January 9, 2021

Title: INNER REGIONS

Constructor: Evan Kalish

Editor: Erik Agard

Theme Answers:

DELAWAREAN (17A: First State resident)

SHARE A CAB (26A: Split the fare downtown, say)

MALWARE ATTACK (38A: Antivirus software might protect against one)

SCARE AWAY (51A: Startle into leaving)

I'M A REAL BOY (62A: Gleeful exclamation at the end of "Pinocchio")

Theme synopsis: The word AREA can be found in each theme answer.

And now a word from our constructor: 

Evan: Alternatively titled, “Find the Area!” Hopefully that doesn’t bring back too many painful memories from high school geometry. I definitely could have worked with just the four shorter theme answers here, but adding the central 13 gave the puzzle more structure and (believe it or not) made it easier to grid. I like the NW corner in general, down to the crossing of 24-Across and 18-Down; the NE corner; and 40-Down. I’m a big geography buff and I like including a varied roster of places in my grids.

Things I learned:

• WNBA (18D: League that Aerial Powers plays in) Aerial Powers is a professional basketball player for WNBA's Washington Mystics. 
• EWE (44D: Female Navajo-Churro) The Navajo Churro is a breed of domestic sheep. Navajo-Churro sheep have long, coarse wool and come in a variety of colors, including white, browns, black, and reds.
• WOMEN (53D: The "W" in TWOCC) TWOCC is the Trans WOMEN of Color Collective, an organization whose stated mission is "To uplift the narratives, lived experiences and leadership of trans and gender non-conforming people of color, our families and comrades as we build towards collective liberation for all oppressed people."

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• HINT (20A: Aid for a stumped puzzle solver) Did you need a HINT to figure out this answer?
• AWE (2D: Amazement) and WOWED (39D: Amazed) One might say this puzzle's Down clues are amazing. 
• VALHALLA (3D: "Hall of the fallen" in Norse Mythology) In Norse mythology, VALHALLA is a majestic hall over which the god Odin rules. (Remember Odin from yesterday's puzzle?) In Norse tradition, half of those who die in combat go to VALHALLA after they die, while the other half go to Fólkvangr, a field ruled over by the goddess Freyja.
• KAYAKS (47D: Boats whose name comes from an Inuktitut word) Inuktitut is one of the principal Inuit languages of Canada. KAYAKS were first used by Aleut, Inuit, and Yupik hunters in subarctic regions of the world. The oldest KAYAK in existence dates back to 1577, and is on exhibit in the North American section of the Five Continents Museum in Munich, Germany.
• SARA (49D: Singer Bareilles) My favorite SARA Bareilles song is "Brave." 
• DOLLS (56D: Barbie Sheroes, e.g.) Sheroes are a line of Barbie DOLLS based on extraordinary women. DOLLS in this line include Gabby Douglas (gymnast), Ibtihaj Muhammad (fencing champion), Patty Jenkins (filmmaker), Iwona Blecharczyk (professional truck driver), Rosanna Marziale (chef), Frida Kahlo (artist), Katherine Johnson (NASA mathematician and physicist), and Amelia Earhart (aviation pioneer).

Geography review:

• DELAWAREAN (17A: First State resident) Delaware is the second smallest state in the United States. However, Delaware was the first state to ratify the Constitution, earning it the nickname,  "The First State." 
• UTAH (60A: Great Salt Lake state) The Great Salt Lake, located in northern UTAH, is the largest salt water lake in the Western Hemisphere. 
• COLOMBIA (40D: Barranquilla's country) Barranquilla is the fourth-most populous city in COLOMBIA, and is located near the Caribbean Sea.
• SCOTIA (46D: Nova ___, Canada) Nova SCOTIA is a province in eastern Canada. The capital of Nova SCOTIA is Halifax. As I've mentioned previously, I have good memories of visiting Nova SCOTIA.

The theme answers of this puzzle cover a lot of AREA. (I simply could not resist...) Nice to have five theme answers to discover. My favorites were MALWARE ATTACK (as a theme answer, not on my computer!) and I'M A REAL BOY. HEY, there's a lot of enjoyable non-theme content here, too, including VALHALLA, and the side-by-side answers of ALPACA, GOT MAD, and STOP BY. LET'S SEE, this puzzle was a delightful way to begin my Saturday.