January 23, 2023

Title: LION DANCE

Constructor: Hoang-Kim Vu

Editor: Erik Agard

Theme Answers:

LOINCLOTHS (16A: Fundoshi and others)

NO LITTERING (26A: Phrase on signs in public parks)

ONLINE POKER (47A: Game with a "Fold" button)

IN LOCKSTEP (63A: Synchronized)

Theme synopsis: The letters of the word LION appear scrambled (dancing) at the beginning of each theme answer.

Things I learned:

• LOINCLOTHS (16A: Fundoshi and others) A fundoshi is a traditional Japanese LOIN CLOTH. The fundoshi is a long strip of cotton cloth that is wrapped and tied. Sumo wrestlers wear a form of fundoshi called mawashi.
• SEA (31A: Bakunawa's habitat) In Philippine mythology, Bakunawa is a serpent-like dragon that lives in the SEA, and is believed to be the cause of eclipses, earthquakes, and storms.
• STIR (54A: Verb in an ohn no khao swe recipe) Originating from Myanmar, ohn no khao swè is a dish of noodles in a spiced chicken curry soup with a coconut broth.
• BAO (5D: "Amy Wu and the Perfect ___") Amy Wu and the Perfect BAO is a book by Kat Zhang. The title character of the picture book is a young girl determined to master the skills necessary to make the perfect BAO. Although I was unfamiliar with this book, I might need to check it out. As I mentioned last month, I have been learning to make BAO, and my BAO are far from perfect! You can watch Kat Zhang read Amy Wu and the Perfect BAO here.
• TESSA (12D: Olympic ice dancer Virtue) TESSA Virtue and her ice dance partner, Scott Moir, won gold medals in ice dancing at the 2010 and 2018 Winter Olympics and a silver medal at the 2014 Winter Olympics. You can watch one of their 2018 Olympic performances here. TESSA Virtue retired from competitive ice dancing in 2019.

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• BATH (5A: Rubber ducky's place) Ha! This clue made me laugh. If you are a regular reader of this blog, you know that at our house one is likely to find a rubber ducky (or duckie, whichever way you prefer to spell it) in many places besides the BATH. I wrote about rubber ducky antics last July.

  

  Rubber duckies not in the BATH

  An update: Just yesterday I was putting on my boots to go out and shovel snow, and found rubber ducky in my boot! And those mini rubber ducks our daughter and her boyfriend hid in our house last July? We are still finding them! Most recently, I found one in my sewing machine (which I hadn't used for a bit...) and my husband found one in a container of chocolate malt-o-meal. (I've kind of lost track, but I think we may have five or six more to find...) 
• GERBIL (32A: Small housepet) Do you have a GERBIL? I haven't featured a GERBIL as a featured pet on Sally's Take yet. Also, consider this a general reminder that if you'd like to see your pet on the blog (maybe you've been meaning to send me a photo and haven't gotten around to it...), I'd be delighted to feature your pet. Simply send me a photo of your pet, along with their name and a brief description of their personality, and I will feature them on the blog when an opportunity arises.
• ONLINE POKER (47A: Game with a "Fold" button) I knew this was a reference to POKER, but I had the silly thought after reading the clue that maybe it could be origami. ONLINE origami ... I'm sure it's the next big thing just waiting to be discovered! I did find this origami simulator, which was fun to play around with.
• SHE'S (68A: "Maybe ___ born with it...") Since 1991, "Maybe SHE'S born with it, maybe it's Maybelline," has been used as a tagline for Maybelline cosmetics. The line has been used - with various endings - in multiple memes and TikTok videos.
• DION (38D: "It's All Coming Back to Me Now" singer Celine) Celine DION's version of "It's All Coming Back to Me Now" was released in 1996, and is the first track on her Falling into You album. The song was written by Jim Steinman, who has said it was inspired by Wuthering Heights.
• LYONNE (48D: "Russian Doll" star Natasha) I have previously written about Natasha LYONNE and Russian Doll, as well as the fact that Natasha LYONNE is a crossword fan, and has co-constructed a crossword. Two things about Natasha LYONNE on my mind today. I was delighted to see her pop up on screen (literally?!) in the movie Glass Onion. (Side note: This was the moment I discovered my husband doesn't know who she is...) Secondly, I recently learned about Poker Face, a new TV series debuting in a few days. The series was created by Rian Johnson (who directed Knives Out and Glass Onion), and stars Natasha LYONNE as a human lie detector. 
• REES (60D: "Mudbound" director Dee) I have previously written about Dee REES.

Geography review:

• NIAGARA (24A: ___ Falls) NIAGARA Falls is located on the U.S.-Canada border between New York and Ontario. NIAGARA is comprised of Horseshoe Falls, American Falls, and Bridal Veil Falls. Of the three, Horseshoe Falls, also known as the Canadian Falls, is the largest. The waterfalls are formed by the NIAGARA River, which flows from Lake ERIE to Lake Ontario.
• ERIE (62A: City in Pennsylvania) Speaking of ERIE, here's our crossword friend, making its fifth appearance this month, as well as its third appearance in three days! ERIE, Pennsylvania and Lake ERIE are both named for the ERIE, the Indigenous people that lived on the south shore of Lake ERIE.
• OMAN (27D: Country whose capital is Muscat) OMAN is located in Western Asia on the southeastern coast of the Arabian peninsula. Muscat is the capital of OMAN and its largest city.
• ENGLISH (43D: Like Londoners and Liverpudlians) London, the capital and largest city in England, is located on the River Thames in the southeast part of the country. Liverpool is a city in northwestern England. Therefore, Londoners and Liverpudlians are ENGLISH. Sidenote: You might know Liverpool as the home of the Beatles. 

Yesterday I wrote that it has become a tradition for Zhouqin Burnikel to construct a Chinese New Year puzzle for us. This is the second year in a row that Hoang-Kim Vu has kept the Chinese New Year and Tet celebration going. (See RED ENVELOPES from last year.) I would be okay with this trend continuing. Thank you, Kim, for this puzzle that was a delightful way to start my Monday.