July 4, 2023

Title: "GREAT JOB!" (FREESTYLE)

Constructor: Rafael Musa 

Editors: Kelsey Dixon & Amanda Rafkin

Freestyle: This is a themeless puzzle. The title is a nod to NICELY DONE (54A: "Great work!).

Things I learned:

• EDGAR (20A: "Florida Man" actor Ramirez) Florida Man is a TV miniseries that premiered on Netflix earlier this year. ÉDGAR Ramirez portrays a former police officer who returns to his home state of Florida. This one-minute video clip features ÉDGAR Ramirez describing Florida Man, and shows some scenes from the show and  is about.

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• LASER (16A: Beam cats like to chase) and CATNIP (43D: Herb that felines are attracted to) LASER and CATNIP in the same puzzle? Willow says, "NICELY DONE, Rafa!" In fact, Willow was so delighted by this puzzle that she decided to eat it...

  

  Willow taking a bite out of the puzzle

  
  
• MARIAH (27A: Singer Carey whose fans are known as the Lambily) MARIAH Carey has referred to her fans as lambs since the 1990s. MARIAH Carey's most devoted fans are known collectively as the Lambily, a combination of "lamb" and "family."
• COTTAGECORE (43A: Aesthetic that idealizes rural life) COTTAGECORE has been described as a "soothing, escapist, aesthetic dominated by meadows, teacups, and baby goats." COTTAGECORE fashion tends to feature billowy dresses in floral patterns with puffy sleeves and ruffles.
• CSI (26D: Forensics show with four spinoffs) The original CSI: Crime Scene Investigation TV show aired from 2000-2015, and was set in Las Vegas. The show's four spin-offs are CSI: Miami (2002-2011), CSI:NY (2004-2013), CSI: Cyber (2014-2015), and CSI: Vegas (2021-present).
• SKATEBOARD (29D: You may do a kickflip with it) A kickflip is achieved when a skateboarder flips their SKATEBOARD 360 degrees. Although this clue is technically correct that I "may" do a kickflip with a SKATEBOARD, it's highly unlikely I ever will, in spite of this video's assurance that "anyone can learn to kickflip."
• TIME (30D: "Person of the Year" magazine) Do you remember when you were named TIME's "Person of the Year" in 2006?
• NEEDS (51D: Maslow's hierarchy of ___) Maslow's hierarchy of NEEDS is a psychology theory proposed by Abraham Maslow in 1943. Maslow's theory (which is widely used as well as contested) describes several levels of NEEDS that motivate human behavior: psychological NEEDS, safety NEEDS, belongingness and love NEEDS, esteem NEEDS, and self-actualization NEEDS. 
• IGBO (53D: Chinua Achebe's ethnic group) Chinua Achebe (1930-2013), who I have previously written about, was a Nigerian writer sometimes referred to as the "father of African literature." Chinua Achebe's writing was influenced by IGBO culture and tradition.

Geography review:

• EAGLE (15A: Bird on Mexico's flag) Mexico's flag features vertical stripes of green, white, and red, with the national coat of arms in the center of the white stripe. The coat of arms features an EAGLE holding a serpent in its talon, sitting on top of a prickly pear cactus. This symbolism is based on the Aztec legend that an EAGLE sitting on a cactus while devouring a serpent signaled where they were to build their city, Tenochtitian (now Mexico City).
• STL (29A: Gateway Arch city (Abbr.)) St. Louis (STL), Missouri is home to the Gateway Arch.
  
  Just for fun, here's a collage of some photos I've taken of the Gateway Arch from non-traditional perspectives.
• STATES (42A: Maryland, Ohio, Iowa, etc.) Let's have a Geography Review Quiz about these three STATES. Can you name the capitals of Maryland, Ohio, and Iowa? The answer to the Geography Review Quiz will be at the end of this blog post.
• ASIA (11D: Malaysia's continent) Malaysia is a country in Southeast ASIA. The country consists of two regions, Peninsular Malaysia (part of the Malay Peninsula) and East Malaysia (part of the island of Borneo). The capital of Malaysia is Kuala Lumpur.
• SAO PAULO (18D: Largest city in the Southern Hemisphere) Over 12 million people live in SĀO PAULO, Brazil, and over 22 million people live in the SÃO PAULO metropolitan area. In addition to being the largest city in the Southern Hemisphere, SÃO PAULO is the fourth largest city in the world, following Tokyo, Japan; Delhi, India; and Shanghai, China.

There's so much good stuff in this grid. In addition to the answers I've already highlighted, I enjoyed the clue for BEARD (9A: Facial feature that crumbs might get caught in) and liked the answers: BUNGEE CORD, PANSEXUAL, PENGUINS, SWADDLES, and IGUANA. Thank you, Rafa, for this puzzle that was a great way to start my Tuesday. NICELY DONE!

Willow's artwork

Answer to Geography Review Quiz: The capital of Maryland is Annapolis. The capital of Ohio is Columbus. The capital of Iowa is Des Moines.