Off the Grid: Sally breaks down Paste BN's crossword, We Finish Each Other's Sandwiches
There are spoilers ahead. You might want to solve today's puzzle before reading further! We Finish Each Other's Sandwiches
Constructors: Olivia Mitra Framke & Sally Hoelscher
Editor: Amanda Rafkin
Comments from Today’s Crossword Constructor
Olivia: No notes! I'll let Sally speak for both of us on this one.
Sally: Back in July, Olivia sent me four phrases she'd like to use as theme answers in puzzles. One of them was PINK PONY CLUB. A few days later (after looking up PINK PONY CLUB and discovering it's a song title...), I sent her this theme set. We've also come up with themes using Olivia's other ideas, but this is the first of that set to be published. Stay tuned! It's always a joy to collaborate with Olivia. This puzzle was no exception.
Random Thoughts & Interesting Things
- PINK PONY CLUB (19A: Chappell Roan song that begins, "I know you wanted me to stay...") "PINK PONY CLUB" is a song from Chappell Roan's debut studio album, The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess (2023). We have seen a number of Chappell Roan songs referenced in the puzzle over the last year. Regular readers of "Off the Grid" may remember that several times I've placed a Chappell Roan song reference in the "What I've Learned" section and commented, "I know of Chappell Roan, but I'm not familiar with all of her songs." At one point during the process of making this puzzle, Amanda commented, "Love the pipeline of Sally not knowing Chappell Roan to having one of her songs as a theme answer." I have Olivia to thank for that!
- EAT IT (35A: Faceplant ... or an apt phrase in a sandwich-themed puzzle) We did not originally set out to include EAT IT in this grid. However, when it popped up as a possibility while we were filling the grid, we knew it was too good to pass up. We're delighted to have been able to include this bonus answer.
- YELLOW SUBMARINE (Beatles song that begins, "In the town where I was born...") The Beatles released the song, "YELLOW SUBMARINE" in 1966. After recording the main track for the song and the vocals, the Beatles had a recording session specifically to overdub nautical and party sound effects. The sound of ocean waves were made by swirling water around a bathtub. The song inspired the 1968 animated movie of the same name. My husband is a Beatles fan, so I was happy to get this answer in the puzzle for him.
- ISLAM (53A: Religion with five pillars) The five pillars of ISLAM are the foundation of Muslim life. The pillars are basic acts considered mandatory by believers. The five pillars of Sunni ISLAM are: Shahada (Profession of Faith), Salat (Prayer), Zakat (Almsgiving), Shawm (Fasting), and Hajj (Pilgrimage). Shia ISLAM has the same basic acts, but they differ in the naming and numbering.
- JUKE BOX HERO (55A: Foreigner song that begins, "Standing in the rain, with his head hung low...") "JUKE BOX HERO" is a song from Foreigner's 1981 album, 4. The song was written by Lou Gramm and Mick Jones, and was inspired by a fan of theirs who waited in the rain for five hours outside of a sold out Foreigner concert. Impressed by his dedication, they invited him backstage.
- NINE (64A: Alleged number of lives for a cat) I estimate that my cat, Willow, has used up at least one of her NINE lives. (There was the time I accidentally stepped on her tail...) Hopefully she still has plenty of life left in her.
- RENE (65A: "Avengers: Endgame" actress Russo) RENE Russo portrays Frigga, the mother of Thor in the 2019 movie Avengers: Endgame. She also plays Frigga in Thor (2011) and The Dark World (2013).
- STAKE (4D: Buffy's weapon of choice) This is, obviously, a reference to the title character of the TV series Buffy the Vampire SLAYER (1997-2003). In our collaborations, Olivia and I usually try to work in a cat reference (for me) and a Star Wars reference (for Olivia). We weren't able to figure out a way to get a Star Wars reference into this puzzle, but Olivia said she was okay with it since we referenced Buffy.
- KENYA (7D: Nairobi's country) KENYA is an East African country. Nairobi is its capital and largest city.
- GRU (15A: "Despicable Me" role) The animated movie Despicable Me was released in 2010, introducing the world to GRU (voiced by Steve Carell), a supervillain who turns out to be not as evil as he thought he was. Despicable Me also introduced the Minions, GRU's childlike yellow assistants. The most recent movie starring GRU – now a reformed supervillain – is Despicable Me 4, which was released earlier this year.
- LAW (29D: "She-Hulk: Attorney at ___") She-Hulk: Attorney at LAW is a Disney+ TV series based on the Marvel comics character She-Hulk. Jennifer Susan Walters (portrayed by Tatiana Maslany) is a lawyer who receives an emergency blood transfusion from her cousin, Bruce Banner (Hulk). As a result, Walters acquires a mild version of Banner's Hulk condition. Unlike Hulk, She-Hulk largely retains her personality when she transforms into a large, powerful, green version of herself. She-Hulk specializes in LAW cases involving superhumans.
- BEATRIX (32D: Final Fantasy IX enemy-turned-ally) In the role-playing video game Final Fantasy IX, BEATRIX starts out as an antagonist of the players and a supporter of Queen Brahne. She eventually changes course and becomes an ally of the players. This clue was all Olivia! (This will come as no surprise to those who know that I don't play many video games.)
- MIA (40D: "Pearl" co-writer and star Goth) Pearl is a 2022 horror movie. It serves as an origin story for its title character, who first appeared in the movie X, which was released six months before Pearl. MIA Goth portrays Pearl in both movies. In X, MIA Goth portrays a young woman named Maxine, and an elderly woman named Pearl. In Pearl, MIA Goth portrays the character as a young woman. I don't watch horror movies, so I haven't seen either of these films.
- ELEVEN (47D: Number of Chinese zodiac signs that are real animals) The Chinese zodiac follows a 12-year cycle, with an animal assigned to each year. As the clue informs us, ELEVEN of the Chinese zodiac signs are real animals: rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog, and pig. (We are currently in the Year of the Rat.) The one Chinese zodiac animal that is not real is the dragon.
- SHORE (54D: Jersey ___) Here we have a shoutout to Olivia's state of New Jersey. Jersey SHORE is, of course, the coastal region of the state along the Atlantic Ocean. The 141 miles of coastline that comprise the Jersey SHORE is famous for its beaches and boardwalks, making it a popular vacation destination.
- JADE (55D: ___ Carey (Olympic gymnast) JADE Carey was part of Team USA's women's gymnastics team at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo (held in 2021) and the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. She won a gold medal on floor exercise at the 2020 Olympics. At the 2024 Olympics, JADE Carey won a gold medal with her team, and a bronze medal on vault.
- BONE (56D: Shape of a dog's tag, perhaps) Although we didn't get a Star Wars reference in the puzzle, we did work in a dog reference so we could share a picture of Olivia's dog, Charlie. Bonus: He has a BONE-shaped tag in this photo!
- TWO (58D: II) Somehow we managed to end up with three numbers in this grid. It occurs to me that we could have clued TWO as [47-Down minus 64-Across].
Crossword Puzzle Theme Synopsis
- PINK PONY CLUB (19A: Chappell Roan song that begins, "I know you wanted me to stay...")
- YELLOW SUBMARINE (Beatles song that begins, "In the town where I was born...")
- JUKE BOX HERO (55A: Foreigner song that begins, "Standing in the rain, with his head hung low...")
WE FINISH EACH OTHER'S SANDWICHES: Each theme answer is a song title that ends (FINISHes) with a type of SANDWICH.
When Olivia and I first sent this theme to Amanda, she liked the theme, but asked us to do some brainstorming for a new title. Brainstorm we did ... and sent Amanda 15 title ideas! Some of them were definitely on the wacky side, including an idea Olivia came up with that we included just for comic relief: The Right Sandwich (Sally's Version). We were delighted that Amanda chose "We Finish Each Other's Sandwiches" as the title, as we think it's fun and a bit on the silly side. "We Finish Each Other's Sandwiches" is a line from the song "Love Is an Open Door," which is sung by Anna and Hans in the movie Frozen. (I wrote about this song last month when we saw it in a clue.) I like that this title is from a song so it fits in with the musical vibes of the puzzle. Thank you, Olivia, for continuing to collaborate with me. Thanks, Amanda, for fabulous editing, as always. And thank you, reader, for solving our puzzle and for reading my thoughts. I hope you enjoyed this puzzle.