Off the Grid: Sally breaks down Paste BN's daily crossword puzzle, Best Part
There are spoilers ahead. You might want to solve today's puzzle before reading further! Best Part
Constructor: CJ Tan
Editor: Anna Gundlach
Random Thoughts & Interesting Things
- CUBA (1A: Country that salsa dancing originated in) Salsa dancing emerged in CUBA in the 1960s. It is danced – appropriately – to salsa music, a popular style of Caribbean music.
- OSLO (14A: Norway's capital) Our crossword-friend OSLO is off to a strong start in 2025, making an appearance on the second day of the year.
- ITALY (16A: Bologna's country) Bologna is a city in Northern ITALY. It is the capital of the Emilia-Romagna administrative region of ITALY. Bologna is known for its culinary tradition. Bolognese sauce originated in the city, as did the deli meat made of seasoned pork sausage that is named for the city.
- ATLAS (19A: Book of maps) An appropriate answer to find in a grid with three geographical references in the puzzle's first six answers!
- IAN (36A: Actor McKellen) Sir IAN McKellen has been acting professionally since 1961. His acting credits are numerous and encompass stage and screen. In the 2023 movie, The Critic, IAN McKellen portrays, Jimmy Erskine, the titular critic who delights in writing vitriolic reviews of plays.
- O'ER (45A: "Jingle Bells" contraction) "Dashing through the snow / In a one-horse open sleigh / O'ER the fields we go..." Perhaps if I sing "Jingle Bells" we will get snow where I live soon.
- CHINESE (46A: Like wushu or mahjongg) The word "wushu" is CHINESE for "martial arts." Wushu encompasses many different fighting styles that have developed over centuries. Mahjongg (also seen as mah-jongg or mahjong) is a tile game developed in China in the 19th century.
- X-MEN (52A: Kitty Pryde's superhero) Kitty Pryde, aka Shadowcat, is a Marvel Comics superhero, and a member of the X-Men (humans born with a genetic mutation that confers superhuman abilities). Shadowcat's superpower is the ability to become intangible and phase through objects.
- ELMO (65A: Furry red Muppet) So far ELMO is two for two for 2025 puzzle appearances, as we also saw him in yesterday's puzzle.
- INSET (66A: Map of Hawaii, often) This answer pairs well with ATLAS.
- APOLLO (5D: NASA's lunar program) The APOLLO program, which lasted from 1962-1972, was the NASA program that ultimately led to astronauts walking on the Moon.
- ESPY (7D: Best WNBA Player, for one) In 2023 and 2024, the ESPY for Best WNBA Player was awarded to A'ja Wilson, who plays for the Las Vegas Aces.
- PIANO (9D: Instrument related to the harpsichord) PIANO is also making back-to-back puzzle appearances. Like a PIANO, a harpsichord is a stringed instrument that has a keyboard.
- ADELE (26D: Singer who titles her albums after her age) ADELE's four studio albums include 19 (2008), 21 (2011), 25 (2015), and 30 (2021).
- POLAR BEARS (27D: Arctic mammals whose fur is actually transparent) This is a fun animal fact. In addition to being transparent, the fur of POLAR BEARS is hollow, which functions to trap heat and help them float in the water. The fur often appears white, but may also seem yellowish, grayish, or brownish.
- RLY (35D: "r u srs rn?") The textspeak in the clue alerts solvers that the answer will also be textspeak. "r u srs rn?" = "Are you serious right now?" "RLY?" = "Really?"
- FEY (37D: "Bossypants" author Tina) Tina FEY is a former Saturday Night Live cast member known for her deadpan humor and delivery. In 2010, she was awarded the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, and is the youngest person to receive this honor. Bossypants (2011) is her autobiographical comedy book that reached the top of The New York Times Best Seller list when it was released. I listened to the audiobook of Bossypants several years ago, and I recommend it if you're looking for a reason to laugh (and who isn't?).
- EMMA (55D: Mackey who played Physicist Barbie) This is a reference to the 2023 movie Barbie, in which EMMA Mackey did indeed play Physicist Barbie, one of the many Barbies in the movie. EMMA Mackey also starred in the Netflix TV series Sex Education.
- TEAR (56D: Drop on the Cat Crying With Laughter emoji) 😹 My cat, Willow, says there's no need to shed a TEAR, she is here – unsuccessfully hiding behind the plants – to brighten your day.
- A few other clues I especially enjoyed:
- FALSE ALARM (11D: "Actually, there's nothing to worry about!)
- FLAT (12D: Like seltzer that was left out overnight)
- FETCH (33D: "Go get the ball, Fido!")
- BLEEP (41D: Sound covering a curse word)
Crossword Puzzle Theme Synopsis
- BRUTALLY HONEST (20A: Unlikely to sugarcoat things)
- BELLY OF THE BEAST (38A: The middle of a bad situation)
- BESIDE THE POINT (54A: Irrelevant to an argument)
BEST PART: The word BEST is PARTed by each theme answer: BRUTALLY HONEST, BELLY OF THE BEAST, and BESIDE THE POINT.
Today's title let me know exactly what to expect theme-wise. I like that the PART progresses as we move down the grid: B/EST to BE/ST to BES/T. All three of the theme answers are great entries and were fun to uncover. Thank you, CJ, for this excellent puzzle.