February 7, 2023

Title: SIDE SALAD

Constructor: Matthew Stock

Editor: Anna Gundlach

Theme Answers:

LEMON WEDGE (17A: Citrus slice often served with fish)

ZEN GARDEN (38A: Calming outdoor green space)

BEACH HOUSE (61A: Property on the water)

Theme synopsis: The last word of each theme answer (the one on the right SIDE) is a type of SALAD. Today's SIDE choices include a WEDGE SALAD, a GARDEN SALAD, or a HOUSE SALAD.

Things I learned:

• SERB (54A: The NBA's Boban Marjanovic, for one) Boban Marjanović is a basketball player for the NBA's Houston Rockets. He was born and raised in Serbia, and also plays on the Serbian national basketball team. Prior to joining the Rockets in June of last year, Boban Marjanović played for the following NBA teams: Dallas Mavericks, Philadelphia 76ers, Los Angeles Clippers, Detroit Pistons, and San Antonio Spurs.
• MATEEN (11D: Actor Yahya Abdul-___ II) Yahya Abdul-MATEEN II played the role of the supervillain, Black Manta (aka David Kane), in the DC Comics movie, Aquaman (2018). He reprises the role in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, which is scheduled to be released in December of this year.

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• SZA (40A: "Kill Bill" singer) SZA released the song, "Kill Bill," in January of this year. It is a single from her second album, SOS. The song, which focuses on getting revenge on an ex-boyfriend, takes its title from the martial arts movies, Kill Bill: Volume 1 (2003) and Kill Bill: Volume 2 (2004).
• OVERDUE (41A: Like library books with late fees) I've never really minded paying late fees for OVERDUE books, as I've told myself it's a way of supporting the library! However, I'm a fan of the move of some libraries to do away with fees for OVERDUE books.
• SNL (45A: Sarah Sherman's show, for short) Sarah Sherman, who also uses the stage name Sarah Squirm, has been a featured player on SNL since October 2021. She also stars in Adam Sandler's upcoming movie, You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah!
• AGO (49A: "Million Years ___" (Adele song)) "Million Years AGO" is a song from Adele's 2015 album, 25. The song discusses the effect of fame.
• MEOW (67A: "Gimme some cat treats!") While I was solving today's puzzle, Willow jumped onto my lap and demanded attention. "MEOW!" Appropriately, I had to peer around her to read this clue. Now, as I type this up, she's sitting next to the keyboard and staring at the monitor as if she's wondering what I will say about her. She's such a great helper. Here she is giving her "paws of approval" to today's puzzle.

  

  Willow checking the grid for cat references

• LEAP DAY (10D: Addition to the calendar every four years) LEAP DAY, or February 29, is a day added to the Gregorian calendar to keep the calendar aligned with the seasons. LEAP DAY occurs in years that are divisible by 4, except for the rare instances when a year is divisible by 100, but not by 400. (So no February 29, 2100.) The next LEAP DAY will by February 29, 2024. 
• MANGOS (26D: Tropical fruits in some salsas) and GUAVA (32D: Tropical fruit in POG juice) Appropriately, we have MANGOS and GUAVA next to each other in the center of the grid giving us a SIDE of tropical fruit SALAD. POG stands for Passion Orange Guava, and is the name of a juice created in Hawaii. From the October 18, 2021 puzzle I learned that POG means "awesome" in "Twitch-speak."
• STREGA (33A: ___ Nona (pasta maker in a kid's book)) Ah, this clue brings back memories of reading to my kids when they were younger. STREGA Nona is a book written and illustrated by Tomie dePaola. First published in 1975, it was awarded a Caldecott Honor in 1976. The title character takes her name from the Italian words for "witch" and "grandmother." Strega Nona has an assistant named Big Anthony, who one day disobeys her instruction never to touch her magic pasta pot. 

Geography review:

• OMAN (34A: Country on the Arabian Peninsula) The Sultanate of OMAN is located  on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula. OMAN borders Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Yemen. The capital of OMAN is Muscat.
• OCEANS (2D: Atlantic and Pacific, for two) The Pacific and Atlantic - in that order - are Earth's two largest OCEANS. The other three OCEANS, in size order, are the Indian, the Antarctic (also known as the Southern), and the Arctic.

Would you like your crossword with a SIDE of SALAD today? You're in luck! I was able to guess the theme from the puzzle's title, but the one possible theme answer I came up with did not appear. (Hint: That answer relates to pizza, one of my favorite foods!) Matthew's choice of theme answers are great; I especially like ZEN GARDEN, which reminded me of a birthday gift our daughter gave my husband last year. (See photo below; quarter included for size.) Thank you, Matthew, for this puzzle that was a delightful way to start my Tuesday.

ZEN Litter Box GARDEN