June 5, 2022

Title: RIDESHARING

Constructor: Zhouqin Burnikel

Editor: Erik Agard

Theme Answers:

I GOT A BETTER IDEA (17A: What if we try this instead...")

KALAHARI DESERT (37A: Region that covers most of Botswana)

GENDER IDENTITY (57A: Man is one)

Theme synopsis: The word RIDE is SHARED by two words in each theme answer.

Things I learned:

• LACE (15A: HD ___ wig) A LACE wig is a type of hairpiece in which human or synthetic hair is tied to a sheer LACE base that goes over the scalp. HD here stand for high definition. An HD LACE wig is invisible when applied to the scalp, meaning the wig wearer can have an exposed hairline.
• KICK (16A: Sanda move) Sanda is a full contact combat sport also known as Chinese KICKboxing.
• DUB (26A: Get the ___ (win)) DUB stands for the letter W. I have heard the phrase, "Get the W," but not this shortened form.
• EELS (55A: Hamburger Aalsuppe ingredients) Hamburger here refers not to ground beef, but to Hamburg, Germany, where this soup originated. Hamburger aalsuppe did not originally contain EELS. The name of the soup was originally "aol suppe," meaning "all soup," because the soup was a way to use up leftover ham bones and vegetables. To those outside of Hamburg, "aol" sounded like "aal," the word for "EEL," which led to people complaining that the EELS were missing from their soup. Some cooks added EEL to the soup (and increased the price), and Hamburger Aalsuppe was created. There is a variation without EELS; it's called "Verlorene Aalsuppe," meaning "lost EEL soup."

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• NENE (22A: "Come and Get This Hunni" singer Leakes) NENE Leakes is perhaps best known as an actress and TV personality. In April 2020 she released the song, "Come and Get This Hunni."
• GOV (23A: www.ohio.___) and EDU (58D: www.uchicago.___) .GOV and .EDU are two sponsored top-level domains (sTLD) used for url addresses. U.S. government entities - such as the state of Ohio - use .GOV, and US educational institutions - such as The University of Chicago - use .EDU.
• ONEIDA (29A: Wisconsin nation) The ONEIDA Nation of Wisconsin are descendants of indigenous tribes that lived in what is currently central New York.
• MANTRA (33A: "Om mani padme hum," for example) "Om mani padme hum" is a Sanskrit MANTRA. It is a popular MANTRA used in Tibetan Buddhism, and is also a part of Chinese Bhuddism.
• IMAM (30D: Khutbah deliverer) An IMAM is a Muslim worship leader. In the Islamic tradition, Khutbah is a sermon or public preaching delivered by the IMAM at Friday services and other special occasions.
• K-POP (37D: Girls' Generation genre) Girls' Generation is a South Korean girl group formed in 2007. Their debut single was "Into the World."
• RUSTIC (46D: Like cottagecore) Cottagecore fashion has a RUSTIC, retro vibe, characterized by billowy dresses in floral patterns with puffy sleeves and ruffles.

Geography review:

• ASIA (10A: Largest continent) Time for a Geography Quiz! Two questions today: What's the smallest continent? What's the least populated continent. Answers at the bottom of this blog post.
• KALAHARI DESERT (37A: Region that covers most of Botswana) Botswana is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. The KALAHARI DESERT has an area of 350,000 square miles. In addition to covering most of Botswana, it extends into Namibia and South Africa.
• PST (49A: PDX time zone) PDX is the code for the Portland International Airport in Oregon, and Oregon observes Pacific Standard Time (PST).
• IOWA (53A: State south of Minnesota) The fact that I actually thought about this for a moment, envisioning a map and figuring out which states border Minnesota, indicates that I'm not quite awake yet. Oh, yes, IOWA...that state I live in. Ha! Normally I would say, "Hello from IOWA!" but I'm currently in New York City (so "Hello from NYC!").
• IDAHO (24D: Boise River's state) The BOISE River runs across the state of IDAHO. The city of Boise, which is IDAHO's capital, is located on the river.

The title of today's puzzle let me know exactly what to expect of the theme. In addition to the theme, I enjoyed the answers TRIPOD, ARGYLE, ASIAGO, and NOT SO. Thank you, Zhouqin, for this puzzle that was a fine way to begin my Sunday.

Answers to Geography Quiz: The smallest of the seven continents is Australia. The least populated continent - with zero permanent residents - is Antarctica. Have you ever noticed that four of the continents begin and end with the letter A? In addition to ASIA, Australia, and Antarctica, Africa fits that pattern.