Off the Grid: Sally breaks down Paste BN's crossword, "Barely Hurts at All!" (Freestyle)
There are spoilers ahead. You might want to solve today's puzzle before reading further! "Barely Hurts at All!" (Freestyle)
Constructor: Kareem Ayas
Editor: Anna Gundlach
Comments from Today’s Crossword Constructor
Kareem: Thank you Amanda for improving my grid with that bottom spanner! Aren't oyster crabs adorable? I always like including marine life in my puzzles. If you're looking for more cuteness, here's my favorite little guy enjoying NYC's long-awaited snowfall...
What I Learned from Today’s Puzzle
- SHARON (47A: "Ratched" actress Stone) Ratched is a TV series that originally aired on Netflix in 2020. The show is a prequel to the 1975 movie One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (which is based on Ken Kesey's book of the same name). Ratched tells the story of Nurse Mildred Ratched prior to the events of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. Sarah Paulson portrays the title character. SHARON Stone plays the role of a wealthy heiress named Lenore Osgood. Although I am familiar with SHARON Stone, this TV show is new to me.
- SIVA (55D: Deity in the Hindu holy trinity) The Hindu holy trinity refers to the three primary deities in Hinduism: SIVA (or Shiva), the God of Destruction; Brahma, the Creator; and Vishnu, the preserver. I have written about Shiva before, but was not familiar with this spelling.
Random Thoughts & Interesting Things
- ACES (13A: Winning cards in War) This answer sparked memories of playing the card game War with my siblings. As those who have played War know, ACES are the top cards in the game. The only way to win an ACE from your opponent is when there is a tie.
- INDY (20A: ___ 500 (car race)) The INDY 500 automobile race is held annually at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. It is traditionally held over Memorial Day weekend. I always remember when the INDY 500 is held because during Memorial Day weekend in 1989, my husband and I were returning home from our honeymoon, and our plane flew over the Indianapolis Speedway while the race was in progress.
- IGA (30A: Tennis champion Swiatek) IGA Świątek is a professional tennis player from Poland. She won the French Open in 2020, 2022, 2023, and 2024, and the U.S. Open in 2022. Crossword constructors everywhere wish IGA Świątek continued success, as her 3-letter first name is useful.
- YO-YO (33A: "Around the world" toy) "Around the world" is a YO-YO trick that sees the YO-YO doing a complete 360 degree revolution before it returns to the YO-YOer's hand.
- ESPY (34A: Simone Biles' 2024 Best Comeback Athlete award, e.g.) Gymnast Simone Biles was awarded the Best Comeback Athlete ESPY in 2024 in recognition of her successful return to gymnastics after a hiatus following the 2020 Summer Olympics (which took place in 2021). After receiving the award in July 2024, Simone Biles went on to win three gold medals at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France. Quite a comeback indeed.
- IT'S JUST A SCRATCH (38A: "Doesn't hurt that bad") This answer made me laugh! Although the wording isn't quite the same, I couldn't help but be reminded of the iconic scene from Monty Python and the Holy Grail in which the Black Knight insists, "Tis but A SCRATCH."
- PEKE (43A: Chinese toy dog breed, for short) The Pekingese, or PEKE for short, is a breed of dog characterized by a muscular, compact body that is low to the ground, a broad, flat head, and large, dark eyes. Their naturally long hair forms a mane around their neck, which has earned them the nickname "lion dog." The breed was developed in China to be a companion dog to emperors.
- CHI (51A: ___-Town (home of The Bean)) CHI-Town is a nickname of Chicago, Illinois. One of Chicago's landmarks is a large stainless steel sculpture located in the city's Millennium Park. The official name of the sculpture, which was designed by Anish Kapoor, is Cloud Gate. Because of its shape, it has been nicknamed The Bean.
- AVON (64A: The Bard of ___ (Shakespeare)) The River AVON is located in central England. It flows through several towns, including Stratford-upon-AVON, where William Shakespeare (c. 1564-1616) was born. Shakespeare is often referred to as the "Bard of AVON," and is considered England's national poet. The plays of William Shakespeare have been performed more than any other playwright.
- HOLA (2D: Greeting more formal than "Que onda?") "¿Que onda?" is an informal Spanish greeting, equivalent to the English greeting, "What's up?" "HOLA" is a more formal way of saying "Hello."
- GSN (7D: Channel with "Press Your Luck" reruns) I wrote about the game show Press Your Luck a few months ago. GSN is the Game Show Network, a channel dedicated to game shows. GSN airs new game shows, as well as reruns.
- TWIN SISTER (9D: Tia, to Tamera Mowry) Tia and Tamera Mowry are TWIN SISTERs who play identical TWIN SISTERs on the TV series, Sister, Sister, and in the Disney movies Twitches and Twitches Too.
- STS (14D: Waze lines (Abbr.)) Waze is a navigation app that utilizes GPS (Global Positioning System) and also incorporates user-submitted travel information. Streets (STS.) show up as lines on the map.
- OYSTER CRAB (26D: Tiny crustacean that inhabits certain shellfish beds) When the clue tells us that the OYSTER CRAB is tiny, it isn't kidding. OYSTER CRABs are typically less than one-half inch wide. Their name comes from the fact that these CRABs typically live in OYSTER beds. The soft-shelled CRABs actually live in the OYSTERs (or other bivalves) where they are protected by the OYSTER's shell, and feed off of the food the OYSTER takes in for itself.
- GECKO (31D: GEICO mascot) Fun fact: The GEICO GECKO's name is Martin.
- HISS (48D: Cat's warning) About the only thing that makes my cat, Willow, HISS is the presence of another cat or a dog in our house. We've tried to tell her that's not a good way to make friends, but she doesn't seem to be too concerned.
- TKOS (58D: MMA fight enders) The abbreviation of MMA (for mixed martial arts) in the clue alerts solvers the answer will also be an abbreviation – TKOS for technical knockouts.
- LID (61D: Part of a Tupperware set) Oh, those Tupperware LIDs. My experience has been that the number of containers and the number of LIDs in our house rarely matches.
Crossword Puzzle Theme Synopsis
"BARELY HURTS AT ALL!" (Freestyle): This is a freestyle, or themeless, puzzle, so there's no theme today. The title is a nod to IT'S JUST A SCRATCH (38A: "Doesn't hurt that bad").
The fun thing about freestyle puzzles is that you get a wide variety of content, since the constructor is not constrained by particular theme answers. In addition to the central grid-spanner that inspired the title of today's puzzle, I also thoroughly enjoyed the other two grid-spanners: BELLY BUTTON RING (16A: Jewelry shown off with a crop top) and FOR OLD TIMES SAKE (60A: In remembrance of a nostalgic experience). Thank you, Kareem, for this delightful puzzle. And thank you for sharing a photo of your dog, Kane! Pet photos are always welcome here.