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Off the Grid: Sally breaks down Paste BN's daily crossword puzzle, Written in the Stars

Sally Hoelscher   Paste BN

There are spoilers ahead. You might want to solve today's puzzle before reading further! Written in the Stars

Constructor: Max Schlenker

Editor: Amanda Rafkin

What I Learned from Today’s Puzzle

  • NEGRONI (44A: ___ Sbagliato (Emma D'Arcy's favorite cocktail)) A Negroni is an Italian cocktail made of one part each gin, vermouth, and Campari. A NEGRONI Sbagliato uses Prosecco instead of gin. (The word "sbagliato" means "mistaken" or "bungled.") In October 2022, English actor Emma D'Arcy mentioned in a video that the NEGRONI Sbagliato is their favorite cocktail, and the video went viral (as these things do...). They have been credited with the drink's increased popularity in the last couple of years.
  • RUST (24D: Lack of practice, in a way) I must admit that although the help of crossing answers led me to RUST as the answer here, I wasn't really sure it was correct until I finished the puzzle and learned everything was correct. I simply haven't heard RUST use in this way, though "rusty" would make sense to me here. Although Merriam-Webster dictionary doesn't give a definition that matches this meaning, they do provide some example sentences that use RUST in this way. It seems to be a sports-related usage, with "showed some RUST" meaning someone is out of practice. Today I learned!
  • CUOCO (28D: "The Flight Attendant" star Kaley) The Flight Attendant (2020-2022) is a TV series based on the 2018 book of the same name by Chris Bohjalian. Kaley CUOCO stars as the titular flight attendant, Cassie Bowden. After a one-night stand with a passenger, she wakes up the next morning to find his dead body. Zosia Mamet, who appeared in the puzzle four days ago, portrays Cassie's best friend, Annie, who is a lawyer.

Random Thoughts & Interesting Things

  • TIO (20A: Madre's hermano) "Madre's hermano" is Spanish for "mother's brother," which would be your uncle, or in Spanish, your TIO.
  • BEST (25A: GOATed) GOAT stands for "greatest of all time." It's an acronym often used in connection with sports, to indicated an athlete is the BEST in their field.
  • ART DECO (29A: Architectural style of the Empire State Building) ART DECO architecture is characterized by symmetry, verticality, and a use of geometric ornamentation. The 102-story ART DECO Empire State Building was built in New York City in 1930-1931. At the time of its construction, it was the world's tallest building; it's currently the 54th-tallest in the world.
  • ONEIDA (40A: People of the Standing Stone) The ONEIDA people refer to themselves as Onyota'a:ka, which means "People of the Standing Stone." The ONEIDA are one of the Six Nations of the Haudenosaunee, an Iroquoian-speaking confederacy of Indigenous and First Nations peoples in northeast North America.
  • DRE (57A: "black-ish" protagonist) The TV series black-ish originally aired on ABC from 2014-2022. The show centers on a Black family headed by Andre "DRE" Johnson (Anthony Anderson) and his wife, Dr. Rainbow Johnson (Tracee Ellis Ross).
  • STEEL GUITAR (59A: Instrument in some Hawaiian music) A STEEL GUITAR is any GUITAR played by moving a STEEL bar along the strings. The modern STEEL GUITAR was popularized on the Hawaiian islands in the late 1800s.
  • TUT (62A: Boy king of ancient Egypt) and TOMB (5D: Burial place for 62-Across) The pharaoh Tutankhamun is commonly referred to as King TUT. Ruling in the 1300s B.C.E., King TUT was nine years old when he assumed his reign.  The TOMB of King TUT was discovered in 1922 near Thebes, Egypt.
  • ALLSTATE (8D: "You're in good hands" insurance company) The ALLSTATE insurance company was founded in 1931 as part of Sears, Roebuck and Co. It remained at least partially owned by Sears until 1995. Its familiar "You're in good hands" tagline has been in use since 1950. ALLSTATE refers to themselves as the "Good Hands People."
  • SEAS (9D: Caspian and Mediterranean, e.g.) The Caspian SEA is the world's largest inland body of water, covering a surface area of over 143,000 square miles. The Caspian SEA is located between Europe and Asia. The Mediterranean SEA is almost enclosed by land, but is connected to the Atlantic Ocean.
  • ERR (10D: Forget to water the plants, say) Oof, I feel this one. I have killed many plants in my time by forgetting to water them. In fact, my husband used to say, "If you're a person or a pet, you're lucky to live at our house, but if you're a plant you take your chances." However, in recent years I have gotten much better at taking care of plants, and I rarely ERR by forgetting to water them anymore. I attribute this to not having kids living at home anymore. Kids, pets, plants – apparently I can only care for two of these at a time.
  • ESPANOL (13D: Second-most common lengua spoken in the United States) After English, Spanish is the second-most common language spoken in the United States. The use of the word "lengua" in the clue, which is the Spanish word for "language," alerts solvers that the answer will be a Spanish word, ESPAÑOL.
  • CYBERPUNK (18D: Dystopian sci-fi subgenre) The CYBERPUNK subgenre of sci-fi features stories set in dystopian future societies that are high tech. Examples of CYBERPUNK movies include Blade Runner (1982) and The Matrix trilogy (1999-2003).
  • RICO (30D: Rapper ___ Nasty) RICO Nasty is the professional name of Maria-Cecilia Simone Kelly. Her music has elements of trap music and punk rap. RICO Nasty has a couple of alter egos: Trap Lavigne, inspired by Avril Lavigne, who is a "pop-punk princess" and Tacobella, a "vulnerable, sensitive persona."
  • TRINKETS (35D: Tchotchkes) Tcotchkes, which is derived from Yiddish, is a delightfully fun word to say. Many of its synonyms are also fun. In addition to TRINKETS, we have knickknacks, doodad, whatnots, and baubles.
  • ENCANTO (37D: "We Don't Talk About Bruno" film) "We don't talk about Bruno, no, no, no / We don't talk about Bruno, but..."  In the 2021 animated musical Disney film, ENCANTO, Mirabel Madrigal is a young girl in a magical family. Everyone except Mirabel has received magical gifts from a miracle. The catchy song, "We Don't Talk About Bruno" is sung about Mirabel's uncle (that would be her TIO).
  • RON (45D: "Arrested Development" narrator Howard) Arrested Development (2003-2006, 2013-2019) is a TV series that revolves around the Bluth family. The Bluths used to be wealthy, and continue to live extravagantly even though they are no longer rich. The show is presented with voice-over narration, which is provided by RON Howard, who is also an executive producer of the show. In the show's later seasons, RON Howard portrays a fictionalized version of himself.
  • BELLE (50D: Disney princess locked in a tower (no, the other one)) No, this clue is not referring to Rapunzel, the Disney princess locked in a tower in the animated movie Tangled (2010). Rather, it is referring to BELLE, the Disney princess locked in a tower in the animated movie Beauty and the Beast (1991).
  • A few other clues I especially enjoyed:
    • DATA (22A: It's unlimited on some phone plans)
    • BELATED (11D: Like an after-the-fact birthday wish)
    • ONE AM (49D: Apt time to listen to "After Midnight" by Chappell Roan)

Crossword Puzzle Theme Synopsis

  • STORM CELLAR (17A: Underground bunker for tornado season)
  • STOP THE CAR (34A: "Just park here! I'll walk!")
  • STEEL GUITAR (59A: Instrument in some Hawaiian music)

WRITTEN IN THE STARS: The word STAR is found at the outer edges of each theme answer, meaning each theme answer is WRITTEN IN THE STARS: STORM CELLAR, STOP THE CAR, and STEEL GUITAR.

Today's title let me know just what to expect from the theme. When my guess about a theme is correct, it gives me a nice, "I knew it!," feeling as I uncover each theme answer. Thank you, Max, for this enjoyable puzzle.

For more on Paste BN’s Crossword Puzzles

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