Off the Grid: Sally breaks down Paste BN's daily crossword puzzle, In the Mood
There are spoilers ahead. You might want to solve today's puzzle before reading further! In the Mood
Constructor: Claire Rimkus
Editor: Amanda Rafkin
What I Learned from Today’s Puzzle
- PRESS (43A: Silk ___ (hair straightening technique)) A silk PRESS is a chemical-free method of straightening hair. This term is new to me, but was fairly inferable.
- MISS UNDERSTOOD (56A: Iconic NYC drag queen) MISS UNDERSTOOD first appeared on the New York City drag scene in the late 1980s. (Side note: Just the other night I commented to my husband that the fact that it's now 2025 makes it difficult for me to uphold my belief that the '80s were only 20 years ago.) She has appeared in several movies and TV shows, including To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar (1995), Project Runway, and Sex and the City. In 1993, MISS UNDERSTOOD founded Screaming Queens Entertainment, a drag queen booking agency.
Random Thoughts & Interesting Things
- TIM (1A: "SNL" alum Meadows) During his tenure (1991-2000) on Saturday Night Live (SNL), TIM Meadows spoofed multiple famous people, including Oprah Winfrey, Erykah Badu, and Tiger Woods.
- EGOT (12A: Awards quartet for Jennifer Hudson) EGOT is an acronym for the Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony Awards, and is used as a designation for those who have won all four of these awards. Jennifer Hudson achieved EGOT status in 2022. She won an Emmy Award in 2021 (Outstanding Interactive Media for a Daytime Program - Baby Yaga), Grammy Awards in 2009 (Best R&B Album - Jennifer Hudson) and 2017 (Best Musical Theater Album - The Color Purple), an Oscar/Academy Award in 2006 (Best Supporting Actress - Dreamgirls), and a Tony Award in 2022 (Best Musical - A Strange Loop). Jennifer Hudson was one of multiple people who served as producers for A Strange Loop.
- MARGARET ATWOOD (20A: "The Testaments" author) The Testaments is a 2019 book by MARGARET ATWOOD, a sequel to her 1985 book, The Handmaid's Tale (which we saw referenced three days ago). The Testaments is set 15 years after The Handmaid's Tale. A TV adaptation of The Testaments is underway at Hulu. It will follow the sixth and final season of The Handmaid's Tale, which will air this spring. I think it's fun when we see an answer used as a theme answer in multiple puzzles with different themes. We previously saw MARGARET ATWOOD as a theme answer on July 14, 2020.
- HEEL (36A: Shoe part that can be "high") The quotation marks around the word "heel" in the clue indicate that the word can be directly paired with the answer in the term "high HEEL."
- MEXICAN FOOD (37A: Cuisine with quesadillas and pambazos) A quesadilla is essentially a grilled sandwich made with tortillas. The filling can be simply cheese, but may also include beans, meat, and other fillings. A pambazo is a made of bread soaked in pepper sauce, fried, and filled with potatoes and chorizo. It's nice to have two examples of MEXICAN FOOD in the clue, which allows solvers to be successful even if they are only familiar with one of these dishes.
- IGUANA (2D: Lizard with a "rhinoceros" species) Here's another example of quotation marks used to indicate a word that is directly paired with the answer. The rhinoceros IGUANA is a species of lizard endemic to the Caribbean. Its name is a reference to the horned projections that occur on the snout of a male rhinoceros IGUANA. The rhinoceros IGUANA is the most common species of IGUANA kept in captivity. However, in the wild the species is considered endangered.
- SCAR (4D: Disney character who sings "Be Prepared") "Be Prepared" is a song from Disney's The Lion King (1994). SCAR sings the song to the hyenas as he makes plans to murder Mufasa and Simba. The song was written by Elton John and Tim Rice, and was performed in the movie by Jeremy Irons (as SCAR) and Jim Cummings, Whoopi Goldberg, and Cheech Marin (as hyenas).
- OHIO (8D: Halle Berry's home state) Halle Berry was born in Cleveland, OHIO. In 1986, she was Miss OHIO, and was first runner-up in the Miss USA pageant.
- CANDACE (10D: Basketball great Parker) CANDACE Parker is considered one of the best WNBA players of all time. During her WNBA career, she played for the Los Angeles Sparks (2008-2020), the Chicago Sky (2021-2022), and the Las Vegas Aces (2023). Each team she played for won a WNBA championship during her time with them. Fun fact: In 2023 we saw CANDACE PARKER as a theme answer in a puzzle by Claire Rimkus.
- ANI (29D: "My IQ" singer DiFranco) "My I.Q." is a song from ANI DiFranco's 1993 album, Puddle Dive. It contains the lyrics, "Genius is in a back beat / Backseat to nothing if you're dancing / Especially something stupid / Like i.q. / For every lie I unlearn / I learn something new..."
- DENS (33D: Lions' lairs) My cat, Willow, is always happy to see her big cat cousins mentioned in the puzzle. Willow doesn't have a DEN, but her absolute favorite place to be is on my lap and underneath a blanket. Here's a photo of her peeking out from her pseudo-DEN.
- FRI (38D: Day after Thurs.) It's a small thing, but it makes me happy that this puzzle is appearing on Friday (FRI.).
- UTAH (55D: Salt Lake City's state) Salt Lake City is the capital of UTAH. Of the fifty U.S. states, there are three that have 4-letter names, and two of them make an appearance in today's puzzle. Sorry, Iowa, today is not your day.
- A few other clues I especially enjoyed:
- IDEA (50A: Product of a lightbulb moment)
- LET'S (15D: "___ not and say we did!")
- SNOW (35D: Winter weather in many holiday movies)
- DUST (51D: Debris that can form into "bunnies")
Crossword Puzzle Theme Synopsis
- MARGARET ATWOOD (20A: "The Testaments" author)
- MEXICAN FOOD (37A: Cuisine with quesadillas and pambazos)
- MISS UNDERSTOOD (56A: Iconic NYC drag queen)
IN THE MOOD: Each theme answer is found IN THE word MOOD: MARGARET ATWOOD, MEXICAN FOOD, and MISS UNDERSTOOD.
Today I was IN THE MOOD for an enjoyable crossword, and this puzzle fit the bill. I appreciate the consistency of the word break in all of the theme answers: M/OOD. Now I'm hungry for MEXICAN FOOD. Thank you, Claire, for this delightful puzzle.