December 29, 2021

Title: FREE UP

Constructor: Zhouqin Burnikel

Editor: Erik Agard

Theme Answers:

SHEER FOUNDATION (3D: Lightweight makeup product)

ROOT BEER FLOAT (14D: Drink also known as a black cow)

DEER FENCE (22D: Enclosure to keep out does and bucks)

Theme synopsis: Each of the vertical theme answers contains the letter string E-E-R-F, connecting two of the words in the answer. Reading UP, this spells the word FREE.

Things I learned:

• ANIME (62A: "Fullmetal Alchemist," for example) The ANIME TV series, Fullmetal Alchemist, is loosely adapted from Hiromu Arakawa's manga series of the same name. Although I didn't know this, it was easy to figure out once I had a few letters from crossing answers. And while I was writing this I discovered I previously wrote about the manga series when I learned about Hiromu Arakawa from the September 25, 2020 puzzle. 
• EAT (36D: Enjoy a banh pia, for example) Banh pia is a type of mooncake that originated in Chaozhou, China. I have previously written about mooncake when we saw it as an answer in the December 14 puzzle. 

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• MOSS (1A: Zen garden cover) This answer didn't come to me immediately, as at first I was thinking along the lines of a protective cover such as a tarp. A zen garden, also known as a Japanese dry garden, or a Japanese rock garden, is a stylized landscape that may contain a combination of rocks, gravel or sand, water features, pruned trees and bushes, and MOSS. Zen gardens were created in the 14th and 15th century with the goal of stimulating meditation.
• ROACH (14A: Hissing creature in Madagascar) At first I thought this clue was about a character from the 2005 movie, Madagascar, but then I realized the Madagascar referred to here is the island country. Madagascar is located in the Indian Ocean, about 250 miles east of Africa, and is home to 19 known species of hissing ROACH. As you might guess, the Madagascar hissing cockROACH is named for the hissing sound it makes. Some species of hissing ROACH are sold as pets. 
• OWNER (17A: Pet's human) Speaking of pets, a hissing ROACH's human would be its owner, I
  
  suppose. No hissing ROACH for me (definitely not!). Currently Willow is my only pet, and as fellow cat-OWNERs will appreciate, it is sometimes debatable whether a cat can actually have an OWNER. I am definitely Willow's person, however, and happy to have that honor.
• THEME SONG (19A: "My Heart Will Go On," for "Titanic") "My Heart Will Go On" - the Titanic's THEME SONG - was sung by Celine Dion. I happened to mention this nine days ago when we saw Celine Dion as a theme answer. 
• RIOT (37A: "Louder Than a ___" (NPR podcast)) The NPR podcast, Louder Than a RIOT, is hosted by NPR Music's hip-hop writer, Rodney Carmichael, and NPR Music reporter and editor, Sidney Madden. Each episode tells the story of an artist, and in the process examines the "interconnected rise of hip-hop and mass incarceration."
• AUDRA (63A: Soprano McDonald) AUDRA McDonald has won six Tony Awards for her work on Broadway, and is the only performer to win Tonys in all four acting categories: Best Actress in a Play (2004 - Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill), Best Actress in a Musical (2012 - Porgy and Bess), Best Featured Actress in a Play (1996 - Master Class and 2004 - A Raisin in the Sun), and Best Featured Actress in a Musical (1994 - Carousel and 1998 - Ragtime).
• ROOT BEER FLOAT (14D: Drink also known as a black cow) Yum! In our family, our traditional celebratory meal is pizza and ROOT BEER FLOATs. When our kids were younger, this was our supper on the first and last days of each school year, a tradition our kids continued when they went to college. 

Geography review:

• LAS (68A: The L in UNLV) The University of Nevada, LAS Vegas (UNLV) is located in Paradise, Nevada.
• AREA (10D: Roughly 87 thousand square miles, for Minnesota) In a list of largest U.S. states by AREA, Minnesota ranks 12th. 
• SYRIA (29D: Country west of Iraq) In addition to Iraq, the Western Asia country of SYRIA neighbors Lebanon, Turkey, Jordan, and Israel, and has coastline on the Mediterranean Sea. The capital of SYRIA is Damascus.
• IRAN (60D: Farsi is its official language) Whereas SYRIA is west of Iraq, IRAN is Iraq's neighbor to the east.

Today the puzzle's title let me know just what to expect. It's satisfactory to discover you've guessed the theme correctly. The grid is only slightly asymmetric today; it's just one square away from having top-bottom mirror symmetry. In addition to the answers highlighted above, I enjoyed LOTUS POSE, RITZ, and ZIP. This TREAT of a puzzle was the IDEAL way to begin my Wednesday.