November 17, 2022

Title: ON & ON & ON

Constructor: Anna Gundlach

Editor: Anna Gundlach

Theme Answers:

SECOND TO NONE (20A: Better than the rest)

CONFRONTATION (37A: Head-to-head dispute)

MONSOON SEASON (57A: Rainy period in Asia)

Theme synopsis: The word ON appears three times in each theme answer.

Things I learned:

• OWEN (9D: ___ Hurcum, the world's first openly nonbinary mayor) OWEN Hurcum was the Mayor of Bangor, a city in Gwynedd, Wales, from May 2021 to May 2022. You can read more about OWEN Hurcum in this Guardian article. They say, "We see how, without trans voices in government, just what ridiculous - excuse my language - bullshit the government will pull."
• ERNEST (51D: Jim Varney role) Jim Varney created the character ERNEST P. Worrell for a series of TV commercials. (Here's just one of many examples.) The commercials featured ERNEST talking to his neighbor, Vern, and ended with the line, "KnowhutImean?" The success of the commercials led to a series of ERNEST movies in the 1980s and 1990s, and a TV show, Hey Vern, It's ERNEST! I relied on crossings to figure out this answer. Now that I've looked it up, I realize I've seen some of these commercials.

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• DEMI (4A: Comedian and writer Adejuyigbe) I wrote about DEMI Adejuyigbe earlier this year when we saw his full name as a theme answer.
• IGA (14A: 2022 US Open champ Swiatek) I learned about IGA Świątek from the January 4, 2022 puzzle, but after she won the US Open a couple of months ago, I knew I would see her name in crosswords more often. IGA Świątek is currently number one in the Women's Tennis Association rankings, and is the first player from Poland to win a major singles title. 
• AWARDS (16A: All four parts of EGOT) EGOT is the designation given to those who have won Emmy, Grammy, Oscar (Academy), and Tony AWARDS. 
• MTN (42A: ___ Dew Baja Blast) MTN Dew Baja Blast is a tropical lime variation of Mountain Dew, which is teal in color. It has mainly been available as a fountain drink at Taco Bell, though occasionally it is sold in cans and bottles (most recently this past summer). I knew the answer here, but it took me a minute to remember that "mountain" is abbreviated in the product's name.
• TEAK (54A: Hardwood used in boatmaking) Wood from the TEAK tree is valued for its durability and water resistance, making it popular for boat building.
• LIMES (62A: Gin and tonic garnishes) and OLIVE (65A: Martini garnish) Stacked garnishes - very nice!
• OREO (26D: Cookie that's filled with "Stuf") and OM NOM NOM (38D: Onomatopoeic sound of munching, like Cookie Monster makes) As I was filling in the Across answers and I saw 38-Down developing, _MNOM_OM, I thought, "What is that? Can that be right?" Then I read the clue! Fabulous. Like Cookie Monster, I've never met a cookie I don't like. "OM NOM NOM." Nice that the puzzle includes an OREO for Cookie Monster. 
• OUR (39D: March for ___ Lives) March for OUR Lives was a March 2018 student-led demonstration in support of gun control legislation. March for OUR Lives is also the name of an ongoing "youth-led movement dedicated to promoting civic engagement, education, and direct action by youth to eliminate the epidemic of gun violence.:
• AMY (40D: Comedian Sedaris) AMY Sedaris is a comedian, actress, and writer. She has many TV and film credits, including the role of Peli Motto in The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett. 
• ORG (60A: www.change.___) Change.ORG is a nonprofit website that allows people to create petitions and get them signed. 

Geography review:

• ONION (21D: Walla Walla veggie) Walla Walla is a city in Walla Walla County, Washington. The Walla Walla Sweet ONION is named for Walla Walla County, where it is grown. Derived from a sweet onion seed from Italy (brought to Washington by a French soldier), Walla Walla Sweet ONIONs have developed through years of hand selecting exceptionally sweet ONIONs from each year's crop. Since 2007, the Walla Walla Sweet ONION has been Washington's official state vegetable. 
• GENEVA (47D: Swiss city or lake) GENEVA, Switzerland is the country's second most populous city (after Zürich). GENEVA is located at the southwestern end of Lake GENEVA, where the Rhône River flows out of the lake. Lake GENEVA is situated on the border of Switzerland and France.
• OSLO (53D: Norway's capital) Norway's capital, OSLO, is also its most populous city. OSLO has had multiple names since its founding in 1040. The city was originally named Ánslo, then Christiania (1838). A slight spelling change made the city's name Kristiania (1877). The city has been known as OSLO since 1925. 

 Do you ever feel like my blog posts go ON & ON & ON? That's a rhetorical question! (I'm not interested in a CONFRONTATION.) I enjoyed this theme, and it's fun to note that although we've seen Anna Gundlach's byline as editor for a couple of months now, this is her first constructed puzzle for USA Today. Hopefully the first of many! I really liked the playful clues for YOOHOO (52A: "Over he-e-ere!"), SCAT (68A: Sing "ski-bi dibby dib yo da dub dub," maybe), and CIAO (37D: "Ta-ta, dahling!") Thank you, Anna, for this puzzle that was a delightful way to start my Thursday.