ST×NLB Cross-References: Strong, as kopi
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
There are many ways to order a cup of kopi in Singapore. What do you say if you want a strong black coffee?
ST PHOTO: KELVIN CHNG
SINGAPORE – This week’s ST×NLB Crossword was constructed by my puzzle co-editor, NLB librarian Sasha Tan, who is part of a team of 40 volunteers from both organisations. Here’s his message to solvers:
For National Day, I wanted to put together a puzzle that felt suitable for the occasion while offering something a little different from our usual crosswords, which already contain plenty of local references. After toying around with a few theme ideas, I landed on this one because it struck me as a fun and accessible way of tying things together, not to mention one that would feel familiar to fans of American-style crosswords, where variations on this conceit are quite common.
This is our first puzzle with a theme gimmick, created by Sasha specially for National Day. As hinted at by the clue for SINGAPORE (18A), every other Across answer in the grid contains the letters SG, which is hardly the most common combination of sequential letters in the English language.
Just two of the answers with SG in them are single English words: TRANSGRESSORS (27A), referring to [Rule breakers], and DISGUISED (33A), like someone [Wearing a wig and fake moustache, say]. Can you think of other words with the letters SG in them?
For the rest of the answers, we used phrases that split the letters across two words, including FOOL’S GOLD (3A), the colloquial name for the mineral pyrite which is sometimes mistaken for gold; the BROTHERS GRIMM (13A), who famously wrote beloved fairy tales like Cinderella and Rapunzel; and CHRISTMAS GIFT (22A), which is something one might find under a tree in December. We also borrowed from Spanish to include MUCHAS GRACIAS (8A), which means “thank you very much”.
Finally, we resorted to an initialism in MSG (1A), which is short for monosodium glutamate, a common [Umami additive], and included the abbreviation for the police rank of Sergeant, SGT (34A).
While these answers might not be particularly Singaporean, we still have plenty of local references in the Down clues. Here are just a few:
2D. The common house GECKO, a species native to South-east Asia, is the [House lizard also known as cicak locally]. These clingy creatures are nicknamed for the soft clicking noises they tend to make at night. They can often be found scurrying around on our walls and ceilings while hunting pests such as flies, mosquitoes and cockroaches. They’re doing us a favour, so leave them alone!
Colonial-era black-and-white houses along Old Birdcage Walk in Seletar.
ST PHOTO: DESMOND WEE
5D. The Singapore Land Authority or SLA is the [Agency putting black-and-white leases in black and white]. In other words, they are responsible for managing and renting out the 600 or so state-owned heritage bungalows known as black-and-white houses, which were built by the British in the colonial era to house civil servants.
9D. SHENG Siong is the supermarket chain with its own variety show, which is broadcast on Mediacorp’s Channel 8 at 9pm on Saturdays. The show, which debuted in 2007 and is now in its 39th season, is known for its regular lucky draws, where viewers stand to win thousands of dollars in cash prizes.
15D. Coffee shops in Singapore are famous for offering a wide variety ways to customise one’s order. Kopi is milk coffee, kopi O is black coffee and kopi C is coffee with evaporated milk. If you prefer it stronger than usual, simply tack on “GAO” to the end of your order.
19D. The only two NGS to have served as Cabinet ministers in Singapore’s political history are Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office Ng Chee Meng and former Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen. If one includes the surname Wong (written using the same Chinese character), they would be joined by Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, former Deputy Prime Minister Wong Kan Seng and former Home Affairs Minister Wong Lin Ken.
24D. ION can refer to the Orchard Road mall, or to an atom or molecule that carries an electric charge. When the mall’s name was announced in 2007, two years ahead of its opening, its developers described the name as one that “alludes to the magnetic pull it will have on Singaporeans, tourists and international retailers” and envisioned Ion Orchard becoming the “centre of gravity” in Singapore’s shopping district.
Book recommendations
Let the week’s clues inspire your next read, courtesy of NLB. Follow the links to borrow.
33A. “Seldom, very seldom, does complete truth belong to any human disclosure; seldom can it happen that something is not a little DISGUISED or a little mistaken.” – Emma by Jane Austen
28D. “The ADS have also helped manufacture a sense of panic about time, depicting families so rushed and harried in the morning that there is no time to make breakfast, not even to pour some milk over a bowl of cereal. No, the only hope is to munch on a cereal bar (iced with synthetic ‘milk’ frosting) in the bus or car.” – Cooked: A Natural History Of Transformation by Michael Pollan
32D. “Tiger got to hunt, bird got to fly; Man got to SIT and wonder ‘why, why, why?’ Tiger got to sleep, bird got to land; Man got to tell himself he understand.” – Cat’s Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut
Don’t have the NLB mobile app? Download it now on the App Store or Google Play to enjoy more great reads.
Across
1. Umami additive (3): MSG
3. Deceptive yellow mineral (5,4): FOOL’S GOLD
8. “Thanks a bunch!” in Barcelona (6,7): MUCHAS GRACIAS
13. Siblings behind Cinderella, Rapunzel and Rumpelstiltskin, with “the” (8,5): BROTHERS GRIMM
18. Nation turning 61… which appears briefly in every other Across answer (9): SINGAPORE
22. One might be found under a tree in December (9,4): CHRISTMAS GIFT
27. Rule breakers (13): TRANSGRESSORS
33. Wearing a wig and fake moustache, say (9): DISGUISED
34. SPF rank represented by three chevrons, in short (3): SGT
Down
1. Silent (3): MUM
2. House lizard also known as cicak locally (5): GECKO
3. US public health regulator, in short (3): FDA
4. Expression of disbelief, in textspeak (3): OMG
5. Agency putting black-and-white leases in black and white (3): SLA
6. Paris agreement? (3): OUI
7. They see pts. during appts. (3): DRS
9. _____ Siong (supermarket chain with its own variety show) (5): SHENG
10. Letters preceding local navy ships (3): RSS
11. Word preceding park or pool (3): CAR
12. What one might wrestle with? (3): ARM
13. Rudimentary (5): BASIC
14. “That’s more than I needed to hear” (3): TMI
15. Strong, as kopi (3): GAO
16. Less of this may cost extra at a drinks stall (3): ICE
17. _____ Faber (5): MOUNT
18. Madam’s counterpart (3): SIR
19. Chee Meng and Eng Hen, e.g. (3): NGS
20. What two fingers in a V-shape may signify (5): PEACE
21. Throw ___ (floor decor) (3): RUG
23. ___ World (most-read women’s magazine locally) (3): HER
24. Mall or molecule (3): ION
25. Catching, elsewhere (3): TAG
26. Desktop symbols (5): ICONS
27. Brand behind many a viral talk (3): TED
28. Annoying pop-ups, perhaps (3): ADS
29. Local tertiary institution with a business bent (3): SMU
30. Home to South-east Asia’s only Universal Studios theme park, in short (3): RWS
31. Glum (3): SAD
32. Common canine command (3): SIT
If you have any feedback, feel free to write to us at stgames@sph.com.sg. See you next week!
