August 12, 2020

Title: OUTER BANKS

Constructor: Zhouqin Burnikel

Editor: Erik Agard

Theme Answers:

BREAK RANKS (17A: Not fall in line)

BATHROOM SINKS (39A: Places to remove makeup)

BANJO PICKS (64A: Bluegrass accessories)

Theme synopsis: Each theme answer contains the letter string B-A-N-K-S, split such that some of the letters are at the beginning of the word and some at the end. Therefore, each theme answer has OUTER BANKS.

Things I learned:

• TARA (16A: Strong who voiced Raven) TARA Strong voiced Raven in the animated TV series Teen Titans and Teen Titans Go! She has also done voice-over work for a number of other animated series and video games, including Rugrats, The Powerpuff Girls, and My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic.
• ASHE (46A: "Moral of the Story" singer) ASHE is the stage name of Ashlyn Rae Wilson. Her song, "Moral of the Story," was featured in the movie, To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You. It was nice to see a clue for ASHE that involved someone other than Arthur ASHE (as worthy as he is).
• RED (63D: Hongbao color) A RED envelope - in Mandarin, "hóngbāo" - is a monetary gift given in some Asian cultures for special occasions such as weddings, graduations, or the birth of a baby. The RED color of the envelope symbolizes good luck. 

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• OMAR (62A: "Rubaiyat" poet Khayyam) If you are a regular reader of this blog, hopefully you remembered OMAR Khayyam!
• BANJO PICKS (64A: Bluegrass accessories) Here's an answer you don't see often in crosswords! I own a BANJO (and several PICKS) that once belonged to a dear friend of my family's. When I first got the BANJO I took a year of lessons which I thoroughly enjoyed, but didn't stick with. That was 24 years ago. I keep thinking I'll get back to it someday...
• ATTA (67A: Palindromic flour) If you need a review on ATTA flour, you can reread what I wrote about it on July 20. 
• LAW CLERK (10D: Elena Kagan, to Thurgood Marshall) This was an interesting piece of trivia!

Geography review:

• ALPS (9A: Mountain range across eight countries) The ALPS are the most extensive and highest mountain range system in Europe. Can you name the eight countries containing part of the ALPS? (Answer below)
• RABAT (52D: Capital with trains to Casablanca) RABAT is the capital city of Morocco.

On Monday I learned a new word, and that word is DERECHO. A derecho is a straight-line wind storm with hurricane force winds. A derecho swept across the state of Iowa on Monday afternoon. My family was fortunate - we are fine and our house is fine. There are trees and power lines down all around us, however. (Some were large trees toppled over completely.) As a result, since Monday afternoon we have had no power and no cell signal. I'm typing this in a parking lot a few miles from my house where I was able to get a signal! Early Tuesday morning I went in search of a cell signal and messaged Matthew Stock to ask if he could do an emergency guest blog. Many, many sincere thanks to him for doing so (and doing a fabulous job!)

Now, on to today's enjoyable puzzle! I especially liked the extra touch of the progression of the theme break from B-ANKS to BA-NKS to BAN-KS. ALIENATE was a fun long bonus  answer. A delightful start to my Wednesday and a lovely break from wondering when our power and cell signal will be restored. Also, if you haven't been to the OUTER BANKS  off the coast of North Carolina and Virginia, I recommend it once we're all able to travel again. Memories of a family vacation in the OUTER BANKS was a fringe benefit of solving this puzzle.

Answer: The eight countries spanned by the ALPS are: France, Switzerland, Monaco, Italy, Liechtenstein, Austria, Germany, and Slovenia.