December 17, 2022

Title: MIDTERMS

Constructor: Rafael Musa

Editor: Erik Agard

Theme Answers:

ROSTER MOVE (18A: Fantasy sports action)

LITTER MATE (23A: Spike or Belle, to Snoopy)

FOSTER MOMS (36A: Couple working with a social worker to help raise a child)

MASTERMIND (49A: Brains of the operation)

BUTTERMILK (56A: Tangy dairy drink)

Theme synopsis: The word TERM is found in the exact MIDdle of each theme answer.

Things I learned:

• PAPAYA (12A: Fruit made into atchara) Atchara is a pickle made from unripe PAPAYA. Atchara originated in the Philippines, and is served as a side dish.
• ROSTER MOVE (18A: Fantasy sports action) I know just enough about fantasy sports that I was able to deduce ROSTER, but the MOVE part of the answer had to come from crossing answers.
• TERI (62A: "The Girl From the Tar Paper School" author Kanefield) TERI Kanefield's book, The Girl From the Tar Paper School: Barbara Rose Johns and the Advent of the Civil Rights Movement won the 2015 Jane Addams Children's Book Award (given to a children's book advancing the causes of peace and social equality). TERI Kanefield has a law degree and a master's degree in fiction writing, and has written more than a dozen books.
• MAGE (40D: World of Warcraft spellcaster) World of Warcraft is a multiplayer online role-playing game. Players create a character, with one of the choices of character being a MAGE. I did not know this, but it was fairly easy to figure out once I got a couple of letters from crossing answers.

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• IMMUNE (22A: ___ system (body's defense against pathogens) Since I just wrote about the IMMUNE system yesterday, in reference to leukocytes, it was fun to see it appear as an answer today. Also, science!
• LITTER MATE (23A: Spike or Belle, to Snoopy) and ODIE (64A: "Garfield" dog) Nice representation of cartoon dogs in today's puzzle. Having grown up reading a lot of Peanuts cartoons, and having a sister who is a huge fan, I am well-versed on Snoopy. Snoopy had seven LITTER MATEs, but not all of them were named in the comic strips. Spike, who lives in the dessert near Needles, California, is the LITTER MATE of Snoopy's that appeared most often in the comic. Snoopy's sister, Belle, lives in Kansas City. As for Garfield, I raised my own kids on Garfield comics, so I am familiar with the happy, go-lucky dog, ODIE. And since Garfield is a cat, here's a cat photo (it takes so little to convince me to share one, as you know). This picture is from 10 years ago, and is of Willow with our dog, Ping Pong. They were friends, and we think Willow misses Ping Pong (though she wouldn't admit it).

  

  Willow and Ping Pong

• FOSTER MOMS (36A: Couple working with a social worker to help raise a child) Shout-out to all the FOSTER MOMS, past and present! Also FOSTER dads, FOSTER grandparents, etc. (It takes a village.) A special shout-out to my friend, Lauren, who is a FOSTER MOM and has been a MOM to many babies and toddlers. I have learned a lot about the FOSTER system from Lauren (who does not solve crosswords and will only see this if I tell her about it), and one of my biggest take aways is that even those of us who are not directly involved in fostering children, can play a supportive role. There are many needs, and many ways to get involved. (Here ends my spiel...)
• ABA (43A: It merged with the NBA in 1976) The American Basketball Association (ABA) was founded in 1967 with 11 teams. The ABA differed from the NBA (at that time) in the use of a three-point field goal arc. The ABA also used a red, white, and blue ball instead of an orange ball. The ABA merged with the NBA in 1976, and in 1979, the NBA adopted the 3-point shot.
• TEARS (66A: "Shout" band ___ for Fears) "Shout" is a 1984 song by TEARS for Fears. "Shout / Shout / Let it all out / These are the things I can do without / Come on / I'm talking to you..." That brought back some memories!
• APR (5D: Eid al-Fitr's month in 2023 (Abbr.)) Eid al-Fitr is an Islamic festival marking the end of Ramadan. In 2023, Eid al-Fitr will be observed April 21-22.
• MUJER (19D: Woman, in Spanish) and MEN (21D: Hombres, in English) This was a nice consecutive pair of clues.
• TED (39D: "The Wiz" actor ___ Ross) TED Ross (1934-2002) played the role of the Lion in the The Wiz, winning a Tony Award for the 1975 Broadway production. TED Ross also played the Lion in the 1978 movie adaptation of The Wiz. 
• EELS (54D: Fish that spawn in the Sargasso Sea) It's the second day in a row we've seen the tricky plural "fish" point to EELS. The Sargasso Sea is a region of the Atlantic Ocean characterized by the growth of Sargassum seaweed and blue water that is often calm. Several species of EELS - European EELS, American conger EELS, and American EELS - migrate to the Sargasso Sea to spawn and lay eggs.

Geography review:

• LAO (6D: Language spoken in Vientiane) Vientiane is the capital of Laos, where LAO is the official language.
• YEMEN (14D: Queen Arwa Mosque's country) Built between 1056 and 1111, the Queen Arwa Mosque is one of the oldest mosques in YEMEN. The mosque, located in the town of Jibla, is named for Queen Arwa al-Sulayhi, who ruled YEMEN from 1085-1138. The Queen Arwa Mosque was originally built as a palace, but was repurposed as a mosque by Queen Arwa when she moved to Jibla in 1087. A mausoleum, housing the remains of Queen Arwa, is located in the northwest corner of the mosque.
• UAE (57D: Dubai's country) Dubai is the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).  It is also the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, one of UAE's seven emirates.
• IDA (59D: State west of Montana (Abbr.)) If you start in Montana and travel west, you will eventually arrive in Idaho (IDA). Depending on where you started in Montana, if you continue to travel west you will arrive in either Washington or Oregon.
• KEA (61D: Mauna ___, the piko of Hawaii Island) The dormant volcano, Mauna KEA, located on the island of Hawai'i, is the state of Hawaii's highest peak. Mauna KEA is sacred to native Hawaiians. The Hawaiian word "piko" means "naval, or center of beginning). MaunaKEA (written as one word by the Hawai'i Board on Geographic Names) is considered the piko of Hawai'i Island, and a bridge between the realms of heaven and earth.

We have a heavy load of MIDTERMS today, with five theme answers. I especially appreciated that the word TERM appeared exactly in the center of each theme answer. PHONE CALL, HAVE WE MET, and SINISTER were great long Down answers. Thank you, Rafa, for this puzzle that was a fabulous way to start my Saturday.