March 5, 2023

Title: WRONG AGAIN

Constructor: Zhouqin Burnikel

Editor: Erik Agard

Theme Answers:

DANNON OIKOS (17A: Triple Zero yogurt blend)

DOWN ON ONE KNEE (27A: Protesting or proposing, perhaps)

MONO NO AWARE (65A: Feeling evoked by cherry blossoms)

Theme synopsis: Each theme answer contains the word NO (as in WRONG), immediately followed by the word NO (WRONG) AGAIN. 

Things I learned:

• MONO NO AWARE (65A: Feeling evoked by cherry blossoms) MONO NO AWARE is a Japanese idiom describing an awareness of impermanence. The phrase has been translated as "the pathos of things," "a sensitivity to ephemera," "the aahness of things" or "the bittersweet poignancy of things." In the articles I read about MONO NO AWARE, cherry blossoms were frequently cited as evoking the feeling. The intensely beautiful blooms of cherry trees last only a week or two. Their beauty is tinged with a gentle sadness invoked by their impermanence, which serves as a reminder of the impermanence of life. This article talks about the idea of MONO NO AWARE as presented in Japanese literature. 

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• DANNON OIKOS (17A: Triple Zero yogurt blend) DANNON is the American brand of the French food-processing corporation, Danone. (This information was new to me!) DANNON OIKOS is a line of Greek yogurt. The Triple Zero yogurt blend claims to have 0% fat, 0g added sugars, and 0 artificial sweeteners. 
• POM (40A: Fluffy toy dog, for short) and GOOD DOG (6D: Praise for an obedient pup) POM here is short for Pomeranian, a dog breed named for the Pomerania region of Poland and Germany. POMs are tiny dogs, only weighing three to seven pounds, with a lot of fur. The breed is descended from sled dog breeds. 
• NAM (70A: ___ khao (Lao crispy rice salad)) NAM khao is a dish in Lao cuisine made with deep-fried rice balls, chunks of pork sausage, peanuts, coconut, and other ingredients. It is traditionally eaten wrapped in a lettuce leaf.
• EPEES (72A: Foils, sabres and ___) If everything you knew about the sport of fencing was learned from crossword puzzles, you might think ÉPÉES were the only sword used in the sport. (You might also be unaware that the word ÉPÉE is written using two accent marks.) In fact, there are three weapons used in fencing: foils, sabres, and ÉPÉES. An ÉPÉE is not a double-EDGED sword (51D); it has a triangular blade with no cutting edge.
• DEVILED EGGS (10D: Food item alternately referred to as "stuffed" in some religious households) This clue made me laugh! I have been to many church potlucks, and DEVILED EGGS were served at most of them. I have not heard of the term "stuffed EGGS," but I believe that some denominations might insist on using the alternate term. The word DEVILED has been used since the 18th century to refer to foods that are spicy or zesty. 
• ANG (38D: "Lust, Caution" director ___ Lee) Lust, Caution is a 2007 movie directed by ANG Lee, which won the Golden Lion Award at the Venice Film Festival. The movie, which is described by Wikipedia as an "erotic period espionage romantic mystery film" (that's a lot of descriptive words!), is based on a 1979 novella by Eileen Chang. Lust, Caution tells the story of a group of University of Hong Kong students plotting to assassinate a high-ranking special agent, and is allegedly based on a true story.
• DOO-WOP (52D: The Marcels genre) The genre of rhythm and blues known as DOO-WOP, features vocal group harmony with little instrumentation. DOO-WOP originated in Black communities in the 1940s. The Marcels were a DOO-WOP group formed in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1959. Their 1961 DOO-WOP cover of "Blue Moon," is included in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's list of "500 Songs That Shaped Rock."

Geography review:

• O'HARE (14A: One of the airports on flychicago.com) The city of Chicago, Illinois has two airports. O'HARE International airport, located in northwest Chicago, is the larger of the two airports. Last year, O'HARE was ranked as the world's best-connected airport. Midway International Airport, located on the city's southwest side, is the oldest of the two airports; it opened in 1927. Midwest serves as a base for Southwest Airlines.
• ENG (42A: Official language of Guyana (Abbr.)) Guyana is a country on the northern coast of South America. The capital of Guyana is Georgetown. English is the official language of Guyana, which also recognizes 10 regional indigenous languages. Most resident of Guyana speak Guyanese Creole, which is English-based, as their native language.
• ERIE (62D: Lake south of Lake Huron) Lake ERIE is the southernmost of the Great Lakes. It is directly south of Lake Huron, and southwest of Lake Ontario. Here's a fun fact (if you like data as I do!): This is the first appearance of our crossword-friend ERIE this month. It's been a bit since we last saw ERIE in the puzzle (41 days), and we did not see ERIE at all last month. I have been blogging about the USA Today puzzle since June 2020, and since that time, February 2023 was the first month without at least one ERIE appearance.

I don't usually appreciate being WRONG once, let alone being WRONG AGAIN, but I'll make an exception for this puzzle. I enjoyed learning about MONO NO AWARE, which reminds me of a phrase I often used when my kids were younger, "Everything is a phase." The good and the bad phases of life are just that, and sooner or later are replaced by another phase. My favorite clue in today's puzzle was the one for DOWN ON ONE KNEE. I did notice a little mini-theme with DOWN ON ONE KNEE (the proposal version), ELOPED (30D: Got married quickly), and VOW (19A: Groom-to-groom promise). It took me some time to uncover the answer WIGGLE ROOM; such a fun answer. Thank you, Zhouqin, for this puzzle that was a great way to start my Sunday.