Sally breaks down USA TODAY’s crossword, Who’s Your Friend Who Likes to Play

There are spoilers forward. You may wish to resolve earlier than studying additional!

Constructors: Amie Walker & Amanda Rafkin

Editor: Amanda Rafkin

What I Discovered from In the present day’s Puzzle

• ADIA (36A: Sarah McLachlan track hidden in “gladvert I asked”) Sarah McLachlan is a Grammy-Award profitable Canadian singer. in relation to the Lilith Truthful tour she based as a approach to showcase feminine musicians. Sarah McLachlan is a type of musicians I do know of, whereas not being too accustomed to their music. I used to be grateful for the hidden phrase clue right here. is a track from Sarah McLachlan’s 1997 album, Surfacing.

• RAVI (14D: “Animal Management” actor Patel) Animal Management is a sitcom that premiered final yr. The present is a couple of group of animal management employees. A type of employees is Amit Patel, portrayed by RAVI Patel. Every episode of the present options the title of animals, reminiscent of “Weasels and Ostriches,” “Cats and Monkeys,” and “Canines and Chickens.”

• SUCK (31D: “My Life Would ___ With out You”) Apparently at present is a day to study songs I’m not accustomed to which are sung by artists I do know. is a 2009 track by Kelly Clarkson. Right here’s an attention-grabbing factor: for this track, as a result of she didn’t need her title to be related to one of many track’s writers.

• LOCO (52D: El Pollo ___) There are three impartial restaurant chains that function below the title El Pollo LOCO – one in Mexico (the unique franchise), one in america, and one within the Philippines. Though the chains have totally different menus, all of them specialise in Mexican-style grilled hen. “El Pollo LOCO” means “the loopy hen” in Spanish. Though there are about 500 El Pollo LOCO places in america, tells me the closest one to me is in Allen, Texas, 654 miles away. Which will clarify why I didn’t learn about this restaurant.

Random Ideas & Attention-grabbing Issues

• RHO (1A: Greek letter after pi) It’s an excellent factor I reviewed the Greek alphabet .

• SHE (8A: “___ did it proper there out on the deck / Put her canine enamel within the facet of my neck”) and SANG (31A: Carried out like Chappell Roan) “SHE did it proper there out on the deck / Put her canine enamel within the facet of my neck,” is a lyric from the Chappell Roan track, “Purple Wine Supernova” (that I realized about ).

• NDAS (41A: Docs usually signed earlier than hooking up with celebs) NDAS listed below are confidentiality paperwork often known as “non-disclosure agreements.” This clue made me chuckle, as a result of I assumed, “effectively, I suppose that’s true, although I’ve by no means attached with a star…” The shortening of celebrities to celebs within the clue alerts solvers the reply might be an abbreviation.

• SCRUBS (47A: “No ___” (TLC hit)) “No Scrubs” is a 1999 track by the woman group TLC off of their album FanMail.

• MET GALA (49A: “Style’s largest night time”) The Costume Institute Profit, familiarly known as the MET GALA, is an annual fundraiser for the Costume Institute at New York Metropolis’s Metropolitan Museum of Artwork. The occasion is called “trend’s largest night time.” It has additionally been known as “the style Oscars.” the MET GALA is invitation-only, and this yr the value for a single ticket was $75,000.

• NEUROSPICY (58A: A lil’ cognitively totally different) NEUROSPICY is a time period that has been adopted by some individuals within the neurodiversity group to explain themselves. Neurodiversity is a portmanteau of the phrases neurological range. The time period has been used since 1998 to explain the idea of pure range within the neurological expression of people. NEUROSPICY is a more recent time period. As with all group, totally different members of the group choose totally different phrases. Whereas some people embrace the time period NEUROSPICY, others choose neurodistinct, neurowonderful, neurosparkly, or different phrases. Only a reminder earlier than utilizing any of those phrases to seek advice from a selected individual: one of the simplest ways to find somebody’s particular person language choice is to ask them.

• PET (59A: Furry member of the family) and HISS (2D: Sound from an aggravated cat) and TAIL (6D: A part of a cat costume) My cat, Willow, is a fan of all this cat content material. She even grudgingly admires ARF (5D: “I would like my bone!”) and INU (40D: Shiba ___ (canine breed)), admitting that it’s good to have one thing for these whose PET is a canine.

• ETS (10D: “House Jam” villains, for brief) Within the 1996 film, SPACE JAM, Michael Jordan performs a fictionalized model of himself. He stars alongside Looney Tunes characters that convey him out of retirement to win a basketball match in opposition to ETS (extraterrestrials, also called aliens).

• GIL (11D: “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised” poet Scott-Heron) GIL Scott-Heron (1949-2011) was a jazz poet identified for his spoken-word performances.  is a poem recorded first in 1970, and once more in 1971, the latter launched because the B-side to the only, “House Is The place the Hatred Is.” “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised” takes its title from slogans of Nineteen Sixties Black Energy actions. The poem accommodates a myriad of cultural references, as on this excerpt: “Inexperienced Acres, Beverly Hillbillies, and Hooterville Junction will now not be so damned related / and ladies is not going to care if Dick lastly received down with Jane on Seek for Tomorrow / as a result of black individuals might be within the streets on the lookout for A Brighter Day. / The revolution is not going to be televised.” GIL Scott-Heron’s work is usually cited for its affect on hip-hop. He referred to himself as a “bluesologist.”

• VEEP (13D: Julia Louis-Dreyfus comedy) On the TV sequence, VEEP (2012-2019), Julia Louis-Dreyfus performs Selina Meyer, the (fictional) Vice-President of america. Julia Louis-Dreyfus received six Primetime Emmy Awards (and quite a few different accolades) for her work on VEEP.

• AED (19D: Defibrillator letters) An automatic exterior defibrillator (AED) is a conveyable gadget that may diagnose life-threatening cardiac arrhythmias, and deal with them by way of the appliance of electrical energy that then permits the guts to re-establish an efficient rhythm.

• BING BONG (34D: “Inside Out” imaginary buddy who cries sweet) The 2015 animated film, Inside Out, facilities on the feelings – Pleasure, Disappointment, Worry, Anger, and Disgust – of a younger woman named Riley. BING BONG is Riley’s imaginary buddy, who Pleasure and Disappointment uncover in Riley’s long-term reminiscence. I’m not going to provide away the plot for individuals who haven’t seen the film, however BING BONG has a song-fueled wagon rocket. The title of at present’s puzzle is a nod to , “WHO’S YOUR FRIEND WHO LIKES TO PLAY? / BING BONG, BING BONG / His rocket makes you yell ‘Hooray!’…”

• NUT (56D: Path combine morsel that’s technically a fruit) It’s true. Though we regularly don’t consider them as such, NUTs are technically fruits. Fruits are the seed-bearing buildings of flowering crops. NUTs are characterised by a tough outer shell that protects the seed.

• There are a selection of conversational clues at present, and I actually loved them:

  • I’M SURE OF IT (15A: “By no means been extra sure”)

  • NEED (27A: “I should have that”)

  • OH NO REASON (55A: Juuust questioning”)

  • CRUD (32D: “Aw, rats”)

  • NO NOTES (35D: “Nothing I’d change right here”)

Crossword Puzzle Theme Synopsis

WHO’S YOUR FRIEND WHO LIKES TO PLAY? (Freestyle): Since it is a freestyle puzzle, there’s no theme at present. As talked about above, the title is a reference to BING BONG (34D: “Inside Out” imaginary buddy who cries sweet).

NO NOTES! Simply kidding; when have I ever had NO NOTES? I’m a fan of the film Inside Out, and I additionally loved the sequel that got here out this yr, Inside Out 2. (In actual fact, I’m positive my buddies are bored with me telling them how good these films are…) I loved the nod to BING BONG within the title of at present’s puzzle. There’s a ton of different nice stuff right here, too. It’s a type of days the place it was troublesome for me to resolve which solutions I’d write about. Thanks, Amie and Amanda, for this pleasant puzzle.

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