There are spoilers ahead. You might want to solve today’s puzzle before reading further! Split the Pole
Constructor: Zachary Edward-Brown
Editor: Jared Goudsmit
Comments from Today’s Crossword Constructor
Zach: This puzzle was inspired by the scene in The Burial with Jamie Foxx where a bunch of people squeeze through these poles because they are superstitious. Thanks to the editors for helping me revise this puzzle!
What I Learned from Today’s Puzzle
- ASL (8D: Language in the film “Hear and Now”) Hear and Now is a 2007 documentary by Irene Taylor Brodsky. The movie tells the story of Paul and Sally Taylor, Irene Taylor Brodsky’s parents, who were both born deaf. In their 60s, Paul and Sally Taylor both had cochlear implant surgery, which allowed them to hear for the first time. The documentary follows their journey. American Sign Language (ASL) and English are used in the movie.
- TEN (43D: Messi’s jersey number) Although I just wrote about [World Cup star Lionel] MESSI yesterday, I did not mention his jersey number. If I’ve previously known that he wears number TEN, I’ve forgotten, so I needed the help of crossing answers here.
Random Thoughts & Interesting Things
- UNO (21A: Half of dos) and ONE (24A: 21-Across, in English) This is a nice clue pairing.
- HER (33A: Dating app founded by Robyn Exton) HER is a dating app geared to “LGBTQ+ women and queer folks.” Robyn Exton founded the app, which was launched globally in 2015.
- BTS (35A: “Dynamite” band) “Dynamite” is a 2020 song by the K-pop band BTS. It was the band’s first song fully in English. BTS has paused their musical activities to allow the members to complete their 18 months of mandatory South Korean military service. All of the BTS members are scheduled to complete their military service by June of this year, but the timing of a possible BTS reunion is still unknown.
- POWER COUPLE (36A: Duo such as Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce) and FAN BASE (44A: Group of Swifts, for example) Taylor Swift’s FAN BASE is certainly interested in any news about the POWER COUPLE of singer Taylor Swift and Kansas City Chiefs football player Travis Kelce.
- CIA (41A: Spy org. in “Jason Bourne”) Jason Bourne is a 2016 movie, the fifth of the Bourne movies, which are based on the character created by Robert Ludlum. Matt Damon portrays the title character, a former CIA assassin.
- AGAVE (48A: Plant used to make tequila) AGAVE are spiky-leaved succulents that grow in the hot and arid regions of the Americas and the Caribbean. The sap of the AGAVE plant is fermented to make an alcoholic beverage called pulque, which is distilled to produce the spirit, mezcal. Tequila is mezcal made from a variety of the plant known as blue AGAVE. (All tequila is mezcal, but not all mezcal is tequila.)
- CASINO (53A: Place to play Omaha Hold ’em) and POKER TABLE (58A: Place to play Omaha Hold ’em) I definitely experienced a moment of “Wait, didn’t I just read this clue?” when I came to the clue for POKER TABLE shortly after filling in CASINO.
- HIPPOS (1D: Semiaquatic African mammals) HIPPOS are native to sub-Saharan Africa. The full name of the HIPPO – hippopotamus – comes from Ancient Greek and means “river horse.” HIPPOS spend their days in the water, in order to stay cool. They emerge from the water at dusk to graze. Fun fact: The closest living relatives of HIPPOS are whales.
- OWN (5D: “A League of Their ___”) A League of Their Own is a 1992 movie set in 1943. It tells a fictionalized account of the real All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. The 2022 TV series of the same name is an adaptation of the movie.
- RADON (7D: Rn, on the periodic table) The atomic number of RADON is 86, and its chemical symbol is Rn. RADON is one of six naturally-occurring noble gases (along with helium, neon, argon, krypton, and xenon). As RADON occurs naturally, some level of RADON is present in all buildings. Exposure to high levels of RADON has been linked to lung cancer. (According to the EPA, RADON is the number one cause of lung cancer in non-smokers.) Like all noble gases, RADON is odorless and colorless under standard conditions. Therefore, its presence must be detected by testing. If high levels of RADON are detected, RADON mitigation systems can be installed to decrease the RADON level in the building.
- OUTER EAR (18D: Where the tympanic membrane is located) The tympanic membrane, also known as the eardrum, separates the OUTER EAR from the middle EAR.
- OHIO (26D: Midwestern state associated with Gen Alpha) Sometime in the last few years, those in generation Alpha (those born between 2010-2024) adopted the word OHIO to refer to anything strange or odd. I’ve written about this previously.
- BLAB (35D: Let the cat out of the bag) My cat, Willow, says, “Don’t even think of trying to put me in a bag!” This picture shows my view of Willow the other day when I was sitting at our kitchen counter and she was on my lap.
- PARASITE (36D: 2019 Bong Joon-ho film set in South Korea) Parasite, directed by Bong Joon-Ho, is set in Seoul, South KOREA. The movie is about a family that insinuates itself into a wealthy household. Parasite won four Academy Awards, including Best Director.
- WACO (56D: Texas city home to the Dr. Pepper Museum) WACO, Texas is located along the Brazos River, approximately halfway between the cities of Dallas and Austin. WACO is where Dr Pepper was created in the 1880s by a pharmacist named Charles Alderton. Dr Pepper was nationally marketed in the U.S. in 1904, and is now sold worldwide. The Dr. Pepper Museum in WACO opened in 1991 in the first building constructed specifically to bottle Dr. Pepper.
- TIL (60D: “Was just taught…” acronym) TIL = Today I learned…
Crossword Puzzle Theme Synopsis
- POOL NOODLE (17A: Buoyant, pasta-shaped toy)
- POWER COUPLE (36A: Duo such as Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce)
- POKER TABLE (58A: Place to play Omaha Hold ’em)
SPLIT THE POLE: The word POLE is SPLIT by each theme answer: POOL NOODLE, POWER COUPLE, and POKER TABLE.
I was not familiar with the 2023 movie The Burial, which Zach mentioned in his notes, so was not aware of the context of SPLIT THE POLE. In fact, I was not familiar with the phrase “SPLIT THE POLE,” though now that I’ve learned it, I’m aware of the situation it refers to. When you are walking with someone else and come to a POLE, such as a sign post, telephone pole, or bollard, if you walk on opposite sides of the POLE, you have SPLIT THE POLE. Some people consider that practice to be bad luck. Fortunately, the title gives a clear description of the theme, even without that context. For people familiar with the movie, I imagine there might have been a nod of recognition upon reading the title. Thank you, Zach, for this enjoyable puzzle.
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