Off the Grid: Sally breaks down Paste BN's crossword, That Escalated Quickly (Freestyle)
There are spoilers ahead. You might want to solve today's puzzle before reading further! That Escalated Quickly (Freestyle)
Constructor: Boaz Moser
Editor: Jared Goudsmit
What I Learned from Today’s Puzzle
- EPEE (45A: Sword for Vivian Kong) Vivian Kong represented Hong Kong in ÉPÉE fencing at the 2024 Summer Olympics. She won a gold medal, Hong Kong's third-ever Olympic gold medal. In August of last year, Vivian Kong announced her retirement from professional fencing.
- WII (54A: "Link's Crossbow Training" console) Link's Crossbow Training is a 2007 game for Nintendo's WII video game console. The game is related to The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (a game I have previously learned about from crosswords) and uses environments and characters from that game.
Random Thoughts & Interesting Things
- IDRIS (6A: Emmy-nominated actor Elba) IDRIS Elba has been nominated for six Emmy Awards, but has not yet won any. In 2011, he was nominated for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series for his appearance on the "Blue-Eyed Iris" episode of The Big C. In 2011, 2012, 2014, and 2016 he was nominated for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie for Luther (seasons 1-4). In 2024 he was nominated for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for Hijack. Although he hasn't won any Emmy Awards (yet), IDRIS Elba has won a number of other awards including a Golden Globe Award, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, two BET Awards, and three NAACP Image Awards.
- ASIA (17A: Cambodia's continent) Cambodia is a country in Southeast ASIA. Its capital is Phnom Penh. This is the first appearance of our crossword friend ASIA this month, and its 11th appearance so far this year.
- DAB (30A: Dance move popularized in the 2010s) The DAB is a dance move in which a person leans their head forward into the crook of their elbow while holding their other arm up and straight out parallel to the forearm of the bent arm. The move became popular around 2015.
- NERO (34A: Infamous Roman emperor) NERO (37-68) was the Roman emperor from 54 CE until his death in 68 CE. He is remembered as a sadistic and cruel emperor, who ignored serious matters.
- ROTI (44A: Tandoor bread) A tandoor is a cylindrical oven made of clay or metal. Flatbreads such as ROTI are sometimes baked in a tandoor.
- MSG (46A: Savory food additive) Monosodium glutamate (MSG) is used as a flavor enhancer that intensifies umami (savory) flavors.
- CLE (51A: The Browns, on scoreboards) The Cleveland Browns (CLE, on a scoreboard) are an NFL team based in Ohio. The team's name honors Paul Brown (1908-1991), the team's co-founder and first coach.
- HEAVENS TO BETSY (58A: "Gadzooks!") "HEAVENS TO BETSY!" This is a delightful answer to see in the grid. I'm always curious about the origin of interesting phrases. The exact origin of HEAVENS TO BETSY is unknown. Filling in this answer uncovered a long-buried memory of a related phrase, "HEAVENS TO Murgatroyd!" That phrase was coined in 1961 by the writers of Yogi Bear cartoons. It was popularized by the character Snagglepuss.
- LIFE (63A: "In another ___, I would have really liked just doing laundry and taxes with you") "In another LIFE, I would have really liked just doing laundry and taxes with you," is a line spoken by Waymond (Ke Huy Quan) to Evelyn (Michelle Yeoh) in the 2022 movie Everything Everywhere All at Once. In the movie, the character of Evelyn experiences versions of herself in multiple universes.
- ISLAM (66A: Religion with salah and sawm) Salah and sawm are two of the Five Pillars of ISLAM, the foundation of Muslim life. Salah are prayers performed by Muslims. Prayer is the Second Pillar of ISLAM. Sawm is the ISLAM practice of fasting. During the holy month of Ramadan, Sawm is observed from dawn to dusk. Fasting is the Fourth Pillar of ISLAM.
- BEAR (68A: "The ___" (show starring Ayo Edebiri)) Ayo Edebiri won an Emmy Award in 2023 for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for her portrayal of chef Sydney Adamu on the TV series The BEAR.
- FOSTER CAT (2D: Feline cared for by a volunteer) When an animal shelter is at capacity, or when animals need special care, volunteers may take care of animals at home. One potential pitfall of having a FOSTER CAT is that you might fall in love with the CAT and end up making it a permanent part of your family. My CAT, Willow, says that would not necessarily be a bad thing.
- FRIED RICE (3D: Yangzhou grain dish) Yangzhou FRIED RICE is a variation of FRIED RICE that includes vegetables and two types of protein, usually pork and shrimp. This variation of FRIED RICE takes its name from the Chinese city of Yangzhou.
- CHRIS (51D: "Wonder Woman" actor Pine) In the 2017 movie Wonder Woman, Gal Gadot portrays the titular character, Wonder Woman aka Diana Prince. CHRIS Pine portrays Steve Trevor, an American pilot.
- ISLES (55D: Bits of land in archipelagoes) An archipelago is a group of islands or ISLES.
- VEAL (59D: Wiener schnitzel meat) Wiener schnitzel, one of the national dishes of Austria, is a thin, breaded, pan-fried VEAL cutlet. VEAL is meat from calves, as opposed to beef from older cattle.
Crossword Puzzle Theme Synopsis
THAT ESCALATED QUICKLY (Freestyle): There's no theme today, as this is a freestyle, or themeless puzzle. The title is a nod to TESTS THE WATERS (20A: Doesn't immediately dive in) and RACE AGAINST TIME ("The clock is ticking!" situation).
I enjoy how today's title is a comment on the the interplay between two of the long answers. Imagine someone who hesitantly TESTS THE WATERS before starting a new project ... and then suddenly finds themself in a RACE AGAINST TIME. Well, "THAT ESCALATED QUICKLY!" I could even throw in another answer and say, "HEAVENS TO BETSY!" Thank you, Boaz, for this exciting puzzle.