July 13, 2020

Title: TWO-TIMERS

Constructor: Caitlin Reid

Editor: Erik Agard

Theme Answers:

LUXURY BOX (17A: Exclusive seating section)

TEXTBOOK EXAMPLE (39A: Classic case)

TAX EXEMPT (63A: Like many nonprofits)

Theme synopsis: Each theme answer is a common two-word phrase where each word contains the letter X. In math, the letter X is used as the multiplication (TIMES) symbol. Therefore, the theme answers are TWO-TIMERS.

Things I learned:

• ERIN (67A: Sportscaster Andrews) ERIN Andrews is a sideline reporter for Fox NFL. You might also know ERIN Andrews from Dancing with the Stars. She was a contestant on the show in season 10 and has co-hosted since season 18. 
• TITO (25D: Puente, el Rey del Timbal) TITO Puente was a musician, songwriter, and record producer known for Latin jazz and dance-oriented mambo compositions. One of his nicknames was "el Rey del Timbal" which means "the King of the Timbales." TITO Puente's most famous song is "Oye Como Va."
• LENA (27D: Headey who played Cersei Lannister) Cersei Lannister is a character in Game of Thrones. LENA Headey received five Primetime Emmy Award nominations and a Golden Globe Award nomination for this role.

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• ACTS (1A: Performs in character) and CAST (24A: Apt anagram of 1-Across) This was a clever find. These two clues, along with ROLE (51A: ___ reversal) provide a theater sub-theme. These three answers visually stair-step down the puzzle, which is likely coincidental, but fun.
• SNOW TIRE (46A: Anagram of "winter's O") Another clever anagram find. 
• YARD (57D: It has three feet) Definitely an "aha" moment when I figured this one out!

Geography review:

• KOREA (16A: Region of East Asia) Since 1945, the region of KOREA has been divided into the two distinct sovereign states of North KOREA and South KOREA. The Korean peninsula extends from continental Asia into the Pacific Ocean and is surrounded by the Sea of Japan and the Yellow Sea. Jeju Island and several minor islands are also part of the region of KOREA.
• TEXAN (30D: Resident of Plano or Llano) Plano, Texas is part of the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area. Llano, Texas is a small town in the central part of the state.

An enjoyable and nicely-constructed puzzle. Six Xs could have made for some clunky fill, but that's not the case here. With the exception of XII (which is fine by me), all of the X-crossings are actually words. Happy not to see an abundance of XED out or even X-CROSSING. It was a wise choice to limit the theme answers to three. Adding a fourth theme answer might have made it impossible to maintain the smooth fill. Some clever cluing added to the pleasure of the solve.