Spoilers ahead. You might want to try solving today’s puzzle before reading on! USA Today
constructor: Jared Goodmitt
Editor: Jared Goodmitt
What I learned from today’s puzzle
- Barbara Ess (36A: Photographer of “I Am Not This Body”) Photographer Barbara Ess (1944-2021) was known for her large-scale works shot with a pinhole camera. Her collection of works, I am not this body: Barbara Ess’s pinhole photographywas published in 2001. Barbara Ess has said that she was drawn to pinhole photography because “my brain works better when my means are limited.”
- Ethel (10D: Ennis, Jazz Musician) Ethel Ennis (1932-2019) was known in her hometown of Baltimore, Maryland as the “First Lady of Jazz.” She recorded for major record companies in the 1950s and 1960s, but then became disillusioned with the demands of national celebrity and returned to Baltimore.
- Gongs (41D: Gamelan Percussion) Gamelan is a traditional Indonesian percussion ensemble. Gamelan instruments include gongs, xylophones, and drums.
- AVA (56D: Actress Capri from “Revenge”) Take revenge The 2022 film is inspired by Alfred Hitchcock’s 1951 film. Unfamiliar Train (It was based on a novel by Patricia Highsmith. Unfamiliar Train). Take revenge The film centers around a group of high school students plotting revenge for past actions.Ava Capri plays a high school student named Carissa.
Random thoughts and interesting things
- ACT (42A: Appeared on “Radio Golf”) Pittsburgh Cycle A series of ten plays by August Wilson, each dramatizing the black American experience in the twentieth century. Radio Golf This is the final episode of Pittsburgh CycleThis was also August Wilson’s final film before his death in 2005 at the age of 60. Radio Golf It won the 2007 Tony Award for Best Play.
- Asia (43A: Continent of the Potala Palace) The Potala Palace is located in the city of Lhasa in the Tibet Autonomous Region of China (i.e. Asia). It is built in the dzong style of architecture used to build fortified monasteries. The Potala Palace served as the winter palace of the Dalai Lama from 1649 to 1959. The building is now a museum and has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1994. This month marks the first time that Asia has appeared in the crossword puzzle.
- TENS (47A: Bills, AKA Sawbucks) I knew the term “sawbucks” referred to the $10 bill, but this clue got me curious as to how the term came about. In woodworking, a sawbuck is a structure similar to a saw stand that is used to hold a piece of wood while it is being cut. A sawbuck has two pieces of wood crossed on either end to form an “X.” Early $10 bills had the Roman numeral X on the back. It is believed that the similarity between the Roman numeral X and the sawbuck led to TENS being called Sawbucks.
- Ah, you’re a clever man (48A: “So we’re dealing with a really sassy guy, aren’t we?”) The phrase “Ah, you’re a clever man, aren’t you?” is associated with the Three Stooges, who frequently used this sentiment in various forms.
- Iowa (58A: American Gothic House State) Gothic America is a painting by Iowa native Grant Wood. Even if you don’t know the title of this 1930 painting, you’ll probably recognize the painting. A somber couple stands in front of their house. The man is holding a pitchfork. The house in this painting is in Eldon, Iowa. The home’s architectural style, Carpenter Gothic, is where the painting gets its title. The couple in the painting are Grant Wood’s sister, Nan Wood Graham, and their dentist, Dr. Byron McKeevey. The painting is currently on display at the Art Institute of Chicago. When my husband and I visit the Art Institute of Chicago, we like to stop by and say hello to this Iowa painting.
- River (59A: Congo River or Amazon River) The Congo River is the second longest river in Africa, the second shortest after the Nile. The Amazon River is in South America. It is the largest river in the world by volume. (Whether the Amazon or the Nile is the longest river in the world by length is debatable, but the Nile is generally considered to be longer.)
- Cairo (6D: The city where the Egyptian Museum is located) Cairo is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the country. Cairo is home to the Egyptian Museum (officially known as the Museum of Egyptian Antiquities).
- ATTA (7D: Gehun ka ___ (type of flour)) Gehun ka ATTA is a type of whole wheat flour often used to make flatbreads.
- Meow (8D: Whinny like a kitten) It’s been over 12 years since my cat Willow was a kitten, but she’s still convinced she’s my baby.
- Gayborhood (11D: e.g. Boystown, Chicago) Boystown is a neighborhood in the Lakeview section of Chicago, Illinois. Boystown Gayborhood is an LGBTQ+ cultural center and home to the annual Chicago Pride Parade.
- The Otoe (11D: Chiwele speakers) The Otoe are indigenous people of the Midwestern United States. Their language, Chiwele, belongs to the Siouan family. The Missourians and Iowans also originally spoke Chiwele. The language is endangered; the last two fluent speakers died in 1996, and only a few people remain who can speak Chiwele with some fluency.
- Saul (13D: name is hidden in “Somer”Solet”) I enjoyed this hidden word clue.
- Amelia Earhart (18D: The aviator who said, “Adventure is worth it in itself.”) In 1932, Amelia Earhart completed her first solo flight across the Atlantic Ocean, becoming the first woman to do so. Five years later, in 1937, Amelia Earhart went missing while attempting to become the first female pilot to circumnavigate the globe.
- Theta (28D: The Letter Before Iota) Yesterday we reviewed the 18th, 19th, and 20th letters of the Greek alphabet: Sigma, Tau, and Upsilon. Today’s review brings us closer to the beginning of the 24-letter Greek alphabet. Theta is the 8th letter of the Greek alphabet. As the hint indicates, Theta comes before Iota and after Eta.
- Sauce (33D: Sesame sauce or pesto) Sesame sauce is a sesame sauce, and pesto is a sauce made with basil, garlic and pine nuts.
- Rasta (37D: Followers of Yahweh) A few weeks ago I wrote about Rastafarianism when I looked at Rasta as an answer. The Rasta belief involves monotheism, the belief in one God called Yahweh.
- ISLA (50D: Actress Fisher) ISLA Fisher’s acting resume includes the role of Henry Reeves in the film The High Priestess. Now you see me (2013), TV series “Mary” Wolf Like Me (As of 2022). She is also the author of a children’s book series. Merger Manager.
- Here are some other clues that I particularly liked:
- Goofy (41A: A cartoon dog whose name is a synonym for “silly”)
- EWES (52D: Moms screaming “Mom”)
Crossword Puzzle Theme Overview
- I’ve had enough (17A: “That’s enough! We’re not friends anymore!”)
- Barbara Ess (36A: “I am not this body” photographer)
- Ah, what a clever one (48A: “So we’re dealing with a really sassy person, huh?”).
The final words in today’s theme answer sound like the letters USA: YOU, ESS, EH.
This is a fun theme, and of course, fitting for today’s holiday. And of course, I greatly appreciate the meta quality of the crossword, titled USA TODAY, published in USA TODAY. Thank you, Jared, for this great puzzle.
