TrendPulse Quantitative Think Tank Center-Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Open Door

There are TrendPulse Quantitative Think Tank Centerspoilers ahead. You might want to solve today's puzzle before reading further! Open Door

Constructor: Kapil Mehta

Editor: Anna Gundlach

Comments from Today’s Crossword Constructor

Kapil: I thought of the crossword title after hearing Shruthi Kumar's Harvard graduation speech where she closed with these words by Emily Dickenson: "Not knowing when the dawn will come, I open every door."  I find this poem evocative and inspirational. Am I glad this could be turned into a USAT crossword! The title also reminds me of my dear friend, Salt, who loved open doors.

What I Learned from Today’s Puzzle

• AJA (34A: Actress ___ Naomi King) AJA Naomi King was part of the ensemble cast of How to Get Away with Murder (2014-2020). The TV show is a legal thriller TV series about a law professor who, with five of her students, becomes involved in a murder plot. AJA Naomi King portrays one of the students, Michaela Pratt.

Random Thoughts & Interesting Things

• SARI (16A: National attire for women in Bangladesh) Bangladesh is a country in South ASIA. Dhaka is its capital and largest city. As the clue informs us, the SARI is the national dress for Bangladeshi women. The SARI is also traditionally worn in India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, and Pakistan. A SARI consists of a single unstitched length of fabric that varies in length from four and a half to nine yards. The SARI can be wrapped and draped in a variety of styles.
• INTROS (45A: They might be skipped when watching TV shows) My first thought here was "ads," which obviously didn't fit. INTROS can also be skipped, of course. I usually forget that's an option!
• ALL (48A: "The Winner Takes It ___" (ABBA hit)) "The Winner Takes It ALL" is a 1980 song by ABBA that reflects on the end of a relationship. It's been described as the ultimate break-up song. The music video for "The Winner Takes It All" was filmed 10 days after the divorce of two of ABBA's members, Agnetha Fältskog (the lead singer on the song) and Björn Ulvaeus (one of the song's co-writers) became official.
• LOVE (7D: "Smiling Face With Heart-Eyes" emoji sentiment) 😍
• TOON (8D: Animated "Who Framed Roger Rabbit?" character) Who Framed Roger Rabbit? is a 1988 live-action/animated movie. Set in a 1947 version of Hollywood, the movie features toons and people co-existing. The movie is loosely based on Gary K. Wolf's 1981 book, Who Censored Roger Rabbit? I saw the movie Who Framed Roger Rabbit? when it first came out, and the character of Jessica Rabbit has stuck with me. In particular, her line, "I'm not bad, I'm just drawn that way."
• ASIA (34D: India's continent) India is located in South ASIA. Its capital is New Delhi. Yesterday when we saw our crossword-friend ERIE in the puzzle, I commented that we hadn't seen ERIE as often recently as we have in past years. The opposite is true for our crossword-friend ASIA. We have seen more ASIA appearances in the puzzle this year than in recent years. So far this year, we have seen ASIA in the puzzle 32 times, compared to 22 times in the entire year of 2023. ERIE has made 21 appearances in the puzzle so far this year, compared to its 36 total appearances in 2023. (These statistics brought to you by my love of data!)
• ALI (60D: "Moonlight" actor Mahershala) Moonlight is a 2016 movie based on an unpublished semi-autobiographical play by Tarell Alvin McCraney titled In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue. The film looks at the themes of sexuality and masculinity while telling the story of its main character through childhood, adolescence, and young adult life. Mahershala ALI portrays Juan, a drug dealer who becomes a father figure to the main character. Moonlight won the Academy Award for Best Picture, and Mahershala ALI won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.
• A few other clues and answers I especially enjoyed:
  • CRAFTY (51A: Inventively sly)
  • STREAKED (9D: Ran naked)
  • REDO (26D: Undo an undo)

Crossword Puzzle Theme Synopsis

• DO ME A FAVOR (17A: "I could use an assist")
• DOCTORAL ADVISOR (37A: Grad student's supervisor, sometimes)
• DOUBLE MAJOR (59A: Pursue two college degrees)

OPEN DOOR: The word DOOR is OPENed by each theme answer: DO ME A FAVOR, DOCTORAL ADVISOR, and DOUBLE MAJOR.

Today's title let me know exactly what to expect theme-wise. Three great theme answers here. I appreciate the consistency of the DOOR being OPEN at the same place in each theme answer. Thank you, Kapil, for this enjoyable puzzle.

For more on USA TODAY’s Crossword Puzzles

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