June 24, 2020

Title: SPLIT ENDS

Constructor: Zhouqin Burnikel

Editor: Erik Agard

Theme Answers:

EX-HUSBANDS (17A: "The First Wives Club" villains)

EMPTY HANDS (55A: What a magician might show at the beginning of a trick)

EQUITY FUNDS (10D: Stock-based investments)

ELBOW STANDS (24D: Acrobatic feats in which the body is balanced on the forearms)

Theme synopsis: The theme answers begin with E- and end with -NDS, therefore the E-NDS are SPLIT.

Things I learned:

• LOBO (36A: Basketball analyst Rebecca) Rebecca LOBO is a sports reporter for ESPN and a former WNBA player.
• UCLA (19A: Josephine and Joe Bruin's school) Josephine and Joe Bruin are not famous UCLA alums; they are the school's mascots.
• ELSIE (30A: "Eighth Grade" actress Fisher) ELSIE Fisher plays the role of Kayla Day in the movie Eighth Grade, a coming-of-age film about peer pressure and anxiety. ELSIE also voiced the role of Agnes in Despicable Me and Despicable Me 2.

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• SO SUE ME (42A: "Sorry, not sorry") and SASS (62A: Impudent replies) Although not linked in the puzzle, these two answers pair together nicely.
• TRUE (45A: "You've got a point") and FAIR (49D: "You've got a point") A nice pairing.
• AUNT (46A: Solange, to Blue Ivy) Solange is a singer, songwriter, and actress and is also Beyoncé's sister. Blue Ivy is Beyoncé's daughter.
• RENE ("Yours, Mine & Ours" actress Russo) It's only been two days since RENE Russo last made a puzzle appearance.
• REUTERS (News agency founded in 1851) REUTERS is an international news agency founded by Paul Julius REUTER. The agency employs over 2,500 journalists and 600 photojournalists worldwide.
• MIA (56A: Soccer legend Hamm) I was excited to encounter a sports clue to which I knew the answer! MIA Hamm is a retired professional soccer player and two-time Olympic gold medalist.

Geography review:

• RENO (15A: City near Carson City) RENO, Nevada is nicknamed "The Biggest Little City in the World." It is known for its casino and tourism industry. I learned that quite a few movies have been filmed in RENO, including The Muppets.
• ARABS (32A: Many residents of South Paterson, New Jersey) South Paterson is a neighborhood of Paterson, New Jersey. It is a diverse neighborhood also known as Little Istanbul or Little Ramallah. 
• LAOS: (46A: Country where Pi Mai is celebrated every year) Officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, LAOS is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia. Pi Mai, also known as Lao New Year, is celebrated April 14-16. The celebration takes place at the start of the monsoon season which is the hottest time of the year in LAOS. 
• NOVA (48D: ___ Scotia) NOVA Scotia is Canada's second-smallest province. (Prince Edward Island is the smallest.) Most of the province is situated on a peninsula in eastern Canada, though Cape Breton island is also part of NOVA Scotia. I have a soft spot for NOVA Scotia because my husband and I spent our honeymoon there. (Has it really been 31 years ago?!) It's a beautiful place.
• KNOX (51D: Kentucky's Fort ___) Fort KNOX is an army post in Kentucky, south of Louisville. The United States Bullion Depository, where a large portion of the United States' gold reserves are kept, is a fortified vault building adjacent to the army post.

A number of geography-related clues and answers today. Geography is not my strong suit, but crossword puzzles gently encourage me to brush up on and expand my geographical knowledge. A nice puzzle - ELBOW STANDS and EMPTY HANDS were my favorite theme entries.