Yahoo Lifestyle Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Ahead of Time
There are spoilers ahead. You might want to solve today's puzzle before reading further! Ahead of Time
Constructor: Beth Rubin
Editor: Anna Gundlach
Random Thoughts & Interesting Things
SPA (6A: Place to get a hot stone massage) A hot stone massage – an option at some SPAs – is pretty much exactly what it sounds like. Hot stones are placed on the body (usually separated from the skin by a cloth or towel). A hot stone massage may be used for pain relief and/or relaxation. The temperature of the stones is closely monitored to protect recipients from burns.
DUNE (9A: Sci-fi saga with sandworms) The sci-fi franchise Dune began with the 1965 book by Frank Herbert. New books have been added to the franchise since then, as well as movies, TV series, and games. Central to the Dune stories is the fictional desert planet, Arrakis, which is the only source of the most valuable substance in the Dune universe, a spice called melange. Arrakis is home to giant sandworms that guard the deposits of melange.
UNO (17A: Game with Skip cards) and OMITS (18A: Fails to mention) These two answers aren't related, but because they are consecutive, when I read the clue for OMITS after filling in UNO, I thought, "Speaking of skipping..."
STL (24A: Letters on a Cardinals baseball cap) Go Cards! Although I generally don't follow sports, the St. Louis Cardinals are the one team I am most familiar with. I grew up in Missouri and was raised as a Cardinals baseball fan.
REASON (46A: "Give Me One ___" (Tracy Chapman song)) I have previously written about Tracy Chapman's 1995 song "Give Me One REASON," which won a Grammy Award for Best Rock Song. "Give me one REASON to stay here / and I'll turn right back around..."
SIT (48A: Get into lotus position, say) The lotus position is a cross-legged position in which each foot is rested on the opposite thigh. Some people SIT in lotus position while meditating.
BTS (54A: "Dynamite" K-pop group) "Dynamite" is a 2020 song by the K-pop band BTS. It was the band's first song fully in English. BTS has paused their musical activities to allow the members to complete their 18 months of mandatory South Korean military service. All of the BTS members are scheduled to complete their military service by June of this year, although the timing of a possible BTS reunion is still up in the air.
EWOKS (66A: "Return of the Jedi" critters) In the Star Wars franchise, EWOKS are small, furry, bipedal creatures that inhabit the forests of Endor, a fictional moon. EWOKS made their debut in Return of the Jedi (1983).
SHAQ (1D: Fifteen-time NBA All Star O'Neal, familiarly) Shaquille O'Neal, whose nickname is SHAQ, is a former professional basketball player and a current sports analyst for Inside the NBA. During his 19-year NBA career, SHAQ played for the Orlando Magic (1992-1996), the Los Angeles Lakers (1996-2004), the Miami Heat (2004-2008), the Phoenix Suns (2008-2009), the Cleveland Cavaliers (2009-2010), and the Boston Celtics (2010-2011). And, as the clue informs us, 15 of those years he was an NBA All Star (1993-1998, 2000-2007, 2009).
NOT (11D: "Sorry ___ sorry") This clue made me chuckle.
ERIKA (21D: "American Fiction" actress Alexander) American Fiction is a 2023 movie based on Percival Everett's 2001 book, Erasure. It tells the story of a Black professor who – frustrated with the lack of success of his novels – writes a satirical novel mocking the stereotyped writing expected of Black authors. To his surprise, the novel is mistaken for serious literature and becomes successful. Jeffrey Wright portrays the author, Dr. Thelonious "Monk" Ellison. ERIKA Alexander portrays an attorney named Coraline.
LYDIA (26D: Winona's "Beetlejuice" role) Beetlejuice is a 1988 movie with a 2024 sequel called Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. Both movies center on a devious ghost named Betelgeuse. In the 1988 movie, Winona Ryder portrays LYDIA, a teenage girl who is capable of seeing the ghosts living in the house her father and stepmother have purchased. Betelgeuse attempts to marry LYDIA, but – spoiler alert! – is thwarted in his efforts. Winona Ryder reprises her role as LYDIA in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. LYDIA is now grown and has a teenage daughter of her own, from whom she is estranged at the beginning of the movie.
ABBA (28A: "Dancing Queen" band) Click this link if you need a dose of ABBA's 1976 song, "Dancing Queen" to brighten your day. (You do, you really do...) You can dance, you can jive / Having the time of your life..."
DOTTY (33D: Nickname for Dorothy) In addition to DOTTY, nicknames for Dorothy include Do, Dory, Dolly, and Thea.
KITTY CAT (42D: Cute housepet who might sleep in a cardboard box) At our house, we refer to cardboard boxes as "cat traps." My KITTY CAT, Willow, is not immune to these traps. We take advantage of this fact when we are playing board games and need to keep her from interfering with the game. By the way, Willow is appreciative of the fact that there has been a CAT reference every day so far in 2025.
IBM (49D: Co. that introduced the hard disk drive) This clue made me curious about when IBM invented the hard disk drive. IBM engineers in San Jose, California invented the hard drive in 1956, and it was first sold as part of the IBM 305 RAMAC (Random Access Method of Accounting and Control).
Crossword Puzzle Theme Synopsis
QUIET ON THE SET (19A: Film director's order)
BED AND BREAKFAST (40A: Quaint place to stay the night)
STORY OF MY LIFE (56A: "This ALWAYS happens to me")
AHEAD OF TIME: The first and last words of each theme answer can be placed AHEAD OF the word TIME. This gives us QUIET TIME, SET TIME, BEDTIME, BREAKFAST TIME, STORY TIME, and LIFETIME.
As I was solving, I immediately noticed that the first words of the theme answers could be placed AHEAD OF the word TIME. It was only later that I realized AHEAD OF TIME could also apply to the last word of each theme answer. This made for a nice "Aha!" moment, and feels like a nice bonus. Thank you, Beth, for this great puzzle.
For more on USA TODAY’s Crossword Puzzles
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Crossword Blog & Answers for January 4, 2025 by Sally Hoelscher
