June 22, 2020

Title: WAY TO GO

Constructor: Mark McClain

Editor: Erik Agard

Theme Answers:

FLY OFF THE HANDLE (17A: Throw a fit)

DRIVE HOME A POINT (36A: Really get the message across)

WALK ON EGGSHELLS (57A: Proceed so as not to offend)

Theme synopsis: The first word of each theme answer is a WAY TO GO - FLY, DRIVE, WALK.

Things I learned:

• READ (27A: Visit "Nevada," say) This was a nice clue. The quotation marks around "Nevada" indicate that it refers to a title rather than the state. There are two books titled Nevada. Although I haven't read either of them, from the descriptions I found it's safe to say the books are quite different from each other. One of Zane Grey's western novels is titled Nevada. It was published in 1927 and tells the story of a rancher searching for his missing partner, Nevada. There have been three movie adaptations of Zane Grey's novel. Nevada is also the title of the debut novel for Imogen Binnie, published in 2013. This Nevada follows the adventures of transgender New Yorker, Maria Griffiths, who heads west on a journey of self-discovery.
• CREE (32D: "Peyak, niso, nisto..." language) "One, two, three..." 

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• RENE (39A: Russo of cinema) RENE Russo made her first film appearance in 1989 as Lynn Wells in Major League. Her most recent role was Frigga in the 2019 movie Avengers: Endgame. That's an impressive 40-year career that is still going.
• TEA (5A: Earl Grey, say) Earl Grey TEA is a blend of tea to which bergamot oil has been added, giving it a unique scent and taste. Oil of bergamot is extracted from the rinds of bergamot oranges.  Earl Grey TEA blend is thought to be named for Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey, a British Prime Minister in the 1830's. Grey supposedly received a gift from China of TEA flavored with bergamot oil, although the story may be apocryphal. Earl Grey is my husband's favorite TEA. In contrast, although I drink a lot of TEA, Earl Grey is the one blend I do not like. The taste and smell of bergamot oil is not pleasant to me. Taste preferences are an interesting thing.
• PAW (29A: Bear foot) Made me smile. I am barefoot at the moment!
• SARI (46A: South Asian wrap) Another nice clue. 
• ALLEN (59A: Dance legend Debbie) Debbie ALLEN is best known for her work on the TV series Fame. She was the principal choreographer for the series and played the role of dance teacher, Lydia Grant. The theme song for Fame (sung by Irene Cara) will now be my earworm for the day: "...Remember my name, fame/ I'm gonna live forever/ I'm gonna learn how to fly, high..."
• TWOS (64A: Small bills) Did you try to enter ONES first? TWO dollar bills are less common, but still in circulation. For many years, my parents used TWOS as gifts and tips. My mom continues this tradition. (Hi, Mom!)
• GRAMMYS (24D: Beyonce won 13 in the 2010s) GRAMMY awards are presented by The Recording Academy to recognize achievements in the music industry. Not only did Beyoncé win 10 GRAMMYS in the 2010s, she has won a total of 24, the second highest total awards won by a female artist. Alison Krauss has 27 GRAMMYS. When I saw Beyoncé in the puzzle, I knew I needed to highlight her. My daughter, Leah, is a big fan of the Queen Bey.
• ANNE (30D: Hathaway who played Mia Thermopolis) Mia Thermopolis, aka Amelia Mignonette Grimaldi Thermopolis Renaldi, is the title character of The Princess Diaries. One of my favorite roles for ANNE Hathaway.

Geography review:

• NILE (60A: North African river) The longest river in Africa, the NILE flows north into the Mediterranean Sea. The NILE River flows through 11 countries and is the primary water source of Egypt and Sudan.
• HAVANA (19A: Caribbean capital) HAVANA is the capital of Cuba and its largest city. 

I enjoyed the theme of this puzzle. All of the 15-letter themers are fun phrases. FLY OFF THE HANDLE makes me think of the Wicked song "Defying Gravity" which begins, "Elphaba, why couldn't you have stayed calm for once /Instead of FLYing OFF THE HANDLE." Hmm, maybe that will be my earworm for the day. I liked the extra touch of the theme answers deescalating as the puzzle progresses. We FLY OFF THE HANDLE in the beginning and by the end we WALK ON EGGSHELLS. To DRIVE HOME THE POINT, this was a delightful start to my Monday.