March 18, 2023

Title: RISING SIGN

Constructor: Amanda Rafkin

Editor: Amanda Rafkin

Theme Answers:

SHARING IS CARING (4D: "Generosity = love")

FLOATING ISLANDS (6D: French desserts consisting of meringue in a sea of vanilla custard)

UNDERLYING ISSUE (8D: Core problem)

Theme synopsis: Reading up each vertical theme answer (i.e. RISING) we find the word SIGN.

Things I learned:

• LEAN IN (50A: Take initiative) Although I've heard the phrase LEAN IN, I'm not sure I've ever used it myself, and apparently I was a little foggy on its meaning, as it took me a bit of time to see this answer. LEAN IN generally means to make a good effort. In the business world, the phrase LEAN IN tends to mean "take initiative" and actively work to achieve your goals. The use of the phrase LEAN IN in the business world became popular following a 2013 book by Sheryl Sandberg titled LEAN IN: Women, Work, and the Will to LEAD.
• IT'S-IT (56A: Ice cream sandwich brand) It's amazing to me to discover there's an ice cream sandwich brand I haven't heard of! The IT'S-IT ice cream sandwich, which has been around since 1928, sounds delicious: vanilla ice cream sandwiched between oatmeal cookies and dipped in dark chocolate. That's the original flavor; other flavors are also available. IT'S-IT began in San Francisco at a seaside amusement park called Playland at the Beach. The IT'S-IT headquarters are now in Burlingame, California, and while the availability of IT'S-IT has expanded in recent years, they sadly are not available where I live. However, according to their website they do ship the ice cream sandwiches. Hmm.

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• DR. NO (19A: Villain in the first Bond movie) Not only is DR. NO the villain of the first James Bond movie, he's also the title character. DR. NO was released in 1962, and starred Sean Connery as James Bond. DR. Julius NO (I'm not sure I knew his first name!) was portrayed by Joseph Wiseman.
• DORIS (20A: "Pillow Talk" actress Day) Pillow Talk is a 1959 romantic comedy. The movie, starring DORIS Day and Rock Hudson, involves their characters sharing a telephone party line. (There were no cell phones back then.) Tony Randall also starred in the movie. Pillow Talk won an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay, and was the first of three romantic comedies starring Doris Day, Rock Hudson, and Tony Randall. The other two movies are Lover Come Back (1961) and Send Me No Flowers (1964).
• BIG CAT (23A: Tiger, lion or jaguar) Willow must have sensed there was a BIG CAT in today's puzzle, as she's been particularly "helpful" while I've been writing this blog post. Here's a fun photo I took of Willow yesterday. She stepped on my iPad, which happened to result in a photo of her coming up on the screen. She then settled down beside it as if she were checking out the photo to see if it met her standards. 

  

  Willow admiring a photo of herself

• SALADS (27A: Dishes that might contain Cool Whip) This made me laugh! The Midwestern United States - where I have spent the majority of my life - has a tendency to add Cool Whip to various ingredients and call the resulting dish a SALAD. I've written about a couple of Cool Whip SALADS previously: seafoam SALAD and Snickers SALAD. 
• BEERMOSA (52A: Brewski-and-OJ drink) A BEERMOSA is a variation on the mimosa, from which it takes its name. The classic mimosa is a combination of champagne and orange juice. A BEERMOSA, as the name suggests, substitutes beer for the champagne. (I'm going to pass on this one, as I don't like beer or orange juice.)
• LONG (65A: Like a 3.5-hour movie) For reference, Gone with the Wind (1939) lasts 238 minutes. That's just under four hours LONG.
• MCJOB (3D: Term that McDonald's campaigned to have removed from the Oxford English Dictionary) The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) added "MCJOB" in 2001, and defines it as "an unstimulating, low-paid job with few prospects, esp. one created by the expansion of the service sector." Given that definition, it's unsurprising that McDonalds has lobbied (unsuccessfully) for the word to be removed from the OED.
• SHARING IS CARING (4D: "Generosity = love") When I first encountered this clue, I had no idea what the answer might be. When a few letters from crossing answers revealed the answer, it was a nice "Aha!" moment. 
• FLOATING ISLANDS (6D: French desserts consisting of meringue in a sea of vanilla custard) There's not much to add here, as the clue gives an accurate description of the dessert known as FLOATING ISLANDS. I'll just add, "Yum!"
• UNCLE (51D: Mirabel, to Bruno, in "Encanto") In Disney's 2021 animated movie, Encanto, Bruno is the UNCLE of Mirabel, the movie's protagonist. Bruno has been banished from the Madrigal family's magical home, and if you've seen the movie (or perhaps even if you haven't) you know, "We Don't Talk About Bruno." This clue made me happy, because I tend to sing "We don't talk about Bruno...no, no, no..." at random times. (My husband loves this; I'm certain of it!)

Geography review:

• SYRIA (36A: Damascus' country) Damascus is the capital of SYRIA, and its largest city. Damascus has been continuously inhabited since the 3rd millennium BCE, making it one of the world's oldest cities.
• ALPS (7D: European mountain range) The ALPS lie entirely in Europe, and the mountain range spans seven countries: France, Switzerland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Austria, Germany, and Slovenia.
• EURO (53D: Coin in Spain or France) Speaking of Europe, Spain and France are two of the 20 European Union members that use the EURO as their currency. If you're going to Europe to see the ALPS, you might find it handy to know that five of the seven countries you are visiting use the EURO. Switzerland and Liechtenstein are the exceptions. When you visit those two countries, you'll need Swiss francs.

In addition to the SIGN RISING in each individual theme answer, it also rises in the grid from the right side to the left side of the puzzle. That's a nice extra touch. Three great grid-spanning theme answers today. Thank you, Amanda, for this puzzle that was a spectacular way to start my Saturday.