Crossword Blog & Answers for April 22, 2025 by Sally Hoelscher

Random Thoughts & Interesting Things

• EMAIL (1A: Correspondence that might replace a meeting) This clue made me laugh with its nod to the common lament, “This meeting could have been an EMAIL…”
• GONNA (13A: “I’m ___ Be (500 miles)” (The Proclaimers hit)) When the Scottish duo the Proclaimers first released “I’m GONNA Be (500 miles)” in 1988, it’s success was mostly limited to the UK. The song received more widespread success after it was used in the 1993 rom-com Benny and Joon. The song begins with the lyrics, “When I wake up, well, I known I’m GONNA be / I’m GONNA be the man who wakes up next to you…” It’s the catchy chorus that has now become my earworm for the day: “But I would walk five hundred miles / And I would walk five hundred more miles/ Just to be the man who walked a thousand miles / To fall down at your door.”
• CHER (17A: “Moonstruck” star) In the 1987 rom-com Moonstruck, CHER portrays an Italian-American widow who becomes engaged, but then falls in love with her fiancé’s brother. I saw this movie when it came out, and one thing I remember is that the soundtrack includes the Dean Martin song, “That’s Amore.”
• HAWAII (22A: America’s only island state) HAWAII consists of 137 volcanic islands, many of which are uninhabited. The eight main Hawaiian islands are HAWAI’I, Maui, O’ahu, Kaua’i, Moloka’i, Lāna’i, Ni’ihau, and Kaho’olawe. Two-thirds of the residents of HAWAII live on O’ahu.
• IRAN (26A: Persian nation) Persians are an ethnic group who share a culture and are native speakers of the Persian language (also known as Farsi). Persian’s make up the majority of IRAN’s population.
• BBC (27A: “Doctor Who” network) On the BBC show Doctor Who, the titular character is an alien Time Lord who travels in time and space in a machine called a TARDIS (“Time and Relative Dimension in Space”). At the end of each incarnation’s life, the Doctor regenerates, resulting in a change of physical appearance and personality. Fourteen actors have portrayed the Doctor since the series premiered in 1963. (David Tenant portrayed the Tenth Doctor and the Fourteenth Doctor.) Ncuti Gatwa has portrayed the Fifteenth Doctor since December 25, 2023.
• UNDER THE COUNTER (37A: Illegally) It’s fun when a multi-word grid-spanning answer has a one-word clue.
• PASTE (41A: Qizha or pesto, e.g.) Qizha is a PASTE used in Palestinian cuisine that is made from crushed nigella seeds. Pesto is a PASTE used in Italian cuisine. It is made from basil, garlic, pine nuts, olive oil, salt, and Parmesan.
• ARI (43A: “Wicked” star Grande, to fans) In the 2024 movie Wicked – the first part of a movie adaptation of the stage musical of the same name – Ariana Grande, known as ARI to her fans, portrays Galinda “Glinda” Upland, who becomes Glinda the Good. Cynthia Erivo portrays Elphaba Thropp, who becomes the Wicked Witch of the West. Both of them will reprise their roles in Wicked: For Good, which is scheduled to be released in November of this year. (I am eagerly anticipating this movie’s release.)
• THREES (48A: Beyond-the-arc shots) This is a basketball reference. THREES are baskets made from behind the THREE-point line, which is an arc. As their name suggests, these baskets are worth THREE points. The fact that I immediately knew this answer has me reflecting on how much I have learned about sports in the almost five years I have been writing this blog.
• AURA (56A: ___ points (playful way to measure someone’s coolness)) I learned about AURA points from the October 10, 2024 puzzle.
• NALA (57A: Beyonce’s role in “The Lion King”) In Disney’s 2019 photorealistic animated remake of its 1994 movie, The Lion King, Beyoncé voices the role of NALA. Beyoncé also voices NALA in the 2024 movie Mufasa: The Lion King. In that movie, Beyoncé’s daughter Blue Ivy voices the role of Kiara, NALA and Simba’s daughter.
• OMEGA (58A: Final Greek letter) OMEGA is the twenty-fourth and final letter of the Greek alphabet. OMEGA follows the rhyming trio of letters phi, chi, and psi.
• EGG (1D: An ostrich’s can weigh up to 3 pounds) The EGG of an ostrich is the largest EGG of any land animal.
• INDIAN (4D: Cuisine with paneer tikka) The INDIAN dish paneer tikka features paneer (a type of fresh cheese) that is marinated in a spice mixture and grilled in a tandoor.
• LASSI (5D: Drink whose name means “yogurt mixed with water” in Punjabi) and DAHI (53D: Yogurt in 5-Down) Nice to learn a fun fact about the word LASSI from its clue. LASSI, which is a blend of DAHI, water, and spices, originated in Punjab, India.
• TIBET (20D: Himalayan country) TIBET is an autonomous region located in the southwestern part of China, in the Himalayan mountains. The capital of TIBET is Lhasa.
• TEACUP (21D: Chip Potts, in “Beauty and the Beast”) In Disney’s 1991 animated movie Beauty and the Beast, Chip Potts is the son of the castle’s housekeeper Mrs. Potts. When the castle’s servants were turned into household objects by the curse that turned the prince into the Beast, Chip Potts was turned into a TEACUP. His mother was turned into a TEApot. Chip Potts was voiced by Bradley Pierce, and Mrs. Potts was voiced by Angela Lansbury.
• TREBEK (32D: Alex who hosted 37 seasons of “Jeopardy!”) Alex TREBEK (1940-2020) hosted Jeopardy! from 1984 until he died in 2020. He was awarded the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Game Show Host eight times during his 37 seasons hosting Jeopardy!
• OUIJA (40D: Mystic board with a planchette) A planchette is a heart-shaped piece of wood or plastic that is used to spell out messages on a OUIJA board.
• A few other clues I especially enjoyed:
  • TMI (46A: “Don’t tell me all that!”)
  • JERKED (51A: Like chicken in many Caribbean recipes)
  • EERIE (35D: Like some Halloween vibes)