Off the Grid: Sally breaks down Paste BN's daily crossword puzzle, Save the Best for Last
There are spoilers ahead. You might want to solve today's puzzle before reading further! Save the Best for Last
Constructor: Ryan Mathiason
Editor: Anna Gundlach
What I Learned from Today’s Puzzle
- LPGA (19A: Nelly Korda's sports org.) Nelly Korda plays on the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) Tour. At the 2020 Summer Olympics (held in 2021), she represented Team USA and won a gold medal in Women's Golf. She is only the second U.S. woman to win a gold medal in golf; the other is Margaret Abbott (1878-1955), who won a gold medal at the 1900 Olympic Games.
- DYLAN (65A: "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt" actress Gelula) Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt is a Netflix sitcom in which the title character is a 29-year-old woman trying to get a fresh start in life in New York City after being rescued from a doomsday cult. DYLAN Gelula has a recurring role on the series as Xanthippe "Zan" Lannister Voorhees.
- NATE (7D: Comedian Bargatze) Comedian NATE Bargatze has been called "The Nicest Man in Stand-Up." He is known for his slow-paced delivery of routines that avoid profanity and controversial topics. He currently has a stand-up comedy special on Netflix titled Your Friend, NATE Bargatze.
Random Thoughts & Interesting Things
- APNEA (5A: Reason why someone might wear a CPAP) CPAP stands for "continuous positive airway pressure." One use of a CPAP device is for the treatment of obstructive sleep APNEA, a sleep-related breathing order in which a person experiences brief episodes of cessation of breathing.
- AARP (14A: Org. that fights age discrimination) You may remember from past puzzles that AARP does not have a minimum age requirement for its members. Even so, AARP's focus is on issues affecting those who are 50 years old or older, such as age discrimination in the workplace.
- DEMI (22A: "Heart Attack" singer Lovato) "Heart Attack" is a 2013 song by DEMI Lovato. In 2023, DEMI Lovato released a rock version of the song, "Heart Attack (Rock Version)," to mark the song's 10th anniversary.
- DAN (27A: Rank in Go and judo) As I mentioned last week, many martial arts use the DAN ranking system to indicate a person's level of ability. This includes judo. Go is a board game that originated in China more than 2,500 years ago. The black and white game pieces are called stones, and players attempt to capture each other's stones. The game of Go also uses a DAN system to indicate a player's ability.
- YODA (28A: "Star Wars" alien whose species is unknown) YODA is, of course, the Jedi Master who trains Luke Skywalker in the Force in Star Wars. YODA is a green humanoid alien whose species – as the clue informs us – is unknown. It is true that YODA's species is never revealed in Star Wars. It does amuse me to describe the species of a fictional character as "unknown" rather than "unrevealed."
- EPICS (32A: "The Odyssey" and "The Iliad") The Odyssey and The Iliad are ancient Greek EPICS attributed to Homer. The Odyssey, composed around the 8th or 7th century BCE, follows Odysseus on his journey home after the 10-year siege of Troy known as the Trojan War. The Iliad is also set during the Trojan War.
- RHODE (34A: ___ Island (The Ocean State)) RHODE Island, whose nickname is "The Ocean State," is the smallest of the U.S. States by area. RHODE Island is named for an island of the same name in Narragansett Bay that is a part of the state. The capital of RHODE Island is Providence.
- EMIR (43A: Qatari leader) EMIR is a title used by a ruler in Islamic countries. Qatar is a country located on the Qatar Peninsula off of the northeastern edge of the Arabian Peninsula. Qatar is surrounded on three sides by the Persian Gulf and borders Saudi Arabia to the south. The capital of Qatar is Doha, and the current EMIR is Tamim bin Hamad.
- ALICIA (53A: "Girl on Fire" singer Keys) "Girl on Fire" is the title track of ALICIA Keys fifth studio album, released in 2012. In 2022, ALICIA Keys released a young adult graphic novel adapted from the song, and also titled Girl on Fire.
- DEC (57A: Mo. for a Sagittarius-Capricorn cusp birthday) Sagittarius is the astrological sign for those born between Nov. 22 and DEC. 21. Capricorn is the astrological sign for those born between DEC. 21 and Jan. 20. The period between DEC. 18-24 is referred to as the Sagittarius-Capricorn cusp. People with birthdays during those dates are said to have traits of both Sagittarius and Capricorn.
- WIDOW'S PEAK (59A: V-shaped hairline) According to Merriam-Webster, the term WIDOW'S PEAK has been used to refer to a V-shaped hairline since the 1600's. At the time, a V-shaped hairline was considered to be an omen predicting widowhood. (To be clear, there's no evidence to support this.)
- HUGO (63A: "Les Miserables" author Victor) Les Misérables is Victor HUGO's 1862 novel that was adapted into the 1980 musical of the same name. Set in Paris, France in the years between 1815 and 1832, the book follows the lives and interactions of several characters, including ex-convict Jean Valjean.
- BIG MACS (12D: Three-bun burgers) I was nine-year's old when McDonald's introduced its ad campaign for BIG MACS that enumerated the burger's ingredients. To this day, I can still tell you that a BIG MAC is "two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame seed bun." As this clue informs us, that sesame seed bun has three parts.
- ELEANOR (39D: Roosevelt played by Gillian Anderson on "The First Lady") The First Lady is a Showtime TV series that depicts the lives of three U.S. First Ladies. On the show, Gillian Anderson portrays ELEANOR Roosevelt, Viola Davis portrays. Michelle Obama, and Michelle Pfeiffer portrays Betty Ford. The First Lady premiered in 2022 and was canceled after one season.
- A couple of other clues I especially enjoyed:
- SAFETY (1D: "___ First!" (reminder in a science lab))
- ICE AGE (45D: Cold era of history)
Crossword Puzzle Theme Synopsis
- FROM THE TOP (17A: "Let's do it all over again!")
- AMAZON PRIME (37A: Delivery subscription that includes a streaming service)
- WIDOW'S PEAK (59A: V-shaped hairline)
SAVE THE BEST FOR LAST: The LAST word of each theme answer is a synonym of the word BEST: TOP, PRIME, and PEAK.
I feel like there's a missed opportunity here in not scheduling this puzzle on the LAST day of the month (or the LAST day of the year). Then again, the BEST day to solve an excellent puzzle is any day. Thank you, Ryan, for this enjoyable puzzle.