November 4, 2022

Title: CTRL+ALT+DEL

Constructor: Erik Agard

Editor: Erik Agard

Theme Answers:

CLOSE TO REAL LIFE (20A: Like a movie that feels like it could be a documentary)

ANDRE LEON TALLEY (34A: Fashion icon who wrote the 2020 memoir "The Chiffon Trenches") 

DOE-EYED LOOK (54A: Innocent expression)

Theme synopsis: The initials of the theme answers, in order moving down the grid, are CTRL+ALT+DEL.

Things I learned:

• ANDRE LEON TALLEY (34A: Fashion icon who wrote the 2020 memoir "The Chiffon Trenches")  ANDRÈ LEON TALLEY (1948-2022) had a career in fashion journalism that spanned six decades. He held several titles at Vogue magazine: Fashion news director (1983-1987), Creative Director (1988-1995), and Editor-at-large (1998-2013). His trademark look included capes, caftans, and robes, and he was known for advocating for diversity in the fashion industry. His 2020 memoir, The Chiffon Trenches, was a New York Times bestseller. Once I began researching him, I realized I have heard of ANDRÉ LEON TALLEY before. One of my friends posted a tribute to him when he died in January of this year at the age of 73. 
• TIAFOE (12D: Tennis star Frances) Frances TIAFOE is a professional tennis player. In 2022, he reached the semifinals at the U.S. Open, where he lost to Carlos Alcaraz in a five set match that lasted more than four hours. Also at this year's U.S. Open, Frances TIAFOE reached the quarter finals by defeating the number two seed, Rafael Nadal. Frances TIAFOE was the first Black American man to reach the semifinals at the U.S. Open since Arthur Ashe in 1972. 
• ROSIE (53D: Fanhouse co-founder Nguyen) Fanhouse is a subscription platform for creators to share content with their fans. ROSIE Nguyen is one of the co-founders of Fanhouse and its Chief Creator Officer. 

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• FRIED (5A: Prepared like latkes) and FRITO (5D: Corn chip whose name means 5-Across) Well, suddenly I'm hungry for latkes and FRITOs! It's fun that these two answers intersect. Somehow, I've never connected the fact that the Spanish word "FRITO" means "FRIED" with the name of FRITOs. 
• NOSE (29A: The - in :-) ) This is a fun clue. Are you the type of person who uses a - for a NOSE in emoticons? I am. I tend to prefer the look of :-) to :) as I think the latter looks rather scrunched up. :-)
• SKI (33A: Piece of biathlon equipment) The winter sport of biathlon combines cross-country SKIing and rifle shooting.
• LEOS (43A: Drama lovers in astrology) Us LEOS are indeed dramatic! According to this article on Astrotalk, LEOS "believe that they should be under the spotlight at all times and they are actually quite right." ;-)
• ICARUS (7D: Character in Greek myth whose wax wings melted) Although it was not how I first learned of him, I now think of the Hamilton song "Burn" whenever I hear about ICARUS. "You have married an ICARUS / He has flown too close to the sun." In Greek mythology, ICARUS was the son of Daedalus. During an attempt to escape from Crete, ICARUS and Daedalus used wings that the latter constructed of feathers and wax. Although Daedalus warned him not to fly too close to the sun, ICARUS ignored his father's warning. The sun melted his wings and he fell into the sea and drowned.
• BLACCENT (32D: Something a white rapper might be criticized for using) BLACCENT, a portmanteau of Black and accent, is a word used to describe the imitation of Black English by white people. This CNN article explains more about BLACCENT, and why people that are not Black shouldn't use it.

Geography review:

• OHIO (16A: State whose three largest cities all start with C) Let's have a Geography Quiz. Can you name the three largest cities in OHIO? Hint, their names all begin with the letter C. The answer to the Geography Quiz will be at the end of this blog post.
• EUGENE (8D: Oregon city) EUGENE is the second-largest city in Oregon, following Portland. Salem, the state's capital, is Oregon's third largest city. EUGENE, located in the western part of the state about 50 miles from the Pacific coast, is home to the University of Oregon.
• LANKA (22D: Sri ___) Yesterday we saw the country of Sri LANKA used to clue the first part of the country's name. Wouldn't it be fun if tomorrow the entire country's name was in the puzzle?
• RIO (48D: Brazilian city, for short) RIO de Janeiro, or RIO for short, is a beta global city, a designation given to cities that play an important role in the global economic network.

This is a clever and creative theme. Although initialism themes are common, it's interesting to have three theme answers with different initials, and have those initials work together to form the theme. CTRL+ALT+DEL - sometimes referred to as the three-fingered salute - is a combination of computer keys used to terminate a program or application that isn't responding. This grid has left-right mirror symmetry; it is symmetrical around a vertical line through the center of the puzzle. Appropriately, the line runs through IMAGE (18A: Mirror ___ (reflection))! The black squares at the top and bottom of the puzzle form what I refer to as "boots and antennae." The result today is that the grid looks a bit like an alien - to me anyway! Thank you, Erik, for this puzzle that was a fantastic way to begin my Friday.

Answer to Geography Quiz: The three largest cities in OHIO are Columbus (which is the state's capital), Cleveland, and Cincinnati.