Crossword Blog and Answers for January 18, 2025 by Sally Hoelscher

There are spoilers ahead. Before you read on, you might want to try solving today’s puzzle. embedded

Constructor: Lynn K. Watson

Editor: Jared Gosmit

What I learned from today’s puzzle

COST (7D: “True feelings, whatever they may be, justify ___” (May Sarton quote) May Sarton (1912-1995) was a Belgian-American novelist, poet, and He was a memoirist. Although she identified as a lesbian, she resisted the label “lesbian writer” because she preferred her work to be seen in a broader context. Mae Sarton said that in addition to “true feelings justify whatever the cost,” she also said, “The clearer the words, the more dangerous they are.” EVA (20D: Activist__Maria Ruiz) EVA Maria Ruiz describes herself as a sociocultural architect, “creating solutions to the structures in our society that perpetuate injustice. Someone who is dedicated to. She began her advocacy work when she was a high school student in Chicago, Illinois. She founded Free Root Operation, an organization that provides services that address the root causes of gun violence. EVA Maria Ruiz wrote many articles for Teen Vogue when she was a teenager.

Random thoughts and interesting things

MEG (4A: Little Women) Little Women is a book by Louisa May Alcott that tells the story of the four March sisters: MEG, Jo, Beth, and Amy. CARGO (7A: ___ Pants (garments with lots of large pockets)) I love all things pockety, so it’s no surprise that I rate CARGO pants highly. (I currently don’t have any. Why wouldn’t I?) This clue reminded me of the amazing CARGO pants I had as a teenager. Calvin (22A: Hobbes’s friend in the comics) Hobbes is Calvin’s six-year-old tiger companion in Bill Waterson’s Calvin and Hobbes comics. My cat, Willow, is a Calvin and Hobbes fan (Hobbes is her favorite).

Intro (29A: Host’s opening words) When I first read this clue, I tried to think of specific words that the host might say at the beginning, such as “Welcome” or “Hello.” By combining multiple answers, they eventually discovered that the clue pointed in a more general way to the host’s opening words. KEA (51A: Mauna ___ (Hawaii Summit)) Mauna KEA is one of the five volcanoes that form the Big Island of Hawaii. I. Mauna Kea is a dormant volcano, and its summit is the highest point in Hawaii. Babe Didrikson (55A: The first female athlete to appear on a Wheaties box) I often say that I learned (almost) everything I know about sports from crosswords. puzzle. Therefore, I’m always happy when I come across sports-related entries in crosswords that I already know. I know about Babe Didrikson because I read a biography about her when I was in fifth grade. (I needed help crossing the answers to remember how to spell her last name. It’s been a long time since fifth grade.) Babe Didrikson (1911-1956) won 3 at the 1932 Olympics. Won three track and field medals (two of which were one gold and one silver). However, the sport for which she was most famous was golf. She started playing golf in 1935 and quickly made a name for herself in the golf world. In 1950 she became a founding member of the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA). Babe Didrikson also excelled in basketball, earning All-American status. And she pitched a total of four innings in Major League Baseball’s spring training opener. Oh, and about those Wheaties boxes… Wheaties started putting pictures of players on the boxes in 1934 and adopted the slogan “Breakfast of Champions.” Babe Didrikson appeared on the back of a Wheaties box in 1935. She was pictured holding a basketball. TAU (62A: Letter before Upsilon) TAU is the 19th letter of the Greek alphabet. Bandana (2D: Rosie the Riveter’s Hat) Rosie the Riveter is the woman from the iconic “We Can Do It!” Poster. In the poster, she is pictured wearing a red and white polka dot bandana on her head. Genie (6D: Comical “Aladdin” Character) In Disney’s animated film “Aladdin” (1992), based on the Arabian folk tale of The Thousand and One Nights, the Genie was voiced by Robin Williams. Reader (9D: Kindle User)Are you reading now? I’m currently reading The Accidental Alchemist, the first book in my first cozy mystery series, by Gigi Pandian. I’m enjoying it so much that I plan on checking out the rest of the series. Next on my to-read list is a book my daughter recommended, The Most Fun We Ever Had by Claire Lombardo. GAP (10D: Cumberland ___ (Appalachian Pass)) Cumberland GAP is a mountain pass in the Cumberland Mountains. It is part of the Appalachian Mountains. Cumberland GAP is located on the Kentucky-Virginia border, just a quarter-mile from the Kentucky-Virginia-Tennessee tri-point. FDA (34D: Organization that regulates cosmetics) The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) oversees and controls many products to protect and promote public health. In addition to food and drugs, the FDA also regulates cosmetics, tobacco products, vaccines, and medical devices. RUM (39D: Cuba Libre) Cuba Libre is a cocktail also known as RUM or Cola. HEPBURN (41D: EGOT-Winning Actress Audrey) ) EGOT is an acronym for Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony Awards, and is used to describe someone who has won all four of these awards. Audrey Hepburn (1929-1993) achieved EGOT status in 1994, making her the first person to receive the status posthumously. Audrey Hepburn won an Emmy Award in 1993 (Outstanding Individual Achievement for Audrey Hepburn and the Gardens of the World) and a Grammy Award in 1994 (Best Children’s Spoken Word Album for The Enchanted Tales of Audrey Hepburn). , won an Oscar (Academy Award) in 1954. She won the Best Actress Award for “Roman Holiday” and the Tony Award for “Roman Holiday.” 1954 (Ondine Famous Theater Actress). Other tips I particularly enjoyed: ADAGE (61A: “Practice makes perfect” etc.) I’M TOAST (43D: “My goose was cooked”) PEANUTS (44D: Certain legumes ), or manga)

Overview of crossword puzzle themes

I’D BE DILIGHTED (19A: Enthusiastic response to “Are you sure?”) Web Editor (36A: Digital Content Specialist) BABE DIDRIKSON (55A: First female athlete featured in a Wheaties box)

EM-BED-DED: The word BED is embedded in the answers for each theme: I’D BE DELIGHTED, WEB EDITOR, BABE DIDRIKSON.

The hyphen in the title made it pretty easy to find today’s theme. I was shocked by the grid pattern of this puzzle. The black squares in the center of the grid form an interesting pattern reminiscent of stairs. Thank you, Lin, for the fun puzzle.

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