October 2, 2021

Title: CENTRAL AIR

Constructor: Matthew Stock

Editor: Amanda Rafkin

Theme Answers:

WORKS IN PROGRESS (16A: Unfinished projects)

CROWN PRINCE (30A: Future king)

BROKEN PROMISE (54A: Unfulfilled vow)

Theme synopsis: Each theme answer has the initials NPR in the exact center, spanning two words. Therefore, each theme answer has CENTRAL AIR (as in radio airwaves).

Things I learned:

• ISSA RAE (46A: Founder of the media production company Hoorae) ISSA RAE founded Hoorae (pronounced "hooray") in 2020. Hoorae's productions include the TV shows, Insecure and A Black Lady Sketch Show. I know ISSA RAE, but did not recognize the name of her production company. Looking back, the spelling of the company is a clue, but I didn't catch that.
• SAEED (59A: "Prelude to Bruise" poet Jones) Prelude to Bruise is a 2014 collection of poetry by SAEED Jones. In its review of Prelude to Bruise, NPR said if the Little Mermaid's "dancing were translated to poetry, it would read like this."

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• WWE (24A: "Monday Night Raw" sports org.) WWE is the World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., a company specializing in professional wrestling - scripted wrestling performances between characters. Monday Night Raw debuted in 1993, and is one of WWE's flagship shows. 
• MESSY (25A: Like toddlers eating spaghetti, usually)  This is a fabulous clue! It's so descriptive and playful.
• TENNIS (52A: Coco Gauff's sport) Currently the youngest player to be ranked in the Women's TENNIS Association (WTA) top 100, Coco Gauff won her first WTA singles title in 2019 at the age of 15.
• LICE (60A: Parasites targeted with shampoo) Just reading this clue makes my scalp itch.
• ANTS (67A: Insects with a fire variety) Fire ANTS are a stinging variety of ANTS. There are several different species of these ANTS, which inject a toxin called solenopsin when they sting. Solenopsin causes a painful reaction in humans stung by fire ANTS, with a sensation similar to being burned by fire - hence the name.
• CARDI (3D: "Up" rapper ___ B) "Up" is a song by CARDI B released in February of this year. The song reached number on on the Billboard Hot 100. 
• PAS (5D: ___ de deux) The term "PAS de deux" is French, and means "step of two." In ballet, a PAS de deux is a dance duet where the partners perform ballet steps together.
• AIR (9D: What you breathe) A nice tie-in with today's theme.
• YAO (23D: NBA Hall of Fame Ming) YAO Ming played for NBA's Houston Rockets from 2002-2011, and was elected to the NBA Hall of Fame in 2016. I surprised myself by knowing this sports answer! I wasn't sure why I knew of YAO Ming, but I should have known...I learned about him from a crossword puzzle. 
• CAT PERSON (30D: One who prefers tabbies to terriers) Oh hey, look, I'm in the puzzle!
  
  Although I've also loved a dog, I'm definitely a CAT PERSON, as I'm sure you've figured out from Willow's frequent appearances in the blog. If you also see yourself in this clue, I'd love to see evidence. Feel free to send me CAT PERSON photos!
• EXPANSION (34D: Growth for the WNBA or NWHL) I thought this was a great way to clue the word EXPANSION. There are currently 12 WNBA (Women's National Basketball Association) teams. EXPANSION of the WNBA has been discussed, with some people making the case for Oakland to be the home of the next WNBA team. The NWHL (National Women's Hockey League) currently has six teams. Earlier this year there was talk of an NWHL EXPANSION in Montreal, but that may not happen until the 2022-2023 season. 
• ODES (40D: Some Sappho poems) Sappho was a Greek poet in the late seventh and early sixth century BCE, who was known for her lyric poetry. Although fragments of much of her works have been lost, one complete surviving poem is titled "ODE to Aphrodite."
• MILK (42D: Main ingredient in kefir) Kefir is a fermented MILK drink similar to a thin yogurt.

Geography review:

• ATL (20A: Georgia Aquarium city (Abbr.)) The Georgia Aquarium in ATLanta is the largest aquarium in the United States.
• WALES (37A: Cardiff's country) WALES is part of the United Kingdom. It is west of England, with coastline on the Irish Sea and the Bristol Channel. Cardiff is the capital city of WALES.

This puzzle is a breath of Fresh AIR! I could not resist that, but in all seriousness, I really enjoyed the puzzle's theme. It was a bit tricky to figure out. Tricky themes always lead me to worry, "What if I can't figure out the theme?" but also, there's such a nice "Aha!" moment when I do see it. It was as a filled in CROWN PRINCE that I saw it, as I noticed it had an N-P sequence like WORKS IN PROGRESS...oh, wait...N-P-R! As an NPR fan, this was a joyous discovery. This puzzle has left-right mirror symmetry; it's symmetrical around a vertical axis down the center of the puzzle. The use of mirror symmetry hear achieves two things: 1. It allows for theme answers of unpaired lengths (15-, 11-, and 13- letters). 2. It allows the NPR of each theme answer to appear in the center of the puzzle, reinforcing the CENTRAL AIR theme. The fill today was smooth and lively, with the aforementioned CAT PERSON and EXPANSION, but also HOME BREW, PIXIE CUT, and AT ODDS as standout entries. What a delight to open the app and see a Matthew Stock byline. This puzzle was an enjoyable way to begin my Saturday.

Note: It was also a delight to see that the quotation mark issue from yesterday has been fixed!