Crossword Clues Take Solvers From Camelot to Singapore's Ghost Festival

A new crossword puzzle from The Straits Times and the National Library Board is full of surprises. It was made by Assistant Editor Rei Kurohi and a team of 40 volunteers. The puzzle is a jumbo edition with a very long list of clues. It opens with a fun joke: the word 'LEES' means the leftover from making sake, but it also sounds like the names of two former Singapore prime ministers.

The puzzle travels through famous stories from history and myth. MERLIN, King Arthur's wizard adviser, appears as one answer. Merlin was not in the earliest Arthurian legends — he became famous through a 12th-century writer named Geoffrey of Monmouth. Today, Merlin shows up in books, movies, and TV shows all over the world.

ICARUS is another mythological figure in the puzzle. He was a boy in Greek mythology who escaped from the island of Crete using wings his father Daedalus built from feathers and wax. His father warned him not to fly too high, but Icarus did not listen. The sun melted his wings, and he fell into the sea. His story is now used to warn against letting ambition go too far.

The puzzle also includes a clue about the SEA from Homer's 'The Odyssey.' Homer famously called the sea 'wine-dark,' a phrase that has confused and fascinated scholars for a very long time. Some think Homer meant the sea's color, while others say he was describing its shine or movement. Many scholars believe Homer chose the phrase simply because it sounded beautiful in his poetry.

Uncle VANYA, a play by Russian writer Anton Chekhov, also makes an appearance. The play follows characters on a country estate who are filled with regret and sadness. The main character's full name is Ivan Voynitsky, and 'Vanya' is a nickname for Ivan. Chekhov's plays are famous for showing characters with very deep feelings, even when not much is happening around them.

The puzzle also celebrates Singapore's local culture. RESERVED SEATS refers to the empty front row at getai shows during the Hungry Ghost Festival, which is kept for visiting spirits. The CHINGAY PARADE, another answer, is Singapore's big annual street procession that began in 1973. Kampong GLAM is described as a neighborhood full of fab boutiques — and its stylish reputation today fits the word 'glam' perfectly.