Off the Grid: Sally breaks down Paste BN's daily crossword puzzle, EVs
There are spoilers ahead. You might want to solve today's puzzle before reading further! EVs
Constructors: Olivia Mitra Framke & Sally Hoelscher
Editor: Amanda Rafkin
Comments from Today’s Crossword Constructors
Sally: Happy to be starting off 2025 with another collaboration with Olivia! Several months ago, Olivia and I were messaging back and forth about wrapping up the editing process of one of our puzzles. At the time, my husband and I were on the way – in our electric vehicle – to participate in an EV Fair sponsored by our city. Our car was on display with about 20 others, giving people an opportunity to look at the vehicles and ask questions. So I said to Olivia, "We’re off to participate in an EV fair this morning. Time to talk cars." A few minutes later she messaged me with this theme idea, complete with two of the theme answers that ended up making the final cut. Hooray for always being in brainstorming mode!
Olivia: I feel like Sally is always either on a road trip in her EV or planning her next one! So it was really just a matter of time before this idea struck us. As for me, I took my first adult-era road trip just last October, to go to the Midwest Crossword Tournament in Chicago, which Sally co-organizes. It was a blast! I'm excited to go again later this year. It's always so fun to see crossword friends IRL! ❤️ Thanks as always to Sally for a smooth collab, and to the USAT editing team. Hope you enjoyed a breezy start to 2025!
What I Learned from Today’s Puzzle
- PIANO (46A: Yuja Wang's instrument) Yuja Wang is known for her skill on the PIANO, as well as her stage presence and charisma. She was born in Beijing, China, and has been playing PIANO since she was six years old. Two years ago, she played a marathon concert at Carnegie Hall with the Philadelphia Orchestra. To celebrate 150 years since the birth of Sergei Rachmaninoff, Yuja Wang played all four of his PIANO concertos plus his "Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini" – all in one four hour concert. In learning about this concert, I came across a fascinating video (at least to me as a science nerd) that tracked Yuja Wang's heartbeats during the concert. This clue was added by Amanda during the editing process, and I'm glad it was, as I thoroughly enjoyed learning about Yuja Wang.
Random Thoughts & Interesting Things
- ELMO (14A: Muppet who refers to himself in the third person) ELMO is, of course, a furry red Muppet on Sesame Street. ELMO is perpetually three-and-a-half years old. Although he celebrates his birthday on February 3, his age remains the same. ELMO's use of the third person to refer to himself, instead of using pronouns, is developmentally age-appropriate and mimics the behavior of many preschoolers.
- EAST VILLAGE (17A: Manhattan neighborhood that includes Alphabet City and Little Ukraine) The EAST VILLAGE neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City has three subsections: Alphabet City (a reference Avenues A, B, C, and D, the only single-letter-named avenues in Manhattan), Little Ukraine, and the Bowery. Famously, the EAST VILLAGE is the setting for the Broadway musical, Rent. The composer of Rent, Jonathan Larson (1960-1996), lived in the EAST VILLAGE.
- MONSTER (21A: Word after word "Cookie" or "Gila") It's a second Muppet sighting! Cookie MONSTER is a furry blue Muppet on Sesame Street known for his catchphrase, "Me want cookie!" I feel a kinship with Cookie MONSTER; I also enjoy cookies. A Gila MONSTER is a species of venomous lizard native to the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico.
- CADET (23A: Starfleet Academy recruit) The Starfleet Academy is a fictional training facility for the space force officers in the Star Trek franchise.
- ENERGY VAMPIRE (34A: Person who's draining to interact with) This is my favorite of the theme answers today. ENERGY VAMPIRE is such a descriptive term for a person who sucks the energy out of a social situation and is exhausting to be around. When we sent this theme query to Amanda, she responded saying, "ENERGY VAMPIRE will always remind me of that amazing episode of What We Do in the Shadows with Vanessa Bayer. SO GOOD." I only know of What We Do in the Shadows from crosswords, but I do know one of the show's main characters is an ENERGY VAMPIRE.
- OLD (42A: "This ___ House") This OLD House was one of the first home improvement shows on national TV, first airing on PBS in 1979, with Bob Villa as the host.
- KATY (50A: "Roar" singer Perry) "Roar" is a 2013 song by KATY Perry, from her fourth studio album, Prism."...'Cause I am a champion, and you're gonna hear me roar..."
- DENTE (55A: Al ___ (pasta descriptor)) "Al DENTE" is an Italian phrase that literally means "to the tooth." It is used to describe pasta that is cooked but retains a firm texture.
- EDU (56A: www.drake.___) Drake University is located in DES Moines, Iowa. I'm happy to shout out one of my alma maters with this clue. My undergraduate degree in pharmacy is from Drake.
- EARLY VOTING (57A: Casting ballots prior to election day) When we were constructing this puzzle, there was a lot of EARLY VOTING happening in the United States.
- KANSAS (65A: Dorothy's state in "The Wizard of Oz") Olivia came up with this clue. I think it's quite fun and conjures up that classic movie quote, "Toto, I have a feeling we're not in KANSAS anymore..."
- DEL (6D: State south of NJ) and DES (43D: ___ Moines, Iowa) The state of Delaware is south of New Jersey, and also borders Maryland, Pennsylvania, and the Atlantic Ocean. The abbreviation of New Jersey (NJ) in the clue alerts solvers that the answer will be an abbreviation. DES Moines is the capital of Iowa, and as noted above, is the home of Drake University. If you're wondering why I've linked these two clues together, it's because I enjoy the fact that Olivia and I managed to give shoutouts to both of our states in these clues.
- BEEN (10D: "I've ___ to the Mountaintop") "I've BEEN to the Mountaintop" was Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s final speech, delivered at the Mason Temple in Memphis, Tennessee on April 3, 1968, the day before he was assassinated. In the speech, he said, "...I've seen the promised land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the promised land."
- GENRE (13D: Romantasy, for example) and SCI-FI (22D: 13-Down for "Star Wars") The term romantasy is a portmanteau of "romantic fantasy." Although the GENRE of romantic fantasy has been around for some time, the term romantasy became popular in the last few years. SCI-FI – short for science fiction – is, of course, another GENRE, and was a perfect way for us to work in a Star Wars reference.
- VETS (18D: Docs for cats and dogs) Olivia's dog, Charlie, and my cat, Willow, are not fond of visits to VETS. However, they are happy to mug for the camera. These close-up photos of them has me thinking of trading cards for pets. That might be fun!
- POODLE (44D: One parent of a labradoodle) A labradoodle is a crossbreed between a POODLE and a Labrador Retriever.
- OREO (47D: Cookie brand with a "Cakester" variety) OREO Cakesters were introduced in 2007 and discontinued in 2012. Following requests from fans to bring them back, OREO Cakesters returned in 2022. Our crossword-friend OREO is starting off 2025 with an appearance in the first puzzle of the year. How many more times will we see OREO this year? Time will tell.
- SHEEP (49D: First cloned mammal) The first mammal to be cloned from an adult cell was a SHEEP named Dolly. She was cloned at the Roslin Institute in Scotland, and body on July 5, 1996. (Before Dolly, several SHEEP were cloned from embryo cells.) After her death, Dolly's body was donated to the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh, which is where my husband and I saw here when we visited last October.
Crossword Puzzle Theme Synopsis
- EAST VILLAGE (17A: Manhattan neighborhood that includes Alphabet City and Little Ukraine)
- ENERGY VAMPIRE (34A: Person who's draining to interact with)
- EARLY VOTING (57A: Casting ballots prior to election day)
EVs: Each theme answer has the initials E.V.: EAST VILLAGE, ENERGY VAMPIRE, and EARLY VOTING.
It is fun to take initials that are commonly used to refer to something – in this case EV for electric vehicles – and discover what else those initials might refer to. It was fun to see this theme develop. Also, it was just coincidence that it landed on January 1, but it's cool to start off 2025 with a puzzle. Thanks to Olivia for continuing to collaborate with me. Thanks to Amanda for amazing editing. (Here's a fun tidbit: The picture shared above of Olivia and me was taken by Amanda!) Most of all, thank you for solving and reading. I hope you enjoyed this puzzle. Happy New Year!