Off the Grid: Sally breaks down Paste BN's daily crossword, Cold Comfort (Freestyle)
There are spoilers ahead. You might want to solve today's puzzle before reading further! Cold Comfort (Freestyle)
Constructor: Carolyn Davies Lynch
Editor: Amie Walker and Amanda Rafkin
Comments from Today’s Crossword Constructor
Carolyn: Hi everyone! Thanks for solving today, especially since this is a puzzle that has been a long time coming. I just checked my email archives and was reminded that I created the first version of it back in 2023! After several grid revisions, an initial rejection, another grid revision, and then an accidental full year break before writing the clues (the chaos of a four-elementary-schooler household can be intense!) ... the puzzle was finally complete. Two things you can take away from this story: (1) the USA Today puzzle editors are exceedingly gracious and such real partners to constructors, and (2) if you’ve always wanted to construct crosswords, but feel like you can’t fit it into your life … slow and steady can be a perfectly good way to get across the finish line … so just get going and see what happens! (And PS – if you’ve never tried TEA LEAF SALAD, please do let this puzzle be your inspiration to go track some down!)
What I Learned from Today’s Puzzle
- TEA LEAF SALAD (33A: Caffeinated dish with fermented greens and crunchy toppings) TEA LEAF SALAD, also known as lahpet thoke, is a dish in Burmese cuisine. The crunchy toppings are generally a mixture of nuts and beans.
- LOTERIA (5D: Game of chance with "La Luna" and "El Arbol" cards) LOTERÍA, meaning "lottery," is a Mexican game of chance. LOTERÍA is similar to Bingo, but it uses images rather than numbers. A traditional LOTERÍA deck has 54 cards, each with a different picture. The caller shuffles the deck and picks cards one at a time, announcing the name of the card to the players. The players check their 4 x 4 grids for a possible match. Sometimes the caller will read a verse before reading the card's name. The verse for "La Luna" (the moon) is "The street lamp of lovers." "El Árbol" (the tree) is paired with the verse, "He who nears a good tree, is blanketed by good shade."
Random Thoughts & Interesting Things
- OARS (15A: They're sometimes confused with paddles) Although OARS and paddles have similarities, they are different. OARS have a single-blade, are attached to a boat (fixed in place by an oarlock), and propel the craft in the opposite direction that the rower is facing. Paddles may be either single- or double-bladed, are not attached (and thus require two-handed operation), and propel the craft in the direction the rower is facing. Generally, OARS are used for rowboats and sculls, while paddles are used for canoes, kayaks, and paddleboards.
- ALMAY (16A: Hypoallergenic makeup brand) ALMAY markets itself as "Hypoallergenic. Fragrance Free. Cruelty Free." The company was started in 1931, and named for its founders, ALfred and Fanny MAY Woititz. Alfred was a professional chemist and was inspired to experiment with makeup formulations to find ingredients that did not irritate Fanny May's sensitive skin.
- EDITOR (23A: Person who helps a crossword constructor revise) Shoutout to the crossword EDITORs!
- HEEL (24A: Uneaten part of a loaf of bread, often) This clue made me laugh. I am not a fan of the HEEL of a loaf of bread. The HEEL was my dad's favorite part of the bread (or at least that's what he said), so when I was growing up I always left the HEEL for him.
- REVLON (31A: ColorStay cosmetics company) Not just one, but two cosmetics companies are represented in today's grid. REVLON was founded in 1932 (a year after ALMAY). Its founders were two brothers – Charles and Joseph Revson – and a chemist, Charles Lachman. In naming their company, the brothers took their last name and changed the "s" to an "l" to include Lachman. ColorStay is REVLON's line of longwear makeup designed to resist fading.
- SARA (36A: "Girls5eva" star ___ Bareilles) Girls5eva (2021-2024) is a musical comedy TV series that focuses on four women who were formerly part of a girl group – Girls5eva. The members of Girls5eva are: Dawn (SARA Bareilles) – the self-proclaimed "chill one," Summer (Busy Phillips) – the self-proclaimed "hot one," Gloria (Paula Pell) – the self-proclaimed "always working one," and Wickie (Renée Elise Goldsberry) – the self-proclaimed "fierce one."
- ATL (39A: Capital of GA) Atlanta is the capital of Georgia. The abbreviation GA in the clue alerts solvers the answer will be an abbreviation.
- NATO (40A: ___ phonetic alphabet) The NATO phonetic alphabet is a widely used radiotelephone spelling alphabet comprised of 26 words, one for each letter of the alphabet. Using the NATO phonetic alphabet, my initials are Sierra Romeo Hotel (That sounds like a swanky place for a romantic getaway!) NATO is having an extremely good month as crossword fill. Last week it appeared in the puzzle three days in a row, on June 17, 18, and 19.
- ELECTRIC BASS (41A: Instrument for Thundercat and Kim Gordon) Thundercat aka Stephen Bruner has been playing ELECTRIC BASS since he was four years old. His latest album, It Is What It Is, was released in 2020 and won a Grammy Award for Best Progressive R&B Album. Kim Gordon played ELECTRIC BASS and provided vocals for the alt rock band Sonic Youth (1981-2011). She released her second solo album, The Collective, last year.
- CASTRO (46A: The ___ Theatre (iconic San Francisco landmark where "Milk" premiered)) Milk is a biographical movie about the life of Harvey Milk, California's first openly gay elected official. Harvey Milk was elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 1977. Eleven months into his term, Harvey MILK and Mayor George Moscone were assassinated by a disgruntled city supervisor. Much of Milk was filmed on location on CASTRO Street in San Francisco's CASTRO District. As part of the filming, the neon sign and the facade of the CASTRO Theatre were renovated. As the clue informs us, the world premiere of Milk was held in the CASTRO Theater.
- ROSS (63A: "Friends" paleontologist) The TV sitcom Friends originally aired on NBC from 1994-2004. The character of Dr. ROSS Geller was played by David Schwimmer. ROSS is a paleontologist and works at the American Museum of Natural History. Later in the show he becomes a professor of paleontology at New York University.
- OLSEN (67A: "Sorry for Your Loss" star Elizabeth) Sorry for Your Loss is a TV series that aired from 2018-2019 on Facebook Watch (a video on demand service operated by Meta). Elizabeth OLSEN portrays a recently widowed woman who moves in with her mother and sister following her husband's death.
- ESPY (68A: Arthur Ashe Courage Award, for one) Arthur Ashe (1943-1993) was a legendary tennis player, and also a civil rights activist, author, and educator. The Arthur Ashe Courage Award is presented as part of the ESPY Awards to individuals or groups who "reflect the spirit of Arthur Ashe, possessing strength in the face of adversity, courage in the face of peril and the willingness to stand up for their beliefs no matter what the cost." The 2024 Arthur Ashe Courage Award was presented to Steve Gleason, a former New Orleans Saints football player who has been documenting his journey with ALS (a progressive neurodegenerative disease) since his diagnosis in 2011.
- SORBET (1D: Dairy-free dessert) SORBET is a frozen dessert made of ice, fruit juice, and fruit purée.
- ONEIDA (2D: Six Nations people) The ONEIDA people refer to themselves as Onyota'a:ka, which means "People of the Standing Stone." They are part of the Haudenosaunee, an indigenous confederacy comprised of Six Nations: the Mohawk, Onondaga, ONEIDA, Cayuga, Seneca, and Tuscarora peoples.
- BUPKIS (3D: Nothing at all, informally) It took me a bit to uncover this answer, because I was convinced this word was spelled "bumpkiss" rather than BUPKIS. It turns out that's an alternate spelling.
- ALAI (30D: Jai ___) Jai ALAI is a sport that's played worldwide, but especially in Spain, France, Florida, and Baja California. Jai ALAI is similar to handball; both sports involve bouncing a ball off of a walled-in space. In Jai ALAI, players use a long, curved wicker scoop called a cesta to catch and throw the ball.
- ALBA (35D: "Honey" actor Jessica) Honey is a 2003 dance movie in which Jessica ALBA stars as the title character, a hip-hop choreographer.
Crossword Puzzle Theme Synopsis
COLD COMFORT (Freestyle): There's no theme today, as this is a freestyle, or themeless, puzzle. The title is a nod to ICE CREAM CAKES (57A: Frozen birthday treats) and SORBET (1D: Dairy-free dessert).
I would definitely not turn down an offer of ICE CREAM CAKE or SORBET. Both of those desserts sound especially enticing given how hot it's been lately where I live. Thank you, Carolyn, for this refreshing puzzle.