Off the Grid: Sally breaks down Paste BN's daily crossword puzzle, Downhill
There are spoilers ahead. You might want to solve today's puzzle before reading further! Downhill
Constructors: Dan Kammann & Zhouqin Burnikel
Editor: Anna Gundlach
What I Learned from Today’s Puzzle
- NITE (41A: "Day 'n' ___" (Kid Cudi hit)) "Day 'n' NITE" is Kid Cudi's debut single, released in 2008. Kid Cudi released a remix of "Day 'n' NITE" in 2009.
- NITRO (25A: Drag racing fuel) Drag racing is a type of racing in which cars or motorcycles compete two at a time on a short, straight race course. The most common length of a drag racing course is a quarter of a mile. NITRO, short for nitromethane, is used as a fuel additive in drag racing.
Random Thoughts & Interesting Things
- SAHARA (13A: Largest hot desert) A desert is defined as an area where little precipitation occurs; deserts can be either hot or cold. Earth's largest desert is Antarctica, covering 5.5 million square miles. Antarctica is a cold desert, of course. The SAHARA, Earth's largest hot desert, covers 3.6 million miles. The SAHARA Desert is located in Africa and spans ten countries: Algeria, Chad, Egypt, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Niger, Sudan, and Tunisia.
- C-SPAN (26A: Network that covers Congress) C-SPAN, which stands for Cable-Satellite Public Affairs Network, is a nonprofit organization that airs congressional proceedings, and other happenings of the U.S. federal government.
- IMAM (36A: Tarawih prayer leader) Tarawih are Muslim prayers that include portions of the Quran. An IMAM is a Muslim worship leader.
- BLEU (42A: Roquefort cheese's "couleur") Roquefort is a type of blue cheese made in southern France. Roquefort is made from sheep's milk and aged in the caves of Roquefort-sur-Soulzon. The use of the word "couleur" (French for "color") in the clue indicates that the answer will be the word "BLEU" (French for "blue").
- LONE STAR (46A: Texas beer brand named after the Texas flag) LONE STAR Brewing Company was founded in San Antonio, Texas by Adolphus Busch (of the Anheuser-Busch company) and a group of Texas businessmen. LONE STAR markets its beer as "The National Beer of Texas."
- KAY (50A: "Every kiss begins with ___") "Every kiss begins with KAY," is a marketing slogan used by KAY Jewelers since 1985.
- RAW (69A: Like steak tartare) Steak tartare is a French dish of ground RAW meat combined with onions and seasonings.
- THEO (3D: "The White Lotus" actor James) The White Lotus is an HBO TV series about a fictional resort chain called White Lotus. The show, which premiered in 2021, is an anthology series, one that presents a different story or may have a different cast or be set in a different location each season. THEO James portrays Cameron Sullivan in Season 2 of The White Lotus, which was set in Sicily.
- RADAR BEACON (17D: Navigation mark for mariners) A RADAR BEACON, also known as a racon, for short, is a transmitter-receiver that is associated with a fixed navigational mark. When a RADAR BEACON receives a RADAR pulse, it responds, which puts an image on the RADAR display.
- SISTINE CHAPEL (18D: Landmark with "The Creation of Adam" on its ceiling) The SISTINE CHAPEL is located in the Apostolic Palace, the official residence of the pope in Vatican City. The SISTINE CHAPEL ceiling was painted by Michelangelo between 1508 and 1512. One of the scenes on the ceiling is The Creation of Adam. Writing about this reminds me of a sweatshirt I had when I was a teenager. It was white and decorated with paint splotches and the words, "Formerly worn by Michelangelo while painting a ceiling."
- SKULL (27D: Dia de los Muertos decoration made or sugar) Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, is a Mexican holiday celebrated on November 1 and 2. As part of the celebration, many people make an ofrenda, or altar, to honor those who have died. A sugar SKULL, often colorfully decorated with royal icing, may be used to represent a family member or friend who has died.
- ROE (30D: Fish eggs in ikura don) Ikura don is a Japanese rice bowl topped with salmon ROE.
- DAISY (34D: ___ Dukes (short shorts)) DAISY Dukes are extremely short denim cut-offs. They are named after the character DAISY Duke (portrayed by Catherine Bach) from the TV show The Dukes of Hazard (1979-1985). I often comment on shows or movies that I haven't seen, so I feel the need to note that The Dukes of Hazard originally aired while I was in high school, and I have seen most of the show's episodes.
- MR. T (40D: "I pity the fool!" actor) MR. T is an actor and a retired professional wrestler. MR. T played the role of Clubber Lang in the movie Rocky III (1982). In this movie, Clubber Lang says of Rocky, "No, I don't hate Balboa but ... I pity the fool!" The line has become MR. T's catchphrase.
- EASTER (47D: Holiday after Lent) In Christianity, Lent is the 40-day period (not counting Sundays) leading up to EASTER. Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, which this year is March 5.
- USA (62D: "Born in the ___" (Springsteen hit) "Born in the U.S.A." is the title track of Bruce Springsteen's 1984 album.
Crossword Puzzle Theme Synopsis
- FAIRWAY BUNKER (4D: Sandy golf course hazard)
- RADAR BEACON (17D: Navigation mark for mariners)
- SISTINE CHAPEL (18D: Landmark with "The Creation of Adam" on its ceiling)
DOWNHILL: The DOWN-most word of each vertical theme answer can be paired with the word HILL to make the name of a place: BUNKER HILL, BEACON HILL, and CHAPEL HILL.
Today's crossword theme comes with an opportunity to review some geography. BUNKER HILL is located in Boston, Massachusetts. The Battle of BUNKER HILL in the American Revolutionary War was fought near there. BEACON HILL is a historic neighborhood, also located in Boston. CHAPEL HILL is a city in North Carolina. Congratulations to Dan Kammann making a Paste BN crossword debut! Thank you, Dan and Zhouqin, for this excellent puzzle.