May 6, 2021

Title: BEAR HUGS

Constructor: Claire Rimkus

Editor: Erik Agard

Theme Answers:

BEACHWEAR (17A: Tankinis and trunks)

BEAUTY PARLOR (25A: Place to get braids or extensions)

BEANBAG CHAIR (48A: Soft seating option)

BEAT BOXER (63A: A cappella percussionist)

Theme synopsis: The word BEAR is wrapping each theme answer in a HUG, with BEA- at the beginning of the answer, and -R at the end.

And now a word from our constructor:

Clare: I was so happy to see 33-Down’s jersey number retired by the Boston Bruins earlier this year. And like any good crossword constructor, I immediately checked my wordlist to make sure he was in there. Glad that I could include him in today’s puzzle. I hope you enjoy it!

Things I learned:

• ANDROID (20A: Ava in "Ex Machina," for example) Ex Machina is a 2014 movie about a computer programmer who is invited to give the Turing test to an ANDROID. The Turing test is used to evaluate a computer's ability to exhibit intelligent behavior. Alicia Vikander played the role of Ava, the ANDROID being tested.
• IRENE (2D: Bedard who voiced Pocahontas) In addition to voicing the role of the title character in the 1995 movie, Pocahontas, IRENE Bedard played the role of Suzy Song in the 1998 movie Smoke Signals. She also voiced Pocahontas in the 1998 movie Pocahontas II: Journey to a New World, and in the 2018 movie Ralph Breaks the Internet. 
• O'REE (33D: Hockey Hall of Fame Willie) Willie O'REE is a former professional hockey player. He played two seasons with the Boston Bruins (1957-58 and 1960-61), even though an accident with an errant puck in 1955 had left him blind in his right eye. This would have kept him from playing with the Bruins if he had told them, but he managed to keep it a secret. Willie O'REE was the first Black player in the NHL. As Claire mentioned in her notes, in January of this year, the Boston Bruins announced they would retire jersey number 22, Willie O'REE's number. The official jersey retirement ceremony has been postponed until January 18, 2022, so that the ceremony can take place with fans present, and so Willie O'REE can attend. I've mentioned before that (almost) everything I know about sports I've learned from crosswords. I'm delighted to learn about Willie O'REE, and have made a note to make sure O'REE is in my wordlist!
• HIJAB (46D: Headcover for Ibtihaj Muhammad) Ibtihaj Muhammad is a member of the United States fencing team. When she competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics, where she won a bronze medal, she became the first American woman to wear a HIJAB while competing in the Olympics. In 2017, Mattel released a Barbie modeled after Ibtihaj, complete with fencing uniform and HIJAB. Muhammad has written a children's book titled The Proudest Blue: A Story of HIJAB and Family.

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• TIG (1A: "Boyish Girl Interrupted" comedian Notaro) Boyish Girl Interrupted was TIG Notaro's 2016 comedy album. TIG Notaro has hosted two seasons of a talk show, Under a Rock with TIG Notaro, in which she attempts to guess the identity of celebrity guests. Notaro got the idea for this show because she consumes little pop culture and has a penchant for failing to recognize famous people. 
• BEACHWEAR (17A: Tankinis and trunks) I was doing a search to double-check whether BEACHWEAR was one word or two, and Google helpfully completed my search query as "BEACHWEAR for over 40"...thanks, Google. (Also, you need to go up another decade!)
• LOS (32A: ___ Angeles Sparks)  The LOS Angeles Sparks are a basketball team in the WNBA.
• IRON (37A: Element in hemoglobin) Hemoglobin is the IRON-containing component of red blood cells which transports oxygen from the lungs (or gills, in some species) to other parts of the body.
• PIMENTO (57A: Cherry pepper) Although technically a chili pepper, a PIMENTO, or cherry pepper, has one of the lowest Scoville scale ratings.
• BEAT BOXER (63A: A cappella percussionist) When I wrote about BEAT BOXING last month, I posted a link to babies and BEAT BOXERs. It's worth reposting. If you need a feel good break, I recommend this two minute video.
• EATS (66A: Has some bibimbap, say) Bibimbap is a rice dish in Korean cuisine, consisting of white rice topped with sautéed or fermented vegetables, chili pepper paste, soy sauce, and sometimes an egg and sliced meat.
• TYSON (68A: "Just as I Am" memoirist Cicely) Cicely TYSON was an actress and model whose career spanned more than seven decades. She died earlier this year at the age of 96. 
• KIWI (4D: Actinidia deliciosa fruit) Actinidia deliciosa is the scientific name for the fuzzy KIWI. The KIWI vine is native to southern China.
• LEA (6D: Comedian DeLaria) LEA DeLaria is a comedian, actress, and jazz singer. DeLaria integrates musical performance into her comedy, and has released several jazz albums in addition to her comedy albums.
• THE O.C. ((28D: TV show named for a county) The TV series, THE O.C. is set in Orange County, California and centers on teenagers, Ryan and Seth.
• LARB (29D: Lao meat salad) LARB is considered the unofficial national dish of LAOS. The meat salad is most often made with chicken, beef, duck, fish, or pork, and flavored with fish sauce, lime juice, and fresh herbs.
• HATE (60D: Feeling cats have toward citrus) It's true, for some reason, cats HATE the smell of oranges, lemons, limes, etc. Some cat repellents use this fact and include these scents.

What a warm, fuzzy puzzle, with four BEAR HUGS. A nice, collection of theme answers here. I also enjoyed the answers ACROBAT and JENGA. I appreciated increasing my sports knowledge by learning about Willie O'REE and Ibtihaj Muhammad. This puzzle was a comforting and delightful way to begin my Thursday.