September 6, 2021

Title: NOW I KNOW MY ABC'S

Constructors: Aaron Paulsen & Olivia Mitra Framke

Editor: Amanda Rafkin

Theme Answers:

CRAB CAKE (15A: Seafood patty)

DRAB CLOTHING (22A: Apparel that's hardly eye-catching) 

PREFAB CABINS (41A: Quickly assembled rustic homes)

JAB CROSS (55A: Boxer's combo)

Theme synopsis: Each theme answer contains the letter string ABC split across the two words in the answer.

Things I learned:

• RC CAR (13D: Steerable electronic toy) The thing I learned from this answer is that a radio-controlled (or remote-controlled) CAR can be referred to by its initials. As I was completing the across answers and saw the RCC- appear in the down slot, I thought it could not possibly be right. I was pleasantly surprised to discover it was.

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• CEVICHE (18A: Fish dish cured in citrus juice) As the clue tells us, CEVICHE is fish that is marinated in citrus juice, usually lemon or lime juice. The citrus juice denatures the protein in the seafood, making it appear cooked. The dish originated in Peru. Did you know there's a National CEVICHE Day? It's June 28, so sadly we've missed it this year. There's always next year.
• DRAB CLOTHING (22A: Apparel that's hardly eye-catching) Does this answer seem a bit DRAB? (I could not resist!) DRAB is a light brown color, though there can be shades of DRAB, such as olive DRAB, a color that has been used for some military uniforms. 
• RAE (30A: Actress Issa ) It was announced earlier this year that Issa RAE will voice a character in the Spider-Verse sequel that will be released in late 2022. 
• OWLS (40A: Birds that can rotate their necks 270 degrees) In other words, OWLS can turn their heads to the left to look over their right shoulders. It's a pretty amazing feat. 
• PREFAB CABINS (41A: Quickly assembled rustic homes) PREFAB CABINS come in a range of sizes and styles, from simple to deluxe. 
• OREOS (45A: Cookies with a gluten-free variety as of 2021) It's true, the crossword-favorite is now available in a gluten-free variety. According to at least one reviewer, they taste as good as the original. 
• BANANAS (53A: Fruits spelled out in a Gwen Stefani hit) The Gwen Stefani song that spells out BANANAS is the 2004 "Hollaback Girl."
• ANGERS (56A: Causes a hulk-out) The term "hulk-out," meaning "to become enraged" is derived from the Marvel Comics character, Hulk, whose transformation was triggered when he was angry.
• EMPATHS (8D: People who feel your feelings) Derived from the word "empathy" (vicariously experiencing the thoughts and feelings of another), EMPATHS are highly attuned to the feelings of those around them.
• NI HAO (14D: "Hello" in Mandarin) We've seen this greeting in the puzzle a couple of times previously. I am working on learning to spell it correctly on my first attempt. 
• I SAW (24D: "Was it a cat ___?" (palindrome)) "Was it a cat I SAW?" is a
  
  fitting caption for this photo I took last night of Willow lying on a cat-patterned fleece.
• GAS (39D: Composition of most of Jupiter) Most of the GAS making up Jupiter is hydrogen, though it also contains a significant amount of helium. 
• LASSO (48D: "Ted ___" (Apple TV+ show)) The TV series, Ted LASSO, tells the story of the title character, an American college football coach hired to coach an English soccer team. Jason Sudeikis plays the role of Ted LASSO. I have not seen the show, but have seen many posts about it on social media. It seems to be popular among my friends. 

Geography review:

• MECCA (1D: It's faced when performing salah) MECCA is a city in Saudi Arabia. It is the birthplace of Muhammad, the founder of Islam, and is considered to be the holiest city in Islam. Salah are daily prayers said by Muslims.
• BAY (23D: Chesapeake or Biscayne, e.g.) Chesapeake BAY is located in Maryland and Virginia. Biscayne BAY is located in southern Florida. Both BAYs are off of the Atlantic Ocean. 

Everybody sing along, "NOW I KNOW MY ABC'S..." A classic theme type today. It seems like the letter string of ABC is not as commonly occurring as some other letter strings, resulting in some unusual, but interesting theme answers. One fun thing about crosswords is that you have all of these individual words appearing together in the same grid, often unrelated except for the theme answers. Sometimes, however, you end up getting fun combinations of words appearing in the same part of the grid, and there were several examples of that which caught my eye today. The upper right corner is the seafood corner, with  EAT, CRAB CAKE, and CEVICHE all stacked on top of each other - yum! In the lower left we have BLURTED and BLAB intersecting. My favorite is the stack in the upper right of IMPART (17A: Provide, as wisdom) and I HEAR YA (19A: "Totally understand!") This puzzle was an enjoyable way to begin my Labor Day Monday.