Yahoo Lifestyle Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Em-bed-ded
There are spoilers ahead. You might want to solve today's puzzle before reading further! Em-Bed-ded
Constructor: Lynn K. Watson
Editor: Jared Goudsmit
What I Learned from Today’s Puzzle
COST (7D: "True feeling justifies whatever it may ___" (May Sarton quote)) May Sarton (1912-1995) was a Belgian American novelist, poet, and memoirist. Although she self-identified as a lesbian, she resisted the label of "lesbian-writer," as she preferred her work be viewed in a broader context. In addition to "True feeling justifies whatever it may COST," May Sarton also said, "The more articulate one is, the more dangerous words become."
EVA (20D: Activist ___ Maria Lewis) EVA Maria Lewis describes herself as a sociocultural architect, one who is "dedicated to creating solutions to structures in our society that perpetuate injustice." She began her advocacy work when she was a high school student in Chicago, Illinois. She founded the organization Free Root Operation, which provides services to address the root causes of gun violence. While she was a teenager, EVA Maria Lewis wrote a number of articles for Teen Vogue.
Random Thoughts & Interesting Things
MEG (4A: "Little Women" sister) Little Women is Louisa May Alcott's book that tells the story of the four March sisters – MEG, Jo, Beth, and Amy.
CARGO (7A: ___ pants (garment with many large pockets)) I am a fan of pockets in general, so it's not surprising that I appreciate CARGO pants. (I don't own any at present. Why not?) This clue reminded me of a fabulous pair of CARGO pants I had when I was a teenager; they were bright yellow.
CALVIN (22A: Hobbes' pal in comics) Hobbes is the tiger companion of six-year-old CALVIN in Bill Waterson's comic strip CALVIN and Hobbes. My cat, Willow, is a fan of CALVIN and Hobbes (Hobbes is her favorite).
INTROS (29A: Emcees' opening words) When I first read this clue I tried to come up with specific words emcees might open with, like "Welcome" or "Hello." With the help of crossing answers I finally figured out the clue was referring to emcees' opening words in a more general way.
KEA (51A: Mauna ___ (Hawaiian peak)) Mauna KEA is one of five volcanoes that form the island of Hawai'i. Mauna KEA is a dormant volcano, and its peak is the highest point in Hawaii.
BABE DIDRIKSON (55A: First female athlete to appear on a Wheaties box) I am fond of saying that (almost) everything I know about sports I learned from crossword puzzles. I'm always delighted, therefore, to come across a sports reference in a crossword that I already know. I know about BABE DIDRIKSON because I read a biography about her when I was in the fifth grade. (I needed the help of crossing answers to remember how to spell her last name; it's been a long time since I was in the fifth grade.) BABE DIDRIKSON (1911-1956) won three track and field medals at the 1932 Olympics – two gold and one silver. The sport she was most well-known for, however, was golf. She didn't begin to play golf until 1935, and then quickly made a name for herself in the sport. In 1950, she was a founding member of the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA). BABE Didrikson also excelled in basketball, achieving All-American status. And, she pitched a total of four innings in Major League Baseball spring training exhibition games. Oh, about that Wheaties box... Wheaties began featuring pictures of athletes on their boxes in 1934, adopting the slogan, "The Breakfast of Champions." BABE DIDRIKSON appeared on the back of the Wheaties box in 1935. She was pictured holding a basketball.
TAU (62A: Letter before upsilon) TAU is the nineteenth letter of the Greek alphabet. It follows sigma and precedes upsilon.
BANDANA (2D: Rosie the Riveter's headwear) Rosie the Riveter is the woman who appears on the iconic "We Can Do It!" posters. On the posters, she's pictured wearing a red-and-white polka dot BANDANA on her head.
GENIE (6D: Comical "Aladdin" character) In the Disney animated movie Aladdin (1992) – which was based on the Arabic folktale from One Thousand and One Nights – the GENIE was voiced by Robin Williams.
READERS (9D: Kindle users) What are you reading at the moment? I'm currently reading The Accidental Alchemist, the first in a new-to-me cozy mystery series by Gigi Pandian. I'm enjoying it and plan to check out the rest of the series. Next up on my to-be-read pile is a book recommended by my daughter, The Most Fun We Ever Had by Claire Lombardo.
GAP (10D: Cumberland ___ (Appalachian pass)) The Cumberland GAP is a pass in the Cumberland Mountains, which are part of the Appalachian Mountains. The Cumberland GAP is located on the Kentucky-Virginia border, just a quarter of a mile from the tripoint of Kentucky, Virginia, and Tennessee.
FDA (34D: Org. that regulates cosmetics) The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) supervises and controls a number of products in order to protect and promote public health. In addition to food and drugs, the FDA regulates cosmetics, tobacco products, vaccines, and medical devices.
RUM (39D: Cuba libre liquor) Cuba libre is a cocktail also known as RUM and Coke.
HEPBURN (41D: EGOT-winning actress Audrey) EGOT is an acronym for Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony Awards, and is used as a designation for people who have won all four of these honors. Audrey HEPBURN (1929-1993) achieved EGOT status in 1994, and was the first person to do so posthumously. Audrey HEPBURN won an Emmy Award in 1993 (Outstanding Individual Achievement for Gardens of the World with Audrey HEPBURN), a Grammy Award in 1994 (Best Spoken Word Album for Children for Audrey HEPBURN's Enchanted Tales), an Oscar (Academy Award) in 1954 (Best Actress in a Leading Role for Roman Holiday), and a Tony Award in 1954 (Distinguished Dramatic Actress for Ondine).
A few other clues I especially enjoyed:
ADAGE (61A: "Practice makes perfect," for one)
I'M TOAST (43D: "My goose is cooked")
PEANUTS (44D: Certain legumes, or a comic strip)
Crossword Puzzle Theme Synopsis
I'D BE DELIGHTED (19A: Enthusiastic response to "Would you care to?")
WEB EDITOR (36A: Digital content expert)
BABE DIDRIKSON (55A: First female athlete to appear on a Wheaties box)
EM-BED-DED: The word BED is EMBEDDED in each theme answer: I'D BE DELIGHTED, WEB EDITOR, and BABE DIDRIKSON.
The hyphens in the title helped make spotting today's theme fairly straightforward. I was struck by the grid pattern of this puzzle. The black squares in the middle of the grid form an interesting pattern reminiscent of stairs. Thank you, Lynn, for this enjoyable puzzle.
For more on USA TODAY’s Crossword Puzzles
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Crossword Blog & Answers for January 18, 2025 by Sally Hoelscher
