April 16, 2023

Title: THE END                                         

Constructor: Rafael Musa

Editor: Erik Agard

Theme Answers:
JUST BREATHE (16A: "In...and out")
CREME DE MENTHE (25A: Mint-flavored liqueur)
SUNBATHE (46A: Lie on the beach on a nice day)
RICHMOND BARTHE (56A: Harlem Renaissance sculptor)

Theme synopsis: Each theme answer has a THE at its END.

Things I learned:
  • RICHMOND BARTHE (56A: Harlem Renaissance sculptor) The Harlem Renaissance was an intellectual, social, and artistic movement in the 1920s and 1930s. RICHMOND BARTHE (1901-1989) became part of the movement when, in 1929, he moved to New York City from Chicago. RICHMOND BARTHE discovered sculpting while studying painting at the Art Institute of Chicago. He approached sculpting as a spiritual endeavor, and attempted to portray the feelings of his subjects. 
  • RISK (3D: ___ it for the biscuit) Although this phrase has been around since the 1970s, it's new to me. The meaning of this rhyming phrase is intuitive; if you want the reward (i.e. the biscuit), you need to take a RISK. The origin of the phrase isn't certain, but in the 1970s, a TV commercial in the UK for Swisskit - a chocolate-covered muesli bar - had a character saying, "I'll RISK it for a Swisskit," before skiing down a mountain. It's thought that over time the phrase changed to include the more general term of "biscuit." 
Random thoughts and interesting things:
  • DORA (1A: Cartoon character with a bilingual backpack) The title character of the animated children's TV series, DORA the Explorer is a seven-year-old Latina girl. On her various adventures, DORA is accompanied by her talking purple backpack and an anthropomorphic monkey named Boots. Like DORA, her backpack speaks both Spanish and English.
  • JUST BREATHE (16A: "In...and out") Good advice! Did you BREATHE "in...and out"
    JUST BREATHE
    as you filled in this answer?
  • DIA (22A: Domingo o lunes) DORA or her backpack would be able to tell you that "Domingo o lunes" is Spanish for "Sunday or Monday." DIA is the Spanish word for day.
  • ACAI (23A: Berry whose name comes from a Tupi word) Tupi is a language that was spoken by the Tupi people of Brazil. Although Classical Tupi is considered an extinct language, some 70 languages spoken in South American are considered the Tupian language family. The name of the AÇAI berry comes from a Tupi word meaning "(fruit that) expels water."
  • TROY (31A: "High School Musical" character Bolton) TROY Bolton is one of the main characters in the High School Musical movies. Zac Efron portrays TROY Bolton in High School Musical (2006), High School Musical 2 (2007), and High School Musical 3: Senior Year (2008). Interestingly, in the first movie, TROY's singing voice was dubbed, and was provided by Drew Seeley.
  • DEJA (1D: ___ vu) It is perhaps appropriate that "DÉJÀ vu" ("Haven't I experienced this before?") appears in the top corner of this puzzle, as we've seen a puzzle titled THE END before. Although the January 18, 2021 puzzle shares a title with today's puzzle, the theme approaches of the two puzzles are different. It's fascinating to see the many ways themes can be interpreted.
  • CEO (24D: One on an annual "most overpaid" list) As You Sow is a non-profit organization founded in 1992 that aims to "promote environmental and social corporate responsibility through shareholder advocacy, coalition building, and innovative legal strategies." Each year, As You Sow publishes a report identifying the 100 most overpaid CEO among companies in the S&P 500 index. Topping the 2023 list (looking at 2022 salaries) is Warner Bros. Discovery's CEO David Zaslav. 
  • EDNA (30D: Name contained in "contained name") This hidden word clue made me chuckle.
  • NBA (41D: League with Wizards and Magic) The Wizards and Magic here are the NBA teams, the Washington Wizards and the Orlando Magic.

    Geography review:

    • IRISH (36A: Like someone from Dublin) Dublin is the capital of Ireland, and also the country's largest city. Approximately 40% of the IRISH population lives in Dublin.
    • ESTE (7D: Punta del ___, Uruguayan city on the Atlantic)) In Spanish, "punta del ESTE" means "eastern tip." Not surprisingly then, the city of Punta del ESTE is located on a peninsula on the southeastern Atlantic coastline of Uruguay. 
    • DES (27D: ___ Moines) DES Moines is the capital of Iowa. It also happens to be my destination once I've finished writing this blog post. My husband and I are headed to see The Lion King at the DES Moines Civic Center. 
    • TEHRAN (48D: Capital of Iran) In addition to being Iran's capital, TEHRAN is the country's largest city.
    • MIT (58D: School near Harvard) The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Harvard University are both located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The two schools are approximately two miles apart.
    I enjoyed this set of theme answers. SUNBATHE felt like a nice little bonus theme answer tucked among the three longer, multi-word theme answers, and that was fun. This puzzle has some great down answers. I particularly liked DREAMERS with its great clue (14D: Some immigrants). Also wonderful: ASHRAMS, BAR MITZVAH, ENHANCED, and COMPASSION. Thank you, Rafa, for this puzzle that was a delightful way to start my Sunday.

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