Off the Grid: Sally breaks down Paste BN's daily crossword puzzle, Snap, Crackle and Pop
There are spoilers ahead. You might want to solve today's puzzle before reading further! Snap, Crackle and Pop
Constructor: Dena R. Verkuil
Editor: Amanda Rafkin
What I Learned from Today’s Puzzle
- SATIVA (31A: Dispensary option) The two main types of cannabis sold by dispensaries are SATIVA and indica. These cannabis strains come from different subspecies of the cannabis plant. SATIVA is generally associated with a more energetic high, while indica strains are thought to have a more calming effect.
- ORA (61A: 1/24 of un giorno) In Italian, "un giorno" means "one day," and "ORA" means "one hour."
- MARCUS (1D: Civil Rights activist Garvey) MARCUS Garvey (1886-1940) was a Jamaican-born civil rights activist and a leader of the Pan-African movement that aims to strengthen bonds between people of African ancestry. He was the founder of the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA), which advocated for "separate but equal" status for African Americans. Not all of MARCUS Garvey's separatist views have been embraced by other Black leaders and activists, but he is acknowledged for promoting a message of being proud of being Black.
- KARATE (50D: Nobuko Oshiro's martial art) Nobuko Oshiro is a KARATE grandmaster. She is the highest-ranked woman practicing KARATE in Okinawa. She began learning KARATE in her twenties. Now in her seventies, Nobuko Oshiro teaches KARATE at a dojo in Okinawa, Japan.
Random Thoughts & Interesting Things
- MIST (1A: Victoria Falls spray) Victoria Falls is located in Zimbabwe on the Zambezi River, which I wrote about two days ago when we saw AFRICA clued as [Continent with the Zambezi River]. Victoria Falls is 5,604 feet wide – that's over a mile! Its width combined with its height of 354 feet results in the world's largest sheet of falling water. As one might imagine, all that falling water creates a lot of MIST.
- AGUA (14A: Liquid in un lago) In Spanish, "un lago" means "a lake," and "AGUA" means "water."
- TESLA (26A: Inventor played by Nicholas Hoult in "The Current War") The Current War (2017) is a historical drama. The movie is inspired by the 19th-century competition between Thomas Edison (Benedict Cumberbatch) and George Westinghouse (Michael Shannon) to get their respective electric power delivery systems widely used in the United States. Nikola TESLA (Nicholas Hoult), an inventor I've written about previously, also appears in the movie.
- ALLAH (56A: Deity with 99 names) ALLAH is an Arabic term for god. It is used by followers of Islam, Judaism, and Christianity. In Islamic tradition, there are 99 names of God, each evoking a distinct characteristic of ALLAH.
- USSR (57A: World power until 1991) From 1922 to 1991, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), also known as the Soviet Union, was a country comprised of 15 national republics. The USSR was governed by the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. The USSR was dissolved in 1991. Between the Cold War and the Space Race, the USSR featured a lot in the news as I was growing up. It sometimes amazes me to think about the fact that the USSR has not existed during any part of my children's lives.
- MEAT (59A: What seitan can be a substitute for) Seitan, also known as wheat gluten, is made by washing wheat flour dough to remove the soluble starch, leaving the gluten behind. Seitan is used as a MEAT substitute.
- OHIO (62A: Simone Biles' birth state) The gymnast Simone Biles was born in Columbus, OHIO, the state's capital.
- IGUANA (2D: Reptile with a parietal eye) The parietal eye of an IGUANA is located on the top of its head and covered by a thin scale. The parietal eye is a specialized type of photoreceptor that notes changes in illumination, distinguishing between day and night and sending signals to the brain that assist with thermoregulation.
- FARE (5D: Waymo charge) Waymo, previously known as the Google Self-Driving Car Project, is a California-based company that offers rides in autonomous (driverless) cars. The rides aren't free, of course, riders need to pay the FARE. The company's name is derived from the phrase, "a new way forward in mobility."
- NERD CRED (11D: Brainiac's rep) This is a fun answer. I construct, edit, and blog about crossword puzzles; that's my NERD CRED!
- ELEVEN (18D: Max volume on Spinal Tap's amps) This is Spinal Tap is a 1984 mockumentary about a fictional heavy metal band. Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, and Harry Shearer portray the members of Spinal Tap. There's a scene in the movie in which the band's amps are being discussed that has popularized the saying "these go to ELEVEN."
- AMY (32D: Schneider who won 40 consecutive games on "Jeopardy!") AMY Schneider is a 40-time Jeopardy! champion, and holds the show's second-longest winning streak (after Ken Jennings). She is also the most successful woman to compete on Jeopardy! In addition to her 40-game winning streak, AMY Schneider also won the Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions that aired in November 2022. AMY Schneider's 2023 memoir is titled In the Form of a Question.
- BLANK (36D: Fill in the ___) This clue is absolutely delightful.
- SHE (42D: "Nevertheless, ___ persisted") I'm always happy to be reminded of the phrase, "Nevertheless, SHE persisted." I've written about this phrase previously.
- WAS (43D: Third word in many limericks) Me counting on my fingers: "There once WAS..."
- TBS (46D: "Very funny" network) In 2004, TBS (Turner Broadcasting System) launched a new marketing campaign to highlight its comedic offerings. The network began using the tagline "very funny."
- DEBUT (55D: That's a first!) An exclamation point at the end of a clue alerts solvers the clue should be read literally. A DEBUT is literally the first of something.
- SOHO (58D: Neighborhood north of TriBeCa) The New York City neighborhoods of SOHO and TriBeCa both have names derived from their locations. The SOHO neighborhood derives its name from being SOuth of HOuston Street. The area is home to a number of art galleries, artists' lofts, and shops. Tribeca is a shortened version of "Triangle Below Canal Street." The neighborhood is bordered by Canal Street, West Street, Broadway, and Chambers Street. Those four streets form a quadrilateral rather than a triangle, but hey, that's what imagination is for.
- ODE (62D: "___ to Deodorant" (first Coldplay song)) Coldplay released "ODE to Deodorant" as a cassette single (remember cassette singles?!) in 1998. "Here's an ODE, ODE to deodorant / It's my thing, ah, it's my favorite hygiene..."
- USA (65D: Home to MA, IN, LA and ND) Did you notice that the postal codes for the USA states Massachusetts (MA), Indiana (IN), Louisiana (LA), and North Dakota (ND) spell the word MAINLAND?
- WTA (66D: Coco Gauff's org.) WTA here is the Women's Tennis Association. Coco Gauff is a professional tennis player who won her first singles tennis title in 2019 (the Linz Open) at the age of 15. Her first major singles title win was in 2023 when she defeated Aryna Sabalenka to win the US Open. Coco Gauff won the French Open this year (again defeating Aryna Sabalenka), becoming the first American to win that title since Serena Williams in 2015.
- A few other clues I especially enjoyed:
- FACTS (5A: They're not wrong)
- LEAN (21A: Emulate Pisa's tower)
- CRANE (7D: Origami bird)
- TIMING (25D: Key to comic delivery)
Crossword Puzzle Theme Synopsis
- RUBBER BAND (17A: Loop-shaped stretchy fastener)
- VINYL RECORD (39A: Turntable disc)
- BUBBLE WRAP (64A: Protective packing material)
SNAP, CRACKLE, AND POP: The theme answers are things that can SNAP (RUBBER BAND), CRACKLE (VINYL RECORD), AND POP (BUBBLE WRAP).
I enjoyed this theme a lot. My favorite theme answer today is BUBBLE WRAP. I find it quite therapeutic to POP BUBBLE WRAP! Thank you, Dena, for this splendid puzzle.