February 10, 2022

Title: THREE WISHES

Constructor: Enrique Henestroza Anguiano

Editors: Mollie Cowger & Erik Agard

Theme Answers:

SHOOTING STAR (20A: Something to wish upon)

FALLEN EYELASH (38A: Something to blow on to make a wish)

BIRTHDAY CANDLE (57A: Something to blow out to make a wish)

Theme synopsis: The THREE theme answers are things to WISH upon.

Things I learned:

• RAO (14A: "Welcome to Sajjanpur" actress Amrita) Bollywood actress and model Amrita RAO  appears primarily in Hindi-language films, including the 2008 movie, "Welcome to Sajjanpur." Amrita RAO and her husband, RJ Anmol have a YouTube channel called Couple of Things.
• FALLEN EYELASH (38A: Something to blow on to make a wish) Of the three WISH traditions in today's puzzle, this was the one I was unfamiliar with. It's definitely a thing; it's the second item on Mental Floss's article about 11 things to wish on. To think of all the WISHes I've missed out on by not knowing about this tradition! The practice of WISHing on a FALLEN EYELASH appears to have started sometime in the mid-19th century. There are several variations of how to WISH. Some people place the FALLEN EYELASH on the back of their hand and attempt to blow it off or throw it over their shoulder. If the FALLEN EYELASH sticks to your hand, your WISH will not come true. Another option is to place the FALLEN EYELASH on the tip of your nose and attempt to blow it off. No matter how you choose to WISH on a FALLEN EYELASH, it only works if the EYELASH is found, not pulled out.
• ARI (42A: "Midsommar" director Aster) The 2019 movie, Midsommar, is a co-production between the United States and Sweden. ARI Aster wrote the screenplay and directed the movie, which is considered folk horror. A subgenre of horror, folk horror movies use folklore elements to evoke fear and suspense.
• ODELL (21D: NFL player ___ Beckham Jr.) ODELL Beckham Jr., whose nickname is OBJ, is a wide receiver for NFL's Los Angeles Rams. He has previously played for the Cleveland Browns and the New York Giants. Amazingly, I am aware that the LA Rams are playing in the Super Bowl on Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals. I don't always know who is playing in the Super Bowl, or when it is, but amusingly, I happened to learn this information from a crossword puzzle this past Sunday during the Boswords Winter Wondersolve.
• KELELA (49D: "Take Me Apart" singer) "Take Me Apart" is the title track of KELELA's 2017 debut album.

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• LAP CAT (4A: Fluffy friend who sits on you) Willow is definitely a LAP CAT. I had picked out a different photo of her sitting on my LAP to share with you, but then she decided, as she does most mornings, that I needed her assistance writing today's blog. So here's a
  
  photo of my LAP CAT and number one blog assistant. As you can see, she's quite helpful.
• SCAR (10A: Disney villain voiced by Chiwetel Ejiofor) Chiwetel Ejiofor is the voice of SCAR, Simba's scheming uncle, in the 2019 computer-animated remake of the 1994 film, The Lion King.
• TORO (16A: Fatty tuna) TORO refers to the fattiest portion of a tuna, found on the belly. TORO is used in sushi.
• STEW (29A: Birria or feijoada, e.g.) Birria is a Mexican STEW of slow-cooked meat (goat, beef, or lamb) with chili peppers, garlic, cumin, bay leaves, and thyme. Feijoada is a STEW of beans with beef and pork that gets its name from "feijāo," the Portuguese word for "beans." 
• MOM (31A: Shout that might get a sibling in trouble) This clue made me laugh! When my kids were squabbling, I used to ask them, "Do I need to intervene?" They quickly learned that when MOM intervened, neither of them were happy with the outcome.
• NBA (40D: Sports org. with Bulls and Bucks) The Chicago Bulls and the Milwaukee Bucks are NBA teams.

Geography review:

• DANE (59D: Copenhagen resident, e.g.) Copenhagen is the capital of Denmark, so its residents are DANEs.

Today we have a puzzle, rather than a genie, to grant us THREE WISHES. This is a fun theme, and one of the rare occasions where we see the theme play out in the clues. In addition to the theme, and the answers highlighted above, I liked WILDEST, FREEBIES, COHORT, and RED HOT. A couple of clues I especially enjoyed: CARGO (7D: Word before "ship" or "shorts") and ARC (12D: Shape used to describe storylines). This puzzle was a delightful way to begin my Thursday.

It's the tenth of the month, which means it's my designated day to ask if you would consider buying me a pizza. Some web content creators ask readers to "buy them a coffee," but since I don't drink a lot of coffee, I've adapted the phrase. This blog will always be free to read, but donations from readers keep the blog sustainable and are greatly appreciated. I'm grateful for all donations, regardless of whether you buy me an entire pizza or a slice or two. (I also like ice cream, and would happily welcome a donation to fund a scoop or a pint!) You can make a donation via PayPal by clicking on the Donate button, through Venmo (@Sally-Hoelscher), or by mailing a check. Thanks as always to all of you that support this blog in many ways: financial support, encouraging comments, telling your friends about it, and of course, reading what I've written. I appreciate you.