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

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

Constructor: Larry Snyder

Editor: Jared Goudsmit

Comments from Today’s Crossword Constructor

Larry: This is my first puzzle in USA TODAY, and I couldn't be happier to make my debut. It's also my first puzzle with left-right symmetry (as opposed to the more typical rotational symmetry). It took me a few tries to get a grid layout that I liked, but I'm happy with the result in the end. I love the entry HOMEWARD BOUND. The editors changed my clue from a Simon and Garfunkel reference to a (slightly) less dated Disney reference, but they're both good. Hope you enjoy the puzzle, and happy eclipse day!

What I Learned from Today’s Puzzle

• EDDIE (33A: NFL running back Lacy) EDDIE Lacy is a former NFL player. He played for the Green Bay Packers from 2013-2016, and was the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2013. He also played for the Seattle Seahawks in 2017. Add EDDIE Lacy to the sports information I've learned from crossword puzzles.
• ART (60A: Mizuhiki or sculpture) Mizuhiki is a Japanese ART that uses rice paper cord to create elaborate knots, which may be used to decorate envelopes for special occasions. This knot-tying art dates back to around the sixth century. Mizuhiki can also be used to create three-dimensional shapes. Although I learned about mizuhiki today, I recognized sculpture as an ART, and was able to fill in the answer. Providing two examples in a clue allows a solver to be successful if they are familiar with either example.
• RON (2D: Jazz bassist Carter) RON Carter is a Grammy Award-winning jazz musician who plays the double bass. In the mid 1960s, he was a member of the Miles Davis Quintet. He also plays the cello. In 2022, RON Carter recorded a Tiny Desk (Home) Concert for NPR.
• OPERA (54D: Show such as "Champion") Champion is a 2013 OPERA by Terence Blanchard (music) and Michael Cristofer (libretto). The OPERA was commissioned by Opera Theatre of Saint Louis and Jazz St. Louis, and is based on the life of boxer Emile Griffith.

Random Thoughts & Interesting Things

• PRAY (16A: "Eat, ___, Love") Eat, PRAY, Love: One Woman's Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia is a memoir by Elizabeth Gilbert, published in 2006. The book describes the author's trip around the world after her divorce, and the lessons she learned along the way. A movie based on the book was released in 2010 and starred Julia Roberts and Javier Bardem.
• EMPTY (23A: "No thoughts, head ___") "No thoughts, head EMPTY," is a catchphrase that has been attached to many different images posted on social media.
• WONTON (31A: Dumpling similar to jiaozi) WONTON and jiaozi are kinds of dumplings consisting of ground meat and/or vegetable filling wrapped in a thinly rolled piece of dough. WONTONs generally have a thinner wrapping and less filling than jiaozi. WONTONs are traditionally served in soup, while jiaozi are usually served with a dipping sauce.
• HOMEWARD BOUND (38A: 1993 Disney film about three voyaging pets) The 1993 movie HOMEWARD BOUND: The Incredible Journey is a remake of a 1963 movie, The Incredible Journey. The 1963 movie was based on Sheila Burnford's 1961 book of the same name. The movie tells the story of three pets: Chance, an American bulldog, Shadow, a Golden Retriever, and Sassy, a Himalayan Cat. My cat, Willow, is currently an only cat, but that hasn't always been the case. When our family adopted Willow 12 years ago, she became the third member of our pet trio. Unlike the HOMEWARD BOUND trio of two dogs and one cat, our trio was two cats and one dog. Fortunately, they never had a HOMEWARD BOUND adventure together.

• AURORA (53A: ___ borealis) The AURORA borealis is a natural light display in the sky that occurs when solar winds disturb the magnetosphere. Seeing the AURORA borealis is one of the few things I've consistently described as being on my bucket list. Someday!
• DUO (57A: Musical group like OutKast) OutKast is a hip hop DUO that originated from Atlanta, Georgia. The member of the DUO are Big Boi and André 3000.
• IRIS (68A: Blue flower in a Van Gogh painting) Vincent Van Gogh (1853-1890) painted several paintings of irises. One of his most famous IRIS paintings is titled simply Irises. It depicts a number of blue irises, as well as one white IRIS. Irises is currently part of the collection at the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles, California.
• TACOS (6D: Food items sometimes stuffed with birria)  In Mexican cuisine, birria is slow-cooked meat (goat, beef, or lamb) with chili peppers, garlic, cumin, bay leaves, and thyme. TACOS de birria is a U.S. adaptation of birria, using slow-cooked beef to make TACOS. The TACOS are served with a side of broth to be used as dipping sauce.
• NERDY (8D: Like a crossword enthusiast) Well, I resemble this answer!
• ARGENTINA (11D: Plaza de Mayo's country) Plaza de Mayo is a city square in Buenos Aires, ARGENTINA. Many important events and demonstrations have taken place on the Plaza de Mayo. Its name commemorates the May Revolution of 1810, which was a significant event leading to the independence of ARGENTINA from Spain in 1816.
• SNL (28D: Heidi Gardner's show) Heidi Gardner has been a cast member of SNL (Saturday Night Live) since 2017. One of Heidi Gardner's recurring SNL characters is Crystal (Your Co-Worker Who is Extremely Busy Doing Seemingly Nothing).
• NEW (30D: Korean ___ Year (Seollal)) The traditional Korean festival known as Seollal celebrates the Korean New Year. It is held on the first day of the lunisolar calendar. This year it was celebrated on February 10.
• A few other clues I especially enjoyed:
  • MATH (24D: Subject with signs and sines)
  • IDEA (36D: Product of a lightbulb moment)
  • ON MUTE (41D: "You're ___" (heads-up in a virtual meeting))

Crossword Puzzle Theme Synopsis

• OFF-ROAD BIKE (20A: Vehicle for pedaling on rugged trails)
• HOMEWARD BOUND (38A: 1993 Disney film about three voyaging pets)
• LABOR DAY WEEKEND (62A: First three-day break of the school year for many)

Each theme answer contains an anagram of the word BOARD, or put another way, the BOARD is SHUFFLEd in each answer: OFF-ROAD BIKE, HOMEWARD BOUND, LABOR DAY WEEKEND.

I suspected an anagram theme from the word "shuffle" in the title. I don't know if this theme type has an official name, but I refer to it as a hidden anagram, because the anagrams are not separate words, but instead are hidden in each theme answer. As Larry mentioned in his notes, this puzzle has left-right mirror symmetry; that is, the puzzle is symmetrical along a vertical line down the center of the puzzle. Congratulations to Larry Snyder making a USA TODAY debut! Thank you, Larry, for this enjoyable puzzle.

For more on USA TODAY’s Crossword Puzzles

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