February 16, 2023

Title: SPRINT CENTER

Constructor: Erik Agard

Editor: Erik Agard

Theme Answers:

DISGRUNTLED (20A: Not happy)

NEW FEAR UNLOCKED (37A: "Great, one more thing to be terrified about")

LABOR UNIONS (50A: Groups of organized workers)

Theme synopsis: The word RUN (a synonym of SPRINT) is found at the CENTER of each theme answer.

Things I learned:

• CIA (36A: Intelligence org. in the Susan Williams book "White Malice") Susan Williams is a historian and author. Her 2021 book is titled White Malice: The CIA and the Covert Recolonization of Africa. As the title suggests, the book is a history of CIA involvement in Africa, particularly in the Congo and Ghana.
• LAURA (6D: Actress Linney) I am generally not great with remembering the names of celebrities. LAURA Linney is one whose name I couldn't recall, but whose face is familiar to me. LAURA Linney has had an extensive career on stage, as well as in movies and on television. Recently she has appeared in the 2020 movies, Falling and The Roads Not Taken (both of which deal with the topic of dementia). In the 2022 documentary series, The Last Movie Stars, LAURA Linney played the role of Joanne Woodward.

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• MEDUSA (23A: Snake-haired figure in Greek myth) In Greek mythology, MEDUSA was one of three Gorgon sisters, all of whom had living venomous snakes for hair. Those who looked into the eyes of MEDUSA or her sisters, Stheno and Euryale, were turned to stone. MEDUSA, as the story goes, was beheaded by Perseus, who kept her head and used it as a weapon. 
• RENEE (26A: Name that means "born again") The name RENEE is of French and Latin origin. Its meaning of "born again" is associated with the Christian concept of baptism and spiritual rebirth. I am a little bit embarrassed that I needed a couple of letters from crossing answers to fill in RENEE, as it happens to be my middle name and my daughter's middle name.
• NEW FEAR UNLOCKED (37A: "Great, one more thing to be terrified about") Just for fun, I searched for "NEW FEAR UNLOCKED" on Twitter. 
• UPSIDE (4D: "___ down" (Diana Ross hit)) "UPSIDE Down" is a Diana Ross song, from her 1980 album, Diana. The song is featured in a new ad for Nutella. 
• WOODPECKER (11D: Loud bird) and SNOW (54D: Fluffy precipitation) In IOWA, we woke up to SNOW today! Just after I finished solving the puzzle, a downy WOODPECKER landed on our suet

  

  WOODPECKER in the SNOW (in IOWA)

  feeder, which felt apt. 
• SADE (28D: "Smooth Operator" singer) Just putting a link to SADE's 1984 song, "Smooth Operator" here in case you'd like that earworm today.
• RULE (33D: "No shoes in the house," for example) Not being a fan of shoes generally, I do not wear shoes in the house. It's not a RULE at our house, though, because my husband prefers wearing shoes. We do have a RULE about shoes that was especially helpful when our kids were younger. That RULE is, "If shoes are not on your feet, they belong in the closet." This served the dual purpose of keeping the shoes out of sight, and making them easier to find when it was time to put them on. One time when we were visiting my parents, my sister opened a closet to get out the vacuum cleaner. There were our son's shoes, neatly placed in the closet with the vacuum cleaner. Hey, he was following the RULE! "...but I DIGRESS (30A)."
• FLORALS (38D: "___? For spring? Groundbreaking" (sarcastic line in "The Devil Wears Prada")) In case you haven't seen the 2006 movie, The Devil Wears Prada (or if it's been a while), here's a clip of Meryl Streep, as Miranda Priestly, delivering the line, "FLORALS? For spring? Groundbreaking," as only she can.
• TWO (59D: Number that sometimes follows LGBTQIA) In the acronym LGBTQIA2, the number TWO refers to TWO-spirited, a third-gender term used by some Indigenous cultures.

Geography review:

• OAHU (1A: Honolulu's island) Honolulu is the capital of Hawaii. Located on the island of OAHU, Honolulu is the westernmost and southernmost major U.S. city. 
• IOWA (63A: Des Moines' state) Greetings from IOWA, though not from the state's capital of Des Moines. As noted above, IOWA is having a SNOW day!
• CHENNAI (39D: Capital of Tamil Nadu, India) Twenty-eight states and eight union territories make up the country of India. The state of Tamil Nadu is located on the southeastern coast of the Indian peninsula. As the clue and answer inform us, CHENNAI is the capital of Tamil Nadu. The official language of Tamil Nadu is Tamil, which we saw in the puzzle six days ago.
• UTAH (52D: Salt Lake City's state) Salt Lake City is the capital of UTAH, which makes four capitals mentioned in today's puzzle.

SPRINT CENTER is the former name of the T-Mobile CENTER, an arena in Kansas City, Missouri. Today, however, it's the perfect title for this puzzle that centers the word RUN. I appreciated that the word RUN is exactly in the CENTER of each theme answer, and also, thanks to the use of left-right mirror symmetry, in the CENTER of the grid. Also, this grid is definitely smiling at us, which put a smile on my face. Thank you, Erik, for this puzzle that was a delightful way to start my Thursday.