May 26, 2022

Title: DOWN TO THE WIRE

Constructor: Rebecca Goldstein

Editor: Amanda Rafkin

Theme Answers:
COMING IN HOT (3D: Arriving aggressively)
LAND DOWN UNDER (15D: Nickname for Australia)
WORKING HARD (27D: Plugging away on an assignment)

Theme synopsis: The last word of each theme answer - which is going DOWN since these answers are vertical - can be placed after the word WIRE. Doing so gives us HOT WIRE, UNDERWIRE, and HARD WIRE.

Things I learned:
Random thoughts and interesting things:
  • PEI (18A: Museum of Islamic Art architect I.M.) There are several museums of Islamic Art around the world. The Museum of Islamic Art designed by I.M. PEI is located in Doha, Qatar. The museum is built on an island, per I.M. PEI's specifications. The museum opened in December 2008.
  • PENN (19A: NYC's Station) PENN Station in New York City (NYC) is located below Madison Square Gardens in Manhattan. It is the busiest transportation facility in North America, serving an average of 6000,000 passengers a day.
  • ANNA (22A: Actress Chlumsky) ANNA Chlumsky played the role of the Vice President's Chief of Staff, Amy Brookheimer, on the TV series, Veep. She also starred in the miniseries, Inventing ANNA (inspired by the life of ANNA Sorokin), not as the title character that shares her name, but as Vivian Kent.
  • ADHD (31A: Condition that's under diagnosed in women) For many years, the presumption was that ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) occurred more frequently in boys and men, than in girls and women. Studies have found, however, that ADHD presents differently in girls and women, and therefore many cases have gone undiagnosed. Here's a couple of articles on the topic if you'd like to learn more: a Knowable magazine article about ADHD in girls, and an ADDitude article about ADHD in women. 
  • LION (48A: "King of the jungle") and PUMA (62D: Cougar) A pair of big cat clues today.
    Willow providing solving assistance
    Good thing I had my not-so-big cat sitting on my legs while I was solving to assist my with these answers.
  • DROP (61A: Action between stop and roll) I wrote about the fire safety slogan, stop, DROP, and roll, when we saw this phrase as a puzzle theme. 
  • DRAG RACE (64A: Reality competition show won by Bianca Del Rio and Yvie Oddly, for short) DRAG RACE is the shortened handle of the TV reality competition, RuPaul's DRAG RACE. Bianca Del Rio won the sixth season of DRAG RACE, and Yvie Oddly won the 11th season. 
  • KUSAMA (68A: "Obliteration Room" artist Yayoi) Yayoi KUSAMA is a Japanese contemporary artist known for her sculpture and installation art. Yayoi KUSAMA's "Obliteration Room" begins as a completely white space, with white furnishings. Visitors are invited to cover the room and its furnishings with colorful stickers. 
  • PRAYED (9D: Recited shacharit) Shacharit, which derives from the Hebrew word meaning dawn, is a morning prayer recited by Jews.
  • LIU (10D: Lucy who portrayed Dr. Watson) Lucy LIU played the role of Dr. Joan Watson on the TV series, Elementary, a contemporary imagining of Sherlock Holmes. (Johnny Lee Miller played the role of Sherlock.) I really enjoyed this show, and Lucy LIU in this role. I recommend checking it out if you haven't seen it.
  • NI HAO (28D: Hello, in Chinese) The last time we saw the informal Chinese greeting, NI HAO, in the puzzle, I commented that I successfully filled it in without the assistance of crossing answers. That wasn't true today. As crosswords often do, this one is keeping my humble by reminding me my memory is hit or miss.

    Geography review:

    • ANDES (73A: Mountain range spanning seven South American countries) The ANDES Mountains are the longest continental mountain range in the world. This clue seems perfect for a Geography Quiz. How many of the seven countries spanned by the ANDES can you name? Hint: The ANDES Mountains are found on the western edge of South America. Answer at the end of this blog post.
    • LAND DOWN UNDER (15D: Nickname for Australia) Australia is in the Southern Hemisphere, and on many maps and globes appears "below" most other countries, earning it the nickname "LAND DOWN UNDER." Who else has the Men at Work song, "DOWN UNDER," ("I come from a LAND DOWN UNDER...") going through their heads now? It may be just those of us that were in high school in the 1980s when the song came out. This Song Facts page has some interesting info about the song and its music video.
    • SAN (69D: First word of seven California county names) California has 58 counties, meaning that 12% of California counties have names beginning with SAN. Those seven counties are: SAN Benito, SAN Bernardino, SAN Diego, SAN Francisco, SAN Joaquin, SAN Luis Obispo, and SAN Mateo.
    Three DOWN answers lead TO THE words that can precede WIRE. A great set of theme answers today for this clever and well-executed theme. Excellent fill all around, especially in all of the corners: VACAY, ELOPED, LIMO RIDE, HOVER CAR, SMARMY, as well as those I've mentioned already, DRAG RACE and KUSAMA. I also liked NOAH'S ARK and SHREDDER surrounding the long central DOWN answer. Thank you, Rebecca for a puzzle filled with enjoyable answers. It was a delightful way to begin my Thursday.

    Geography Quiz Answer: The countries spanned by the ANDES are, from north to south: Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Chile, and Argentina.

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