January 16, 2022

Title: THANKS IN ADVANCE

Constructor: Zhouqin Burnikel

Editor: Erik Agard

Theme Answers:

EYE CONTACT (16A: Type of body language)

OH BY THE WAY (25A: "Hey, another thing...")

U-HAUL TRUCK (47A: Moving day rental)

WON BY A NOSE (59A: Triumphed in a photo finish)

Theme synopsis: At the beginning of the theme answers, we find EYE, OH, U, WON, phonetically providing the THANKS IN ADVANCE, "I owe you one!"

Things I learned:

• RACER (13A: Competitor like Justin Williams) When I uncovered this answer, I thought of auto racing, but Justin Williams is a bike RACER. He is a rider/manager of the Union Cyclists International (UCI) Continental cycling team, L39ION of Los Angeles (Legion of Los Angeles). Justin Williams founded the team in 2019 with his brother, Cory Williams. The 39 in the team's name is a nod to 39th Street in Los Angeles where the brothers grew up. Their parents were immigrants from Belize. A focus of L39ION of Los Angeles is promoting diversity in cycling. 
• ESPN (28A: Channel on which "DaDaDa DaDaDa" can be heard) Being at the intersection of not having a TV and not following sports meant that I was not familiar with the ESPN sound. The theme song for ESPN's SportsCenter, featuring the catchy "DaDaDa DaDaDa," debuted in November 1989. Even though I did not know the answer, it was easy to deduce, given that ESPN is one of the few four-letter channels.
• LAYLA (2D: Boxer McCarter) LAYLA McCarter is a professional boxer, and the current Big Knockout Boxing Women's champion. (Big Knockout Boxing is a brand owned by DirecTV.)

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• SIR (10A: Title for Sidney Poitier) SIR Sidney Poitier was granted the use of that title in 1974 when he was named an honorary Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1974 by Queen Elizabeth II. This clue is a nice hat tip to the actor, and film director who died January 6 at the age of 94.
• AERO (14A: Prefix for "space") and HYPER (33D: Prefix for "space") and CYBER (50D: Prefix for "space") A fun trio of "space-y" clues.
• EYE CONTACT (16A: Type of body language considered rude in many cultures) In some cultures, prolonged EYE CONTACT is considered aggressive and disrespectful. On the other hand, some cultures interpret the avoidance of EYE CONTACT as shiftiness and disinterest. I found this short NPR article interesting. It discusses rules about EYE CONTACT in the Minnesota legislature. 
• SINAI (31A: Mountain where Musa received two tablets) Mūsā ben 'Emrān (Moses, son of Imran) is an important prophet in Islam, and the most frequently mentioned person in the Quran. Mount SINAI, on the SINAI peninsula of Egypt, is the site, according to the Quran (and the Bible), where Mūsā received the Ten Commandments.
• STAR (67A: Symbol on the Cuban flag) The flag of Cuba features five alternating stripes of blue and white, and a white STAR (symbolizing independence) on a red equilateral triangle. 
• DEC (4D: National Regifting Day) National Regifting Day occurs each year on the Thursday before Christmas; that will be DEC. 22 this year. The origin of the holiday has its roots in office holiday parties, celebrations at which many of the gifts given are things the recipients won't use. Here are some helpful rules if you want to do some regifting. 
• LEA (7D: "Back to the Future" actress Thompson) LEA Thompson played the role of Lorraine Baines-McFly in the Back to the Future movies. 
• HALEY (48D: "Queen" author Alex) Queen: The Story of an American Family was published in 1993, a year after Alex HALEY's death. Before he died, the author had asked screenwriter David Stevens to finish the historical novel about his ancestors. The book was adapted into a TV miniseries, Alex HALEY's Queen, that originally aired in 1993. 

Geography review:

• ATHENA (21A: Goddess associated with the capital of Greece) ATHENA is the patron of the city of Athens, Greece. Scholars have debated whether the goddess got her name from the city, or vice versa; most now agree ATHENA was named after Athens. In Greek mythology, ATHENA - the goddess of wisdom, handicraft, and warfare - and Poseidon - the God of the Sea - are said to have competed for the patronage of Athens. Poseidon struck a rock with his trident, causing a saltwater spring to appear. ATHENA planted an olive tree. The king of Athens, who was judging the contest, realized the city would benefit from the fruit, oil, and wood produced by the tree, and declared ATHENA the patron of Athens.
• OSLO (46A: Norway's capital) Amazingly, although we saw OSLO four times last month, we haven't seen it yet in January, so today is OSLO's first appearance of 2022.
• MALTA (65A: Island nation near Tunisia) The island country of MALTA is an archipelago, but only the country's three largest islands - MALTA, Gozo, and Comino - are inhabited. MALTA is in the Mediterranean Sea, 176 miles east of Tunisia, 50 miles south of Italy, and 207 miles north of Libya. 
• UTAHN (47D: Beehive State resident) The state of Utah uses a beehive as a state symbol to portray a community that works together and supports one another.

This was one of those puzzles where the theme eluded me until I had most of the puzzle completed. I had filled in the theme answers  OH BY THE WAY and WON BY A NOSE, and was quite puzzled as to what their connection to THANKS IN ADVANCE might be. It was as I filled in EYE CONTACT that I saw it, and chuckled. A quite satisfying discovery! This puzzle, with its clever theme, was a delightful way to begin my Sunday.