Off the Grid: Sally breaks down Paste BN's daily crossword puzzle, Ashfall
There are spoilers ahead. You might want to solve today's puzzle before reading further! Ashfall
Constructor: Janice Luttrell
Editor: Jared Goudsmit
What I Learned from Today’s Puzzle
- STU (10A: Poker champ Ungar) STU Ungar (1953-1998) was a professional poker player. He was regarded as the greatest gin player of all time, and also excelled at TEXAS HOLD 'EM. He won the World Series of Poker three times (1980, 1981, and 1997), and is one of only two people to have done so (the other was Johnny Moss in 1970, 1971, and 1974).
- COBIE (6D: Actress Smulders) COBIE Smulders is known for portraying Robin Scherbatsy in the TV series How I Met Your Mother (2005-2014). Since my exposure to How I Met Your Mother was listening to my daughter stream it in the other room, I didn't recognize COBIE Smulders' name.
- CENA (54D: "Peacemaker" actor John) Peacemaker (2022) is an HBO TV series based on the DC Comics character of the same name. The show was a spin-off from the 2021 movie The Suicide Squad. John CENA portrays Christopher Smith aka the titular Peacemaker, a mercenary out to achieve peace at any cost. Although I'm familiar with John CENA, I'm learning about this particular show today.
- PEA (58D: Wandouhuang veggie) Wandouhuang, also known as split yellow PEA cake, is made of yellow PEAs, sugar, and water and is a traditional snack or dessert in China.
Random Thoughts & Interesting Things
- BEA (7A: "The Golden Girls" actress Arthur) BEA Arthur (1922-2009) portrayed Dorothy Zbornak on the TV series The Golden Girls (1985-1992). She won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for the role in 1988.
- UNO (14A: Card game with a Show 'Em No Mercy variant) UNO Show 'Em No Mercy is an UNO variant first released in 2023. As the name suggests, UNO Show 'Em No Mercy is a ruthless version of the classic UNO game. This version includes the usual Skip, Reverse, and Draw Two cards, but also Wild Draw 6, Wild Draw 10, Skip Everyone, Discard All, and Wild Color Roulette. The game includes a Mercy Rule; if a player ever has 25 or more cards in their hand, they're out of the game. I'm not sure whether this UNO variation sounds fun to me or not!
- LOBSTER ROLL (18A: New England seafood dish on a bun) As you might guess from its name, a LOBSTER ROLL features LOBSTER meat served on a ROLL. It's nice when the name of a dish lets you know just what to expect.
- ISSA (23A: "Little" actress Rae) Little is a 2019 movie starring ISSA Rae, Regina Hall and Marsai Martin. Regina Hall and Marsai Martin both portray Jordan Sanders, a businesswoman who has become a bully and runs her tech company like a dictator. Regina Hall portrays the adult version of Jordan Sanders, and Marsai Martin plays the character's teenage version who appears after a child using a magic wand wishes Jordan was a kid again. ISSA Rae portrays April, Jordan's assistant, who takes over the company when Jordan is transformed into a minor.
- LIE (32A: "I prefer an ugly truth to a pretty ___" (Shakira quote)) I tried to find the context of Shakira saying, "I prefer an ugly truth to a pretty LIE," but wasn't able to locate the source of the quote, though I consistently found it attributed to her.
- HELEN (37A: "White Bird" actress Mirren) Dame HELEN Mirren has been acting on both stage and screen since she auditioned for the National Youth Theatre of Great Britain at the age of 18. (That was in 1965 – the year I was born!) The 2024 movie White Bird is based on R. J. Palacio's 2019 graphic novel of the same name, and serves as a spin-off prequel and a sequel to the 2017 movie Wonder. Bryce Gheisar reprises his role as Julian Albans from Wonder. HELEN Mirren portrays Julian's grandmother, who tells him about her childhood as a Jewish girl in Nazi-occupied France during World War II.
- IOWANS (42A: People from Dubuque) Hello from Iowa! Dubuque is located in eastern Iowa, along the Mississippi River. Eight days ago we say IOWANS clued as [Des Moines denizens]. Unfortunately, the city where I live does not appear in these types of clues, because its name – Iowa City – is a dupe for IOWANS.
- SHE'S (49A: "Ain't no sunshine when ___ gone...") "Ain't no sunshine when SHE'S gone is a line from Bill Withers' 1971 breakthrough hit, "Ain't No Sunshine."
- DST (52A: Reason to adjust a clock, for short) DST stands for Daylight Saving Time. For those in the U.S. who observe DST, it will begin this year on March 9.
- ANN (63A: Journalist Curry) ANN Curry is a journalist and photojournalist that has worked for NBC, and founded her own media company. From 2018-2019, she co-hosted and co-produced a documentary series that aired on PBS, We'll Meet Again with ANN Curry.
- TEXAS HOLD 'EM (3D: Popular poker variant, or a Beyonce hit) Beyoncé's song, "TEXAS HOLD 'EM," was released in 2024 and debuted during the Super Bowl. The song is part of her eighth studio album, Cowboy Carter.
- SAO (10D: ___ Paulo Grand Prix) The SÃO Paulo Grand Prix is a Formula One championship race held in Brazil. It was first held in 1972.
- URL (12D: unicefusa.org, e.g.) UNICEF USA is the American branch of the global UNICEF organization. UNICEF, the United Nations Children's Fund, provides humanitarian aid to children, including providing immunizations, educating for disease prevention, improving sanitation, and providing emergency relief in response to disasters. UNICEF has a presence in 192 countries and territories. I appreciate when clues for URL highlight a specific organization.
- ALOHA SHIRTS (26D: Tops that may be worn at luaus) ALOHA SHIRTS, also known as Hawaiian SHIRTS, are collared and buttoned dress SHIRTS that feature bright colorful designs. This answer has me reminiscing about an ALOHA SHIRT I had when I was in high school and college. It was red and had a design featuring large white flowers. Gosh, I adored that SHIRT...
- CHAIN (33D: Word after word "food" or "bicycle") This clue is reminding me of the "Food CHAIN" puzzle from three days ago.
- LEICA (33D: German camera company) The LEICA Camera company was founded in Wetzlar, Germany in 1869 by Ernst Leitz. The company's name is derived from the first three letters of "Leitz" and the first two letters of "camera."
- CLUES (48D: Whodunit discoveries) I am a fan of a good whodunit, and I enjoyed this CLUE.
- TEA (55D: Coffee alternative) TEA happens to be my coffee alternative of choice.
Crossword Puzzle Theme Synopsis
- TEXAS HOLD 'EM (3D: Popular poker variant, or a Beyonce hit)
- SEA SHANTIES (19D: Songs sung by sailors)
- ALOHA SHIRTS (26D: Tops that may be worn at luaus)
ASHFALL: The word ASH is found FALLing, that is going down, in each vertical theme answer: TEXAS HOLD 'EM, SEA SHANTIES, and ALOHA SHIRTS.
ASHFALL refers to airborne ASH that FALLs to the ground; it is typically a result of large fires or volcanic activity. Today it is the word ASH that is FALLing, which is much safer. I appreciate that the word ASH is FALLing, not only in each theme answer, but also relatively in the grid when moving from left to right. Congratulations to Janice Luttrell making a Paste BN crossword debut! Thank you, Janice, for this enjoyable puzzle.