There are spoilers ahead. You might want to solve today’s puzzle before reading further! iPod Shuffle
Constructor: CJ Tan
Editor: Anna Gundlach
Random Thoughts & Interesting Things
- ASHE (1A: Tennis great Arthur) Arthur ASHE (1943-1993) was a legendary tennis player, and also a civil rights activist, author, and educator. On behalf of crossword constructors everywhere, I’m grateful to him for having a crossword-friendly last name.
- ASTER (15A: Daisy relative) ASTERs and daisies belong to the same plant family, Asteraceae. There are over 32,000 flower species in this family. That’s a lot of ASTER and daisy varieties.
- MERMAID POSE (17A: Hip-opening yoga pose) I’ve done a bit of yoga, but I have not worked my way up to MERMAID POSE, which is a bit advanced. It’s easy to understand why it’s called MERMAID POSE, as the POSE resembles a classic MERMAID statue.
- DOLCE (20A: La ___ vita (“the sweet life”)) “La DOLCE vita” is an Italian phrase meaning “the sweet life.”
- ERIE (27A: Smallest Great Lake by volume) Lake ERIE is the shallowest of the five Great Lakes, as well as the smallest by volume. This is the second appearance of our crossword friend ERIE this month.
- ROAR (28A: MGM lion’s sound) A couple of weeks ago I shared that the MGM lion mascot has been CGI-animated since 2021. The other day, I caught my cat, Willow, pretending to be the MGM lion and giving a ROAR. (I’m pretty sure she was only yawning, but I think in her mind’s eye she’s a tough lion.)
- FORMS (34A: IRS paperwork) This is an opportunity for a reminder that you have a bit less than a month to get the FORMS in and file your 2024 taxes.
- BEALE (56A: Memphis street in blues music history) BEALE Street is located in Memphis, Tennessee, and is the street that the song “BEALE Street Blues” took its name from. The song, in turn, is referenced by the title of James Baldwin’s 1974 novel, If BEALE Street Could Talk.
- SEDER (65A: Passover feast with karpas) The SEDER meal is a ritual marking the beginning of the Jewish holiday Passover. Karpas refers to the vegetable (usually parsley or celery) that is dipped in liquid (usually salt water) and eaten during an early part of the SEDER..
- ELMO (4D: “Tickle Me” doll) Tickle Me ELMO is a stuffed version of the furry red Muppet, that, when squeezed, shakes vibrates, and giggles. When Tickle Me ELMO was first released in 1996, it became immensely popular and sold out at many stores.
- ISP (6D: Co. like Xfinity or EarthLink) ISP here stand for Internet service provider. The abbreviation of the word company (Co.) in the clue alerts solvers that the answer will be an abbreviation.
- DESI (8D: Person from the South Asian diaspora) The term DESI is used to refer to the people of South Asia. It’s also sometimes used to refer to South Asian culture and products.
- OREO (9D: Black-and-white cookie) Hello to our crossword friend OREO, whose color scheme matches the puzzle so nicely. OREO is also making its second appearance of the month.
- BOW TIE (11D: Neckwear for Krusty the Clown) Krusty the Clown is a character on the animated TV series The Simpsons. Sporting his BOW TIE, Krusty is the clown host of Bart and Lisa Simpson’s favorite TV variety show. Krusty bears a resemblance to Homer Simpson, and both characters are voiced by Dan Castellaneta.
- ICELAND (18D: Home country of Laufey and Bjork) Laufey and Björk are both mononymous (known by one name) singers from ICELAND. Laufey, a jazz-inspired pop artist, released her debut album, Everything I Know About Love, in 2022. Björk, who is known for her three-octave vocal range and eccentric public persona, released her tenth studio album, Fossora, in 2022.
- ROLL (33D: Throw a d20) A d20 is a 20-sided die. Such a die is an icosahedron and each face of the die is an equilateral triangle.
- GENA (55D: “The Notebook” actress Rowlands) The Notebook is a 2004 movie based on Nicholas Sparks’ 1996 book of the same name. Noah and Allie, an elderly couple, are the main characters of The Notebook. Allie has Alzheimer’s, and Noah reads the story of their life to her in an effort to help her remember. Rachel McAdams played the role of Allie, and GENA Rowlands portrayed the older version of the character.
- CEE (61D: ___ Dee Lamb (Cowboys wide receiver)) I learned about CEEDee Lamb from the May 5, 2024 puzzle.
- Some other clues I especially enjoyed:
- TWO (19A: Number that’s often in the title of a movie sequel)
- HARD SAME (3D: “I relate to that so, so much”)
- GO FOR IT (26D: “Knock yourself out!”)
- IRE (60D: “Smoke coming out of your ears” feeling)
Crossword Puzzle Theme Synopsis
- MERMAID POSE (17A: Hip-opening yoga pose)
- SECOND OPINION (36A: Advice sought by someone who is still unsure)
- PERIOD PIECE (59A: Work of art set in a particular era)
iPOD SHUFFLE: The letters of iPOD are found anagrammed – i.e. SHUFFLEd – in each theme answer: MERMAID POSE, SECOND OPINION, and PERIOD PIECE.
The iPOD SHUFFLE was discontinued in 2017, but it lives on as the theme for today’s puzzle. The word SHUFFLE in the title alerted me to be on the lookout for a hidden anagram theme. When I suspect an anagram theme, I pay close attention to the letters surrounding any word breaks in the theme answers, as that’s where the anagrams are usually hiding. Such is the case today. We have ID/PO, D/OPI, and OD/PI (or IOD/P) hidden in the theme answers. Thank you, CJ, for this enjoyable puzzle.
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