May 8, 2022

Title: LEGEND

Constructor: Zhouqin Burnikel

Editor: Amanda Rafkin

Theme Answers:

PULL THE PLUG (17A: Discontinue something)

I'LL BE WAITING (27A: Impatient reply to "Can we get it to you later?")

TELL ME SOMETHING (60A: "I'd like to know...")

Theme synopsis: Each theme answer contains a LEG END. The END letters of the words in each theme answer spell the word LEG.

Things I learned:

• NOMAD (31D: Frances McDormand plays one in a 2020 film) Nomadland is a 2021 movie based on the 2017 nonfiction book by Jessica Bruder, Nomadland: Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century. In the movie, Frances McDormand plays the role of Fern, a NOMAD traveling around the United States in her van.

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• VET (19A: Doc for furry friends) and ARF (67A: Dog's sound) and

  

  Willow imitating a loaf of bread

  FLEA (6D: Pest on a kitty) and PET (22D: Water bowl user) and TETRA (52D: Prefix meaning "four") A TETRAd of PET clues today with something for both dogs (ARF!) and cats. Willow's not particularly happy that the kitty ended up with the FLEAs, but at least there's a VET to help out.
• SEA (20A: Giant kelp's habitat) Despite its appearance, kelp are not plants, but a type of multicellular algae classified as heterokonts. Giant kelp, also known as bladder kelp, grows in dense kelp forests in the SEA near the coast. Individual kelp may grow as much as two feet per day, and reach a height of 150 feet.
• UMAMI (39A: Flavor in kelp and bonito flakes) This clue echoes the reference of kelp in the clue for SEA. Kelp flakes (or granules) are low in sodium but have a salty taste due to being rich in potassium, magnesium, and other mineral salts. Bonito flakes, also known as katsuobushi, is skipjack tuna that has been simmered, smoked, and fermented. Dried kelp and bonito flakes, which lend UMAMI flavor to foods, are the main ingredients in dashi, a broth used in many soups and sauces in Japanese cuisine.
• KOI (42D: Pond fish with an utsurimono variety) KOI are colored varieties of the Amur carp. The fish are often found in ponds or water gardens. Utsurimono is a black KOI with zebra-patterned markings of yellow, white, or red.
• RIGG (58D: "Last Night in Soho" actress Diana) Last Night in Soho is a 2021 psychological horror movie about a young woman, Ellie (played by Thomasin McKenzie), who begins dreaming of events that occurred in the 1960s. Ellie's dreams are about a woman named Sandie. Anya Taylor-Joy played the role of Sandie, and Diana RIGG played an older version of Sandie. Last Night in Soho was Diana RIGG's last movie appearance, as she died in 2020 at the age of 82.

Geography review:

• KOREA (42A: Asian region that celebrates Seollal) A national holiday in both North and South KOREA, Seollal, or Korean New Year, is a holiday celebrating the new year according to the Chinese lunisolar calendar. Festivities usually last three days.
• OREGON (44A: State west of Idaho) Time for a Geography Quiz. In addition to OREGON, which other five states and what Canadian province are adjacent to Idaho? The answer is at the end of this blog post.
• ASIA (53A: Heilongjiang's continent) Heilongjiang is the northernmost and easternmost province of China. "Heilongjiang" means "Black Dragon River." The province is named for the Heilong River which forms the border between China and Russia. This is the first appearance of ASIA this month.

When I finished this puzzle, I stared at it for quite awhile wondering how these three theme answers related to LEGEND. It was as I was wondering, "What's another word for LEGEND?" that I suddenly had the "Aha!" moment of thinking, "Maybe it's LEG END..." Indeed it is. Quite clever and fun. There's a lot of enjoyable long fill in MONSTERS, MARATHON, RELATION, RICE PILAF, and GIVES IT A GO. Thanks, Zhouqin, for a puzzle that was a fine way to begin my Sunday.

Geography Quiz Answer: In addition to OREGON, Idaho shares borders with the U.S. states of Washington, Nevada, Utah, Montana, Wyoming, and the Canadian province of British Columbia.