the singular DELTA as an answer in yesterday's puzzle. And if you read yesterday's "Off the Grid," you might remember I mentioned that a river DELTA is "so named because it is triangular-shaped liked the Greek letter DELTA."

• KEYS (55D: Singer Alicia) Alicia KEYS is a Grammy-Award-winning singer, songwriter, and classically trained pianist. Earlier this year, she performed in the Super Bowl LVIII halftime show, performing a duet, "My Boo," with headliner Usher.

• A few other clues I especially enjoyed:

  • BUTTS (25A: ___ in seats (presence-based mentality)

  • NO NOTES (35A: "That was perfect!")

  • LEG DAY (6D: Gym sesh with lunges)

Crossword Puzzle Theme Synopsis

• TRUFFLE OIL (27D: Fungus-derived umami topping)

• BEAGLE OR BAGEL (14D: Card game in which sleeping dogs might be mistaken for breakfast rolls)

• ISLE OF DOGS

Each theme answer contains the word LEO. In the grid, the word LEO is RISING, moving from left to right.

In astrology, a RISING sign refers to the astrological sign on the eastern horizon when a person is born. Fortunately, I didn't need to know about astrology to figure out that the word LEO is literally RISING in today's puzzle. This is a fun theme with an interesting set of theme answers. I happen to be a LEO, so that's an extra bonus. Thank you, Amie, for this delightful puzzle. (I really could have just said, "NO NOTES!")

For more on USA TODAY’s Crossword Puzzles

• USA TODAY’s Daily Crossword Puzzles

• Sudoku & Crossword Puzzle Answers

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Crossword Blog & Answers for March 20, 2024 by Sally Hoelscher