June 5, 2023

Title: THREE SHARP

Constructor: Rafael Musa

Editor: Erik Agard

Theme Answers:

MAKE ENDS MEET (18A: Get by financially)

SPOKE ENGLISH (34A: Practiced for an ESL class)

CHEROKEE NATION (48A: Tahlequah is its capital)

Theme synopsis: Each of the THREE theme answers contains the word KEEN, a synonym of SHARP.

Things I learned:

• KINECT (9D: Motion-sensing Xbox accessory) KINECT devices, which were first released in 2010, contain cameras and projectors that recognize movement and gestures, meaning it can be used without physical controllers. 
• ROSS (29D: ___ Dress for Less) I learned about the ROSS chain of discount department stores from the January 15, 2023 puzzle. However, I did not learn enough about the stores to remember that they operate under the brand name, ROSS Dress for Less. 

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• RESIDE (53A: "All my exes live in Texas / Therefore I ___ in Tennessee" (George Strait)) This clue made me chuckle, as does the song, "All My Ex's Live in Texas," which George Strait's released in 1987. "All my exes live in Texas / And Texas is a place I'd dearly love to be / But all my exes live in Texas / Therefore I RESIDE in Tennessee." It's been many years since I have heard this song, but I was easily able to fill in this lyric. The song sticks in your head, as many country songs tend to do.
• BINDS (6D: Uses TransTape, for example) BINDing is used to make the chest appear flatter. TransTape is "a gender-affirming, body transformation system" that is an alternative to using a compression binder.
• LEONA LEWIS (26D: "Bleeding Love" singer) "Bleeding Love," which was released in 2007, has become the signature song for LEONA LEWIS. The song reached the top of the charts in over 35 countries.
• ELEMENTS (33D: What the periodic table contains) It was just three days ago that we saw the singular of ELEMENTS in the puzzle, with a clue referencing the book The Periodic Table by Primo Lewis. 
• HEROINES (36D: Kantiss Everdeen, Alanna of Trebond, etc.) Katniss EVERDEEN is the protagonist of The Hunger Games trilogy written by Suzanne Collins. Katniss competes in the Hunger Games after volunteering to take the place of her younger sister. (This clue is timely, as a friend and I were just discussing The Hunger Games yesterday.) Alanna of Trebond is the main character in a series of young adult fantasy novels by Tamora Pierce. The first of four books in The Song of the Lioness Series is titled Alanna: The First Adventure. Alanna wants to be a knight, and switches places with her brother in order to go through training.

Geography review:

• WICHITA (14A: Largest city in Kansas) WICHITA is located in south-central Kansas, along the Arkansas River. 
• CLE (45A: The Cavs, on scoreboards) Cleveland is located in the northeast part of Ohio, along the shores of Lake Erie. The Cleveland Cavaliers (CLE, on scoreboards) are an NBA Team.
• CHEROKEE NATION (48A: Tahlequah is its capital) CHEROKEE NATION is located in northeastern, Oklahoma, and is the largest of the CHEROKEE tribes in the U.S. In addition to being the capital of CHEROKEE NATION, Tahlequah is also the capital of the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians, which is also located in Oklahoma.

You need to be SHARP and have a KEEN eye to pick up on today's theme. In enjoyed the nice "Aha!" moment when I caught on. Thank you, Rafa, for this puzzle that was a delightful way to start my Monday.

P.S. If you missed Rafa's New York Times puzzle yesterday, I highly recommend it.