Off the Grid: Sally breaks down Paste BN's daily crossword puzzle, Boss Around
There are spoilers ahead. You might want to solve today's puzzle before reading further! Boss Around
Constructor: Jake Halperin
Editor: Amanda Rafkin
What I Learned from Today’s Puzzle
- BASKET TOSS (15A: Aerial cheerleading stunt) I've seen cheerleaders perform a BASKET TOSS, but today I learned the name of this stunt. This stunt involves one person being tossed into the air to perform some sort of jump move (such as a toe touch or a herkie). That person is then caught in a "cradle" formed by three or more people on the ground.
- SITCOM (51A: "Curb Your Enthusiasm" e.g.) The SITCOM Curb Your Enthusiasm originally aired on HBO from 1999 to 2024. It was created by Larry David, who co-created the SITCOM Seinfeld with Jerry Seinfeld. Larry David stars in Curb Your Enthusiasm as a fictionalized version of himself.
- MESSI (54A: "The Flea" of soccer) Lionel MESSI is a professional soccer player for the Argentina national team and for the Major League Soccer (MLS) team Inter Miami. MESSI is considered one of the greatest soccer players of all time. This much I knew. Today I learned that Lionel MESSI has the nickname "The Flea," a name he has been called since he was a kid. His older brothers dubbed him, "La Pulgita," which is Spanish for "the little flea." Over time, the nickname became "La Pulga" – "The Flea." The nickname references his small stature.
- GRENADA (24D: Island country whose national dish is oil down) At first I thought this clue had a typo in it. But no, the national dish of GRENADA is actually called oil down. Oil down is a stew of salted meat and vegetables cooked in coconut milk with herbs and spices. The name refers to the oil from the coconut milk settling down to the bottom of the cooking pot.
Random Thoughts & Interesting Things
- BRO (18A: Ross, to Monica, on "Friends") and SIS (61D: Monica, to Ross, on "Friends") This is a fun pairing, and a great way to take advantage of having both BRO and SIS in the grid.
- SHE (25A: With 29-Across, pronoun pair) and HER (29A: See 25-Across) Another nice pairing. It's handy for cross-referencing purposes that these two entries are near each other in the grid.
- CARRIE (41A: "Sex and the City" narrator) The HBO show Sex and the City originally aired from 1998 to 2004. Adapted from a Candace Bushnell book of the same name, and set in New York City, the show follows the lives of CARRIE, Kim, Charlotte, and Miranda. CARRIE Bradshaw, portrayed by Sarah Jessica Parker, is the narrator and main protagonist of the show. She is a newspaper columnist who writes a weekly column – "Sex and the City" – for the fictional New York Star.
- DEE (44A: Actress Ruby) Ruby DEE (1922-2014) played the role of Ruth Younger in the stage and film versions of A Raisin in the Sun. In addition to acting, DEE was a well-known civil rights activist. She emceed the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom and gave the eulogy at Malcolm X's funeral in 1965.
- BOSTON POPS (60A: Famous Massachusetts orchestra) The BOSTON POPS specializes in light classical and popular music. Arthur Fiedler directed the BOSTON POPS for 50 years, from 1930-1979. The orchestra's popularity increased during Arthur Fiedler's tenure. Since 1995, the conductor of the BOSTON POPS has been Keith Lockhart.
- ALIEN (64A: Creature in many sci-fi movies) and ETS (27D: Side in some interstellar battles) Whether you call them ALIENs or ETS (extraterrestrials), they're invading this grid!
- PESO (66A: Cape Horn currency) Cape Horn is in the country of Chile, which uses the Chilean PESO as its currency. Cape Horn is the southernmost point of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago (group of islands) located in southern Chile. Cape Horn marks the point where the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans meet.
- ONO (5A: Peace activist Yoko) Yoko ONO is an artist and peace activist. She has advocated for peace and human rights since the 1960s. In 1969, during the Vietnam War, Yoko ONO and husband, John Lennon, orchestrated a worldwide billboard campaign that spread the message "WAR IS OVER! If you want it." In 2022, after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Yoko ONO spread a message of peace with billboards in major cities around the world that said, "IMAGINE PEACE." In November 2023, Yoko ONO partnered with the Nobel Peace Center to greet the residents of Oslo, Norway with a large poster sharing the message, "THINK PEACE – ACT PEACE – SPREAD PEACE – IMAGINE PEACE – PEACE is POWER."
- KESHA (6D: "Raising Hell" singer) "Raising Hell" is a 2019 song by KESHA, from her fourth studio album, High Road. The song features rap artist Big Freedia.
- URSULA (7D: "The Little Mermaid" witch) and ERIC (30D: Disney prince played by Jonah Hauer-King) Today we have a double dose of The Little Mermaid. URSULA is the conniving sea witch who is portrayed by Melissa McCarthy in the 2023 live-action adaptation of the 1989 animated movie. Prince ERIC is played by Jonah Hauer-King in the 2023 movie.
- IOWA (8D: Doubly landlocked U.S. state) A landlocked state is one that does not have any coastline connected to an ocean. A doubly landlocked state is one that is not only landlocked, but is entirely surrounded by landlocked states, thus requiring the crossing of at least two borders to reach the ocean. Living in IOWA, I can attest that it is, indeed doubly landlocked. IOWA is not alone in being doubly landlocked. Nine other U.S. states are doubly landlocked: Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Missouri, South Dakota, Utah, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. You may be wondering why Nebraska isn't on this list. Nebraska is triple-landlocked; it's the only U.S. state with that distinction.
- VIOLA (50D: "The Woman King" actress Davis) The Woman King (2022), is a historical drama about the Agojie, an all-female army in the Kingdom of Dahomey (in today's Benin) in the 17th-19th centuries. VIOLA Davis stars as General Nanisca, leader of the Agojie.
Crossword Puzzle Theme Synopsis
- BASKET TOSS (15A: Aerial cheerleading stunt)
- BOARDING PASS (37A: Admission slip for a flight)
- BOSTON POPS (60A: Famous Massachusetts orchestra)
BOSS AROUND: The word BOSS is split and found AROUND (at the outer edges of) each theme answer: BASKET TOSS, BOARDING PASS, and BOSTON POPS.
This may be the only time I've enjoyed having someone BOSS me AROUND. It's nice that each split of BOSS was represented: B/OSS, BO/SS, and BOS/S. With a split word theme such as this, it's best if the split is either the same in all theme answers, or different in each one. Thank you, Jake, for this excellent puzzle.