September 21, 2020

Title: THINGS ARE LOOKING UP

Constructor: Pao Roy & Brooke Husic

Editor: Erik Agard

Theme Answers:

OVER THE MOON (16A: Elated)

IN THE CLOUDS (37A: Daydreaming, say)

UNDER THE SUN (61A: In all existence)

Theme synopsis: The last words of the theme answers are THINGS you might see if you are LOOKING UP - MOON, CLOUDS, SUN.

And now a word from our constructors:

Pao: I was connected to Brooke through another favorite collaborator of mine, Matthew Stock. Matthew suggested I reach out to Brooke as a test-solver of some of my first puzzles. Since then, both Brooke and Matthew have both been incredible pen pals/collaborators, whom I am indebted to in helping me grow as a puzzle maker. I'm happy to have officially collaborated on two puzzles with Brooke now -- this one and the one that's being released on Matthew's personal blog, Happy Little Puzzles, today!
I think both puzzles that are out today are emblematic of the voice and values that Brooke and I share. What I love most about working with Brooke is how adamant we are about subverting the ciswhiteheteropatriarchal standards that tend to permeate the puzzle world. Brooke constantly pushes me to fill and clue puzzles with an emphasis on inclusion (of women, people of color, and queerness in all its sorts), playfulness, and unexpectedness. I'm no longer aiming to fit into the stuffy, elitist norms of the NYT crossword; I'm now aiming to break them.
Some of my favorite clues in this puzzle are great examples of how we took mundane-seeming words and clued them in playful, unexpected, or inclusive ways -- in particular, 1-Across, 15-Across, 26-Down, 40-Down, 46-Down (thanks to our editor Erik for this one), and 48-Down.

Brooke: I don't think I can say anything better than Pao already did about our collaboration vibe, but I wanted to add that I'm so happy that our puzzle is out today. Pao's a veteran puzzlemaker who's returning to the scene, and I'm consistently inspired by their uniquely angled clues, absolutely phenomenal gridwork, and overall puzzle ingenuity. I am thrilled that Pao's back in the puzzling world.
I love all the good stuff Pao got in the grid; it was so fun to clue together. I love Pao's voice in clues like 10-Across and in quoted phrases 40-Across, 67-Across, 38-Down, and 41-Down. All the good clues are Pao's and Erik's, and I'm honored to be part of the team that brought you today's puzzle!

Things I learned:

• AMELIA (Bloomer who ran The Lily) From 1849 to 1853, AMELIA Bloomer published The Lily,  the first U.S. newspaper edited by and for women. Although temperance was the original focus of the paper, its focus broadened to include many women's rights issues. AMELIA did not invent bloomers, but the clothing item became associated with her because The Lily ran articles promoting them as comfortable fashion for women. AMELIA sold The Lily to Mary Birdsall in 1954.

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• RILES UP (19A: Agitates) and TEE UP (52A: Set the stage for) A pair of nice, centrally-located UP answers to add to today's theme.
• BEBOP (23A Jazz style with an onomatopoeic name) Onomatopoeia is such a fun word! Onomatopoeic words phonetically imitate the sounds they describe, like "meow," "vroom," or BEBOP.
• ANA (65A: Tennis player Ivanovic) ANA Ivanovic was the number one ranked tennis player in the world for 12 weeks in 2008 after she won the French Open. 
• AREN'T (67A: Well, ___ you a peach!) This clue made me chuckle - a delightful phrase and a fun way to clue a common word.
• POTS (4D: Some nonstick items) and CREPES (5D: French pancakes) If you are going to make CREPES, nonstick POTS (or pans) are helpful.
• ICE CREAM (37D: Sundae basis) I'm a fan of ICE CREAM in my puzzle and in my bowl!
• UPS (39D: Company whose trucks avoid left turns) The other day I planned my route for two stops I had to make in order to maximize right turns, and my husband informed me I was driving like a UPS driver. 
• NAMETAG (40D: Place for pronouns) A nice reminder for the time when we can once again attend functions that require a NAMETAG.
• IMAGINE (41D: "Just think...") It wasn't clued to the song, but "IMAGINE" is now going through my head anyway. I don't really mind.
• 
  PURRED (46D: Showed appreciation for being scratched behind the ears, maybe) and PET (53D: Friend who might be furry) Nice side by side answer pair. Appropriately, one of my furry friends demanded I PET her while I was writing this post. This is her daily routine. I believe she's jealous of the blog!
  

Geography review:

• ALA (42A: Selma's state (Abbr.) Selma, Alabama is known for the Selma to Montgomery civil rights marches in the 1965, the subject of the 2014 movie, Selma.
• AMES (44A: City in Iowa) Hey, I knew this answer - hello from Iowa! AMES, Iowa is the home to Iowa State University, of which my husband and son are both alums. (Not to be confused with the University of Iowa in Iowa City, of which I am an alum.)
• SYRIA (47A: Neighbor of Turkey) SYRIA is also a neighbor of Lebanon, Iraq, Jordan, and Israel.
• PESOS (26D: Philippine coins worth 100 centavos) The Philippines is a Southeast Asia country classified as archipelagic, meaning the country is comprised of a group of islands. About 7,641 islands make up the Philippines. The English word "peso" appeared on Philippine PESOS until 1967. Since that time, the Filipino word plso has been used.
• PERU (59D: Ollantaytambo's country) Ollantaytambo is an Inca archaeological site and a town in southern PERU. 

What's up? The MOON, a few CLOUDS, and the SUN! I enjoyed the theme of this puzzle, just as I enjoy replying to the query "What's up?" with "the sky, some birds..." (Interestingly, my friends have stopped asking me, "What's up?" Hmm...) I also enjoyed the progression of the theme answers from OVER to IN to UNDER. All three theme answers are delightful phrases. I was IN TUNE with this puzzle and its playful and inclusive cluing voice. Smooth fill all around warrants nothing but LAVISH praise. A lovely solve to begin my Monday morning. Now I'm off to solve Pao and Brooke's puzzle at Happy Little Puzzles.