Off the Grid: Sally breaks down Paste BN's daily crossword puzzle, The Right Stuff
There are spoilers ahead. You might want to solve today's puzzle before reading further! The Right Stuff
Constructor: Deanne Cliburn
Editors: Darby Ratliff and Amanda Rafkin
What I Learned from Today’s Puzzle
- SEPHORA (39D: Retailer with a "Beauty Insider" loyalty program) SEPHORA is a cosmetics company founded in Paris, France in 1969. "Beauty Insider" is the SEPHORA's loyalty program, which works similarly to those of other companies, allowing members to accumulate points with purchases and access rewards and savings depending on how much they purchase in a year. Cosmetics companies are one of the many topics that I mostly know about from solving crosswords. While I didn't know the answer to this clue, I was able to make an educated guess by running through the beauty product suppliers I've learned about from solving puzzles – Fenty, Ulta, Avon, e.l.f., SEPHORA – only one of those options fit.
- TSA (42A: Bin provider for the "airport tray aesthetic") Although I immediately filled in this answer, I was extremely confused by the phrase, "airport tray aesthetic." I wondered whether this is some new thing that I am (blissfully, I might add) unaware of. Yes, that's exactly what it is. Apparently, creatively arranging your items in bins at TSA checkpoints, taking a photo, and posting it online is a social media trend receiving a lot of attention at the moment. Now I know.
Random Thoughts & Interesting Things
- ARMOR (5A: Turtle's shell or pangolin's scales, for example) Animals have a number of methods of protecting themselves. Some animals, like turtles and pangolins, carry their ARMOR with them. A turtle's shell is comprised of bone and keratin (a protein in human hair and fingernails). In addition to acting as ARMOR, a turtle's shell provides protection from wind and rain. A pangolin, also known as a scaly anteater, is the only mammal that has large, keratin scales covering its skin. For protection, a pangolin can curl itself into a ball with only its scales exposed. Pangolins are found in Asia and Africa.
- GERE (16A: "Pretty Woman" actor Richard) It has been 34 years since the movie Pretty Woman was released. Richard GERE and Julia Roberts star in this story about a wealthy businessman and a Hollywood escort. I remember seeing Pretty Woman in the theater when it first came out. (Has it really been 34 years?) There are some highly enjoyable scenes in this movie, such as the iconic shopping scene (that doesn't feature Richard GERE, but I'm linking to it anyway).
- HRT (23A: Gender-affirming treatment) HRT stands for hormone replacement therapy.
- ATL (24A: Capital of GA) The abbreviation of Georgia as GA in the clue alerts solvers that the answer, Atlanta or ATL, will be abbreviated as well.
- PRANCER (25A: Teammate of Dasher, Dancer and Vixen) All together now, "You know Dasher and Dancer and PRANCER and Vixen..." The use of the word teammate here made me smile.
- SPEED (29A: Cheetah's forte) Known for its SPEED, the cheetah is the fastest land animal. A cheetah is capable of running at a SPEED of 50 - 80 miles per hour. Not only are cheetahs fast, they can also accelerate quickly, going from zero to top speed in just about three seconds. My cat, Willow, is impressed by her big cat cousin, but sitting on my lap is more her SPEED.
- ICEE (56A: Slush Puppie competitor) ICEE and Slush Puppie are brands of frozen drinks. One difference between the two brands is that an ICEE is carbonated, while a Slush Puppie is not.
- ROOK (62A: Chess piece used in castling) I know just enough about chess to know that castling involves the ROOK and the king, and can only be done if those two pieces haven't moved yet, and if the squares between them are vacant. When castling, the king moves two spaces toward the ROOK, and the ROOK moves to the space the king passed over.
- TET (4D: Vietnamese Lunar New Year) TẾT, short for TẾT Nguyên Ðán, and also known as Vietnamese Lunar New Year, celebrates the arrival of spring based on the Vietnamese calendar. TẾT is one of the most important celebrations in Vietnamese culture. The next celebration of TẾT will by January 29, 2025.
- MOJO (7D: ___ Jojo ("The Powerpuff Girls" antagonist)) The Powderpuff Girls is an animated TV series and media franchise about Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup, genetically engineered little girls with superpowers. The girls' father, Professor Utonium is a scientist. An anthropomorphic chimpanzee named Jojo was Professor Utonium's lab assistant, but the same accident that gave the Powerpuff Girls their superpowers gave the ape super-intelligence. He is now MOJO Jojo, a mad scientist and the main antagonist of the Powerpuff Girls.
- PERU (25D: Machu Picchu's country) Machu Picchu is located in the Andes mountains in southern PERU. A 15th-century citadel and one of the most well-known examples of Incan architecture, Machu Picchu was most likely constructed as an estate of the Incan emperor, Pachacuti.
- PIQUE (30D: Stimulate, like curiosity) I'm highlighting this answer simply because I enjoy the word PIQUE.
- PERIDOT (40D: August birthstone) PERIDOT is a green gemstone. As a Leo with an August birthday, PERIDOT is my birthstone. And yet, it was only last week that I discovered some people pronounce the name of this gem with a silent T! In fact, although Merriam-Webster lists both pronunciations, most jewelers and gemstone collectors do not pronounce the T in PERIDOT.
- ENCORE (45D: "Play another song!") My husband and I recently attended a fabulous "Beatles and Bach" concert that featured a string quartet. Just before the last song, they said, "Instead of doing that thing where we pretend to leave the stage for good and then we come back to do one more song, we're just going to pretend we've done that. Here's our ENCORE." It was fabulous.
- EPA (61D: Clean Water Act org.) The Clean Water Act – technically the Federal Water Pollution Control Act Amendments of 1972 – is a law concerning water pollution. The original bill was vetoed by President Richard Nixon, but Congress overrode the veto. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is the main organization administering the regulations of the Clean Water Act.
Crossword Puzzle Theme Synopsis
- THAT'S MY JAM (17A: "Turn it up! I love this song!)
- MAIN SQUEEZE (36A: Better half)
- LEMON WEDGE (59A: Oyster garnish)
THE RIGHT STUFF: The word on the RIGHT side of each theme answer is a synonym for STUFF: JAM, SQUEEZE, and WEDGE.
From the title, I correctly guessed the theme would be synonyms of the word STUFF located on the RIGHT side of the theme answers. However, for some reason, I was thinking of the meaning of the word STUFF that's synonymous with things, paraphernalia, or possessions. Therefore, I was originally confused by the theme answers. There was a nice, "Aha!" moment when I finally caught on, "Oh, STUFF as in cram ... or JAM or SQUEEZE or WEDGE!" Thank you, Deanne, for this excellent puzzle.