Off the Grid: Sally breaks down Paste BN's daily crossword puzzle, The Back Nine
There are spoilers ahead. You might want to solve today's puzzle before reading further! The Back Nine
Constructor: Maddy Ziegler
Editor: Anna Gundlach
What I Learned from Today’s Puzzle
- DUEL (32A: 7 Wonders ___ (two-player card game)) The card game 7 Wonders DUEL (2015) is a two-player spin-off of the board game 7 Wonders (2010). As you might guess from the names, the games are themed around the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. This game is new to me, but I'm always on the lookout for interesting games that can be played with two players, so I'm happy to learn about it.
- DECKS (68A: Sets of PowerPoint slides) I have used PowerPoint to create a number of presentations, but the terminology of DECKS to refer to those presentations is new to me. I'm always learning.
- WYATT (9D: Comedian Cenac) I was not familiar with the comedian WYATT Cenac, but I enjoyed poking around his website, learning about him and watching clips of some of his work. One of his projects is an HBO documentary series called WYATT Cenac's Problem Areas (2018-2019), which takes a look at a variety of topics such as "Space Problems," "Sidewalk Problems," and "Inequality Problems." (Bonus: On WYATT Cenac's website I came across the word DECK used to refer to a PowerPoint presentation: "and if you're curious, this is the pitch DECK used to originally sell the show.")
Random Thoughts & Interesting Things
- ALE (23A: Pub order) ALE making back-to-back appearances in the puzzle, as we saw it yesterday.
- TAPAS (27A: Appetizers like croquetas and chopitos) TAPAS are a variety of appetizers or snacks popular in Spanish cuisine. Croquetas are a type of fried dumpling made of a thick batter surrounding a filling. Chopitos are battered and fried cuttlefish (baby squid).
- AHI (35A: Yellowfin tuna) and SEA (37A: Yellowfin tuna's home) Nice clue echo in these consecutive clues.
- RPGS (44A: Baldur's Gate 3 and Diablo IV, for short) RPGS here stands for role-playing games, games in which players assume the roles of characters in the game's narrative. The RPGS Baldur's Gate 3 and Diablo IV are video games released in 2023. As you might guess from the numbers in their titles, both of these games are parts of series.
- AOL (54A: "You've got mail" ISP) I have previously written about Elwood Edwards, who voiced the iconic "You've got mail" message for AOL. Elwood Edwards died earlier this month at the age of 74. His voice will live on in my head.
- MOE (56A: "The Simpsons" bartender) Crossword references to the animated TV series The Simpsons are not uncommon. Even though I don't watch the show, I've picked up quite a bit of Simpsons knowledge from solving crosswords. However, I often need the help of crossing answers to jog my memory, as was the case today. MOE Szyslak, voiced by Hank Azaria, is the owner of MOE's Tavern.
- ALIEN INVASION (57A: Scenario in "War of the Worlds") War of the Worlds is a 2005 Steven Spielberg movie about an ALIEN INVASION. Tom Cruise and Dakota Fanning star as a father and daughter trying to survive the ALIEN INVASION. The movie is loosely based on the late 1800s novel, The War of the Worlds, by H. G. Wells.
- BASIL (61A: Caprese salad ingredient) A caprese salad features fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, and BASIL. Yum!
- OCTOPUS (11D: Sea creature that can unscrew bottle caps) This is a fun fact. If an OCTOPUS is presented with a jar containing food (say a crab), it can unscrew the lid to get at its meal. Amazingly, an OCTOPUS can also unscrew a jar from the inside if it is contained in a jar. Octopuses are intelligent animals, and have been shown to draw on both short- and long-term memory when solving problems.
- AUTHOR: (22D: Kazuo Ishiguro or Sally Rooney) Kazuo Ishiguro is a Japanese-born British AUTHOR who was awarded the 2017 Nobel Prize in Literature. His novels include A Pale View of Hills (1982), An Artist of the Floating World (1986), and The Remains of the Day (1989). Sally Rooney is an Irish AUTHOR (with an amazing first name, I might add) whose books include Conversations with Friends (2017), Normal People (2018), Beautiful World, Where Are You (2021), and Intermezzo (2024). Her first two novels have been adapted for TV. I appreciate that this clue provides two examples so that solvers can be successful even if they are only familiar with one of these AUTHORs.
- NYE (39D: "Science Guy" Bill) I wrote about Bill NYE a few days ago. Always happy to see a science educator in the puzzle.
- NOODLE (50D: Piece of bucatini) A bucatini NOODLE is essentially a hollow spaghetti NOODLE.
- A few other clues I especially enjoyed:
- PLAN (5A: "It's all going according to ___!")
- ASLEEP (3D: Like Show White, after biting the poisoned apple)
- PHONE (5D: Device ignored during a digital detox)
Crossword Puzzle Theme Synopsis
- OPEN INVITATION (20A: Standing offer to visit)
- WHEN IN ROME (38A: "Well, if this is the local custom...")
- ALIEN INVASION (57A: Scenario in "War of the Worlds")
THE BACK NINE: Each theme answer contains the letter string E-N-I-N, which is the word NINE BACKwards: OPEN INVITATION, WHEN IN ROME, and ALIEN INVASION .
After solving this puzzle, I had the thought that these three theme answers could be strung together to form the plot of a sci-fi book (perhaps set in an ancient empire?): WHEN IN ROME, remember there's an OPEN INVITATION for an ALIEN INVASION. It's a good thing this puzzle is better than my plot idea. Last month I met Maddy at the Midwest Crossword Puzzle Tournament in Chicago, and she told me she had an upcoming Paste BN puzzle. I was delighted to see it pop up in the queue. Congratulations to Maddy Ziegler making a Paste BN debut! Thank you, Maddy, for this excellent puzzle.