There are spoilers ahead. You might want to solve today’s puzzle before reading further! TV Sets
Constructor: Michael Berg
Editor: Jared Goudsmit
Comments from Today’s Crossword Constructor
Michael: Happy May Day everyone! In lieu of a maypole dance, I offer you this puzzle. I hope when you finish it you can say to yourself, “I’m good enough, I’m smart enough, and doggone it, people like me.”
What I Learned from Today’s Puzzle
- TATUM (63A: Celtics player Jayson) Jayson TATUM has played basketball for the Boston Celtics since 2025. The Celtics won the NBA Championship last year. Jayson TATUM was also on the gold-medal winning Team USA at the 2020 and 2024 Summer Olympics. Add Jayson TATUM to the sports figures I’ve learned about from solving crosswords.
- KIM CHI (38D: “RuPaul’s Drag Race” contestant named after a Korean dish) KIM CHI competed on the eighth season of RuPaul’s Drag Race, and was the first Korean American contestant on the show. Although I wasn’t familiar with KIM CHI, the “Korean dish” hint in the clue helped me figure out the answer.
Random Thoughts & Interesting Things
- CACTI (9A: Spiny plants in Joshua Tree National Park) Joshua Tree National Park in southern California encompasses two deserts, the Mojave Desert and the Colorado Desert. As one might expect for a park with a desert ecosystem, there are multiple types of CACTI in the park. One type of cactus in the park is the teddy-bear cholla. Although this cactus looks soft – thus its name – it’s not a good idea to touch it. In one area of the park where there is a high concentration of these CACTI, multiple signs warn, “Unless you are a cactus wren, be careful as you walk the trail not to brush against the cholla cactus. The slightest touch can cause the cactus spines to penetrate your skin. Removing the embedded spines is difficult and painful.” When my husband and I were in Joshua Tree National Park, we definitely heeded these warnings!
- SIR (23A: Lancelot’s title) SIR Lancelot was a knight in Arthurian legend.
- NEURON (25A: Cell with dendrites) NEURONs are the cells that make up the nervous system. These excitable cells use electric signals, conducted through long slender projections known as axons and dendrites, to communicate with other cells. Hooray for science in the crossword!
- TEA (39A: Genmaicha or pekoe) Genmaicha is a Japanese TEA made of green tea mixed with roasted brown rice. Pekoe is a term used in grading black TEA based on the size of the TEA leaves. The term “orange pekoe” is sometimes used as a generic term for black TEA (which, interestingly, is not orange in color or flavor).
- FBI (43A: _ederal _ureau of _nvestigation) In this kind of fill-in-the-blank clue, each blank corresponds to one letter. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is an agency of the U.S. Department of Justice.
- UVA (58A: Charlottesville sch.) The University of Virginia (UVA) is located in Charlottesville, Virginia. UVA alumni include Katie Couric and Tina Fey.
- WARRIOR (2D: Virabhadrasana aka ___ pose) In yoga, WARRIOR pose, also known as Virabhadrasana, refers to a group of standing poses that build strength in the legs, spine, and torso.
- UBER (7D: Rideshare company with a German name) UBER, founded in 2009, is currently the largest ridesharing company worldwide. In German, the word ÜBER has multiple meanings, including “over” or “above.”
- CANOE (9D: Innu boat) The Innu are Indigenous Canadians living in the eastern part of the country in the present-day province of Newfoundland and Labrador. Historically, the CANOE was a principal means of transportation for the Innu.
- CIA (11D: Spy org. in “Argo”) The 2012 movie, Argo, is a historical drama that tells the story of a CIA (Central Intelligence Agency) agent named Tony Mendez (portrayed by Ben Affleck), who led the rescue of six U.S. diplomats from Iran under the guise of filming a science fiction movie. Argo was adapted from Tony Mendez’s 1999 memoir, The Master of Disguise, and a 2007 Wired article by Joshuah Bearman titled, “The Great Escape: How the CIA Used a Fake Sci-Fi Flick to Rescue Americans from Tehran.” Argo won three Academy Awards: Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Film Editing.
- TAR (12D: La Brea goop) Hancock Park in Los Angeles, California was formed around the La Brea TAR Pits. For tens of thousands of years, natural asphalt has seeped up from the ground in this area. The TAR preserved the bones of animals unlucky enough to get caught in the pits centuries ago.
- RATATOUILLE (26D: Pixar film with the line “Anyone can cook!”) and EGO (30D: Anton ___ (26-Down critic)) RATATOUILLE is Pixar’s 2007 animated movie about Remy, a rat who possesses a heightened sense of taste and smell, and who dreams of becoming a chef. In the movie, Anton EGO is a cynical food critic.
- NSA (28D: Intelligence org. in the film “Enemy of the State”) Enemy of the State is a 1998 movie starring Will Smith as a lawyer who unsuspectingly ends up in possession of a video exposing the NSA’s (National Security Agency’s) involvement in the murder of a congressman. I notice this puzzle contains FBI, CIA, and NSA … just making an observation.
- SATURN (49D: Rhea’s planet) Rhea is the second-largest moon of SATURN. The number of confirmed moons orbiting SATURN is currently 274, following the recent confirmation of an additional 128 moons.
- OVENS (57D: Tandoors, etc.) and NAAN (60D: Tandoori bread) Tandoors are cylindrical OVENS made of clay or metal. Flatbreads such as NAAN are sometimes baked in tandoors.
- ELMO (61D: Muppet with a pet goldfish) ELMO’s pet goldfish is named Dorothy.
- TAP (63D: Dance like Savion Glover) Savion Glover is a TAP dancer, actor, and choreographer. He won a Tony Award for his choreography of the 1996 Broadway musical, Bring in ‘da Noise, Bring in ‘da Funk.
- A few other answers I particularly enjoyed seeing in the grid:
- DYNAMO (54A: Energetic person)
- AFFIRMATION (3D: “I am enough,” e.g.)
- DRAGON (36D: Mythical creature associated with Chinese New Year)
Crossword Puzzle Theme Synopsis
- TRIAL VERSION (20A: Demo product)
- TOURIST VISA (40A: World traveler’s document)
- TUNNEL VISION (59A: Single-minded concentration)
TV SETS: Each theme answer has the initials TV: TRIAL VERSION, TOURIST VISA, and TUNNEL VISION.
TV SETS (the kind you can watch shows on) are ubiquitous, so it was fun to see different things that could, theoretically, be referred to as TV SETS. My favorite theme answer here is TUNNEL VISION; that was a great find. Thank you, Michael, for this enjoyable puzzle.
Leave a Reply