June 4, 2023

Title: EYE ON THE BALL

Constructor: Erik Agard

Editor: Erik Agard

Theme Answers:

ANTIOXIDANT (4D: Vitamin C or E, for example)

CHILI OIL (5D: Spicy condiment)

JEDI ORDER (31D: Organization in "Star Wars")

CINCINNATI, OHIO (15D: Home to Skyline Chili)

Theme synopsis: The only occurrences of the letter O in this puzzle are in the vertical theme answers. As the O - representing a BALL - drops through the puzzle, it has the letter I - homophone of EYE - on top of it.

Things I learned:

• JAWN (31A: It's a Philly thing) JAWN is a slang term local to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It's used to refer to a "thing" - any object, place, or person.
• NATALIE (40A: "Postcolonial Love Poem" author Diaz) Postcolonial Love Poem, a 2020 collection of poetry by NATALIE Diaz, won the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry. NATALIE Diaz is Mojave, and is a member of the Gila River Indian community.
• TARA (25D: Jenna Ortega's "Scream" character) Jenna Ortega portrayed TARA Carpenter in Scream (2022) and Scream VI (2023). 

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• CIGAR (5A: J. Jonah Jameson often smokes one) J. Jonah Jameson is a Marvel Comics character. He first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man issue #1 (March 1963). J. Jonah Jameson is the publisher or editor-in-chief (depending on the comic) of the Daily Bugle, a fictional New York City newspaper. 
• HALLE (14A: "Don't I look like a ___ Berry poster?" (Missy Elliott lyric)) "Don't I look like a HALLE Berry poster?" is a line from Missy Elliott's 2002 song, "Work It."
• TALENTED (20A: Like a wunderkind) and YOUNG (64A: Like a wunderkind) When I read the clue for TALENTED, I thought, "Wunderkind is a fun word." (It means child prodigy.) Then I read the clue for YOUNG, and I thought, "Still a fun word!"
• LEBANESE (33A: Cuisine with hummus and stouf) Hummus is a dip made of mashed chickpeas, tahini, lemon juice, and garlic. Stouf is a LEBANESE turmeric cake. Stouf is made with a combination of semolina and all-purpose flour, and the turmeric gives it a yellow color.
• ANTIOXIDANT (4D: Vitamin C or E, for example) ANTIOXIDANTs, as the name implies, inhibit oxidation. This can be useful in food preservation. Vitamins A, C, and E are known dietary ANTIOXIDANTs. 
• EARWAX (21D: Cerumen) Cerumen is the medical name for EARWAX. Did you know there are two types of EARWAX? Whether or not you have wet or dry EARWAX is genetically determined. There's a fun fact you can use the next time you need dinner table conversation! 
• JEDI ORDER (31D: Organization in "Star Wars") In case your Star Wars knowledge is rusty, the JEDI ORDER are the good guys.
• ESPN (36A: "NBA Today" channel) I misread this clue originally as "NBC Today," and was extremely confused. Note to self: Read all clues carefully.

Geography review:

• IRAN (13A: Country west of Pakistan) IRAN is located in Western Asia. Pakistan and Afghanistan are IRAN's neighbors to the east. IRAN's other neighbors are Iraq and Turkey (to the west), Azerbaijan and Armenia (to the northwest), and Turkmenistan (to the north). IRAN also has coastline along the Caspian Sea, the Gulf of Oman, and the Persian Gulf. The capital of IRAN is Tehran.
• CITY-STATE (60A: Singapore or the Vatican) Singapore is an island CITY-STATE in Southeast Asia. Singapore has a population of over 5 million people. The Vatican is a landlocked CITY-STATE within Rome, Italy. Vatican CITY has a population of less than 1,000.
• AUSTIN (10D: Capital of Texas) AUSTIN is the capital of Texas, and the state's fourth-most-populous city, following Houston, San Antonio, and Dallas. Do you remember the other day when I noted that FARGO is the only city in North Dakota with a population over 100,000? Texas has 40 cities with a population over 100,000. 
• CINCINNATI, OHIO (15D: Home to Skyline Chili) CINCINNATI, OHIO is located in the southwestern part of the state, near the OHIO-Kentucky border. Skyline Chili is a chain of restaurants based in CINCINNATI. As the name implies, the restaurant serves chili, specifically CINCINNATI-style chili. CINCINNATI-style chili is a sauce (unlike chili can carne). It is usually served over spaghetti or hot dogs. The first Skyline Chili was opened in 1949 by Greek immigrant Nicholas Lambinides, and was named for the view of the CINCINNATI skyline visible from that restaurant.
• ABU (57D: ___ Dhabi) ABU Dhabi is one of the seven emirates that comprise the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The emirate of ABU Dhabi is named after the city of ABU Dhabi, which is the capital of the UAE and of the Emirate of ABU Dhabi.

Keep your EYE ON THE BALL, or in this case, keep your I ON THE letter O. What a cool theme execution. I am ENTRANCED! It's impressive that the only O's in the puzzle are the five in the theme answers. How nice of CINCINNATI, OHIO to have two I-O combinations. I actually had the thought yesterday that we might see the word BALL in today's title. Friday's puzzle was titled SPLIT THE BILL, and yesterday's title was AFTER THE BELL. Are we done with this vowel set, or will tomorrow's title feature a BULL or a BOLL? Stay tuned. Thank you, Erik, for this puzzle that was a delightful way to start my Sunday.