May 17, 2023

Title: Break Time

Constructor: Nate Cardin

Editor: Anna Gundlach

Theme Answers:

SPLIT SECOND (20A: Moment that goes by quickly)

OPENING DAY (30A: When baseball's regular season starts)

GAP YEAR (46A: Time taken off between high school and college)

SPACE AGE (59A: Era of exploration beyond Earth)

Theme synopsis: Each theme answer starts with a BREAK-related word: SPLIT, OPENING, GAP, SPACE. The second word of each theme answer is a unit of time: SECOND, DAY, YEAR, AGE.

Things I learned:

• WIN (33A: "Blaine for the ___" (queer YA novel by Robbie Couch)) Blaine for the WIN is a 2022 young adult novel by Robbie Couch. The book is essentially a queer retelling of Legally Blonde, and it sounds delightful. Speaking of delightful, here are some fun things I learned about author Robbie Couch: His Simon & Schuster author page says he "spends his time eating noodles, scrolling on his phone, and explaining to confused strangers that his last name is pronounced 'like a sofa.'" And the bio on an Upworthy article Robbie Couch wrote states, "I'm a wandering writer with Michigan roots, an irrational fear of birds, and the belief that the world is slowly becoming a better place." Robbie Couch's third book, If I See You Again Tomorrow, was published last month.

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• DORA (19A: Explorer called "Dasha the Pathfinder" in Russian) This is a fun clue. The animated TV series DORA the Explorer first aired on Nickelodeon August 14, 2000, and has since grown into a multimedia franchise. DORA the Explorer has been produced in a number of languages. The original show is in English, and teaches Spanish words and phrases. In many of the adaptations, including the Russian version, the second language being taught is English.
• ALI (27A: "Beef" star Wong) Beef is a Netflix TV series about two people involved in a road rage incident that leads to them becoming enemies and getting involved in each other's lives. ALI Wong and Steven Yeun co-star in the show, which premiered last month.
• TOE (35A: ___ beans (pads on a cat's foot)) TOE beans is an adorable nickname

  

  Willow showing off her TOE beans

  for the cute, crying-out-to-be-pressed pads on a cat's foot. 
• BOY (50A: "If I Were a ___" (Beyonce song)) "If I Were a BOY" is a song on Beyoncé's 2008 album, I Am... Sasha Fierce.
• LATIN (4D: "In varietate concordia" language) "In varietate concordia," translated from LATIN to English means, "United in diversity." The European Union adopted "In varietate concordia" as its official motto in 2000. 
• BINDI (15D: Forehead adornment placed on the sixth chakra) The word "BINDI" comes from a Sanskrit word meaning "drop" or "particle." The practice of placing a colored dot on the forehead, to represent opening the third eye, originated among Hindus, Jains, Buddhists, and Sikhs from the Indian subcontinent. If you'd like to learn more, this article provides a nice overview of the purpose of the BINDI.
• PAW (31D: Pup's foot) It's always nice when a puzzle includes something for the cat lovers and the dog lovers.
• DIANA (53D: "Upside Down" singer Ross) "Upside Down" is a 1980 song by DIANA Ross, from her eleventh studio album, DIANA. Thanks for this earworm! "Upside down / Boy, you turn me / Inside out / And round and round..." Speaking of DIANA Ross, next month she's starting her 2023 Tour, and I imagine she might be singing "Upside Down" at some of those shows.

Geography review:

• CRAB (14A: Maryland seafood specialty) Located in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, Maryland is nicely situated for access to seafood. The blue CRAB is the state crustacean, and Maryland's largest commercial fishery.
• MALTA (17A: Island nation near Sicily) MALTA is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. The capital of MALTA is Valletta, whose metropolitan area covers the entire island of MALTA. The Italian island of Sicily is approximately 50 miles north of MALTA.

When I saw the title of today's puzzle I thought, "Oh, maybe the theme answers are going to BREAK the word TIME. I realized the theme approach was different than I expected when I uncovered the first theme answer, SPLIT SECOND. "Aha!" When I completed the puzzle, the word that came to mind to describe this theme execution was "elegant." As you move through the puzzle, both the BREAKs and the units of TIME become larger, progressing from a SPLIT to an OPENING to a GAP to a SPACE, and from a SECOND to a DAY to a YEAR to an AGE. And then there's the grid-spanning vertical answer, TOOK A DEEP BREATH, which is something you might have done when you realized it was BREAK TIME. So elegant! No wonder I think "YIPPEE!" when I see a Nate Cardin byline! Thank you, Nate, for this puzzle that was an elegant and delightful way to start my Wednesday.