Crossword Blog & Answers for May 13, 2025 by Sally Hoelscher

Random Thoughts & Interesting Things

• HELLO (14A: ___ Kitty (Feline character whose significant other is Dear Daniel) The character HELLO Kitty, the anthropomorphic Japanese Bobtail cat whose full name is Kitty White, made her first appearance in 1975 on a vinyl coin purse. HELLO Kitty merchandise was originally marketed at pre-teen girls, but the fandom has expanded to include all ages. As the clue informs us, HELLO Kitty’s significant other is Dear Daniel, a character first introduced in 1999. I like to say “HELLO Kitty,” to my cat, Willow. It just makes me giggle. Willow was quite helpful and agreed to pose with a HELLO Kitty fleece blanket.

• CBS (16A: “Matlock” and Elsbeth” network) Both Matlock and Elsbeth are TV shows that premiered on CBS in 2024. Matlock is a legal drama that draws from a TV series of the same name that aired from 1986 TO 1992. In that series, Andy Griffith starred as Ben Matlock. In the 2024 series, Kathy Bates portrays Madeline Kingston, who creates the alias of Madeline “Matty” Matlock and sets out to seek justice for her daughter who died from an opioid overdose. Elsbeth is a spin-off of The Good Wife (2009-2016) and The Good Fight (2017-2022). Cara Preston stars as Elsbeth Tascioni, an attorney who is assigned by the Department of Justice to observe the New York Police Department.
• HAIL A TAXI (19A: Wave from the curb, say) This theme answer reminded me of someone I know who used to have a dog named TAXI. He said he chose the name so he could step outside and call for the dog, shouting, “TAXI!”
• TATE (41A: London art museum) There are four TATE galleries that house the United Kingdom’s national art collection: TATE Modern, TATE Britain, TATE Liverpool, and TATE St. Ives. The TATE is named after Henry TATE, one part of the food and beverage company TATE & Lyle. This clue feels timely, as the TATE Modern is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. It first opened on May 11, 2000.
• SACRED (52A: Like some cows and texts) This clue intrigued me when I first read it. What connects cows and texts? Ah, SACRED cows and SACRED texts; two very different things, connected by the use of the word SACRED.
• APR (53A: National Poetry Month (Abbr.)) April (APR) has been observed as National Poetry Month since 1996. The celebration is organized by the Academy of American Poets to increase appreciation of poetry. Of course, you don’t have to wait until next April to appreciate some poetry. You might check out Mary Oliver’s poem “Beans” or Joy Harjo’s poem “Without.”
• WON (61A: South Korean currency) When Korea was divided into South Korea and North Korea following the end of World War II in 1945, both countries ultimately adopted (different) currencies called WON, South Korean WON and North Korean WON.
• EMO (64A: My Chemical Romance genre) Although My Chemical Romance is considered an influential band in the EMO genre, they have at times rejected the EMO classification. The music of My Chemical Romance has also been described as alt rock, pop-punk, punk rock, and hard rock.
• PINK (65A: “The Dark Side of the Moon” band ___ Floyd) The Dark Side of the Moon is PINK Floyd’s 1973 studio album. The songs on the album – which was envisioned as a concept album about the pressures the band faced – explore the themes of conflict, greed, time, death, and mental illness. The Dark Side of the Moon was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999.
• ELSA (6D: “Frozen” queen) ELSA is a character in Disney’s 2013 animated movie Frozen and the 2019 sequel Frozen II. Even though I know this, I still amused myself by envisioning ELSA as a “frozen queen” (similar to Hans Solo at one point in the Star Wars saga…) instead of the queen in Frozen.
• ALEX (7D: Trebek who hosted “Jeopardy!” from 1984-2020) Did anyone else really want this answer to be in the form of a question? 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!
• ACLU (15D: Rights advocacy org.) Through litigation and lobbying, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) advocates for the rights of all people in the United States. 
• LAT (37D: Back muscle, for short) The latissimus dorsi muscles – commonly referred to as the LATs – are located in the back, and are the largest muscles in the upper body.
• VITAMIN (40D: A, B, C, D or E, but not F) It’s true. There’s no VITAMIN F. After VITAMINs A, B, C, D, and E, the alphabetic list of VITAMINs skips to VITAMIN K.
• RAP (58D: Genre for Megan Thee Stallion) Megan Thee Stallion is a RAP artist and songwriter. Her most recent album, Megan: Act II was released in October of last year as an expanded reissue of her album Megan, which was released in June 2024.
• ALI (59D: “Beef” actress Wong) Beef is a Netflix TV miniseries about two people involved in a road rage incident that leads to them becoming enemies and getting involved in each other’s lives. ALI Wong and Steven Yeun co-star in the show, which premiered in April 2023.