ST×NLB Cross-References: Koel’s call
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The distinctive shrill mating call of the Asian koel is often heard in the wee hours of the morning.
ST PHOTO: KUA CHEE SIONG
SINGAPORE - This week’s ST×NLB Crossword was constructed by Jessica Yeo from the National Library Board, who is part of a team of 40 volunteers from both organisations. Here’s her message to solvers:
As someone who gets frustratingly stuck on overseas crosswords requiring niche local knowledge, I relished the opportunity to design a true blue (red?) Singaporean crossword. I hope you have as much fun playing as I did getting inspired by all the things around us: local places, history, and wildlife. Shout-out to the koel outside my office window!
A nice side effect of solving crossword puzzles is that you might learn something you didn’t know before. Sometimes there are clues that you don’t immediately understand, but you can figure out the answers from context or the crossed entries.
For instance, one of our playtesters did not know SWEET TALK (9D) was the name of a bubble tea chain, but got the answer anyway from the clue referencing “honeyed words”. The homegrown brand launched in 2002 and distinguished itself with affordable prices and outlets located in heartland neighbourhoods. Today, there are over 300 bubble tea brands on the market (according to local bubble tea aggregator bbtea.sg) so one would be forgiven for not being aware of all of them.
Bangkwang, also known as jicama or Mexican turnip, is a staple in rojak recipes.
ST PHOTO: HEDY KHOO
Similarly, I must admit, somewhat sheepishly, that I was never too conscious of what ingredients went into rojak. There are a few obvious ones, like pineapple, you tiao (dough fritters) and the crushed peanuts that are typically sprinkled on top. But I honestly didn’t know the [Crunchy vegetable found in rojak] was TURNIP (24A) until I had half the letters from solving other clues.
And did you know that co-curricular activities (CCAs) were once known as extra-curricular activities (ECAs)? The change from ECA (3A) to CCA in 1999 was a signal to educators, students and parents that such activities should be seen as an integral part of education rather than an optional add-on. I knew this only because my parents always referred to my CCAs as ECAs when I was in school.
In 2015, a parody music video produced for the Channel 5 sitcom Spouse For House featuring actor Chen Tianwen went viral for its retro aesthetic and hilarious lyrics. In the video, Chen’s character, Eric Kwek, sings the lines “You blossom like a flower, I so [Stunned like vegetable]” to a girl who is “un-un-un-un-unbelievable”. What he means, of course, is that he is ASTOUNDED (29A) by her beauty.
The use of the word MELEE to describe a hand-to-hand fights dates back to the 1600s, so even someone who has never touched a video game controller might reasonably know it. The descriptor for a class of weapon, as in “melee weapon”, is something of a neologism that began with the tabletop role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) and carried over to video games. In D&D, melee weapons like swords and axes were distinguished from ranged or “missile” weapons like arrows and javelins, as well as magic attacks. Melee, missiles, and magic… The D&D creators assuredly had an affinity for alliteration.
Here are a few more educational and entertaining enigmas for you.
Then-Finance Minister Goh Keng Swee (left) during a site visit to Jurong in 1960. The plan to build Singapore’s new industrial heart in undeveloped Jurong was initially derided as “Goh’s Folly”, but was so successful it later became “Goh’s Glory”.
PHOTO: ST FILE
11A. In the early 1960s, JURONG was an undeveloped site with villages, plantations, swamplands and forests. Then-Finance Minister Goh Keng Swee’s idea to turn it into a 9,000-acre industrial estate as part of Singapore’s industrialisation plans was considered so risky and unrealistic that naysayers derided it as “Goh’s Folly”. But the Government of the day pressed ahead anyway, and the Jurong project proved to be immensely successful over the next decade, attracting hundreds of thousands of dollars in investment and thousands of workers.
13A. The Battle of WATERLOO in 1815, in what is today part of Belgium, marked the final defeat of French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte by a coalition of European powers, including the British. In 1858, the street in Singapore, previously called Church Street, was renamed to commemorate Britain’s victory against Napoleon. Today, it is part of Bras Basah in Bugis and is associated with arts organisations like the Singapore Art Museum.
18A. During the heyday of Singapore football’s popularity, from the 1970s to 1990s, the spirit of die-hard Lions supporters was not just heard but felt. With every glorious goal, the old National Stadium was said to literally shake with the thunderous cheers of thousands of supporters echoing as one. The legendary phenomenon came to be known as the Kallang ROAR, a term coined by veteran ST sports journalist Jeffrey Low who passed away on July 9. May he rest in peace.
13D. WOLFBERRY is the [Fruit resembling a little red hood, ironically]. Also known as goji berries, they are often dehydrated and used as an ingredient in Chinese herbal soups and other dishes. The English name is of unknown origin (and almost certainly has nothing to do with the fairy tale Little Red Riding Hood). One theory is that it may have been derived from a mistaken assumption that its genus name Lycium was related to the Greek word for wolf. The genus actually refers to the Lycia region in modern-day Turkey where it was known to grow.
25D. The Asian koel is a native bird and a member of the cuckoo family. It is popularly known by its local nickname, the UWU bird, after its loud, persistent mating call. The shrill sound is often heard in the wee hours of the morning and may be irritating to some, but it is also a distinctive part of our local soundscape, reminding us of our links to nature.
Book recommendations
Let the week’s clues inspire your next read, courtesy of NLB. Follow the links to borrow.
29A. “Forty-two. His age had ASTOUNDED him for years, and each time that he had sat so astounded, trying to figure out what had become of the young, slim man in his twenties, a whole additional year slipped by and had to be recorded, a continually growing sum which he could not reconcile with his self-image.” — A Maze of Death by Philip K. Dick
10D. “It isn’t in a MELEE of fire and destruction that most of us succumb to weakness. We are taken apart, slowly. Convinced to take an easier path. Enticed by comfort.” — Discipline Equals Freedom by Jocko Willink
12D. “There’s an abundant RESERVOIR of high-quality information in our subconscious, and finding ways to access it can spark new material to draw from.” — The Creative Act: A Way of Being by Rick Rubin
Don’t have the NLB mobile app? Download it now on the App Store or Google Play to enjoy more great reads.
Across
1. Right place to take things to another level? (4,5): LIFT LOBBY
5. Spot where spirits are often seen? (3): BAR
7. Road known as Singapore’s “Billionaire’s Row” (6): NASSIM
11. Site of an ambitious plan once dubbed “Goh’s Folly” (6): JURONG
13. Eclectic downtown street, or site of Napoleon’s defeat (8): WATERLOO
14. Stamp with wax, perhaps (4): SEAL
15. “____ we forget…” (4): LEST
16. After-school activity, formerly (3): ECA
18. Kallang ____ (aptly named cheer from Lions supporters) (4): ROAR
19. Go-to for school shoes (4): BATA
20. Emotion Shakespeare called the “green-eyed monster” (8): JEALOUSY
22. Ordered, by performance say (6): RANKED
24. Crunchy vegetable found in rojak (6): TURNIP
28. Initials on many a luxury handbag (3): YSL
29. Stunned like vegetable (9): ASTOUNDED
Down
1. ___ centre (PC gamers’ haunt) (3): LAN
2. Local body affiliated with FIFA (3): FAS
3. Minister-turned-ambassador Tuck Yew (3): LUI
4. “Let’s go together, don’t say _____!” (2,3): BO JIO
5. Short self-introduction on social media (3): BIO
6. At routine intervals (9): REGULARLY
8. ___ moment (epiphany) (3): AHA
9. Honeyed words or local bubble tea chain (5,4): SWEET TALK
10. Close-range fight, or common weapon class in video games (5): MELEE
12. Word following Bedok or MacRitchie (9): RESERVOIR
13. Fruit resembling a little red hood, ironically (9): WOLFBERRY
17. Adjust accordingly (5): ADAPT
20. Infamous Iscariot (5): JUDAS
21. Take to the slopes (3): SKI
23. Zero (3): NIL
25. Koel’s call (3): UWU
26. Gesture of acknowledgment (3): NOD
27. Group of whales (3): POD
If you have any feedback, feel free to write to us at stgames@sph.com.sg. See you next week!
