June 15, 2021

Title: MANY MOONS

Constructor: Erica Hsiung Wojcik

Editor: Erik Agard

Theme Answers:

BLUE JEANS (18A: Denim pants)

HARVEST MICE (26A: Rodents found in tall grass)

SUPER SOAKER (44A: Water toy in the National Toy Hall of Fame)

BLOOD TYPE (59A: AB positive, for example)

Theme synopsis: The first word of each theme answer can be paired with the word MOON. Our MANY MOONS include a BLUE MOON, a HARVEST MOON, a SUPERMOON, and a BLOOD MOON.

Things I learned:

• HALO (26D: ___ eye (angelic makeup look)) The HALO eye technique is designed to make your eyes appear larger and rounder. To achieve the HALO eye effect, eyeshadow is applied in a specific shape surrounding your eye. The effect can be produced using a variety of color palettes. Since I have little knowledge about makeup, I was grateful for the "angelic" hint.
• EDGE (35D: "Losing My ___" (LCD Soundsystem song)) "Losing My EDGE" was the 2002 debut single of LCD Soundsytem. The song was written by the band's founder, James Murphy. In 2018, Rolling Stone magazine published a list of "The 100 Greatest Songs of the Century - So Far." "Losing My Edge" was number 77 on the list. Song title clues are one of my favorite types of clues. Many times, such as in this case, the answer is inferable, even if the song is unfamiliar to you.
• BULLY (48D: American ___ (dog breed)) The American BULLY (what a name!) is a designer dog breed first recognized in 2004, although the breed has not been recognized by the American Kennel Club (AKC). American Pit Bull Terriers were the parent breed, with American Staffordshire Terriers and several other Bulldog-type breeds being used. American bullies come in several varieties: standard, pocket, XL, classic. Some bullies are classified as extreme, if they are either shorter or taller than the regular varieties. (If you read those last two sentences out of context, you might not realize I'm talking about dogs!)
• YAA (60D: "Homegoing" author Gyasi) Homegoing is the 2016 debut novel for YAA Gyasi. The book tells the stories of the descendants of an Asante woman named Maame. The Asante are in ethnic group native to modern-day Ghana. YAA Gyasi was born in Mampong, Ghana. Homegoing won an American Book Award, as well as several other honors. In addition to constructing today's puzzle, Erica Hsiung Wojcik is the creator and curator of the Expanded Crossword Name Database, a crowd-sourced spreadsheet designed to help puzzle constructors. YAA Gyasi is one of the many crossword-worthy names in the database. I recommend checking out the database. It's a list of interesting people with short descriptions of their achievements - a valuable tool if you are a constructor, and fascinating regardless of whether you construct puzzles. Many thanks to Erica for her work on this resource!

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• TIDE (15A: Ocean's rise and fall) The TIDE, caused by the gravitational forces of the MOON and Sun, is a delightful bonus answer to find in a MANY MOONS puzzle.
• SUPER SOAKER (44A: Water toy in the National Toy Hall of Fame) The SUPER SOAKER, a variety of water gun using pressurized air to shoot water, was invented in 1989. The inventor, Lonnie Johnson, built his prototype from PVC pipe, acrylic glass, and an empty plastic bottle.
• ETTA (4D: James portrayed by Beyonce in "Cadillac Records") Cadillac Records is a 2008 biographical movie about record company executive Leonard Chess, co-founder of Chess Records. When Chess Records began, Leonard Chess sold records from the back of his Cadillac; this was the inspiration for the title of the movie. Chess launched the careers of several notable musicians, including ETTA James, Chuck Berry, and Muddy Waters.
• NOSE (53D: Super smeller's asset) Super smellers (not to be confused with SUPER SOAKERs!) have a heightened sense of smell compared to the average person, a condition known medically as hyperosmia. Researchers are not sure what causes this relatively rare condition. Hyperosmia has been linked to some diseases, such as Lyme Disease. Some pregnant women become sensitive to certain smells. In some cases it appears that one can train one's NOSE to be extra sensitive, as in the case of sommeliers or perfumers.

Geography review: 

• IOWA (16A: Hawkeyes' home) Oh, hey, hello from IOWA, the "Hawkeye State." In addition to being a general nickname for Iowans, Hawkeyes are the sports teams representing the University of IOWA. The University of IOWA is located in IOWA  City, where I have lived since I moved here in 1990 to attend graduate school at the University of Iowa. Fortunately, I haven't been in graduate school the entire time, only for the first five years! The University of IOWA is not to be confused with IOWA State University, located in the crossword-friendly city of Ames. The capital of IOWA is Des Moines.
• MAINE (30D: The Pine Tree State) This nickname makes sense when you consider that over 80% of MAINE's land is forested or unclaimed, the most forest cover of any STATE. The capital of MAINE is Augusta.

It has not been MANY MOONS since Erica Hsiung Wojcik's first USA Today puzzle appeared. She co-constructed the May 24, 2021 puzzle with Hoang-Kim Vu. That was just 21 days ago, less than a lunar phase cycle (from new MOON to new MOON) of 29.5 days. Nice to see a solo construction from her. I enjoyed today's theme, and appreciated (as always!) learning a few new things. In addition to the theme answers, I particularly liked PARALLEL (which I originally misspelled as "paralell" - oops), SCULPTED, and CONK. This puzzle was a delightful way to begin my Tuesday.