March 18, 2021

Title: OK, SEE YOU!

Constructor: Erik Agard

Editor: Erik Agard

Theme Answers:

FIRST ROUND BYE (19A: Playoffs boost for a league-leading term)

GREAT LAW OF PEACE (39A: Haudenosaunee constitution)

SOONER OR LATER (56A: Eventually)

Theme synopsis: OK, the last word of each theme answer is a way you might say, "SEE YOU!" BYE! PEACE! LATER!

Things I learned:

• APPA (1A: Dad, in Korean) I've mentioned before that I enjoy seeing some additional languages - besides the most frequently seen Spanish and French - in the crossword puzzle. I was happy to learn this today. Interesting that it is crossed with PETIT (2D: French for "small"), but if you weren't familiar with it, this word is inferable from the use of "petite" in clothing sizes or from the pastry term "petit four."
• GREAT LAW OF PEACE (39A: Haudenosaunee constitution) The Haudenosaunee are an indigenous confederacy comprised of Six Nations: the Mohawk, Onondaga, Oneida, Cayuga, Seneca, and Tuscarora peoples. The GREAT LAW OF PEACE is the oral constitution noting laws, social organization, and ceremonies to be performed at prescribed times. Each tribe plays a role in the government of the confederacy. The GREAT LAW OF PEACE was conceived by the founder of the Haudenosaunee, The Great Peacemaker, and was originally recorded on wampum belts, strings of beads used for storytelling.  

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• WIFFLE (31A: ___ ball (perforated plastic ball)) Ah, the WIFFLE ball! The perforated plastic ball - there are eight oblong holes in one half of the ball - was designed for playing baseball in confined outdoor spaces, or even indoors. I have many memories from my childhood of hours spent playing WIFFLE ball in our front yard. (A few of those memories involve getting hit by the ball, which can be painful!) Since 1980, there has been an Annual World WIFFLE Ball Championship. The website for the World WIFFLE Ball Championship includes an entertaining read on "The Strange, but True History of WIFFLE Ball on the Planet Earth." (It mentions pink flamingos and the Beatles, among other things.)
• ISIS (36A: Egyptian goddess) ISIS was a major goddess in ancient Egyptian religion. She was believed to help the dead enter the afterlife, and was considered to be the divine mother of the pharaoh.
• BETH (69A: Susan Kelechi Watson's "This Is Us" role) This Is Us is a TV series following the lives of two parents (Jack and Rebecca) and their three children (Randall, Kate, and Kevin), whose stories are told from several different times in their lives. Susan Kelechi Watson plays the role of BETH Pearson, who is Randall's wife.
• URDU (6D: Language that starts and ends with the same letter) URDU is the official national language of Pakistan. It also has some official status in several Indian states.
• PENOBSCOT (34D: Part of the Wabanaki Confederacy) The PENOBSCOT are an indigenous people from the Northeastern Woodlands region of North America. They are part of the Wabanaki Confederacy, along with the Abenaki, Passamaquoddy, Maliseet, and Mi 'kmaq nations. The PENOBSCOT Indian Island Reservation is located along the PENOBSCOT River in Maine.
• RED (60D: Homophone of "read") and REED (61D: Homophone of "read") This was a lovely pair of clues. After filling in RED, I thought, "Well, it could have been REED," and then...tada!...there it was in the next clue. Satisfying.

Geography review:

• INDIA (17A: Country home to Hyderabad) Hyderabad is the capital and largest city of Telangana, a state in INDIA. Established in 1591, Hyderabad is the fourth most-populated city in INDIA. 
• ITALY (54D: Rome's home) ITALY is home to 55 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, one of which is the Historic Centre of Rome.

This was an enjoyable puzzle with three nice theme answers. I appreciated learning about the GREAT LAW OF PEACE. The theme answer SOONER OR LATER led me to wonder, "isn't there a candy by that name?" No, that's Now and Later - never mind! I was happy to give this puzzle the TIME OF DAY, and liked seeing the answers PENOBSCOT, KIWIS, and TABOO (but maybe I shouldn't talk about that...) I also enjoyed the visual aspect of PETIT and PETRI right next to each other with their common first three letters. This puzzle was a delightful way to start my Thursday. OK, LATER!

Edited to add: Many thanks to reader, Bruce Ryan, who told me about the TV series, Kim's Convenience. The show centers around the Korean Canadian Kim family that operates a convenience store in Toronto. The Kim family parents are named APPA and Umma, Korean for Dad and Mom. Yes, APPA, as in the first answer in today's puzzle. And APPA Kim's catch-phrase is "OK. SEE YOU!" Since I have never seen the show, Kim's Convenience, I didn't pick up on this extra layer of theme (and the theme still works, even without this knowledge). However, I'm not surprised, because this multiple layer of theme is something Erik excels at. As always, I'm grateful for readers who let me know things I've missed! Bruce also told me  it was announced this week that this season - the show's fifth - will be the last. So sadly, it's "OK, SEE YOU!" to Kim's Convenience after this season.