Crossword Blog & Answers for April 18, 2025 by Sally Hoelscher

Constructor: Leo Tsai

Editor: Anna Gundlach

What I Learned from Today’s Puzzle

• CAR (14A: Piece in the board game Tokyo Highway) Tokyo Highway is a game in which players compete to build roadways and place their CARs on those roads.
• ROSIE (41A: British comedian Jones) ROSIE Jones has appeared as a panelist on a number of British TV shows including 8 Out of 10 Cats, QI, and Hypothetical. She often incorporates her cerebral palsy into her comedy. In 2023, she starred in the documentary ROSIE JONES: Am I a R*tard, which discusses online hate speech directed at disabled people.

Random Thoughts & Interesting Things

• ALPHA (1A: First Greek letter) and OMEGA (26D: Last Greek letter) ALPHA and OMEGA are the bookends of the 24-letter Greek alphabet.
• EAR (13A: Common piercing spot) Humans have been piercing their EARs for many, many years. In fact, the oldest mummy found, Ötzi, who lived between 3350 and 3105 BCE, had pierced EARs.
• ARTIST (15A: Frida Kahlo, for example) Frida Kahlo (1907-1947) has been described as one of the most instantly recognizable ARTISTs. This is partly due to the fact that she painted 55 self-portraits, which is about a third of her work. Frida Kahlo said, “I paint self-portraits because I am the person I know best.”
• MAMMA MIA (16A: ABBA jukebox musical) A jukebox musical is a musical featuring the songs of a particular artist or group. MAMMA MIA!, which premiered in 1999, showcases the music of the Swedish pop group ABBA.
• IKEA (29A: Swedish furniture store that sells the BLAHAJ plush shark) The BLAHAJ stuffed shark sold by IKEA is available in large (approximately 39 inches long) and small (approximately 22 inches long) sizes. The BLAHAJ shark has inspired a number of memes and has become especially popular in the trans community. (The shark’s colors are the same as the colors of the trans flag.)
• FORT (38A: Blanket ___ (cozy kids’ hideout)) Even as an adult, I appreciate a cozy blanket FORT.
• MAYA (52A: “Still I Rise” poet Angelou) MAYA Angelou’s poem, “Still I Rise,” was first published in her 1978 book, And Still I Rise: A Book of Poems. The poem begins with the lines “You may write me down in history / With your bitter twisted lies,” and ends with “I rise / I rise / I rise.”
• PRINCESS DAISY (3D: Mario character with white flower jewelry) At first I had PRINCESS Peach here, who – in my defense – is also a character in the Mario franchise. When that answer wasn’t playing nicely with crossing answers, I reread the clue and noticed the “white flower jewelry” hint. PRINCESS DAISY first appeared in the 1989 game Super Mario Land.
• HE’S (4D: The Chiffons’ “___ So Fine”) “HE’S So Fine” is a 1963 song by the Chiffons. I have previously written about this song’s involvement in a plagiarism case against George Harrison’s song, “My Sweet Lord.”
• MRS. DALLOWAY (16D: Virginia Woolf novel that explores queer themes) MRS. DALLOWAY is a 1925 novel by Virgina Woolf. It begins with the line, “MRS. DALLOWAY said she would buy the flowers herself.” The book, set in England after World War I, tells about one day in the life of Clarissa DALLOWAY, an upper-class woman. During that day, MRS. DALLOWAY reminisces about her life, while preparing for a party she is hosting that night. A recurring theme in MRS. DALLOWAY is the title character’s attraction to women.
• APRIL FOOLS’ DAY (17D: Date when the BBC claimed Big Ben would be replaced by a digital clock) On APRIL FOOLS’ DAY in 1980, the BBC reported that Big Ben was going to be replaced by a digital clock and renamed Digital Dave. Apparently many people didn’t remember the date, and the news was met with outrage. This is why every year on APRIL FOOLS’ DAY I remind myself not to believe anything I read or hear.
• RAMEN (25D: Soup with origins in Yokohama Chinatown) The origins of the Japanese noodle dish RAMEN can be traced to the early 20th century in Yokohama Chinatown, the largest Chinatown in Japan, which is located just south of Tokyo.
• SUSAN (27D: Activist ___ B. Anthony) SUSAN B. Anthony (1820-1906) was a women’s right activist who was influential in the women’s suffrage movement in the United States. In 1872, SUSAN B. Anthony was arrested for voting in Rochester, New York, violating laws that allowed only men to vote. Although she was convicted, she refused to pay the fine.
• ELK (28D: Animal on Michigan’s flag) The ELK is not the only animal on Michigan’s flag. The state’s flag also has a moose and an eagle. In addition to three animals, Michigan’s flag also contains three mottos in Latin: E Pluribus Unum (Out of many, one), Tuebor (I will defend), and Se Quæris Peninsulam Amœnam Circumspice (If you seek a pleasant peninsula, look about you).
• ASTER (31D: Star-shaped flower) In the past couple of months, we have seen three clues for ASTER that referenced its relationship to the daisy. (ASTERs and daisies belong to the same plant family.) Today’s clue takes a different direction. The name “ASTER” comes from an ancient Greek word meaning “star,” a reference to the flower’s shape.
• MEOWS (47D: Asks for more cat food) My cat, Willow, has cat food available all the time, so she doesn’t need to ask for it. However, she MEOWS about plenty of other things: “Pay attention to me,” “It’s time to go sit down so I can sit on your lap,” “Pick me up, please!” … you get the idea.

• FOMO (49D: Anxiety about exclusion, for short) FOMO = Fear Of Missing Out
• AVA (60D: “My Oh My” singer Max) “My Oh My” is a 2024 song by AVA Max.
• A couple of other clues I especially enjoyed:
  • AIRBALL (20D: Complete miss in a game of hoops)
  • EERIE (31D: Like a foggy marsh lit by a full moon)