ST×NLB Cross-References: What follows @ on an NRIC
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People with more than one legal name may have an @ sign on their NRICs.
PHOTO: LIANHE ZAOBAO
SINGAPORE – This week’s ST×NLB Crossword was constructed by brand newsroom assistant editor Jan Lee, who previously covered entertainment and pop culture at The Straits Times and is part of a team of 40 volunteer crossword contributors. Here’s her message to solvers:
I’ve played my fair share of crosswords, but until I volunteered for the ST×NLB Crossword effort, I never really considered how every puzzle reveals something about its setter. But, of course, it does. The things we know, the slang we use – they’re a reflection of who we are. This puzzle, my first, is a buffet of the things that bring me joy: movies, television, music and funny little puns. It also shows that you can take the girl out of entertainment reporting, but you can never take the pop culture references out of the girl.
Her puzzle is filled with allusions to pop culture, reflecting her background as an entertainment reporter. Two of the musical artistes referenced in the clues have upcoming concerts in Singapore later in 2026.
Canadian pop superstar THE WEEKND (7D) will play two shows at the National STADIUM (21A) on Oct 2 and 3. His massive After Hours Til Dawn global tour, of which the Singapore shows are a part, holds the record as the highest-grossing tour by a male solo artiste in history.
The singer adopted his stage name because he left home on a weekend, but he spelt it differently to avoid a copyright clash with another Canadian pop band called The Weekend. So, if he doesn’t win that spelling bee, it might be on purpose.
Then in December, K-pop boy band BTS (1D) are set to play four concerts at the same venue, which are expected to give a boost to Singapore’s tourism, hospitality and retail sectors. BTS’ ongoing Arirang World Tour marks their return to touring since the seven band members completed their mandatory military service in South Korea. BTS fans call themselves Army, which is why they may be “militant”.
Fans who want to discover new artistes might prefer to check out music FESTIVALS (9D) like Singapore’s Baybeats, organised by the Esplanade. Baybeats will return for its 25th edition from Sept 3 to 6, featuring a line-up of genre-spanning artistes from Singapore and beyond.
11A. SOHO is the name of a [Trendy neighbourhood in London, New York or Hong Kong]. London’s was the original, but the name SoHo has been adopted by entertainment districts around the world, in New York (where it’s short for South of Houston Street), Hong Kong (where it’s South of Hollywood Road) and many other cities. Here’s a thought: We could convert some of the industrial areas in Tai Seng into more bars and chic restaurants and call it SoHo, South of Hougang Avenue 3. Good idea, eh?
12A. What does it mean to [Move up the corporate ladder?] It could refer to getting a promotion or a decision to ESCALATE an issue to someone higher up.
17A. In Star Wars: Attack Of The Clones (2002), Anakin Skywalker utters the immortal words: “I don’t like SAND. [It’s coarse and rough and irritating, and it gets everywhere].”
23A. EL NINO is Spanish for little boy. It refers to a weather phenomenon in which the warming of the sea surface over the eastern Pacific Ocean leads to hotter and drier weather, increasing the risk of heatwaves and related adverse weather events like forest fires and haze. We won’t be sorry to wave goodbye to him.
Local fashion brand Charles & Keith, which produces shoes, bags, eyewear, accessories and more, was founded by brothers Charles and Keith Wong.
ST PHOTO: GIN TAY
2D. Local fashion brand Charles & KEITH was founded by two brothers (and business partners) named Charles and Keith Wong. Its headquarters in Tai Seng has a retail store on site and is located just opposite a cluster of shops and restaurants. It will fit right in when the area is reborn as trendy neighbourhood SoHo, South of Hougang Avenue 3, in the future.
18D. If you don’t have a legal ALIAS, you won’t have an @ sign on your NRIC. One prominent person who does have one is Progress Singapore Party founder Tan Cheng Bock @ Adrian Tan. Others who have one might include those with two Chinese names from different dialect groups or Muslim converts who wish to keep their original name while adopting a new religious name, for instance.
Book recommendations
Let the week’s clues inspire your next read, courtesy of NLB. Follow the links to borrow.
1A. “Here, and sometimes even overseas, people call Jasmine the BAK KWA Princess. To the city’s other socialites, it is cause for slight derision. Being named after the sticky pork jerky is hardly the height of glamour…” – The Accidental Malay by Karina Bahrin
4A. “I have often wondered what resides in an ACCENT. Is it a presence – an identity, a trajectory, a history? Or is it rather an absence – an estrangement, a withdrawal, a blank space refusing to be filled?” – How To Stay Sane In An Age Of Division by Elif Shafak
12A. “I guess humans like to watch a little destruction. Sand castles, houses of cards, that’s where they begin. Their great skill is their capacity to ESCALATE.” – The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
Don’t have the NLB mobile app? Download it now on the App Store or Google Play to enjoy more great reads.
Across
1. Savoury snack often eaten around Chinese New Year (3,3): BAK KWA
4. It can be acute or American (6): ACCENT
8. House Of The Dragon vis-a-vis Game Of Thrones, for one (4-3): SPIN-OFF
10. Daily doctor deterrent, proverbially (5): APPLE
11. Trendy neighbourhood in London, New York or Hong Kong (4): SOHO
12. Move up the corporate ladder? (8): ESCALATE
14. Green and blue space, as found in Kallang or Sengkang (9,4): RIVERSIDE PARK
16. “Better than expected” (3,2,3): NOT SO BAD
17. It’s coarse and rough and irritating, and it gets everywhere (4): SAND
20. Month with a mischievous start (5): APRIL
21. Venue for sports or concerts (7): STADIUM
23. Spanish boy making waves? (2,4): EL NINO
24. Suitable for any gender (6): UNISEX
Down
1. K-pop band whose fans can be militant? (3): BTS
2. Partner of Charles (5): KEITH
3. “To _____ it may concern” (4): WHOM
5. Dune star Timothee (8): CHALAMET
6. Wicked witch known for defying gravity (7): ELPHABA
7. Canadian pop star who wouldn’t win a spelling bee (3,6): THE WEEKND
9. Laneway and Baybeats, say (9): FESTIVALS
11. Effect of Wonderland’s “Drink Me” potion (9): SHRINKAGE
13. New York borough with a famous bridge (8): BROOKLYN
15. Lao jiao (7): VETERAN
18. What follows @ on an NRIC (5): ALIAS
19. Not an appetiser, say (4): MAIN
22. Champion kitefoiler Maeder (3): MAX
If you have any feedback, feel free to write to us at stgames@sph.com.sg. See you next week!
