May 16, 2023

Title: YES AND NO (FREESTYLE)

Constructor: Will Nediger

Editor: Erik Agard

Freestyle: This is a themeless puzzle. To me, the title of YES AND NO nods to the combo of I'M GAME (27A: "Count me in") and I'LL PASS (25A: Count me out").

Things I learned:

• LOUVERTURE (55A: Haitian revolutionary Toussaint) Toussaint LOUVERTURE (1743-1803) was a prominent leader in the Haitian Revolution, which ended French rule and abolished slavery in the country now known as Haiti. Although Toussaint LOUVERTURE died in a French prison a year before the Haitian army was ultimately successful, he played a crucial role in the revolution and was the Governor-General of Saint -Domingue (which became Haiti) from 1797-1801. If you'd like to learn more about Toussaint LOUVERTURE, here's an article from the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture. 
• HOME SIGN (5D: Something a deaf child might come up with) The term "HOME SIGN" is used to refer to a communication system of gestures spontaneously invented by a deaf child. HOME SIGN systems are often seen in families where a deaf child is raised by hearing parents and has no interaction with the Deaf community, and is not exposed to a model for language such as American Sign Language (ASL) or one of the other nearly 300 sign languages used around the world. 

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• O'HARA (16A: "Beetlejuice" actress Catherine) In the 1988 movie Beetlejuice, Catherine O'HARA portrays Delia Deetz, the second wife of Charles Deetz (played by Jeffrey Jones) and stepmother to Lydia (played by Winona Ryder). The Deetz family moves from New York City and buys a house in Winter River, Connecticut, only to discover they are sharing their new home with ghosts. Catherine O'HARA will reprise her role of Delia Deetz in Beetlejuice 2, a sequel scheduled for release in September 2024. 
• COPT (17A: Egyptian Christian) The COPTs are a Christian ethnoreligious group indigenous to North Africa. Coptic Christians make up the majority of Egypt's Christian community. The Coptic Church originated in Alexandria and considers St. Mark the Evangelist (the writer of the Gospel of Mark) as its founder.
• I'LL PASS (25A: "Count me out") and I'M GAME (27A: "Count me in") These two answers appearing on the same line of the grid, with their consecutive clues voicing opposite levels of engagement, are pure delight! 
• ANNE HECHE (36A: Co-star of "Walking and Talking" and "Wag the Dog") In the 1996 film, Walking and Talking, ANNE HECHE co-starred with Catherine Keener, Todd Field, Live Shreiber, and Kevin Corrigan. In the 1997 movie, Wag the Dog, ANNE HECHE co-stars with Robert De Niro and Dustin Hoffman. ANNE HECHE's professional acting career began on the soap opera, Another World, where from 1987-1991 she played the roles of twins, Vicky Hudson and Marley Love.
• EPIC POETRY (44A: Specialty of Homer) EPIC POETRY was the specialty of the Greek poet, Homer, who is credited as the author of the EPIC poems, the Iliad and the Odyssey.
• NAGWARE (11D: Programs that constantly prompt the user to pay) Shareware is a type of software that is - at least initially - shared by the owner for trial use at no cost. The term NAGWARE was coined to refer to shareware that persistently reminds the user to buy a license to continue to use the program. Sometimes these reminders are pop-up notices that obscure part of the screen. NAGWARE is sometimes also referred to as "annoyware," as it attempts to annoy the user until they pay. 
• CULTURE (41D: ___ vulture) What is a CULTURE vulture? (This is a great rhyming term, by the way...) Well, it depends on who you ask? Merriam Webster defines a CULTURE-vulture as "a person who avidly attends cultural events." Urban Dictionary, on the other hand, defines a CULTURE vulture as "a person or an organization making profit using unhonorable practices from a  CULTURE they do not care for," or as "someone who steals traits, language and/or fashion from another ethnic or social group." And if you look up the term on Wikipedia, you'll learn about a Thoroughbred racehorse named CULTURE Vulture.

Geography review:

• CAD (41A: Canada's currency code) The currency used in Canada is the Canadian dollar, which has the currency code CAD. 
• MIT (48A: University near Boston) The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Cambridge is a suburb in the Greater Boston metropolitan area, and is located across the Charles River from Boston. The MIT campus is situated along the Charles River. MIT was founded in Boston in 1861. The move to Cambridge occurred in 1916, with MIT administration and the MIT charter crossing the Charles River on a ceremonial barge built for the occasion.

Regardless of this puzzle's title, my response to the question, "Would you like to solve a FREESTYLE puzzle constructed by Will Nediger?" will always be a resounding YES! Thank you, Will, for this puzzle that was a great way to start my Tuesday.