April 29, 2023

Title: PASS THE BREAD

Constructors: Kaitlin Hsu & Brooke Husic

Editor: Erik Agard

Theme Answers:

ROLLER DERBY (19A: Contact sport on skates)

EYEROLLING (35A: Like a corny joke)

PICK AND ROLL (54A: Two-person offensive action in basketball)

Theme synopsis: The word ROLL (a type of BREAD) is found in each theme answer, and is visually PASSed from left to right in the grid.

Things I learned:

• CHU (4A: Hockey star Julie) Julie CHU is a former ice hockey player. She played for Team USA in the 2002, 2006, 2010, and 2014 Winter Olympics, becoming the first Asian American woman to play for the U.S. Olympic ice hockey team. The team won silver medals in 2002, 2010, and 2014, and a bronze medal in 2006.  Since the 2015-2016 season, Julie CHU has been the head coach of the Concordia Stingers (Concordia University in Montreal, Quebec).
• MINERVA (30A: Roman goddess who turned Arachne into a spider) Minerva is the Roman goddess of wisdom, justice, and the arts.  In Roman mythology, Arachne was a mortal who was a talented weaver. Arachne boasted that her weaving skills were better than MINERVA's, and MINERVA took her up on the challenge. The end result of the contest between Arachne and MINERVA (which Arachne won, angering MINERVA) was that MINERVA turned Arachne into a spider. This answer pairs well with EEK! (53A: "A spider!")
• PICK AND ROLL (54A: Two-person offensive action in basketball) My understanding of basketball is not adequate enough to clearly explain the offensive play known as PICK AND ROLL. (It's good to know your limits.) However, here's an explanation if you'd like to learn more. 

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• ICE BAR (28A: Place to get a drink while wearing a big puffy coat) An ICE BAR is exactly what it sounds like, a BAR whose walls and seating is made of ICE. Since the temperature must be kept low to keep the ICE BAR from melting, a warm coat is a necessity. 
• TEMS (66A: Nigerian singer with the EP "For Broken Ears") I learned about For Broken Ears, the debut EP from TEMS, from the October 29, 2022 puzzle. 
• DEARICA (2D: WNBA player Hamby) Speaking of basketball, DEARICA Hamby plays for WNBA's Los Angeles Sparks. She received WNBA's Sixth Player of the Year Award in 2019 and 2020, a fact I learned from the September 15, 2021 puzzle. 
• IAN (9D: Name that can fill in the blank to form another name: D___A) and ELI (48D: Name that can fill in the blank to form another name: F___X) This is a fun pair of clues.
• PORCINI (14D: Mushroom served with tagliatelle) Tagliatelle is an Italian pasta that is long and flat, similar to fettuccine. PORCINI mushrooms pair well with tagliatelle.
• BEY (29D: Nickname for Beyonce) The Queen BEY is a welcome addition to any crossword.
• GNC (38D: Abbreviation whose G stands for "gender") GNC here stands for "gender nonconformity") 
• DON (40D: Actor Cheadle) DON Cheadle has won numerous awards and has an impressive and extensive filmography. DON Cheadle will appear in the upcoming Disney+ TV miniseries, Secret Invasion, and in an upcoming movie titled Prince of Darkness. 
• CAT (57D: Pet that might be "knead"-y) There are multiple reasons a CAT might use

  

  Toby is a handsome fellow

  their paws to "knead" your furniture or your lap. They may simply be trying to create a comfortable place to lie down, or they may be displaying contentment and expressing affection. This week, my husband and I have been housesitting in Chicago, which means we have been hanging out with Toby.

Geography review:

• LAOS (16A: Southeast Asian country) The landlocked Southeast Asian country of LAOS is bordered by Myanmar, China, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Thailand. The capital of LAOS is Vientiane. 
• CAMPER (24A: Person staying the night in Bryce Canyon) My husband and I haven't been CAMPERs in Bryce Canyon, but we did do an amazing day hike into the canyon (and back up!). Bryce Canyon is the centerpiece of Bryce Canyon National Park in southwestern Utah. The

  

  Hoodoos in Bryce Canyon

  distinctive feature of Bryce Canyon is its abundance of geological features called hoodoos. 
• ANDES (49D: South American mountain range) The ANDES Mountains run along the western edge of South America, crossing seven countries: Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Chile, and Argentina.

I really like this theme, with the ROLL PASSing across the puzzle. There was no EYEROLLING induced by this puzzle, but EYEROLLING is a fantastic answer. 

Other great answers: SNOOZEFEST, ENZYME, ZANY, ROSE CUT, and PEEL OUT. Thank you, Kaitlin and Brooke, for this great Saturday solve.

One more thing: Bonus blog post alert! You know I'm a huge fan of the USA Today puzzle, but, of course, it's not the only crossword on the block. Another puzzle I've been enjoying is The Modern Crossword, a relatively new offering from The Puzzle Society. Designed by some constructors whose names are familiar to USA Today solvers - Amanda Rafkin, Anna Gundlach, Erik Agard, and David Steinberg - The Modern Crossword has some interesting features such as alternate clues for assistance, and constructor's notes that may be viewed after solving. Another fun thing is that the puzzle increases in size as the week progresses. It just so happens that today's Modern Crossword is constructed by Brooke Husic. So if you'd like to solve another Brooke puzzle today, I encourage you to check it out. After solving, check out the special bonus blog I've written about today's Modern Crossword.