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There are spoilers ahead. Before you read on, you might want to try solving today’s puzzle.go extreme
constructor: John Pennington
Editor: Anna Gundlach
Comments from Today’s Crossword Constructor
John: I’m honored to be making my debut on USA Today today. I’m not a Billy Joel fan, but I remembered that Billy Joel once had a song titled “I Go To Extremes,” so I came up with this title. My favorite tip was to come up with something new for 35A, 47A, 49A, and he 64A. I also liked thanking the actress in 9D and giving clues for her two longest non-theme answers (8 letters!) in 10D and her 37D. Other clues I liked to work on include 26D (you’ll see why in a moment!), 28D, and 49D.
What I learned from today’s puzzle
- LEE (23A: Jeet Kune Do Founder Bruce) Jeet Kune Do (JKD) is a hybrid martial art practiced by martial artist and actor Bruce Lee (1940-1973). JKD is considered more of a philosophy than a style, incorporating concepts from Zen Buddhism, Taoism, and eclecticism. I’m new to JKD, but I’m familiar with Bruce LEE, so I got this answer.
- Angelo (35D: “Twin Peaks” Composer Badalamenti) Composer and arranger Angelo Badalamenti (1937-2022) is best known for his compositions for film and television. In 1990 he won a Grammy Award for “He”.twin peaks Angelo Badalamenti also composed the music for the film blue velvet (1986) and National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989), and many other works.
Random thoughts and interesting things
- Many of the clues in today’s puzzle refer to space-related topics. This mini-theme is probably unintentional, but seems appropriate for an EXTREME-themed puzzle. Long live crossword science! It was fun finding connections between these clues.
- Moon (1A: period of approximately one lunar cycle) The lunar cycle, or the time from new moon to new moon (or from full moon to full moon), is approximately 29.5 days. This is slightly longer than his MONTH in February and slightly shorter than the rest of his MONTH.
- Tides (32A: Ocean Rise and Fall) Tides, or the rise and fall of sea level, are caused by the gravitational pull of the moon (and to a lesser extent the sun).
- NASA (3D: Hubble Telescope Organization) The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) launched the Hubble Telescope into low Earth orbit in 1990 and continues to operate it more than 30 years later. By orbiting outside the Earth’s atmosphere (333 to 336 miles above Earth), the Hubble Telescope can take extremely high-resolution images. Visiting his website for NASA to learn more about the Hubble telescope and check out the images taken from it is a good use of your time (in my opinion).
- Uranus (46D: Planet with satellites Ariel and Miranda) Uranus is the seventh planet from the Sun. Uranus, along with Neptune, is one of her two ice giants in the solar system. Uranus has 28 known moons. Its five main moons are Miranda, Ariel, Umbriel, Titania, and Oberon.
- WANED (49D: Full Moon to Crescent Moon) When referring to the moon, the opposite of WANED is waxing.
- Idaho (14A: Gem State) More than 240 minerals have been found in Idaho, including aquamarine and vivianite. Deposits of gold, zinc, lead, copper, and cobalt are found in Idaho, as well as gemstones such as opal, tourmaline, topaz, and star garnet. So, Idaho’s official nickname “The Gem State” makes sense. Idaho’s unofficial nickname is the “Potato State.”
- Grand Piano (20A: Alicia Keys’ Concert Instrument) Singer-songwriter Alicia Keys is a classically trained pianist. Her debut studio album, for which she won a Grammy Award, A minor songwas released in 2001. This is a great tip from GRAND PIANO. I think there is a perfect name for a pianist named Alicia Keys.
- DRUM (22A: Tabla or Bongo) Tabla are two hand DRUMs that differ slightly in size and shape. The tabla originates from the Indian subcontinent and is the primary percussion instrument of Hindustani classical music. Bongos are his pair of hand-played DRUMs of various sizes with open bottoms.
- Answer (24A: Often found at the back of crossword books) I really liked this clue. It’s always fun to see crosswords that reference crossword clues.
- AOC (35A: Queens Representative) Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) represents New York’s 14th Congressional District (which includes parts of the Bronx, Queens, and Riders Island in New York City) in the United States House of Representatives. .
- Graduation Photo (36A: Photo with diploma held up) This is a fun grid-spanning entry with the perfect descriptive hint.
- ANTE (47A: Chip in Poker Chip) This is a fun and slightly tricky clue. This clue does not refer to a chip (or nick) of poker chips. Read the first two of his words together as “chip in” (toss in, add, etc.) to arrive at the answer for ANTE.
- GEICO GECKO (54A: TV Lizard Recruiting Insurance) The last time I saw GEICO mentioned in a puzzle, it was in reference to a Hump Day ad featuring a camel. GEICO is known for its funny ads, and GEICO GECKO is the insurance company’s main spokesperson (spokeslizard?). Did you know that the gecko has a name? His name is Martin and he is voiced by Jake Wood.
- Oslo (64A: World Capital on a Fjord) Oslo is the capital of Norway. It is located in the aptly named OSLO fjord. Norway’s coastline is over 17,000 miles long and consists primarily of long, deep inlets known as fjords. For comparison, the baseline coastline (drawn in a straight line without following fjords) is just over 1,500 miles.
- Typo (68A: Wrong with this clue) This clue was painful to read and difficult to type. (Yes, spell check, I want to make these mistakes…) In other words, I like it.
- Ming (1D: dynasty known for its porcelain) Above all, China’s Ming dynasty (1368-1644) was notable as a period of innovation in ceramic production. Blue and white porcelain is particularly relevant to this period, but vases in other colors were also created.
- Thin (4D: How to cut pho and bulgogi meat) Pho is a soup that originated in Vietnam. It consists of soup, rice noodles, thinly sliced meat, and herbs. Bulgogi is a Korean grilled dish made with thinly sliced, marinated beef or pork.
- IKEA (7D: Store that sells KALLAX shelves) The KALLAX shelves sold by IKEA are named after the Swedish village of Kalax.
- NAE NAE (8D: A hip-hop dance created by We Are Toonz) The hip-hop group We Are Toonz is credited with inventing the phrase “NAE NAE” in their 2013 song “Drop That NAENAE.” The dance (raising one arm in the air and waving it from side to side) is based on the character. martina 1990s sitcom.
- Tyson (9D: “The Journey to Bountiful” actress Sicily) Journey to Bountiful A 1953 Broadway play by Horton Foote. The play tells the story of her mother Carrie Watts, who lives with her son and her daughter-in-law, but dreams of returning to Bountiful, the town where she grew up. In the 2013 Broadway revival, Cicely Tyson played Carrie Watts. She won the Tony Award for Best Actress for her performance.
- SANDWICH (10D: Po’boy or Hero) and DARE I ASK (37D: “I may deeply regret this question, but…”) As Jon pointed out in the constructor notes, these two entries are thematically Other answers include puzzles.
- PETSAT (21D: Observe Kittens or Dogs) and Dogs (26D: Puggles or Schnoodles) It’s great that PETSAT here offers something for both cats and dogs. Two hybrids mentioned in the DOG clue: Puggles are a cross between a Pug and a Beagle, and Schnoodles are a cross between a Schnauzer and a Poodle. Along with these clues, John was kind enough to send us a photo of his dogs Smokey and Bandit. According to him, they “look a little like an old couple.” In this photo, Bandit is on the left and Smokey is on the right. Welcome to Sally’s Take and Off the Grid pets, Smokey and Bandit!
- NBA (28D: Magic and Heat Organizations) Here are two NBA teams from Florida: the Orlando Magic and the Miami Heat.
Overview of crossword puzzle themes
- Grand piano (20A: Alicia Keys’ concert instrument)
- Graduation photo (36A: Photo of someone holding up a diploma)
- GEICO GECKO (54A: TV lizard soliciting insurance)
The letters of the word “GO” are pushed to the edge of each theme’s answer. GRand Pian○, GRadiography○and GEiko Geck○.
Billy Joel released the song “I GO TO EXTREMES” in 1990, so it only took 24 years for the song to become a crossword theme. (Unlike today’s constructors, I am a fan of Billy His Joel and enjoyed this reference.) This is a fun theme and a good set of answers to the theme. Congratulations to John Pennington on his USA TODAY debut! John, thank you for this wonderful puzzle.
Learn more about USA TODAY crossword puzzles.
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