April 18, 2022

Title: FINDING THE NET

Constructors: Erik Agard & Claire Rimkus

Editor: Erik Agard

Theme Answers:

ONE TOUCH PASS (20A: Soccer technique used in a give-and-go)

JASMINE THOMAS (38A: Longtime point guard for the Connecticut Sun)

ZONE TIME (59A: Hockey podcast hosted by Julian McKenzie)

Theme synopsis: Each sports-related theme answer contains the word NET spanning two words.

Things I learned:

• ONE TOUCH PASS (20A: Soccer technique used in a give-and-go) I learned the sports term "give-and-go" from a crossword puzzle last month. A ONE TOUCH PASS, useful in a give-and-go, involves passing the soccer ball without stopping it. 
• JASMINE THOMAS (38A: Longtime point guard for the Connecticut Sun) JASMINE THOMAS is a professional basketball player for WNBA's Connecticut Sun. She has been a point guard for the Connecticut Sun since 2015.
• MOFONGO (52A: Puerto Ricos fried plantain dish) MOFONGO is a dish consisting of fried plantains that are mashed with salt, garlic, broth, and olive oil, and then formed into a ball that is traditionally served with chicken broth soup. MOFONGO originated in Puerto Rico.
• ZONE TIME (59A: Hockey podcast hosted by Julian McKenzie) Julian McKenzie is an associate editor at The Athletic, a subscription-based sports website covering professional and college sports. He also hosts ZONE TIME, a Yahoo Sports hockey podcast. 

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• IGBO (4A: Nigerian language) IGBO is the principal native language of the IGBO people of southeastern Nigeria.
• SLAYER (16A: Dragon ___ (early video game)) The first Dragon SLAYER video game was released in 1984. The game is one of the earliest action role-playing video games. 
• GUS (42A: Nickname for Augustus Porter on "The Owl House") The Owl House is an animated TV series that tells the story of a teenage girl who stumbles upon a portal to another world where she becomes friends with a witch known as "the Owl Lady." The character of Augustus "GUS" Porter is voiced by Issac Ryan Brown. Even if a solver is unfamiliar with The Owl House, this answer is obtainable since GUS is a common nickname for Augustus. 
• SKATED (65A: Competed like Erin Jackson) Erin Jackson is a speed skater. In February she SKATED at the Winter Olympics in Beijing, and won the gold medal in Women's 500 meter inline speed skating, becoming the first Black woman to win a gold medal in an individual event at the Winter Olympics. I actually knew this sports answer, because I had been following Erin Jackson's story. She almost didn't qualify for the Winter Olympics, after uncharacteristically slipping in the trials and placing third. Her teammate, Brittany Bowe, who placed first in the trials, doesn't consider  the 500 meter her best event, and ceded her place to Erin. 
• POTATO (60A: Batata harra ingredient) Batata harra is a dish originating from Lebanon and Syria that consists of POTATO, red pepper, coriander, chili, and garlic. The ingredients are fried together in olive oil.
• ACROSS (68A: Direction of this clue) Self-referential clues such as this make me smile.
• CATSIT (10D: Watch Whiskers) My husband and I got home last night after being on vacation for over two weeks. We are grateful for our friends Deanna and Karen that
  
  were willing to CATSIT while we were away. Willow has remained as close to me as possible since we returned home, and has been a tremendous help writing the blog this morning. 
• GLORIA (48D: "The Women of Brewster Place" novelist Naylor) The Women of Brewster Place: A Novel in Seven Stories is GLORIA Naylor's 1982 debut novel. The book, which won a National Book Award, was adapted into a 1989 miniseries of the same name, and a 1990 TV series, Brewster Place. 
• KOMODO (51D: ___ dragon (Indonesian lizard)) Found on the Indonesian islands of KOMODO, Rinca, Flores, and Gili Motang, the KOMODO dragon is the largest species of lizard. A KOMODO dragon can be up to 10 feet in length, and weigh up to 150 pounds.

Geography review:

• DEL (17A: Dover's state (Abbr.)) Dover is the capital of DELaware. The city is named after the town of Dover in Kent, England.
• ASWAN (8D: Egyptian city south of Luxor) ASWAN, Egypt is located on the Nile River, south of Luxor, as the clue informs us. ASWAN is one of the hottest and sunniest cities in the world, with temperatures consistently above 104° F in the summer. Although I've never been to Egypt, I realized that ASWAN was familiar to me because I am an Agatha Christie fan. Agatha Christie set several of her mystery novels in Egypt, and some of them were written there. The recent movie, Death on the Nile, based on the 1937 Agatha Christie book of the same name, takes place in Egypt, partly in ASWAN. I've seen the movie, and enjoyed it, but the book is better. :-)
• OKC (61D: Capital city where the Thunder play, for short) The Oklahoma City (OKC) Thunder are an NBA team. A nice bonus sports answer.

I suspected a sports theme when I saw the title, and I was correct. I really appreciate the added touch that each NET-containing theme answer is a sports-related answer. Not only that, each of the sports referenced in the theme answers - soccer, basketball, and hockey - involves a NET. And, I learned more about sports today! In addition to the answers I've highlighted above, I also enjoyed NO ONE ELSE and IN COSTUME. This puzzle was a delightful way to begin my Monday.