Ancient Acrostic

Sator Squares are a meme from ancient Rome, a double-acrostic palindrome puzzle in which five words repeat backwards, forwards, upwards, and downwards. The tiles were made over the course of centuries, and historians have a variety of theories as to their origin but no definitive explanation, making them a compelling historical enigma. Ponder their meaning with these seven celebrities, each of whom was inspired by a different five-letter word that can be traced in a winding route on the squares.

George Tenet

This goo was worth a point in February 2024.

publication date: Saturday, February 17, 2024

category: Government

clue: Following the plot twists of a Christopher Nolan movie like TENET should be a piece of cake for a master of espionage.

explanation: Tenet was the C.I.A. director under presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush. more…

intended difficulty: very hard

solved by: Russ Wilhelm, Steve West, and Samir Mehta

trivia: The 2020 movie Tenet was heavily influenced by Sator Squares, and so Scott couldn't resist slipping in a reference to it in this final goo in the theme.

Kiri Te Kanawa

This goo was worth a point in February 2024.

publication date: Friday, February 16, 2024

category: Music

clue: New Zealand's queen of OPERA has been critical of popular music, despite winning a Grammy as part of the West Side Story ensemble.

explanation: Te Kanawa has made controversial comments about pop stars not being true singers since they use microphones. In 1984, when Leonard Bernstein re-recorded West Side Story as the conductor and the album won a Grammy, she played Maria. more…

intended difficulty: medium

solved by: Russ Wilhelm, Steve West, LaVonne Lemler, Samir Mehta, and Richard Slominsky

Audra Lindley

This goo was worth a point in February 2024.

publication date: Thursday, February 15, 2024

category: Television

clue: Finding sitcom success as a landlady named ROPER was a career high for this one-time stuntwoman from a Hollywood family.

explanation: Lindley, daughter of actor Bert Lindley, worked her way up from being a stand-in and stuntwoman to a long career on stage on screen, most famously in "Three's Company" and its spin-off "The Ropers." more…

intended difficulty: easy

solved by: Russ Wilhelm, Steve West, LaVonne Lemler, Samir Mehta, and Richard Slominsky

Pauly Fuemana

This goo was worth a point in February 2024. This was a bonus goo, so Russ Wilhelm could not earn a point for it.

publication date: Wednesday, February 14, 2024

category: Music

clue: Bizarrely, he joked that he was a millionaire from ŌTARA before his pop singles actually made him one.

explanation: Fuemana was a founding member and eventually the only member of the pop group OMC, known for hits including "How Bizarre." The group's name, "Ōtara Millionaires Club," was intended as joke, since the South Auckland neighborhood was notoriously poor. Their songs soon became so popular that Fuemana became an actual millionaire. more…

intended difficulty: easy

solved by: Russ Wilhelm, Steve West, LaVonne Lemler, Samir Mehta, and Richard Slominsky

John Napier

This goo was worth a point in February 2024.

publication date: Tuesday, February 13, 2024

category: Science

clue: This Scottish mathematician was so essential to the study of logarithms that the NEPER unit was named after him.

intended difficulty: easy

solved by: Russ Wilhelm, Steve West, LaVonne Lemler, Samir Mehta, and Richard Slominsky

Gene Siskel

This goo was worth a point in February 2024.

publication date: Monday, February 12, 2024

category: Opinion

clue: Prior to his 1999 passing, this film critic considered himself a fair RATER at the movies, even though he gave far more of the dreaded thumbs-down ratings than his TV partner.

explanation: Siskel co-hosted Siskel & Ebert at the Movies with Roger Ebert, and was considered the more consistently negative of the two. more…

intended difficulty: very easy

solved by: Russ Wilhelm, Steve West, LaVonne Lemler, Samir Mehta, Richard Slominsky, and Erik Bates

Amy Winehouse

This goo was worth a point in February 2024.

publication date: Sunday, February 11, 2024

category: Music

clue: You don't have to be a TOPER to join music's infamous "27 Club," but refusing in song form to go to rehab might be a sign that you're taking the drinking too far.

explanation: Winehouse died at 27 from alcohol poisoning after extensive coverage of her public intoxication, joining a "27 Club" of other musical artists who coincidentally died at that age. "Rehab" was among her biggest hits. more…

intended difficulty: very easy

solved by: Russ Wilhelm, Steve West, LaVonne Lemler, Samir Mehta, Richard Slominsky, and Erik Bates