Off the Grid: Sally breaks down Paste BN's daily crossword puzzle, Stick Down
There are spoilers ahead. You might want to solve today's puzzle before reading further! Stick Down
Constructor: Margi Stevenson
Editor: Jared Goudsmit
What I Learned from Today’s Puzzle
- OPERA (39A: Show such as "Awakenings") Awakenings is an OPERA by Tobias Picker that premiered in Saint Louis, Missouri in 2022. The show was commissioned by the OPERA Theatre of Saint Louis, and is based on a 1973 book of the same name by the neurologist Oliver Sacks (1933-2015). Awakenings chronicles the efforts of Oliver Sacks in the 1960s to help patients who had been affected by an encephalitis epidemic in the 1920s.
- PEA (40D: Chicken pastel veggie) Chicken pastel is a traditional Filipino stew with a creamy sauce. It is made with chicken, sausage, PEAs, carrots, and potatoes.
- OSAKA (55D: Japanese city where Sanyo is headquartered) In addition to Sanyo, the Japanese companies Panasonic and Sharp are also headquartered in OSAKA, which is the third-most populous city in Japan.
Random Thoughts & Interesting Things
- LEE (21A: "Problemista" actress Greta) Problemista is a 2023 movie about an aspiring toy designer from El Salvador (portrayed by Julio Torres) who is now living in New York City. Greta LEE also stars in the movie, along with Tilda Swinton and RZA.
- CUMIN (23A: Spice in ras el hanout) Ras el hanout is a spice mix that varies in composition depending on who prepares the mixture. It is used in Moroccan cuisine, as well as in the cuisines of Tunisia and Algeria. CUMIN is a common ingredient in ras el hanout.
- IDAHO (29A: Sun Valley's state) Sun Valley is a ski resort city in central IDAHO. Sun Valley was specifically developed as a ski resort in the late 1930s, using the tag line, "Winter sports under a summer sun."
- IDES (42A: Day for Caesar to "beware") In the Roman calendar, IDES referred to a day near the middle of the month – the 15th of March, May, July, or October, and the 13th of any other month. In 44 BC, Julius Caesar was assassinated on the IDES of March, making the date notorious.
- NEA (46A: Largest U.S. labor union) The National Education Association (NEA) represents public school teachers and support personnel, college and university faculty and staff, and retired teachers, as well as college students preparing to be teachers. It was founded in 1857, and currently has just under 3 million members.
- GADOT (50A: Gal who played Wonder Woman) Gal GADOT plays the role of Wonder Woman in several movies, including Wonder Woman 1984 (2023), a sequel to the 2017 movie, Wonder Woman.
- TED (68A: Author Chiang) TED Chiang writes science fiction short stories. His novella, "Story of Your Life," was the basis for the 2016 movie, Arrival. He also works as a technical writer in the software industry and writes nonfiction articles for The New Yorker on computer technology. In 2023, Time magazine included TED Chiang in their list of 100 influential people in AI.
- MONKEY BREAD (3D: Pull-apart breakfast pastry) MONKEY BREAD is also known as bubble BREAD or pull-apart BREAD. It consists of pieces of dough coated in butter, cinnamon, and sugar and then baked in a cake pan.
- IPAS (4D: Lagunitas beers) Lagunitas is a brewery founded in 1993 in Petaluma, California. It started as a craft brewery and is now a subsidiary of Heineken International. Lagunitas IPAS include The Beast of Both Worlds, A Little Sumpin' Sumpin' and (appropriately) Lagunitas IPA.
- MII (20D: Nintendo avatar) A MII is the customizable avatar used on some Nintendo game consoles and apps.
- MADEA (34D: Title role for Tyler Perry) I have previously written about MADEA, a character created and portrayed by Tyler Perry.
- SKYE (58D: ___ terrier (dog breed)) The Scottish dog breed known as the SKYE terrier is named for Scotland's Isle of SKYE, where the breed was discovered. This breed is considered vulnerable and in danger of extinction. My husband and I didn't see a SKYE terrier when we visited the Isle of SKYE last fall. We did, however, visit the statue of Greyfriars Bobby – a famously loyal SKYE terrier – while we were in Edinburgh.
- BRIS (60D: Rite performed by a mohel) A mohel is a Jew trained in BRIS, a religious male circumcision ceremony.
- MET (61D: The ___ Gala ("fashion's biggest night")) The MET Gala is an annual fundraiser for the Costume Institute at New York City's Metropolitan Museum of Art. It is held annually on the first Monday of May. The theme for the 2024 MET Gala was "Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion."
- ERA (65D: Word aptly found in "generation") This is a fun hidden word clue. It is indeed apt that the word ERA is found in the word generation.
Crossword Puzzle Theme Synopsis
- MONKEY BREAD (3D: Pull-apart breakfast pastry)
- BUNDLE OF JOY (17D: Newborn baby)
- MIX AND MATCH (24D: Make various wardrobe combinations)
STICK DOWN: The bottom word of each vertical theme answer can be paired with the word STICK. That gives us: BREADSTICK, JOYSTICK, and MATCHSTICK.
The word DOWN in the title is a clue for solvers that the theme answers will be vertical, as well as an indicator to look at the bottom (DOWN-most) part of the theme answers. For some reason, my brain didn't quite get that message, and when I filled in MONKEY BREAD, it tried to pair the words MONKEY and STICK. "STICK MONKEY? MONKEY STICK? Oh, wait ... DOWN ... BREADSTICK makes much more sense!" Thank you, Margi, for this enjoyable puzzle.