December 1, 2021

Title: BREAKING TENS

Constructor: Zhouqin Burnikel

Editor: Erik Agard

Theme Answers:

SAFETY NETS (17A: (Trapeze artists' precautions)

LEAVING THE NEST (39A: Heading for college, perhaps)

HEAVEN SENT (63A: Very much a blessing)

Theme synopsis: The last word of each theme answer is an anagram of the word TENS: NETS, NEST, and SENT.

Things I learned:

• YEN (23A: Nikkei index currency) The Nikkei index is a stock market index for the Tokyo Stock Exchange (TSE). Since 1950, the Nikkei index has been calculated by the Nihon Keizai Shimbun, a financial newspaper known as "The Nikkei." Based on the Japanese YEN, the Nikkei index measures the performance of 225 companies in Japan.
• TANG (62A: Sugar, in Chinese) This was a new Chinese word to me, and I was thankful for the crossing answers that enabled me to uncover the answer.
• SOHO (31D: Wrestler Ruby) Ruby SOHO is the professional wrestling name of Dori Prange. She currently wrestles for All Elite Wrestling (AEW). The name Ruby SOHO is taken from the punk rock song, "Ruby SOHO" by the band Rancid. Dori Prange previously wrestled for the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) under the name Ruby Riott.
• DIVES (56D: Emulates Quan Hongchan) Quan Hongchan won a gold medal for her DIVES, competing for China in the individual 10-metre platform event at the 2020 Summer Olympics (held in 2021). 

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• HOGS (6A: Grunting farm animals) I had PIGS instead of HOGS at first. I guess PIGS were on my mind since we saw POT-BELLIED PIG on Monday, and If You Give a PIG a Pancake yesterday. 
• ALOO (15A: ___ mutter (Punjabi curry)) ALOO is a South Asian word for potatoes. ALOO mutter is a curry dish originating in Punjab, India. The dish consists of potatoes and peas in a curry-spiced tomato sauce.
• EPSON (30A: Nagano-based printer brand) One of the world's largest manufacturers of printers, EPSON is headquartered in Nagano, Japan. The company was founded in 1942 as a manufacturer of watch parts. 
• TAI (33A: D'Pharaoh Woon-A-___) D'Pharaoh Woon-A-TAI plays the role of Bear Smallhill on Reservation Dogs, a TV series I wrote about when we saw it as a theme answer on October 22. 
• BLIGE (59A: "I Can Love You" singer Mary J.) Just 11 days ago, we saw MARY J. in the puzzle for the clue [Grammy winner BLIGE]. The song "I Can Love You" is from the 1997 album, Share My World, and features Lil' Kim.
• YEW (18D: Tree sacred to the Druids) The Druids were an ancient Celtic priesthood. Druids considered YEW trees sacred, and sometimes worshipped in groves of the trees. YEW trees became symbols of immortality and resurrection, as they can live a long time, and can regenerate when drooping branches root and form new trunks where they touch the ground. YEW trees are toxic; Shakespeare's Macbeth concocted a poisonous brew that included "slips of YEW." 
• KITTEN (35D: Litter box trainee) In honor of this clue, the season, and the puzzle's theme, here's a
  
  photo from TEN years ago when Willow was a KITTEN and decided to climb our Christmas tree. Fortunately, her tree-climbing days are over, and now she just stalks one particular ornament on our tree. (That's a story for another day.)
• SEA (64D: Habitat for arame and nori) Arame and nori are varieties of SEAweed. 

Geography review:

• DES (28A: The ___ Moines Symphony) The DES Moines Symphony, based in DES Moines, the capital city of Iowa, was established in 1937. If you happen to be in DES Moines on New Year's Eve this year, the DES Moines Symphony is performing "The Music of Elton John Starring Michael Cavanaugh."
• STL (46A: C.J. Cherryh's birth City, for short) C.J. Cherryh is the pen name of Carolyn Janice Cherry, a writer known for her extensively developed fictional worlds. Her first books, Gate of Ivrel and Brothers of Earth were published in 1976. C.J. Cherryh was born in ST. Louis, Missouri, though she grew up in Oklahoma. This answer reminds me to tell you about the first ever (to my knowledge) ST. Louis City Crossword Tournament. Patrick Blindauer (a USA Today constructor) announced the other day that the tournament would be on June 18, 2022. I'm excited to see an in-person crossword tournament happening in the Midwest.
• IDA (55A: Neighbor of Ore.) Yesterday we saw OREgon in the puzzle as a [State south of Washington]. Today we're extending our tour of the Pacific Northwest, and moving to the east of Oregon (and Washington) to visit IDAho.

It's feeling like anagram week, as we've seen anagram themes on Sunday, Monday, and today. Today's title had me guessing we would see theme answers splitting the word TENS with some letters at each side of the answer...wrong again! This asymmetrical grid features 10-, 10-, and 14-letter theme answers. This puzzle was an enjoyable way to begin my Wednesday.