There are spoilers ahead. You might want to solve today’s puzzle before reading further! Party Leader
Constructor: Max Schlenker
Editor: Jared Goudsmit
What I Learned from Today’s Puzzle
- TAPES (66A: Face ___ (certain anti-aging products)) Face TAPES are pretty much what they sound like – TAPE you apply to your skin to smooth wrinkles. While the use of face TAPES can reduce fine lines, the effect is temporary. It probably says something about me that I was unaware face TAPES exist. And … I’m okay with that. I’m sure now that I’ve done a search for them I’m going to begin seeing targeted ad for face TAPES.
- THEY’RE (7D: “___ the same picture” (“The Office” quote)) This quote is from a scene on the mockumentary The Office, in which the character Pam says, “Corporate needs you to find the differences between this picture and this picture.” Off-camera, she then says, “THEY’RE the same picture.” The image of Pam saying, “THEY’RE the same picture,” became a meme, often used with photos that are completely different (unlike in the original scene). I was not familiar with this quote, not having watched The Office, but the answer was fairly inferable.
- ANGIE (50D: “Unstoppable” singer ___ Rose) ANGIE Rose originally released “Unstoppable” in 2015. In 2021, she released “Unstoppable (Do It Again)” as a track on her debut EP.
- ZIP (60D: ___ Zap Zop (theater game)) When I read this clue, I was able to guess the answer with the help of crossing letters I already had filled in, but I had no idea what ZIP Zap Zop was. I was envisioning a game you might play when going to see a movie and couldn’t figure out how that might work. Now that I’ve looked up ZIP Zap Zop, I realize I have heard of this game before. By theater game here, what is actually meant is that ZIP Zap Zop is used by actors as a warm up or prep exercise. Essentially, players stand in a circle while pretending to pass a ball of energy to each other while taking turns saying “ZIP,” “Zap,” or “Zop.”
Random Thoughts & Interesting Things
- MACHO (14A: “___ Man” (disco hit)) “MACHO Man” is the title track of the Village People’s second studio album, released in 1978. The song has been parodied a number of times, including by Donald Duck (“Macho Duck”) and Homer Simpson (“Nacho Man”).
- SOUR (15A: Like the taste of calamansi) Calamansi is a citrus fruit cultivated predominantly in the Philippines. Calamansi is a hybrid between a kumquat and a mandarin orange. The tart, SOUR fruit is frequently used in Filipino cuisine.
- ALLIES (19A: Canada and Latvia, e.g., through NATO) The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is a military alliance established with the signing of the North Atlantic Treaty in 1949. Canada (in North America) and Latvia (in Northern Europe) are two of the 32 member states who are ALLIES through NATO.
- RASTA (22A: Follower of Jah) I have previously written about the religion known as Rastafari, or Rastafarianism, which developed in Jamaica in the 1930s. RASTA beliefs include monotheism, a belief in one God, who is referred to as Jah.
- ART (33A: Earth is just “eh” without it, they say) I have always liked the saying “Earth without ART is just eh,” so I thoroughly enjoyed this clue.
- ORA (36A: “Grateful” singer Rita) “Grateful” is a 2014 song by Rita ORA. The song was part of the soundtrack for the 2014 romantic movie Beyond the Lights.
- GAS (39A: Water vapor, e.g.) and STEAM (40A: Water vapor) This is a delightful pair of consecutive clues. Water vapor, or STEAM, is indeed a GAS.
- FONT (42A: Wingdings or Garamond) Wingdings is a dingbat FONT developed by Microsoft in 1990. Dingbats, in typography, are special ornaments or characters, such as checkmarks, stars, boxes, etc. Garamond is a group of FONTs named for Parisian engraver Claude Garamond (c. 1510-1561).
- LENT (44A: Observance that starts on Ash Wednesday) In Christianity, LENT is the 40-day period (not counting Sundays) leading up to Easter. As the clue states, LENT begins each year on Ash Wednesday. This clue is timely, as yesterday was Ash Wednesday.
- HOUSE OF GUCCI (45A: 2021 Lady Gaga/Adam Driver crime drama) HOUSE OF GUCCI is a 2021 biographical movie based on Sara Gay Forden’s 2001 book, The HOUSE OF GUCCI: A Sensational Story of Murder, Madness, Glamour, and Greed. Lady Gaga portrays Patrizia Reggiani, and Adam Driver portrays Maurizio GUCCI.
- TRENTA (56A: Largest Starbucks size) I cannot keep Starbucks sizes straight in my head, so I relied on crossing answers to point me in the right direction here. Starbucks currently has five different sizes, though not all drinks are available in all sizes. From smallest to largest, the Starbucks sizes are short, tall, grande, venti, and TRENTA.
- SOHLA (2D: Chef El-Waylly) SOHLA El-Waylly is a chef, author, and YouTube personality. She has created videos for the History channel, the New York Times Cooking YouTube channel, and the Babish Culinary Universe YouTube channel. Her first cookbook, Start Here: Instructions for Becoming a Better Cook, was released in 2023.
- BRAT (11D: Charli XCX album with a light-green cover) BRAT is Charli XCX’s 2024 album that inspired the BRAT summer vibe in all its lime greenness.
- GIRAFFE (23D: Long-necked mammal) The neck of a GIRAFFE makes up nearly half of its height, and can reach seven feet in length. Amazingly, GIRAFFEs have the same number of cervical vertebrae (neck bones) as humans and other mammals.
- IRAN (28D: Shiraz’s country) Shiraz is a city in southwestern IRAN. Shiraz is the home of the Nasir al-Mulk Mosque, also known as the “Pink Mosque” due to an abundance of pink-colored tiles on its ceiling. The mosque, built between 1876-1888 during the Qatar Dynasty, features many stained glass windows.
- AUTO (31D: “___bots, roll out!” (“Transformers” line)) The AUTObots are sentient robots in the Transformers multimedia franchise. The AUTObots are the protagonists of the series, and are often engaged in fighting the Decepticons. Optimus Prime is the leader of the AUTObots, and gives the order, “AUTObots, roll out!”
- OMEGA (36D: Final Greek letter) Just yesterday I reviewed the end of the 24-letter Greek alphabet, whose final letter is OMEGA.
- OGS (43D: Old-school legends) OG stands for Original Gangster.
- SALTS (52D: Umeboshi seasonings) Umeboshi are pickled ume fruits common in Japan. Ume is a fruit related to the apricot. The Japanese word umeboshi is sometimes translated into English as “salted Japanese plums.” In addition to tasting salty, umeboshi – like calamansi – are also extremely SOUR.
- ZOE (61D: “The Batman” actress Kravitz) The 2022 movie The Batman is, as one might guess from the name, based on the DC Comics character Batman. ZOË Kravitz portrays Selina Kyle aka Catwoman.
Crossword Puzzle Theme Synopsis
- THIRD WHEEL (16A: Single friend who tags along)
- OFFICE GOSSIP (25A: Tea that co-workers spill)
- HOUSE OF GUCCI (45A: 2021 Lady Gaga/Adam Driver crime drama)
- PIZZA BAGEL (58A: Fusion food sometimes topped with pepperoni)
PARTY LEADER: The first word – that is, the LEADER – of each theme answer can be paired with the word PARTY to create a new phrase: THIRD PARTY, OFFICE PARTY, HOUSE PARTY, and PIZZA PARTY.
One of the mottos my family tends to live by is “Any excuse for a PARTY.” A PARTY-themed crossword seems like a decent excuse to have a PARTY. Perhaps a PIZZA PARTY? I never turn down an opportunity to eat PIZZA. Thank you, Max, for this festive puzzle.
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