October 27, 2020

Title: I LIKE TO MOVE IT

Constructor: Matthew Stock

Editor: Erik Agard & Paolo Pasco

Theme Answers:

BUSING TABLES (20A: Restaurant chore)

TRAINING MONTAGE (39A: High-energy sports movie trope)

SHIPPING COST (59A: Online shopping fee)

Theme synopsis: The beginning of each theme answer contains a vehicle. If you want to MOVE IT (whether IT is cargo or yourself) from one place to another, you might use a BUS, a TRAIN, or a SHIP.

And now a word from our constructor:

Matthew: Excited to be back! 39-Across is my favorite of the themers, and the two bonus 11-letter entries at 3-Down and 26-Down both made me smile. As always, I learned several new things from various clue edits, and I hope you enjoy learning some new things as well! Find me on twitter @1MatthewStock if you want to chat more.

Things I learned:

• LOU (WNBAer Katie ___ Samuelson) Katie LOU Samuelson was drafted by the Chicago Sky in the 2019 WNBA Draft, and played her first season with them. In February 2020, Katie LOU was traded to the Dallas Wings, where one of her teammates will be her sister, Karlie Anne Samuelson.
• ELI (48D: "Gem of the Ocean" caregiver) Gem of the Ocean is a play by August Wilson. It is the first of ten plays in Wilson's decade-by-decade chronicle, The Pittsburgh Cycle, which dramatizes the Black American experience in the twentieth century. Gem of the Ocean is set in the home of Aunt Ester, a former slave and a "soul-cleanser," who claims to be 285 years old. ELI is Aunt Esther's caregiver.

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• OBAMA (8A: "American Grown" author Michelle) American Grown: The Story of the White House Kitchen Garden and Gardens Across America (Whew - that's a long subtitle!) by Michelle OBAMA was published in 2012. The book documents the White House Kitchen Garden through the seasons, and includes, photographs, recipes, and stories about community gardens.
• MIO (24A: "Ay, dios ___!") Spanish for "Oh my God!" or "Oh, Lord!"
• RUM (36A: "Cats" cat ___ Tum Tugger) It's been a while since we've seen a Cats cat in the puzzle. In the month of August we saw Grizabella, Skimbleshanks, Mr. Mistoffelees, and Macavity all mentioned within an eight-day span. Welcome, RUM Tum Tugger, to the list of Cats cats mentioned in the USA Today crossword puzzle!
• WILMA (44A: Olympic sprinter Rudolph) At the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, Italy, WILMA Rudolph won gold medals in the 100- and 200-meter individual events, and the 4 x 100-meter relay, making her the first American woman to win three gold medals at a single Olympic Games. After the 1960 Olympics, she was nicknamed, "The Tornado, the fastest woman on earth." WILMA Rudolph has been inducted into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame, the National Women's Hall of Fame, and the National Black Sports and Entertainment Hall of Fame.
• FLAG (4D: The agender one has seven stripes) Agender is a person with no sense of gender. The agender FLAG has a green horizontal stripe in the center, surrounded by two white stripes, two grey stripes, and two black stripes. 
• PRIZE (14D: The Venus Rosewater Dish, e.g.) The Venus Rosewater Dish is the Ladies' Singles Trophy awarded at Wimbledon. After the winner is presented with the Venus Rosewater Dish, she walks a lap around the court displaying the PRIZE. It is then returned to the museum at the All-England Club, but the winner is presented with a replica of the Venus Rosewater Dish to keep. 
• RAN (33D: Competed in a Tough Mudder, say) Tough Mudder is an endurance event obstacle course race with the motto, "Probably the Toughest Event on the Planet."
• BRIDE (35-Down's partner at the altar) When I first read this cross-referenced clue, I already had the B- filled in, and my first thought was, "A groom is not always a BRIDE's partner." Then I realized the clue was referencing itself. Nicely played! (And yes, a BRIDE's partner is also not always a BRIDE, but I appreciate the reminder that it could be.)
• IMPOSTOR (40D: ___ syndrome ("I don't belong here" feeling)) My guess is that IMPOSTOR syndrome, that feeling of doubting one's abilities and being afraid you will be exposed as a fraud, is something most of us have experienced to some degree. Please don't tell me otherwise, as it would only exacerbate my own, always just under the surface, IMPOSTOR syndrome. Originally researched in high-achieving women, IMPOSTOR syndrome has been found to affect people of all genders. (And today I learned that I did not know how to spell IMPOSTOR, as "imposter" is a variant spelling.)
• MEG (42D: "Hot Girl Summer" artist to fans) "Hot Girl Summer" is a song by rapper, Megan Thee Stallion. The song features Nicki Minaj and Ty Dolla Sign. 
• ESSIE (57D: OPI competitor) ESSIE and OPI are brands of nail polish.

Geography review:

• IDAHO (19A: Home to the Nez Perce Tribe) The Nez Perce are an indigenous people who have lived in the Pacific Northwest region for over 11,000 years. The Nez Perce Tribe is one of five federally recognized tribes in the state of IDAHO.
• EURASIA (32A: Two-continent region with a portmanteau name) As its name suggests, EURASIA consists of Europe and Asia. As Europe and Asia have no clear physical or geographic barrier between them, their classification as two continents is a historical social construct. Physiographically, EURASIA is a single continent.
• IRAN (61D: Country in Satrapi's "Persepolis") Persepolis is an autobiographical series of French comics by Marjane Satrapi. The title Persepolis is a reference to the ancient capital of the Persian Empire. The ruins of Persepolis, in IRAN, were declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979.

Lots of stuff to enjoy here. Nice long bonuses, as Matthew mentioned, in ESCAPE ROOMS and CAESAR SALAD. I also liked the entries DAPPER and IMPOSTOR. I appreciated learning about The Pittsburgh Cycle plays. This puzzle was definitely not a BAD START to my morning! (The computer issues I had this morning, are another story...) An enjoyable way to begin my Tuesday.