October 5, 2021

Title: AYE, AYE, CAPTAIN

Constructors: Rasa Guarnaccia & Brooke Husic

Editor: Amanda Rafkin

Theme Answers:

AULI'I CRAVALHO (19A: "Moana" star)

THAI ICED TEA (35A: Cold beverage also known as cha yen)

SEIICHI MIYAKE (54A: Engineer who invented tactile paving)

Theme synopsis: I, I, CAPTAIN! Each theme answer contains two consecutive I's followed by a C. 

And now a word from our constructors: 

Brooke & Rasa: This puzzle was inspired by retro-building a theme around 54A! Our other favorite fill is 35A and our favorite clues are 14A 🔥, 20D, 29D, 34D, and the 66A/61D clue combination.

Things I learned:

• SEIICHI MIYAKE (54A: Engineer who invented tactile paving) Tactile paving is a system of textured ground surface indicators used on sidewalks, stairs, and transit platforms. The textured surface is detectable by a cane or underfoot, and serves as a warning of approaching streets or changes in grade. Japanese engineer SEIICHI MIYAKE first invented tactile bricks in 1965, spending his own money to create the bricks to help a friend who was starting to have visual impairment. The first tactile bricks, or Tenji blocks as they are known in Japan, were installed in Okayama City, Japan on March 18, 1967. On March 18, 2019, Google honored SEIICHI MIYAKE with a Google Doodle. 
• COILED (45D: Like type 4 curls) The Andre Walker Hair Typing System, sometimes referred to as "The Hair Chart," was developed in the 1990s by Andre Walker to market his hair care products. (Andre Walker is Oprah Winfrey's hair stylist, and Oprah often credits him for keeping her hair healthy.) The system uses numbers and letters to classify hair from 1 (straight) to 4 (COILED).

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• THEME (15A: This crossword has one) I enjoy when crosswords reference themselves in the clues. This is a fun example.
• AULI'I CRAVALHO (19A: "Moana" star) AULI'I CRAVALHO made her acting debut in Disney's 2016 animated movie, Moana. AULI'I CRAVALHO, who was born in Kohala, Hawaii, was 14 years old when she was cast as Moana after being the last person out of hundreds to audition for the role. We've seen AULI'I CRAVALHO in a USA Today puzzle previously; she was a clue in the February 5, 2021 puzzle. 
• THAI ICED TEA (35A: Cold beverage also known as cha yen) THAI ICED TEA, popular in Southeast ASIA, is made from strongly brewed Ceylon tea, condensed milk, and sugar. 
• EYES (63A: A horseshoe crab has 10) A horseshoe crab has two compound EYES and a series of simple EYES that sense light and dark, for a total of ten EYES. Ironically, even though it has ten EYES, a horseshoe crab has relatively poor eyesight. In addition to being a fun and interesting fact, this answer is another description of today's THEME. This puzzle has the same number of I's (EYES) as two horseshoe crabs!
• COAL (48D: Cheap energy source) My thought when I filled in this answer was that COAL is not cheap in terms of climate change costs.

Geography review:

• ANTHEM (26A: "Le Mali," for Mali) Mali is a West African country, and the third largest producer of gold on the African continent. ("Produce" is an interesting word to use for something that is mined, but I couldn't think of a better word. Suggestions welcome.) The capital of Mali is Bamako. "Le Mali" was adopted as the national ANTHEM in 1962. The ANTHEM is popularly known as "Pour l'Afrique et pour toi, Mali" ("For Africa and for you, Mali") or "A ton appel Mali" ("At your call, Mali").
• ASIA (31A: Home to the world's tallest building) As of 2009 when its construction was completed, the world's tallest building is the Burj Khalifa, a skyscraper in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE). The building is just over a half mile tall (2,717 feet) and has 163 floors. Fun fact: The building has 57 elevators and 8 escalators. This is the first appearance this month for our crossword-friend ASIA.

Consecutive I's are an uncommon letter pattern, and therefore they really stand out in the puzzle. I needed the help of crossing answers to uncover SEIICHI MIYAKE and remember how to spell AULI'I CRAVALHO, but that's okay. That's the beauty of having no uncrossed squares - there's always two ways to figure out every letter! Some really delightful cluing today, including FIRE (14A: Emoji sent in response to a hot outfit pic),  LID (29D: Often-lost Tupperware piece), and I AM (20D: What "woof" might translate to in response to "Who's a good boy?") This puzzle was a great way to begin my Tuesday.