Crossword Blog & Answers for January 26, 2025 by Sally Hoelscher

Builder: Amy Walker and Amanda Rafkin

Editor: Amanda Rafkin

What did I learn from today’s puzzle?

• Toots (24a: Target Audience for “Rainbow Rangers”) Rainbow Rangers is an animated TV series for tots. The show, which originally aired on Nick Jr. from 2018-2022, follows the adventures of seven nine-year-old girls living in a kaleidoscope. Their names are Rosy Red, Mindy Orange, Anna Banana, Peppermint, BB Blueberry, Indie All Fruit, and Lavender Violet.
• Lane (61D: “Steal My Sunshine” group) Lane is an alternative rock duo consisting of siblings Mark Costanzo and Sharon Costanzo. He released “Steal My Sunshine” in 1999, and it remains the most popular song of all time.

Random thoughts and interesting things

• Rabi (1A: A Guide Well-versed in the Talmud) The Talmud is the central text of Judaism, and a rabbi is a Jewish spiritual leader.
• ow (15a: “talk to me after my leave” ints.) ow = out of the office
• Bodak Yellow (16A: Cardi B’s hit with the color name) “Bodak Yellow” by Cardi B was released in 2017 and reached the top Billboard‘s Hot 100 chart. Cardi B was the second female rapper to reach the top of the chart with a solo song. The first was Lauryn Hill with “Doo Wop (That Thing)” in 1998.
• Erin (21A: “Green Knight” star Kelly Man) The Green Knight is a 2021 medieval fantasy film adapted from a 14th-century poem, Sir Gavin and the Green Knight. Erin Kellyman portrays a Welsh martyr, Saint Winifred.
• December (23rd: National Cat Lovers’ Month) That’s right, it’s officially December. National Cat Lovers Month. Of course, my cat, Willow, makes sure that every month is Cat Lover’s Month in our house. The other day Willow turned her back on me and faced the corner for some time.

• Palm (35a: “My pain fits in the ___ of your frozen hand”) This lyric – “My pain fits in the palm of your frozen hand” – is from Taylor Swift’s song, “Ivy,” From his album evermore (2020)
• Barry Manilow (36A: Singer who “writes the songs that sing the whole world”) Thank you so much for this earworm! Released by Barry Manilow “I Write Songs” In 1975 I was 10 at the time, which was apparently the perfect age for those lyrics to be firmly ingrained in my brain. As soon as I read the cue I began to sing, “I write the songs that make the whole world sing / I write songs about love and special things / I write the songs that make young girls cry / I write songs, i write songs.” Barry Manilow didn’t actually write “I wrote songs.” That was Bruce Johnston. Additionally, Barry Manilow was not the first to record “I Write Songs.” Captain and Tunnell and David Cassidy beat him to it. However, Barry Manilow’s version of “The Song I Write” was the first to become a hit.
• Masala (50a: garam ___ (spice blend)) South Asian spice blend Gram masala composition varies by region, but includes bay leaves, black pepper, cloves, cinnamon, mace, cardamom, cardamom, cumin. , coriander, and/or chili powder may be added. .
• Lye (58a: Bagel-making chemical) To make bagels, wheat flour is shaped into a ring, boiled briefly in water (which may contain lye, baking soda, barley malt syrup, or honey). ), and then baked.
• Son-in-law (10d: Joel Madden, from Lionel Richie) Joel Madden is the lead singer of the rock band Good Charlotte. He is also married to Nicole Richie, daughter of Lionel Richie. This makes him Lionel Richie’s son-in-law.
• The Council (11D: Elrond’s ___) “Elrond’s Council” is the title of the second chapter of Book 2 by JRR Tolkien. Lord of the Circle.
• Yao (17d: NBA Legend Ming) Yao Ming is a former professional basketball player. He played for the Shanghai Sharks of the Chinese Basketball Association from 1997-2002 and for the Houston Rockets of the NBA from 2002-2011. He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2016. From 2017-2024, Yao Ming was the president of the Chinese Basketball Association.
• Thor (24D: Avenger Who Wields Jjolnir) Mjolnir is Thor’s magical hammer.
• Dating App (25D: Internet Connection Point?) As I mentioned earlier, when a clue includes a question mark at the end, but the clue is not a reference, the question mark is a clue to solvers that there is someone here. There is a kind of word. Let’s walk and walk. In this case, a dating app is not a way to connect to the internet, but an internet app used to make connections. Fun tip!
• Lao (39d: Southeast Asian language) The Lao language is spoken by the Lao people, and is the official language of Laos, a landlocked country in Southeast Asia. Lao is also spoken in northeastern Thailand.
• IMS (44D: “A/S/L?” Interchange) Not to be confused with ASL, which stands for American Sign Language, “A/S/L?” “Age/Gender/Location?” mean? This is a conversation for IMS.
• Chi (59D: Sky of the WNBA, on scoreboards) The Chicago Sky of the WNBA (Chi on the scoreboard) play their home games at Winterth Arena in Chicago, Illinois. The team was formed in 2006, and they were the 2021 WNBA Champions.
• Some other pointers I particularly enjoyed:
  • God Yes (45a: “Oh, Absofrakinlely)
  • URLs (7D: addresses you cannot physically visit)
  • Beater Up (36 d: Umpire’s call)