ALIG

ALIG is the crossword answer to the clues like
[Sacha Baron Cohen persona]

alig crosswordese crosswords clue meaning definitions
“Fings like ‘apple’ and ‘orange’ don’t start with a capital letter unless they start a sentence,” said ALIG, the [Comic who delivered the 2004 Harvard Class Day speech]. Image via Sj

Ali-G always looked odd, but he appeared especially bizarre in 2004 orating to Harvard students in his beanie, yellow-tinged shades, and crimson-ish vinyl jumpsuit. So its suiting that the name of the [“Interviewer” who asked Kobe Bryant how many springs are in a basketball] looks so strange when written in crossword grids as ALIG.

The film Ali-G Indahouse revealed that the true name of [Sacha Baron Cohen’s rude-boy persona], is Alistair Leslie Graham. And as the name of his “posse” suggests, this [Fictional member of da West Staines Massiv] grew up not on the tough streets of the ghetto, but in the comfortable London suburb of Staines.

ALIG crossword clue character alter ego sacha baron cohen
The River Colne joining the River Thames at Staines, Surrey, ENG [Chang’s twin]

So, bedecked in BLING [Gold grillz, e.g.] and athleisurewear, ALIG is a character inside a character. (Even if his name, when entered as a crossword answer, is missing a character.)

By now, solvers and potential marks should recognize ALIG as an [HBO conductor of prank interviews]. Nevertheless, the [TV character with the catchphrase “Booyakasha!”] might still appear incognito in late-week clues like [Cohen character] or [Former HBO character].

BRUNO, BORAT, and ALIG: Crosswords are infiltrated by Sacha Baron Cohen

Differentiating between two other COHEN ([Real last name of Mama Cass Elliot], [Skater Sasha or comic Sacha Baron]) incarnations is no joke. Both BRUNO and Alma-Ata born BORAT can masquerade as a five-letter [Sacha character].

  • Solving tip:
    • In a clue like [Sacha character], use of the actor’s first name indicates that the answer will also be a first name, like BORAT or BRUNO
    • It works the other way too: as [Bruno or Borat, really] are first names, the clue subtly suggests the answer is more likely to be SACHA than the other plausible five-letter name, COHEN

The character of Ali-G was a send-up of a Northern English stereotype sometimes pejoratively called a “chav,” described as “a vile word” which may stem from chavi, Romani for “child.”

Some felt Da Ali-G Show was similarly cruel, but the general consensus seems to align with this heart-shaped mini-puzzle‘s ALIG clue:

[British character played by Sacha Baron Cohen who can seem a little mean sometimes, but I know it’s all in good fun and it comes from a good place :)]

Caleb Madison, Buzzfeed – March 14, 2016

But clues for ALIG probably work best when they cite one of his outrageous moments. an outsize proportion of which reference one interview in particular:

[TV personality who asked Buzz Aldrin: “What was it like to walk on the sun?”]

[He once asked Buzz Aldrin, “Is you upset that Michael Jackson got all the credit for inventing the moonwalk?”]

[“Interviewer” who asked Buzz Aldrin whether people on the moon were friendly]

[TV interviewer who called astronaut “Buzz” Aldrin “Buzz Lightyear”]

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What do you think of ALIG as a crossword answer?