May 1, 2023

Title: CHECK ONE CHECK TWO (FREESTYLE)

Constructor: Brooke Husic

Editor: Erik Agard

Themeless: The word FREESTYLE in the title indicates that this puzzle doesn't have a theme. In themeless puzzles with titles, the title tends to be a reference to one (or sometimes two) of the answers in the puzzle. In this case, CHECK ONE CHECK TWO is a nod to MY MIC SOUNDS NICE.

And now a word from our constructor:

Brooke: the seed for this puzzle was MY MIC SOUNDS NICE; the second seed was DOMINICA, which is where one of my best friends is from. i always love including POET (or POETRY) in puzzles because i love to mention poets or poems that are meaningful to me or my friends. my other favorite answers+clues are DID YOU MISS ME, DISCO, EMMY, and JAI.

Things I learned:

• ZAP (8A: "Electric" protest tactic popularized by the Gay Activists Alliance) A ZAP is a public demonstration that is usually aimed at a specific public figure as a way to bring attention to an issue. As the clue informs us, the ZAP was first used and popularized by the Gay Activists Alliance (GAA). In 1970, GAA staged a series of ZAPs in New York City protesting Mayor John V. Lindsay's refusal to take action on gay rights issues. This Smithsonian article provides more background about the ZAP, and this Pride article gives examples of five specific ZAPs. 
• JAI (53A: "___ Ho" (song from "Slumdog Millionaire")) A.R. Rahman composed the soundtrack for the 2008 movie, Slumdog Millionaire. The song, "JAI Ho" accompanies a choreographed dance sequence during the movie's end credits. The song includes lyrics in Hindi, Urdu, Punjabi, and Spanish. The phrase, "JAI ho" roughly translates to "Let there be victory." In 2009, the Pussycat Dolls recorded an English variation of the song titled "JAI Ho! (You Are My Destiny)."
• POET (2D: Writer such as Nima Yooshij) Iranian POET Nima Yooshij (1895-1960) is considered the father of modern Persian poetry. He popularized a style of poetry he named she'r-e now ("new poetry").

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• CAT DOOR (21A: Portal for a kitty) and DID YOU MISS ME (4D: Question after returning from a long absence) My husband and I returned home last night after being away

  

  Willow "helping" with today's blog post

  from home for almost two weeks. I don't really need to ask Willow, "DID YOU MISS ME?" because the answer has been pretty obvious. She has stayed pretty close to me since we got home! 
• MY MIC SOUNDS NICE (36A: 2010 Ava DuVernay documentary about women in hip-hop) MY MIC SOUNDS NICE: A Truth About Women and Hip Hop is a 2010 documentary directed by Ava DuVernay. The 41-minute film, which originally aired on BET, explores the legacy of women who helped invent hip hop. 
• FREE (40A: Like items in Buy Nothing groups) Buy Nothing groups are geographically-based groups that encourage giving of consumer goods and services. Buy Nothing originated as a Facebook group in Bainbridge Island, Washington in 2013, but it has spread throughout the U.S. and to other countries. I belong to a Buy Nothing group, and it's an amazing and quirky place. On any given day someone might be offering "gifts" such as a KitchenAid mixer, a stack of children's books, plant cuttings, or a box of cereal their family didn't care for. People also "ask" for things they're in need of, such as a dress for a special occasion, or someone to help them with a project. Everything offered in a Buy Nothing group is FREE; no selling is allowed.
• EMPEROR (49A: Biggest living penguin species) Adult EMPEROR penguins can be just under four feet tall and weigh 50 to 100 pounds. 
• DISCO (7D: Donna Summer genre) Donna Summer (1948-2012) was known as the "Queen of DISCO." What's your favorite Donna summer song? This USA Today article highlights ten Donna Summer songs.
• ZHAO (8D: "Nomadland" director Chloe) Chloe ZHAO won numerous awards, including an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award, for directing the 2020 movie Nomadland. 
• EMMY (49D: Math genius Noether) I learned about German mathematician, EMMY Noether, when we saw her full name as a theme answer December 18, 2021. 
• JUNE (53D: National HIV Testing month) National HIV Testing Day, which aims to encourage people to get tested and know their HIV status, is JUNE 27. 

Geography review:

• IRISH (39A: From Dublin) Dublin is the capital of Ireland and its largest city.
• USA (48A: Neighbor of Mex.) The United States (USA) is Mexico's (Mex.) neighbor to the north. To the southeast, Mexico is neighbors with Guatemala and Belize.
• DOMINICA (22D: Country that hosts the World Creole Music Festival) DOMINICA is an island country in the Caribbean. Its capital is Roseau. During the final weekend of October each year, DOMINICA hosts the World Creole Music Festival. Fun Fact: The flag of DOMINICA features its national bird, the sisserou parrot (a critically endangered species found only on DOMINICA). Some of the parrot's feathers are purple, making DOMINICA one of only three countries whose flags have the color purple on them. The other two countries that have purple in their flags are Nicaragua and El Salvador; both of their flags contain a rainbow that includes purple.

A themeless puzzle in the USA Today! This was a bit of a surprise when I opened today's puzzle. In my almost three years of blogging, this is the first time I've written about a themeless puzzle. Themeless puzzles tend to have a reputation for being more difficult than themed puzzles. I think this is partly due to the fact that the New York Times runs themeless puzzles on Fridays and Saturdays, the days that feature their most difficult puzzles. As a solver that prefers puzzles a bit on the easier side, I am a fan of seeing themeless puzzles clued at a less-difficult level, such as today's delightful puzzle. MY MIC SOUNDS NICE is a great grid-spanning seed entry. I also liked DID YOU MISS ME, STEAMED BUNS, and the related SUGARY and LEMON sweet tea clues. Thank you, Brooke, for this freestyle (!) puzzle that was a fantastic way to start my Monday.