Benjamin Ashford|Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Period Piece

There are Benjamin Ashfordspoilers ahead. You might want to solve today's puzzle before reading further! Period Pieces

Constructor: Emma Lawson

Editor: Jared Goudsmit

What I Learned from Today’s Puzzle

• HINDU (48A: Like Ugadi and Holi) Ugadi, also known as Samvatsarādi, is the first day of the year (i.e. New Year's Day) according to the HINDU calendar. This year Ugadi falls on April 9 of the Gregorian calendar. Ugadi is celebrated by HINDUs in the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, and Goa. Holi, also known as the "festival of spring," is a HINDU festival celebrating the end of winter and the arrival of spring. Like Ugadi, the date of Holi is set by the HINDU calendar. Holi was celebrated on March 24 and 25 this year. I learned about Ugadi today, but since the clue provided two examples, I was able to successfully fill in the answer because I am familiar with Holi as a HINDU festival.
• ACT (50A: ___ your wage (do only the work you're paid to do)) "ACT your wage" is new to me, but its meaning is fairly inferable. The phrase refers to the idea of sticking firmly to your job description (what you're paid to do), and not taking on extra tasks.
• CREE (64A: Mandy Gull-Masty's heritage) Mandy Gull-Masty is a member of the CREE First Nation of Waswanipi. She is the current Grand Chief of the CREE Nation, and is the first woman to hold that position.
• LAURA (2D: Olympic gymnast Zeng) LAURA Zeng represented Team USA in rhythmic gymnastics at the 2016 and 2020 (held in 2021) Summer Olympics. LAURA Zeng announced her retirement from competitive rhythmic gymnastics in January 2022. She is currently a student at Yale University, and a staff reporter for the student newspaper, Yale Daily News, where she writes a bi-monthly column called "Ask an Olympian."
• LEE (5D: Actor Pace) LEE Pace portrayed Thranduil the Elvenking in The Hobbit trilogy movies: The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012), The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013), and The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (2014). He also played the role of Ronan the Accuser in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) movies, Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) and Captain Marvel (2019).
• LOTUS (18D: Flower in yeonkkot-cha) Yeonkkot-cha is LOTUS flower tea. It can be made using a fresh whole LOTUS flower, or dried petals.

Random Thoughts & Interesting Things

• DODO (16A: Extinct bird) The DODO was a flightless bird that lived on Mauritius, an island in the Indian Ocean east of Madagascar. DODOs have been extinct since the 1600s. Their extinction was a result of being hunted by sailors and invasive species, as well as destruction of habitat.
• PURPLE RAIN (17A: Prince song with a colorful name) Prince's song, "PURPLE RAIN," is the title track of his 1984 album. The album is the soundtrack for the 1984 movie – also titled PURPLE RAIN – that starred Prince. The song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2011. I imagine I'm not the only one that ended up with an earworm from this clue and answer. "PURPLE RAIN, PURPLE RAIN..."
• NAS (23A: "Rodeo" singer Lil ___ X) "Rodeo" is a 2019 song by Lil NAS X and Cardi B. A remix of "Rodeo" was released in 2020; that version was by Lil NAS X, and featured the rapper NAS. Lil NAS X and NAS performed "Rodeo" at the Grammy Awards ceremony the day before their remix was released.
• LOBE (35A: Part of the ear of the brain) This is a fun clue! The earLOBE is the lower portion of the outer ear. In the brain, the LOBEs are the different zones, such as the frontal LOBE or the occipital LOBE.
• BREW (37A: Prepare rooibos) Rooibos is a red tea made from the leaves of the rooibos plant. Rooibos is naturally caffeine-free.
• LEA (40A: Comic DeLaria) LEA DeLaria is a comedian, actress, and jazz singer. DeLaria integrates musical performance into her comedy, and has released several jazz albums. LEA DeLaria played the role of Carrie "Big Boo" Black on the TV series, Orange is the New Black. In 2022, LEA Delaria appeared on Broadway in the play POTUS: Or, Behind Every Great Dumbass Are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive.
• WARSAW (43A: Polish city where Chopin's heart is buried) Well, isn't this an intriguing clue? Frédéric Chopin (1810-1849) was a Polish composer. He spent the last half of his life living in Paris, France, which is where he died. Most of Frédéric Chopin's body is buried at the Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris. However, by his request, his doctor removed his heart after he died and preserved it in alcohol. His sister smuggled his heart into Poland, where it is in a crypt in the Church of the Holy Cross in WARSAW.
• POET (59A: Writer such as Mahmoud Darwish) Mahmoud Darwish (1941-2008) was regarded as a Palestinian national POET. I learned about Mahmoud Darwish from the May 18, 2022 puzzle that had a clue referencing one of Mahmoud Darwish's published collections of poetry, State of Siege.
• IDITAROD (8D: Annual Alaskan sled dog race) The IDITAROD Trail Sled Dog Race is held each year in early March. The race's route goes from Anchorage to Nome, Alaska.
• NOLA (30D: The Crescent City, for short) New Orleans, Louisiana –NOLA, for short – is a city of many nicknames: The Crescent City, The Big Easy, The City That Care Forgot, The City of Yes, and Hollywood South.
• CAPED (51D: Like Batgirl, costume-wise) This answer made me think of the character Edna Mode, the fashion designer in the movie The Incredibles, who is famously anti-CAPE.
• WES (60D: "Red Eye" director Craven) Red Eye is a 2005 thriller movie directed by WES Craven. The movie revolves around an assassination plot by a terrorist on a red-eye flight from Dallas, Texas to Miami, Florida.
• HRT (61D: Regimen that might involve estrogen (Abbr.)) HRT stands for hormone replacement therapy. 

Crossword Puzzle Theme Synopsis

• PURPLE RAIN (17A: Prince song with a colorful name)
• PUTTER AROUND (28A: Do a little of this and a little of that)
• EXCHANGE RATE (45A: Number of euros to the dollar, e.g.)
• WEATHER APP (60A: Download that offers forecasts)

Each theme answer contains a PERIOD of time in the form of the hidden word ERA: PURPLE RAIN, PUTTER AROUND, EXCHANGE RATE, WEATHER APP.

It took me a little while to catch on to the theme of today's puzzle, providing for a nice "Aha!" moment. I appreciate that the word ERA occurs across a word break in each theme answer, and that each possible split, ER-A and E-RA, is represented twice. Thank you, Emma, for this terrific puzzle.

For more on USA TODAY’s Crossword Puzzles

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