ST×NLB Cross-References: Rich, like rice cooked in coconut milk
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Coconut milk gives this rice dish its characteristic rich and creamy taste.
PHOTO: BERITA HARIAN
SINGAPORE - This week’s ST×NLB Crossword was constructed by Russ Hoe from the National Library Board, who is part of a team of 40 volunteers from both organisations. Here’s his message to solvers:
This was my first experience designing a crossword. It was a treat to plant some clues that highlight our local places, people and phenomena, while also pulling references to some cultures and connections beyond our shores. Thanks for playing.
Indeed, this puzzle is rich with culture, including references to art, theatre, cinema and more. As usual, the full answer key is at the bottom of this story.
French artist Auguste Rodin’s famous bronze sculpture The THINKER (8A) can be viewed around the world. The original sits (and thinks) at a museum dedicated to Rodin’s work in Paris, but there are two replicas in Singapore: one at OUE Bayfront in Marina Bay and another at Resorts World Sentosa.
Local director Anthony Chen’s debut feature, the 2013 drama film ILO ILO (12A), derives its name from the Iloilo province in the Philippines. The film follows Filipina domestic helper Teresa who moves to Singapore in search of a better life amid the 1997 Asian financial crisis. Chen was the first Singaporean to win a Golden Camera award for best feature at the Cannes Film Festival.
According to theatre legend, William Shakespeare’s play MACBETH (7D) was cursed by a coven of witches offended at the Bard’s depiction of real incantations. Many productions of the play have reportedly suffered misfortune ranging from financial ruin to fatal accidents, so it is often referred to euphemistically as “the Scottish play” to avoid invoking its name.
Singapore’s Chinatown makes two appearances in this week’s puzzle. For first-time visitors, some MUST-SEE (16D) attractions include the ornate Buddha Tooth RELIC (10A) Temple and the nearby Sri Mariamman Temple next to PAGODA (21A) Street, which was reportedly named for the Hindu temple’s gopuram, or entrance tower.
Pagoda Street, one of the oldest named streets in Singapore, was reportedly named for the gopuram built over the main gate of the Sri Mariamman Temple.
ST PHOTO: CHONG JUN LIANG
And then there’s a rather different type of culture. As we know from secondary school biology lessons, PETRI (1D) dishes are used grow bacterial cultures in a laboratory environment. Not exactly the most appetising of dishes; we’ll have a plate of Nasi LEMAK (13D) instead, thanks.
11A. [Full body make-up?] refers not to body paint but to DNA, which is the genetic make-up of all living organisms (as far as we know, anyway).
25A. The word SHADE can refer to an area shielded from the sun or a slang term meaning to subtly insult or express scorn towards someone else. The latter meaning was first popularised in Jennie Livingston’s 1990 documentary Paris Is Burning, in which drag queen Dorian Corey explains the term: “Shade is, I don’t tell you you’re ugly. But I don’t have to tell you, because you know you’re ugly. And that’s shade.”
3D. In the popular Pokemon franchise, Professors are researchers who study the creatures and are typically responsible for giving players their first Pokemon. Many of the Professors are named after types of trees, including Professors OAK, Elm and Birch.
15D. Nanyang Technological University is sometimes jokingly referred to as Pulau NTU (NTU Island in Malay), a dig at its inaccessible location in the far west of Singapore. But that does not deter scores of tourists from visiting. In 2024, NTU introduced new measures after overcrowding and safety concerns were raised by students and tourist numbers have since stabilised.
Book recommendations
Let the week’s clues inspire your next read, courtesy of NLB. Follow the links to borrow.
14A. “As we go about our daily lives, CASTE is the wordless usher in a darkened theater, flashlight cast down in the aisles, guiding us to our assigned seats for a performance.” – Caste: The Origins Of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson
17A. “I would SOMETIMES lose sight of the present without Chloe, hallucinating that the breakup had never occurred and that we were still together, as though I could have called her up at any time and suggested a film at the Odeon or a walk through the park.” – On Love: A Novel by Alain de Botton
30A. “An ABANDONED plastic bag clambered up, higher and higher in the sky… the wind made it suddenly seem as if gravity was just a choice, not a scientific fact.” – The Phone Box At The Edge Of The World by Laura Imai Messina
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Across
1. Far from a finished product (9): PROTOTYPE
6. “I gotchu ____”; slang for friends or relatives (3): FAM
8. The _______ — statue with poor posture (7): THINKER
10. Buddha’s tooth in Chinatown, for one (5): RELIC
11. Full body make-up? (3): DNA
12. Philippine province (6) or Anthony Chen’s feature directorial debut (3,3): ILO ILO
14. Rigid social system that forms the title of a bestseller by Isabel Wilkerson (5): CASTE
17. Survey option between often and seldom (9): SOMETIMES
19. Marie Kondo: “This one does not _____ joy.” (5): SPARK
21. Tiered structure after which a street in Chinatown is named (6): PAGODA
23. Carly Jepsen’s middle name (3): RAE
25. Sun shield or scorn (5): SHADE
27. Pet pamperer (7): GROOMER
29. Arabic for festival; another name for Hari Raya (3): EID
30. Like the old Changi Hospital (9): ABANDONED
Down
1. Dish of culture? (5): PETRI
2. Like gathering storm clouds (7): OMINOUS
3. Hardy tree or first Pokemon professor (3): OAK
4. Story spun instead of told (4): YARN
5. Uncertain sound; it’s only human (3): ERR
6. Open-air cinema event: _____ at the Fort (5): FILMS
7. Shakespeare’s Scottish play (7): MACBETH
9. Old name for Tokyo (3): EDO
13. Rich, like rice cooked in coconut milk (5): LEMAK
14. It keeps clauses apart (5): COMMA
15. Local uni sometimes preceded by “Pulau”? (3): NTU
16. Too good to miss, as a movie might be (4-3): MUST-SEE
18. Circus presenter; Hugh Jackman starred as one in 2017 (7): SHOWMAN
20. Word following Emmy, Grammy or Edusave (5): AWARD
21. “As ___ my last email” (3): PER
22. Nostril-stinging (5): ACRID
24. What flows from Spanish taps (4): AGUA
26. Oft-misreported figure when one is running late (3): ETA
28. NSF’s countdown target, often (3): ORD
