Off the Grid: Sally breaks down Paste BN's daily crossword puzzle, Ball Up Top
There are spoilers ahead. You might want to solve today's puzzle before reading further! Ball Up Top
Constructor: Amie Walker
Editor: Amanda Rafkin
What I Learned from Today’s Puzzle
- DUO (4D: She & Him, e.g.) She & Him is the musical DUO comprised of Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward. Their first album, Volume One, was released in 2008. She & Him released their most recent album in 2022, Melt Away: A Tribute to Brian Wilson.
- CECE (27D: Jess' best friend on "New Girl") New Girl is a TV series that originally aired from 2011-2018. The show centers on the experiences of Jess Day, who lives in a Los Angeles loft with three male roommates. Jess is portrayed by Zooey Deschanel – yes, the same Zooey Deschanel who is half of the DUO She & Him. Jess' best friend, CECE, is portrayed by Hannah Simone. I have written about New Girl before, and I have even watched a couple of episodes with my daughter. I needed the help of crossing answers to remember CECE's name, however.
Random Thoughts & Interesting Things
- DAD (4A: Barack, to Malia and Sasha) I like this clue. It's a good reminder that although Barack Obama was the 44th President of the United States, to Malia and Sasha, he's DAD.
- CAT POSE (17A: Asana done on hands and knees) CAT POSE is a yoga asana that gently stretches your back. It is often paired with cow POSE. I asked my CAT, Willow, to demonstrate CAT POSE, and this was the result.
- LIES (23A: "The ties were black, the ___ were white") Ah, here's the Taylor Swift reference! "The ties were black, the LIES were white," is a lyric from Taylor Swift's song, "Getaway Car," which appears on the album reputation (2017).
- ALEC (38A: Guinness who played Kenobi) ALEC Guinness (1914-2000) portrayed Obi-Wan Kenobi the original Star Wars triology: A New Hope (1977), The Empire Strikes Back (1980), and Return of the Jedi (1983).
- LOCH (41A: Scotland's Lomond or Ness, e.g.) In Scottish and Irish Gaelic, the word "LOCH" means "lake." Scotland has a lot of LOCHs – over 31,000 of them. LOCH Lomond is the largest LOCH in Scotland. LOCH Ness may be the most famous LOCH in Scotland, as it is associated with the LOCH Ness monster. I have previously shared a photo of LOCH Ness taken when my husband and I were in Scotland last fall. Here's a photo of LOCH Lomond, taken on that same trip.
- ASIA (42A: Wingspan expansion with a Himalayan Monal card) I'm always happy to see a Wingspan reference. Wingspan is a board game that is all about birds. Each of the game's cards includes a photo of a bird. The ASIA expansion for Wingspan includes, as you might imagine, cards featuring birds that live in ASIA. The Himalayan Monal is a pheasant native to ASIA. It is the national bird of Nepal and the state bird of Uttarakhand, India. This is an interesting and fun way to clue ASIA. By the way, our crossword friend ASIA is making its first appearance of 2025 in this puzzle.
- SLOTH (48A: DMV employee in "Zootopia") Zootopia is a 2016 animated movie in which Raymond S. Persi provides the voice for Flash, the "fastest" three-toed SLOTH in the DMV (Department of Motor Vehicles).
- BEATBOX (61A: Do some vocal percussion) The last time we saw a BEATBOX reference in the puzzle, I wrote about Kaila Mullady, the 2015 and 2018 World Beatbox Champion. If you want to listen to a great interview with Kaila Mullady (and of course some BEATBOXing!), I recommend checking out her appearance on Wait Wait ... Don't Tell Me!
- OCEANIA (63A: Geographical region that includes New Zealand) In addition to New Zealand, the geographical region of OCEANIA includes Australia, Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia.
- TEN (66A: Number of "Friends" seasons) Although I didn't know this answer for sure off of the top of my head, since I knew it would be a three-letter number, that narrowed the possibilities down to one, two, six, and TEN. The TEN seasons of Friends aired from 1994 to 2004.
- DEED (6D: "No Good ___" ("Wicked" song)) "No Good Deed" is a song sung by Elphaba in the musical Wicked. Since the song occurs towards the end of Act Two, we haven't seen the movie version of the song yet. We'll have to wait for November of this year when Wicked: For Good is scheduled to be released.
- BOI (8D: "Sk8er ___" (Avril Lavigne hit)) "Sk8er BOI" is a song from Avril Lavigne's 2002 debut album, Let Go. The impromptu concert featured in the music video for "Sk8er BOI" was filmed at the intersection of 7th St. and S. Spring St. in Los Angeles.
- GAME NIGHT (22D: Occasion to play 7 Wonders or Splendor with friends) I'm always up for a GAME NIGHT, and enjoyed seeing this answer in the center of the grid. The board game, 7 Wonders, was first published in 2010. It's a card drafting game featuring ancient civilizations. Players attempt to build a city and construct an architectural wonder. In the game Splendor, players are merchants trying to buy gem mines.
- LEECH (29D: Parasite used in medicine) The LEECH is a parasitic, blood-sucking worm that has been used in medicine for over 2,5000 years. Although the use of LEECHes has decreased immensely as advances in medicine have been made, they are still occasionally used. For example, LEECH therapy may be used in certain cases to improve blood flow to an area after microsurgery – after a skin graft or reconstructive plastic surgery, perhaps. LEECHes used in medicine are bred specifically for that purpose.
- MARC (35D: Podcast host Maron) MARC Maron is a stand-up comedian, actor, musician, and podcaster. Since 2009, he has hosted the podcast WTF with MARC Maron.
- TODAY (49D: "___ Means Amen" (Sierra DeMulder work)) "Dear you: Whoever you are, However you got here, This is exactly where you are supposed to be." These are the opening lines of the title poem of Sierra DeMulder's 2016 poetry collection, TODAY Means Amen. I highly recommend listening to Sierra DeMulder read "TODAY Means Amen."
- A few other clues I especially enjoyed:
- LIP READ (59A: See what someone is saying, in a way)
- ERA (65A: Word after "flop" or "Progressive")
- GATO (39D: Cat, in Spanish)
- NORA (57D: Rom-com icon Ephron)
Crossword Puzzle Theme Synopsis
- JOINT ACCOUNT (16D: Bank offering shared by multiple people)
- PIT ORCHESTRA (18D: Group of musicians that performs beneath a stage)
- GAME NIGHT (22D: Occasion to play 7 Wonders or Splendor with friends)
BALL UP TOP: The word that is UP TOP on each vertical theme answer can be placed after the word BALL to form a new phrase. This gives us BALL JOINT, BALL PIT, and BALL GAME.
The title gave me a good idea what to look for theme-wise, although I wasn't familiar with the term BALL UP TOP. I was not surprised to discover it's a sports term. Add this to the sports knowledge I've gained from crosswords! In pick-up basketball, "BALL UP TOP" is a phrase used to keep the game moving. I was also not surprised to learn the phrase has been trending on social media. Some people have been using the phrase as a way of saying, "Life goes on." Whether you're familiar with the phrase from basketball, social media, or (like me) not familiar with it at all, BALL ON TOP makes an enjoyable crossword theme. Thank you, Amie, for this great puzzle.