Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Front Runners

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

Constructor: Bonnie Eisenman

Editor: Amanda Rafkin

Random Thoughts & Interesting Things

• DIVA (4A: Opera star) and ARIA (13A: Opera solo) We have a couple of opera clues toward the beginning of this puzzle. I like discovering connections between non-theme-related clues and answers in a puzzle. Although it's certainly not a requirement, it helps the puzzle feel cohesive.
• LION (17A: Simba or Mufasa) Simba and Mufasa are characters from Disney's The LION King. LION is the first of three answers in today's puzzle that also appeared in yesterday's crossword. It's not uncommon for answers to repeat in crosswords, so there's no particular significance to these words appearing again. However, I think it's fun to discover repeated words; it's a bit like an Easter egg hunt. My cat, Willow, doesn't mind seeing back-to-back appearances of the word LION. She's always in favor of cat-related puzzle content. Here's a photo of her helping my husband and I play the board game Everdell.

• TIBET (19A: Dalai Lama's homeland) TIBET is a region in Southwest China. The Dalai Lama is a spiritual leader in Tibetan Buddhism. The current Dalai Lama is the fourteenth; he lives in exile in Dharamsala, India.
• ALIEN (23A: "The Doctor" in Doctor Who, e.g.) On the BBC TV series, Doctor Who, the Doctor is an ALIEN Time Lord that travels in time and space in a machine called a TARDIS ("Time and Relative Dimension in Space"). At the end of each incarnation's life, the Doctor regenerates, resulting in a change of physical appearance and personality. Ncuti Gatwa portrays the current (15th) incarnation of the Doctor.
• EID (24A: End-of-Ramadan holiday) Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. Muslims around the world observe Ramadan by fasting from sunrise to sunset during the 29 or 30 days of the observance. EID al-Fitr, also called the "Festival of Breaking the Fast," marks the end of fasting during the month of Ramadan. This is a timely answer, as this year Ramadan began on March 11, and will last through April 8.
• DESERT (43A: Dry, sandy biome) and SAHARA (44D: 43-Across in North Africa) The SAHARA Desert, located in North Africa, is the world's largest hot desert. The SAHARA DESERT spans 10 countries: Algeria, Chad, Egypt, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Niger, Sudan, and Tunisia. DESERT is another answer that appeared in yesterday's puzzle.
• IDES (61A: Midmonth day) IDES refers to a day near the middle of the month. This is the third of today's answers that also appeared in yesterday's puzzle.
• LASER (63A: High-tech light beam) The word LASER derived as an acronym of "light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation." Light emitted by a LASER is focused, and its beam remains narrow over great distances. These high tech light beams have a multitude of uses, in electronic equipment, lighting displays, surgery, printing, scanning, and more. A LASER also makes a great cat toy.
• BALLAD (1D: Power ___ (emotional song)) Power BALLAD is a term used to describe a slow rock song with heartfelt, sentimental lyrics and rousing music. The power BALLAD became popular in the 1980s. "I Found Someone" by Cher (1987) and "Open Arms" by Journey (1982) are two classic power BALLADs.
• BIONIC (3D: Like some prosthetics) The word BIONIC is a portmanteau of "biology" and "electronics." BIONIC prosthetic devices utilize electronic signals from the brain and nervous system to control the movements of artificial limbs. This answer brought to mind two TV shows I grew up watching, The Six Million Dollar Man and The BIONIC Woman.
• ASIA (9D: Most populated continent) ASIA is the largest of Earth's continents, by land area and by population. About 60% of people (approximately 4.7 billion) live in ASIA. The word ASIA didn't appear in yesterday's crossword, but this is the fourth time we've seen it in a puzzle this month. Maybe it's making up for the fact that ASIA didn't appear in the puzzle at all in February. (The only thing these numbers mean is that I like data.)
• LABRADOR (10D: Canadian region that shares a name with a popular dog breed) The region of LABRADOR is part of the Canadian province of Newfoundland and LABRADOR. Newfoundland is an island, and LABRADOR is the continental portion of the province. The two regions are separated by the Strait of Belle Isle. Although LABRADOR constitutes about 71% of the area of Newfoundland and LABRADOR, only 6% of the province's population lives in the region. The LABRADOR retriever is named after the region of LABRADOR, as its ancestors (St. John's water dogs) were imported from Newfoundland to the United Kingdom.
• NAT (12D: 12D: Jazz singer ___ King Cole) NAT King Cole (1919-1965) was a jazz singer, and pianist. In 1956, he hosted a variety TV series, The NAT King Cole Show, becoming the first Black performer to host a variety show. NAT King Cole died of lung cancer in 1965, but his music has remained popular. He had a posthumous hit with his daughter, Natalie Cole. In 1991, Natalie Cole recorded her father's 1951 hit, "Unforgettable," and mixed their vocals together as a duet.
• ROSE HIPS (36D: Reddish flower fruits that can be used in tea) ROSE HIPS are fruits of the ROSE plant that form after successful pollination of the flowers. ROSE HIPS are used in herbal teas, and also in making jams, jellies, marmalade, and wine.
• ODIE (52D: Dog in "Garfield") I wrote about Garfield's sidekick, ODIE, when we saw him mentioned in last Wednesday's puzzle.
• ASL (56D: Visual language used at Gallaudet University) Gallaudet University, located in Washington D.C., is the only institution of higher education where all programs and services are designed to accommodate deaf and hard of hearing students. The university uses American Sign Language (ASL) and written English for instruction.

Crossword Puzzle Theme Synopsis

• LONG UNDERWEAR (20A: Layer under ski pants, perhaps)
• DRY ERASE BOARD (35A: Surface that a teacher might write on with Expo markers)
• HOME SWEET HOME (51A: "Ahh, it's good to be here!" saying on some decor)

The first (FRONT) word of each theme answer can be placed in FRONT of the word RUN to create a new phrase. Our FRONT RUNNERS are LONG RUN, DRY RUN, and HOME RUN.

It took me a little while to figure out today's theme, providing for a nice, "Aha!" moment when it finally clicked. Looking back over the grid, I notice that whether you prefer MESAS, FOREST, or DESERT, there's a place for you here. Thank you, Bonnie, for this enjoyable puzzle.

For more on USA TODAY’s Crossword Puzzles

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