Yahoo Lifestyle Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Figurehead
There are spoilers ahead. You might want to solve today's puzzle before reading further! Figurehead
Constructor: Bruce Haight
Editor: Anna Gundlach
What I Learned from Today’s Puzzle
PAM (26D: Tennis legend Shriver) PAM Shriver is a former professional tennis player. When she was 16 years old, she defeated Martina Navratilova (who was the reigning Wimbledon champion) in the 1978 US Open semifinals. (She then lost to Chris Evert in the final.) During her professional tennis career, she won 112 doubles titles – 79 of those playing with Martina Navratilova.
Random Thoughts & Interesting Things
PAWS (1A: What cats clean their faces with) My cat, Willow, appreciates a puzzle that starts off with a cat reference. Here she is getting ready to take a bath, though she only likes the tub without water in it.
HARP (5A: Plucked instrument) The strings of a HARP run at an angle to its soundboard. Some HARPs have multiple rows of strings. The strings are plucked with the fingers. The HARP has been around for many years. HARPs have been found that date back to 3000 BCE.
GAMES (9A: Crosswords, logic puzzles, etc.) I'm always happy to see a self-referential clue.
OCALA (16A: City northwest of Orlando) I wrote about OCALA, Florida last month. Its nickname is "Horse Capital of the World" – a nod to the many thoroughbred training centers in the area.
EMMA (37A: "The Favorite" actress Stone) The Favorite is a 2018 movie set in 18th century Great Britain. Cousins Abigail Masham (EMMA STONE) and Sarah Churchill (Rachel Wiesz) vie to be the favorite of Queen Anne (Olivia Coleman).
SPOKEN (44A: Like commands to Siri) I must admit that I mostly use Siri to set timers and alarms, and to update my grocery list. I was recently helping my mom learn how to use SPOKEN commands to Siri on her phone. Humorously, my mom would say, "Hey Siri..." while holding her phone, and my iPad, which was on the other side of the room, would answer. I guess my mother and I do sound alike...
NBA JAM (59A: Classic basketball arcade game) Originally developed as arcade games, NBA JAM has expanded to include a series of basketball video games.
ADELE (60A: "Rolling in the Deep" singer) If you need some ADELE in your day, her 2010 song, "Rolling in the Deep," is a good one to listen to. "There's a fire starting in my heart …"
NERD (68A: Stereotypical "The Big Bang Theory" character) The Big Bang Theory is a TV sitcom that originally aired from 2007 to 2019. Many of the characters on the show have stereotypically NERDy jobs such as experimental physicist, theoretical physicist, aerospace engineer, and astrophysicist. There's no doubt that the show had an impact on NERD culture, but (according to some people) it didn't always portray NERDs accurately. Unsurprisingly, given my limited TV viewing habits, I've never seen The Big Bang Theory, so I can't weigh in on this topic.
NESS (69A: Loch ___ monster) Maybe my husband and I will see the Loch NESS monster when we're in Scotland this month.
MALCOLM X (11D: Spike Lee movie about a civil rights activist) Spike Lee's 1992 movie, MALCOLM X, is a biographical drama. The screenplay was based on Alex Haley's 1965 book, the Autobiography of MALCOLM X. Denzel Washington portrays MALCOLM X in the movie, a role for which he won an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture.
MOJAVE (48D: Desert of the southwestern U.S.) The MOJAVE Desert is located in southern California and southwestern Nevada. Death Valley, with the lowest elevation in North America, is located in the MOJAVE Desert. Part of Joshua Tree National Park, with its namesake plant species (that is tree-like, but not really a tree) is also located in the MOJAVE Desert.
Crossword Puzzle Theme Synopsis
POGO STICK (17A: Spring-loaded toy)
MUSTACHE WAX (38A: Facial hair grooming aid)
GIVE IT A GO (62A: Try something)
FIGUREHEAD: The last word of each theme answer can be placed aHEAD of FIGURE to make a new phrase: STICK FIGURE, WAX FIGURE, and GO FIGURE.
It took me a little bit to FIGURE out this theme. Even after I saw STICK FIGURE and WAX FIGURE, I stared at GIVE IT A GO for a bit wondering, "What's a GO FIGURE?" A nice "Aha!" moment ... "GO FIGURE!" Thank you, Bruce, for this delightful puzzle.
For more on USA TODAY’s Crossword Puzzles
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Crossword Blog & Answers for October 16, 2024 by Sally Hoelscher
