So That's What Those Signs Mean

As a crossword constructor, I feel adjacent to the craft world. I say adjacent, because I’m not sure if making a crossword is more of an art or a craft… So naturally, let’s turn to Reddit for some clarity. User toofarbyfar says

Well, by that definition (that at least 6 people agree with, I should add), I’d say creating crosswords is more of a craft. I’ve been known to be a little crafty on occasion, so this feels right. And wow, what a perfect lead in to the next thing…

Heads up! I’ve been working on another fun event to keep you tied over until my next workshop.

I’ve teamed up with Krystal at Yarn Rebels to create a fun date night experience for Valentine’s Day. Join us for a drink and some puzzle fun - I’ll help you and your gf/bf/partner/platonic friend date make mini crosswords together or for each other 🙂

Tickets go on sale at 9:00 am this Monday, January 26 at https://theyarnrebels.com/. There are limited spots, so if you’re interested, don’t miss it!

But until then, let’s enjoy this week’s craft, shall we?

Discussion (and spoilers!) below the break.

Play

So That's What Those Signs Mean by Brandon Cathcart

Discussion

Sometimes themes just pop into your head - this one, I believe, was born out of looking for “apt pair” themes. I had noticed a fun connection between LIVE IT DOWN and LAUGH IT UP, but they didn’t pair quite as tightly as I wanted - so realizing the LIVE/LAUGH/LOVE angle, I found LOVE THAT FOR YOU and a puzzle was born.

If you don’t know Flagpole Sitta by name (and there’s a good chance you don’t, since they don’t say that phrase at all during the song), you still may have heard it - it’s very 1997, and such a jam. Maybe I have an affinity toward it because I listened to it during the “discovering what my personal music taste was” phase of my life (I know you had that phase).

Today’s Theme

There are three sets of circled letters that spell LIVE, LAUGH, and LOVE, aka the classic Live, Laugh, Love motivational phrase found on silly wall signs everywhere. In the puzzle, these words are the start of longer phrases: LIVE IT DOWN, LAUGH IT UP, and LOVE THAT FOR YOU, which all have a negative connotation, counter to the original phrase’s positive intent.

Behind the Clues

8A. We’re a fan of haute couture and hors d'oeuvres here (mental note: new tabletop RPG? Some please make this and send me the rules). So of course, a [Popular cheese pairing] is MAC of mac and cheese. Brb, it’s lunch time and I’m going to whip up a box of KD.

11A. Okay, I’m back. [Host Evans of "Hot Ones"] is SEAN of the popular YouTube interview series. Just about every celebrity has been on it at this point, and SEAN just downs hot wings and asks good interview questions like a champ. I hope he never gets cancelled.

18A. More internet culture, this one is a deeper cut but it’s very important that you know about it. ["This is Zombo___. Welcome to Zombo___" (Self-describing voice-over from one of my favourite websites)] is COM, as in the website zombo.com. Make sure you visit it with audio on, and enjoy a truly pure corner of the internet.

2D. If you’re a gamer (😎), you probably know “Civ 5” and other Civilization games. But true gamers always mention [Game designer Sid, whose name is often left out of the full title of games in the Civilization series] and use the full game name, “Sid MEIER's Civilization V.”

14D. Some entries feel interesting, but you can’t quite put your finger on why, so you sit at your computer, leave, come back to it, and eventually put together a clue that feels like it does it service. ONE IRONS was one of those entries, and I was happy that [Golf clubs that sound grammatically incorrect when plural] came to me after I said “ONE IRONS” out loud so many times that the words lost all meaning.

27D. [Comedian Schwartz, who played Jean-Ralphio in Parks and Recreation] is BEN Schwartz, one of my favourite comedians these days. He’s got a really fun but down-to-earth energy about him in interviews. I was thinking about referencing how he voices Sonic in the new Sonic the Hedgehog movies, but I worried that reference would be a bit lost on most solvers.

I hope you enjoyed this puzzle!

Until next week,

Brandon