July 8, 2022

Title: SUPPORT CENTERS

Constructor: Rafael Musa

Editor: Amanda Rafkin

Guest Blogger: Brooke Husic

Theme Answers:

YOU SAID WHAT (17A: "Shoulda left that unspoken!")

ALOK VAID-MENON (38A: "Beyond the Gender Binary" author)

MERMAID POSE (63A: Hip-opening yoga asana)

Theme synopsis: Each theme answer has the letters AID in the exact center

Things I learned:

• MERMAID POSE (63A: Hip-opening yoga asana) I have taught yoga and I was not aware of this name for the pose! I would've called it a variation of king pigeon pose. Pigeon and its variations are often sought for their hip-opening qualities, as the clue describes. It is common to carry a lot of tension in the hips; pigeon pose can be a very emotional experience for some, and a way to practice breathing into discomfort. Pigeon is a common pose near the end of a vinyasa yoga class, and it also shows up in yin yoga classes because gravity is doing all of the work. The MERMAID variation, however, would be an unlikely yin yoga candidate since it involves working against gravity.
• INUIT (70A: People who invented the qajaq) I thought I did not know what a qajaq was, but discovered I know it as a kayak. I liked this angle a lot!

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• EVOLVE (36A: Transform from Pikachu to Raichu, e.g.) I love this clue because no knowledge of what Pikachu or Raichu are is necessary, since it's reasonable that a transformation might be an evolution. If you know they're Pokémon, all the better!
• ALOK VAID-MENON (38A: "Beyond the Gender Binary" author) Sally has previously written about Alok Vaid-Menon.
• ROO (68A: Pooh's pal whose name rhymes with "Pooh") I liked the rhyming hint in this clue. It could also have been: Pooh's pal whose name rhymes with "clue."

Geography review:

• YORUBA (21A: West African ethnic group and language) Yorubaland comprises parts of Nigeria, Benin, and Togo.
• EMIR (28A: Qatar ruler) Qatar is on the Persian Gulf.
• NOLA (24D: Mardi Gras city, for short) New Orleans, or NOLA, is in the Mississippi River Delta.
• KEA (39D: Mauna ___) Mauna KEA and Mauna Loa are 35 miles apart on Hawai'i's Big Island. Mauna KEA is a bit taller than Mauna Loa, and Mauna KEA is dormant whereas Mauna Loa is active.
• NAPA (42D: California wine valley) The NAPA Valley designation was officially established in 1981. The general region is referred to as NAPA Country, to distinguish from the official Viticultural Area.
• U.S. MAP (55D: Diagram of the 50 states) A U.S. MAP probably also includes Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico. Including Puerto Rico, there are fourteen U.S. territories.

TGIRPD (TGI Rafa-Puzzle-Day)! I'm happy to be covering for Sally today, and extra happy to give my "take" on a Rafael Musa puzzle. I appreciated that the A-I-D strings were in the exact centers of their respective theme answers, and I loved all of the theme answers and the array of content they cover. Beyond the theme, this is a really impressive grid with a lot of mid-length fill (eighteen 6-letter answers!), and I loved how much voice came through in the clues for YOU SAID WHAT, YOU (54A: "Are ___ serious?!"), YEAH NO (31D: "Hmm . . .  zero chance!"), and DO TELL (35D: "Spill it!"). My favorite clue was OUR (65D: "They're playing ___ song!").

I wish you all a beautiful Friday, and encourage you to donate to Sally if you are able! I'm so grateful that Sally has created such a positive and welcoming space in the crossword commentary landscape, and am amazed and appreciative that she writes such thoughtful posts nearly every day.

xoxo, Brooke