August 25, 2022

Title: ONE PLUS ONE

Constructor: Sara Cantor

Editor: Erik Agard

Theme Answers:

WHAT'S DONE IS DONE (16A: "There's no going back")

HONEYMOONED (36A: Took a trip after the wedding)

TOUCHTONE PHONES (59A: Rotary dial successors)

Theme synopsis: Each theme answer contains the word ONE twice, i.e. ONE PLUS ONE.

Things I learned:

• LEEK (27A: Vegetable carried by the Pokemon Farfetch'd) I frequently say, "(Almost) everything I know about sports I learned from crosswords." As I read this clue, I realized "Pokémon" could substitute for sports in that sentence! Today I learned that Farfetch'd is a flying Pokémon that resembles a duck and carries a LEEK that is used as a weapon, nesting material, and emergency food source. You can buy a LEEK plush (what?!) from Pokémon Center, though it is "not intended for use as an actual weapon."
• ENDS (9D: "Our Violent ___" (Chloe Gong novel)) Chloe Gong's debut novel, the 2020 young adult fiction book, These Violent Delights, was a New York Times best seller. Our Violent ENDS, published in 2021, is the sequel to that novel. Chloe Gong was born in Shanghai, China, and raised in Auckland, New Zealand. She recently graduated from the University of Pennsylvania. 
• HOT SAUCE (36D: Cholula, for example) Cholula HOT SAUCE is named after Cholula, Puebla, the oldest still-inhabited city in Mexico. It is manufactured in Capala, Jalisco, Mexico. To be honest, I've probably seen this HOT SAUCE, but I didn't recognize it when I read the clue.

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• ACL (1A: Pro corn hole org.) The American Cornhole League (ACL) is the governing body for cornhole - yes, the sport where teams throw beanbags at a slanted board with a hole in it. The ACL is headquartered in Rock Hill, South Carolina and hosts over 25,000 tournaments a year. You might see ACL games on CBS Sports and ESPN, as the league has signed deals with both media groups.
• TASK (4A: Part of a to-do list) and ITEM (34A: Part of a to-do list) This is the first of three pairs of clues in this puzzle. Although they are certainly not necessary in a puzzle, I like paired clues as a way of adding playfulness and tying together the non-theme fill in a puzzle. (I am aware this sentiment is not shared by everyone...that's okay.) In this pair, the clues are identical, and I fell into the trap, filling in ITEM at 4-Across, realizing that it was incorrect, changing it to TASK, and then having the "Aha!" moment and being able to fill in ITEM again and this time correctly at 34-Across.
• ASHE (13A: Tennis great Arthur) and SERENA (47D: Tennis great Williams) Here's our second clue pair. Not identical this time, but only differing by the name. And, of course, highlighting two tennis greats. I've written about both of these tennis greats (even using that term) several times previously. Most recently, I wrote about Arthur ASHE Kids' Day last month, and about SERENA Williams five days ago. 
• ANNIE (15A: Hallie's twin in "The Parent Trap") The 1998 movie, The Parent Trap, (a remake of the 1961 movie of the same name) was Lindsey Lohan's film debut. She played both of the twins in the movie, ANNIE and Hallie.
• TYPO (20A: A msitake like this) I always like a good TYPO clue, partly because I know it's going to be fun to convince autocorrect this is what I really mean to type!
• INS (49A: Lie-___ (acts of protest)) A lie-IN is a form of protest in which protesters simulate being dead. For this reason, the protest is also known as a die-in.
• THAI (53A: Language of origin for "bong") Specifically, the word bong is derived from the THAI word referring to a tube, pipe, or container cut from bamboo.
• SLIP (55A: Thin, silky dress style) and A LINE (25D: Flared dress style) Here's our third clue pair featuring dress styles.
• NEEDY (65A: Demanding) One of the nicknames my husband and I have given our cat,

  

  NEEDY kitty

  Willow, is NEEDY kitty (used affectionately, of course!). With perfect timing, as I began writing about this answer, I heard Willow start meowing, and I snapped this photo as she walked into my office. Apparently she had decided it was time for me to pay attention to her and pet her. Those of you who solve Wordle on a daily basis will recognize NEEDY as the answer from two days ago. It took me four tries to uncover it, and when I did - solving it, as usual, with Willow sitting near my head - I laughed and said, "I should have gotten that on the first try."
• IOTA (18D: Vowel after theta in the Greek alphabet) When I encounter a clue such as this, I think to myself, "I should brush up on my Greek alphabet," and then I don't. Thank goodness for crossing answers.
• FUN HOME (39D: Musical based on a graphic memoir by Alison Bechdel) I have previously written about the musical FUN HOME.

Geography review:

• WON (50A: South Korean currency) The Korean Republic WON (KRW) is issued by the Bank of Korea which is based in Seoul, the capital of South Korea.
• SUNY (College system based in Albany) Albany is the capital of New York, and the location of the administrative offices of the State University of New York (SUNY). SUNY was established in 1948, and its various colleges and universities have 64 campuses across the state of New York. 
• LAS (8D: ___ Vegas, Nevada) LAS Vegas is the most populous city in Nevada. 

In today's puzzle, ONE PLUS ONE equals two ONEs. I liked this set of theme answers; my favorite is WHAT'S DONE IS DONE. I also enjoyed LET ME KNOW and YEEHAW. Thank you, Sara, for this puzzle that was a fabulous way to begin my Thursday.