November 15, 2022

Title: RIGHT TURNS

Constructor: Brooke Husic

Editor: Erik Agard

Theme Answers:

CHAOTIC GOOD (17A: Lawful evil's opposite on an alignment chart)

EXTRA SHARP (29A: Type of cheddar)

GENDER STAR (46A: The asterisk in the German word "Freund*innen")

PENCILS DOWN (61A: "Time's up, test-takers!")

Theme synopsis: The RIGHT-most word of each theme answer can precede the word TURN. Today's RIGHT TURNS are a GOOD TURN, a SHARP TURN, a STAR TURN, and a DOWN TURN.

And now a word from our constructor:

Brooke: I also write puzzles for the New Yorker, and I also have today's puzzle over there -- check it out here!

Things I learned:

• PGS (27A: Steph Curry and Chelsea Gray, positionwise (Abbr.)) Although I know Steph Curry is a professional basketball player, and I've written about him before, I've never written about what position he plays. (Also, I'm not sure I could list all of the basketball positions...center, guard...?) Turns out Steph Curry is a point guard (PG) for NBA's Golden State Warriors. Chelsea Gray is a point guard for WNBA's Las Vegas ACES - different ACES than (56D: Best starting hand in Texas Hold 'em). More sports knowledge gained from crosswords. 
• THA (34A: Spoken word artist Theresa ___ S.O.N.G.B.I.R.D.) I encourage you to take three minutes and watch Theresa THA S.O.N.G.B.I.R.D. perform her poem, "You So Black." One of the many lines that stuck with me from this poem is, "Black is not something we get to choose but it is something we get to cherish."
• GENDER STAR (46A: The asterisk in the German word "Freund*innen") The German word for a GENDER STAR is "Gendersternchen." Since the mid-2010s, a GENDER STAR has been used by some German authors to indicate gender neutrality. In the example given in the clue, the word "freunde" is the masculine plural of "friends," and since German uses the generic masculine, it is also used to refer to a group of friends of mixed gender. "Freundinnen" refers to a group of female friends. Using a GENDER STAR, "freund*innen" refers to all genders, and also includes non-binary people.
• KAY (48A: "Red Dust Road" author Jackie) Red Dust Road: An Autobiographical Journey is the 2011 memoir of Jackie KAY. From 2016 to 2021, Jackie KAY was the Makar - the poet laureate - of Scotland.
• BEAR (12D: Animal called "mato" in Lakota) In the Lakota tradition, the BEAR, mató, represents healing and knowledge. 
• AJAY (52D: Bollywood icon Devgn) AJAY Devgn is a Bollywood actor, movie director, and producer. 

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• CLAUS (6A: "Santa ___ Is Comin' to Town") It feels a little early for "Santa Claus is Coming to Town," but on the other hand, I am looking out my window and watching it snow.
• CHAOTIC GOOD (17A: Lawful evil's opposite on an alignment chart) The alignment chart with axes of law and chaos originated with the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game as a way to make choices for a player's character. Since then, the chart has been used to categorize the way people use bookmarks, preferred pizza toppings, and a number of other things. 
• SEP (21A: Pain Awareness Month (Abbr.)) The American Chronic Pain Association has designated September (SEP) as Pain Awareness Month in order to "raise public awareness of issues in the area of pain and pain management."
• TELE (49A: Prefix for "health" or "kinesis") This reminds me of a joke my son told me when he was young, "If you're TELEkinetic and you know it, raise my hand."
• ADHD (52A: Condition discussed on the podcast "Refocused") Refocused is a podcast by Lindsay Guentzel, who was diagnosed with ADHD in her 30s. Lindsay Guentzel has partnered with ADHD Online to produce this podcast in which she talks with others who have ADHD.
• AUNTS (57A: Nieces' moms) I spent far too much time thinking about this clue. I mean, usually this is true, but not always... My daughter is the niece of my sister, but I am not the AUNT of my daughter's children since she doesn't have any. (I am an AUNT because I have another sibling who does have kids.) Am I missing something? Anyway, it was easy enough to figure out the answer that was being looked for.
• MAC (1D: Love Me Lipstick brand) I have previously written about MAC Cosmetics, whose name is an acronym for Make-up Art Cosmetics.
• CDC (6D: Let's Stop HIV Together org.) Let's Stop HIV Together is one of CDC's information campaigns to reduce stigma surrounding HIV, and promote HIV testing, prevention, and treatment. 
• GAY ANTHEMS (28D: "I'm Coming Out" and "Let It Go," for two) "I'm Coming Out" is a 1980 song by Diana Ross. "Let It Go" is a song from the 2013 movie, Frozen, and is sung by Idina Menzel. I don't have more to say about these GAY ANTHEMS, I just wanted to provide links to these great songs!

Geography review:

• SELMA (69A: The ___-to-Montgomery marches) The 1965 SELMA-to-Montgomery marches originated in SELMA, Alabama. Activists marched to Montgomery, Alabama's capital, to highlight racial injustice. Specifically, marchers were protesting segregation and demonstrating the desire of Black American citizens to exercise their constitutional right to vote. 
• APPALACHIA (11D: Region where bluegrass originated) The cultural region of APPALACHIA stretches from the southern part of New York State, down through West Virginia and parts of Ohio, Kentucky, Virginia, Tennessee, and North Carolina, to the northern sections of South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi. The uniting factor in this region is the APPALACHIAn Mountains. Musicians from APPALACHIA played important roles in the development of bluegrass and country music. Bluegrass developed in the 1940s, and takes its name from the band, Bill Monroe and the Blue Grass Boys (Earl Scruggs, Lester Flats, Chubby Wise, and Joel Price).

This puzzle took a TURN! My favorite theme answer is CHAOTIC GOOD, though all four of the theme answers are great. Thank you, Brooke, for this puzzle that was a delightful way to start my Tuesday.