April 11, 2021

Title: SEE THINGS 

Constructor: Zhouqin Burnikel

Editors: Erik Agard & Amanda Rafkin

Theme Answers:

DAILY DOUBLE (17A: Opportunity to bet on "Jeopardy!")

NO TURN ON RED (63A: Traffic sign near a stoplight)

THROWS A FIT (11D: Loses it)

GUEST STARS (29D: Makes an appearance on a show)

Theme synopsis: The last words of the theme answers can follow the word SEE; they are THINGS you can SEE. You might SEE DOUBLE, SEE RED, SEE FIT, or SEE STARS.

Things I learned:

• AGUA (32A: ___ fresca (tamarindo, e.g.) AGUA fresca is Spanish for "fresh waters." The term is used to refer to non-alcoholic beverages made from fruits or flowers, blended with water and sugar. AGUA frescas are popular in the southwestern United States, Mexico, and Central America. Tamarindo is an example of AGUA fresca that is made with water, sugar, and tamarind, a fruit indigenous to tropical Africa.
• TEETH (47A: Adult ferrets have 34) Well, there's an interesting fact I didn't know.
• IDA (62A: Lighthouse keeper Lewis with many rescues) IDA Lewis is the subject of a 2010 biography, Lighthouse Keeper's Daughter. IDA's father was the keeper of the Lime Rock Lighthouse near Newport, Rhode Island, beginning in the 1850s. When her father suffered a stroke, IDA began tending the light. She is credited with saving at least 18 lives. According to Wikipedia, IDA responded to criticism that her occupation was "un-ladylike" by saying, "None - but a donkey, would consider it 'un-feminine,' to save lives." Google honored IDA Lewis with a Google doodle on February 25, 2017, her 175th birthday. The lighthouse on Lime Rock is now known as the IDA Lewis Rock Lighthouse.
• SIR (66A: Activist ___ Lady Java) SIR Lady Java moved to Los Angeles, California in the 1960s, when she was in her 20s, and became a part of the nightclub scene, dancing and singing, and sharing the stage with performers such as Lena Horne, Sammy Davis, Jr., and James Brown. In 1967, the LAPD tried to shut down her act, citing the newly passed city ordinance known as "Rule Number 9," which banned any "impersonation by means of costume or dress a person of the opposite sex." SIR Lady Java, with the help of ACLU, decided to fight back, and took the LAPD and the city all the way to the California Supreme Court, who overturned Rule Number 9. It was announced last year that a biopic of SIR Lady Java's life is planned, and will star Pose actress Hailie Sahar as SIR Lady Java. 
• OTTO (58D: Big ___ ("Sons of Anarchy" character)) Sons of Anarchy is a TV series that aired from 2008 to 2014, which followed the lives of a biker gang in the fictional town of Charming, California. Kurt Sutter, the show's creator, played the recurring role of Big OTTO.

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• ODE (22A: "Crown: An ___ to the Fresh Cut") I learned about this book from the February 11 puzzle. Crown: An ODE to the Fresh Cut is a picture book of a poem by Derrick Barnes describing a young black boy's experience of getting a haircut. You can watch Caleb McLaughlin read Crown: An ODE to the Fresh Cut on Netflix Jr.'s Bookmarks.
• SNL (30A: Chris Redd's show, for short) Chris Redd has been an SNL cast member since 2017. He co-wrote the song, "Come Back Barack," which won a 2018 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics.
• SNAPS (31A: Shows support at a poetry show) SNAPS are used as a way to show appreciation or approval at poetry shows, that is less disruptive than clapping or laughing. SNAPS can have a range of meaning, from "I agree!" to "I feel your pain," to "Yes, that!" The tradition of snapping at poetry readings is not new. It dates back to the late 1950s, the "Beat Generation" of poets such as Allen Ginsberg and Jack Kerouac.
• TET (41A: Holiday celebrated with five-fruit trays) TET, also known as Vietnamese New Year, celebrates the arrival of spring based on the Vietnamese calendar. During the festival, a five-fruit tray is placed on the ancestral altar to symbolize gratitude of the present generation toward their ancestors. The five-fruit tray usually includes green bananas, a ripe pomelo, oranges, persimmons, plums, kumquat, mangoes, grapes, apples, and/or pears. Although it is called a five-fruit tray, it may contain more than five kinds of fruit.
• ALBA (8D: "Machete" actress Jessica) Machete is a 2010 movie based on a character from the Spy Kids franchise. Jessica ALBA plays the role of immigrations officer, Sartana Rivera.
• OPRAH (26D: The "O" in OWN) OWN is the OPRAH Winfrey Network, a channel launched in 2011, and co-owned by Discovery Inc. and Harpo Studios. (Harpo Studios is a production company founded by OPRAH Winfrey.)
• SHTICK (31D: Comedic gimmick) This word evolved from the Polish "sztuka" to the German "Stück" to the Yiddish "shtik," and finally to the English "SHTICK." It is used to mean a talent or stand-up comedy bit for which a performer is well-known.
• CEO (35D: Former title for Ursula Burns at Xerox) Ursula Burns served as CEO of Xerox from 2009 to 2016. She was the first Black woman to be CEO of a Fortune 500 company. She also served as a leader of the STEM program of the White House from 2009 to 2016. Ursula Burns is currently a senior advisor to Teneo, a public relations and advisory company.

Geography review:

• SAO (6D: ___ Paulo Museum of Art) The SÃO Paulo Museum of Art is located in SÃO Paulo, Brazil. Its building is a concrete and glass structure designed by Lina Bo Bardi. 
• AGRA (28D: City that's a stop on the Taj Express) The Taj Express was started in 1964 to serve tourists traveling from Delhi, India to AGRA, India. The steam engine train traveled between the two cities in 2 hours and 35 minutes. In 1986, the Taj Express began using electric locomotives.
• SONORA (50D: State south of Arizona) SONORA is one of 32 Mexican states. It is located south of the U.S. state of Arizona. The capital of SONORA is Hermosillo.
• INUIT (54D: Arctic Archipelago people) The Arctic Archipelago is a group of islands lying to the north of the Canadian continental mainland. The archipelago consists of over 36,500 islands, of which 94 are classified as major islands. Many of the islands are uninhabited, with some of the southern islands inhabited by INUIT people.

I enjoyed all of the theme answers today, as well as the non-theme answers of TOE RINGS, SHELLACS.

I SEE a delightful puzzle to solve on a Sunday morning.