There are spoilers ahead. You might want to solve today’s puzzle before reading further! You See…
Constructor: Kiran Pandey
Editor: Anna Gundlach
What I Learned from Today’s Puzzle
- UNCLE CHARLIE (51A: “There Goes My Baby” singer Wilson’s nickname) “There Goes My Baby” is a 2008 song by R&B singer CHARLIE Wilson. It is from his fourth studio album, which is titled UNCLE CHARLIE. The music video for “There Goes My Baby” features Snoop Dogg and his wife Shante Taylor.
- LENS (64A: Device that reading stones were an early form of) A reading stone is a shaped and polished piece of quartz or glass that can be placed on top of text to make it easier to read. Reading stones were invented in the ninth century. The use of a reading stone as a LENS was eventually replaced by the use of spectacles after the late 13th century. However, modern magnifiers that work on the same principle as reading stones are still used.
Random Thoughts & Interesting Things
- ALDA (1A: “M*A*S*H” actor Alan) The TV series M*A*S*H was adapted from a 1970 movie of the same name, which in turn was based on a 1968 book by Richard Hooker titled MASH: A Novel About Three Army Doctors. From 1972-1983, Alan ALDA portrayed Captain Benjamin Franklin “Hawkeye” Pierce, the chief surgeon at the 4077th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital (MASH) in Korea. The show is set during the Korean War (1950-1953). Alan ALDA is one of only four actors who were a part of M*A*S*H for its entire 11 season run. The other three are Loretta Swit (Margaret “Hot Lips” Houlihan), Jamie Farr (Maxwell Q. Klinger), and William Christopher (Father John Patrick Francis Mulcahy). Alan ALDA is the only one of those four who appeared in every M*A*S*H episode.
- ETTA (5A: “At Last” singer James) We saw this same clue and answer just a few days ago.
- DAHI (15A: Yogurt in lassi) DAHI is a yogurt product that originated from the Indian subcontinent. Lassi is a blend of DAHI, water, and spices. Fruit is sometimes added.
- DAY-O (17A: “___ (The Banana Boat Song)”) The traditional Jamaican folk song, “DAY-O (The Banana Boat Song)” is a call and response song written from the point of view of dock workers loading bananas onto ships. Harry Belafonte recorded “DAY-O (The Banana Boat Song)” in 1956, and it became one of his signature songs. This answer brought back some memories for me. When I was growing up my family had a Harry Belafonte record, and my sister and I spent many hours singing and dancing to “DAY-O (The Banana Boat Song)” and “Hava Nagila.”
- TOYS (31A: Woody, Buzz and Rex) Woody, Buzz, and Rex are, of course, TOYS from the Toy Story franchise. Sheriff Woody is a cowboy doll (voiced by Tom Hanks), Buzz Lightyear is a superhero action figure who wears a spacesuit (voiced by Tim Allen), and Rex is a plastic Tyrannosaurus rex figure (voiced by Wallace Shawn).
- WAWA (34A: East Coast convenience store chain) The WAWA convenience stores take their name from the town in which their headquarters are located, WAWA, Pennsylvania. The town of WAWA’s name is derived from the Ojibwe word for snow goose. Not living on the East Coast, I’ve never been to a WAWA, but I learned about this chain from a puzzle (of course!) two years ago.
- IKEA (57A: Store that sells mattresses and meatballs) Ha! This clue makes me laugh.
- ATARI (62A: Asteroids developer) Players of the 1979 ATARI video game Asteroids control a spaceship flying through an asteroid field. The goal is to shoot asteroids and other spaceships without colliding into anything. I know this clue is referring to the game Asteroids, but it got me thinking how cool (and probably ultimately frightening) it would be if ATARI were actually developing asteroids – the rocky, metallic, or icy objects orbiting in space.
- EDNA (63A: Poet ___ St. Vincent Millay) EDNA St. Vincent Millay (1892-1950) was a poet and playwright. She also wrote under the pseudonym Nancy Boyd. EDNA St. Vincent Millay’s poem “The Ballad of the Harp-Weaver” won the 1923 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry. The works of EDNA St. Vincent Millay continue to be referenced in modern culture.
- TACOS (6D: ___ de birria (Mexican dish)) In Mexican cuisine, birria is slow-cooked meat (goat, beef, or lamb) with chili peppers, garlic, cumin, bay leaves, and thyme. TACOS de birria is a U.S. adaptation of birria, using slow-cooked beef to make TACOS. The TACOS are served with a side of broth to be used as dipping sauce.
- REIKI (21D: Japanese energy healing) The practice of REIKI is based on the belief that an experienced practitioner can use a technique called “hands-on healing” to alter energy fields in the body.
- ASTRAL PLANE (26D: Mystical realm of celestial spheres) Some people believe the ASTRAL PLANE is an area of existence crossed by souls as they are born and after death. Others view the ASTRAL PLANE as the place spirits exist after people die. Whatever one’s beliefs are about the ASTRAL PLANE, “mystical” is a good word to describe it.
- SAHARA (44D: Desert that covers over 90% of Algeria) The SAHARA Desert, located on the African continent, is the world’s largest hot desert. The ten North African countries spanned by the SAHARA are: Algeria, Chad, Egypt, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Niger, Sudan, and Tunisia. The area of the SAHARA that covers 90% of Algeria is known as the Algerian Desert.
- EDISON (45D: Inventor of the phonograph) It was in 1877 that Thomas EDISON invented the phonograph. The invention was a byproduct of his attempts to record telegraph messages and play them back. In December 1877, Thomas EDISON took his invention to the office of the Scientific American. He set it down and turned the crank, and the machine said, “Good morning. How do you do? How do you like the phonograph?”
- A few other clues I especially enjoyed:
- SUN (42A: It’s up at the crack of dawn)
- DAYDREAMING (3D: Distracted during a boring class, maybe)
- WIN AT LIFE (34D: Be successful and satisfied in every way)
Crossword Puzzle Theme Synopsis
- UNDER CONTROL (20A: All taken care of)
- UMBILICAL CORD (36A: Connection that becomes a navel)
- UNCLE CHARLIE (51A: “There Goes My Baby” singer Wilson’s nickname)
YOU SEE…: Each theme answer has the initials U.C., which sounds like YOU SEE: UNDER CONTROL, UMBILICAL CORD, and UNCLE CHARLIE.
YOU SEE… as soon as I read the title of today’s puzzle, I had a hunch the letters U and C would be involved. You might say I had the theme UNDER CONTROL. Thank you, Kiran, for this enjoyable puzzle.
