September 30, 2020

Title: THE GREAT ESCAPE

Constructor: Zhouqin Burnikel

Editor: Erik Agard

Theme Answers:

RUBBER DUCK (17A: Bird squeezed in a bathtub)

GIVE A FAIR SHAKE (26A: Treat equitably)

GETS OUT OF DODGE (43A: Vamooses)

GRASS SKIRT (57A: Hula stereotype)

Theme synopsis: The last word of each theme answer describes a way to ESCAPE. You might DUCK out of sight, SHAKE off a tail, DODGE a bullet, or SKIRT the issue.

Things I learned:

• RHEA (18D: "Better Call Saul" star Seehorn) RHEA Seehorn plays the role of lawyer Kim Wexler on the TV show Better Call Saul. Both a spin-off and prequel of the series Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul's sixth and final season is scheduled to air in 2021.
• EYES (32D: Honeybees have five) This is a fun fact to learn! The honeybee has two large compound eyes made up of thousands of lenses, and three smaller eyes in the center of its head. The smaller eyes detect light, but not shapes, and help the bee detect if it is being approached from above by a predator. I also learned that the honeybee's two larger eyes have tiny hairs growing on them. These hairs are thought to help them navigate in windy conditions.
• COD (39D: Bacalao fish) Bacalao is the Spanish word for COD. In recipes, bacalao most commonly refers to salted, dried COD. 

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• REF (24A: Brazilian jiujitsu official, for short) Brazilian jiujitsu is a self-defense martial art and combat sport. It revolves around the concept that a smaller, weaker person can utilize leverage and weight distribution to successfully defend themselves against a bigger, stronger, heavier opponent.
• GETS OUT OF DODGE (43A: Vamooses) When choosing phrases for a crossword theme, it is most elegant if the words in question have a different meanings in the original phrase and in the way they are used in the theme. For example, all of the words highlighted in today's theme have a different meaning than ESCAPE in the theme answers. The phrase GETS OUT OF DODGE originated from the TV series Gunsmoke and was a phrase used when the villains were told to leave DODGE City, Kansas. Thus, we see the meaning of DODGE change from reference to a city to a reference to ESCAPE. In the other theme answers we see the meaning of DUCK change from bird to ESCAPE, SHAKE change from chance to ESCAPE, and SKIRT change from clothing to ESCAPE. What caught my attention about this particular theme answer is that while the meaning of the word DODGE changes, the phrase GETS OUT OF DODGE and the clue, vamooses, are references to getting away and escaping. I feel like I've been brought full circle...in the best way.
• PINATA (49A: Las Posadas) Las Posadas is mainly celebrated in South America, Mexico, Guatemala, and Cuba. The celebration lasts for nine days, typically between the 16th to 24th of December. During Las Posadas, two people dressed as Mary and Joseph lead a procession to certain houses designated to represent inns. At the end of each night, children break open a star-shaped PINATA.

Geography review:

• EMIR (19A: Arab League summit attendee, perhaps) The Arab League is a regional organization of 22 countries in Africa and Western Asia. Many of these countries are led by an EMIR.
• CREE (39A: Language that Saskatchewan comes from) The word Saskatchewan is derived from a CREE term meaning "swift-flowing river." Saskatchewan is one of only two land-locked Canadian provinces. The other land-locked Canadian province is Alberta.
• OHIO (11D: Most populous four-letter state) There are three four-letter states, in case you were wondering. Interestingly, the population of OHIO is greater than the population of Utah and Iowa combined. I originally misread this clue as "most popular four-letter state," which led to some interesting imagined dialogue between Iowa, OHIO, and Utah before I realized my mistake.
• PECOS (52D: City between Dallas and Austin) PECOS, Texas claims to be the site of the world's first rodeo on July 4, 1883.

I enjoyed this theme, particularly the added bonus of GETS OUT OF DODGE as noted above. The original phrase used on Gunsmoke was an order, "GET OUT OF DODGE!" I think the variation with GETS works since the phrase has been in use in the language for quite some time. The last episode of Gunsmoke aired in 1975, so kudos to this phrase for staying power. The area with SEES RED, RHEA, and LED OFF gave me some challenges because I wanted to put SEETHED instead of SEES RED, even though I knew it didn't fit the clue of [blows a gasket]. After I got that sorted out, the rest of the puzzle was smooth sailing. An enjoyable solve to start off my Wednesday.