August 13, 2023

Title: I'M AT SEA (FREESTYLE)

Constructor: Rafael Musa

Editor: Amanda Rafkin

Freestyle: This is a themeless puzzle. In my mind, I'M AT SEA links to ANY IDEAS (13A: "How should we handle this?") and HAVE NO CLUE (51A: Be totally lost). In another sense, I'M AT SEA could also be a nod to PIRATE (29A: "Arrrr!" speaker with a skull-and-crossbones flag).

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• QUORA (12A: Website similar to Yahoo! Answers) QUORA and Yahoo! Answers are online question-and-answer websites. Users can ask questions, and other users provide answers. QUORA is still active, but Yahoo! Answers ended in May 2021. 
• KEG (18A: Large beer container) and CAN (52D: Recyclable beer container) I enjoy clue echoes. I think they add a bit of fun to a puzzle. These two clues are far enough apart in the puzzle that one might miss the clue echo, or perhaps (as I did) think, "That sounds familiar..." when encountering the second clue.
• IBIS (22A: Sacred Egyptian bird) The IBIS is a long-legged wading bird. One species of IBIS, the African sacred IBIS, is known for its role in Ancient Egyptian religion. The Egyptian god, Thoth, was depicted as having the head of an IBIS.
• UMAMI (24A: Taste found in mushrooms) UMAMI is one of the five basic tastes, along with sour, sweet, salty, and bitter. UMAMI has been described as a savory taste. Mushrooms have a strong UMAMI flavor, as does miso, soy sauce, meats, fish, yeast extract, and cheese.
• WAS (26A: "As It ___" (Harry Styles song) "As It WAS" is a 2022 song by Harry Styles. It is the lead single from the album, Harry's House.
• T CELLS (33A: Immune system units) T CELLS are one of the types of white blood CELLS. T CELLS play an important role in the immune system. The role of the immune system is to protect an organism from disease. There are several types of T CELLS, all of which originate from stem cells in the bone marrow. Hooray for science in crosswords!
• LEG ROOM (36A: Space that economy seats are often short on) This clue enabled me to fill the answer in right away, and also made me feel frustrated at its truth!
• BABKA (41A: Sweet braided Jewish bread) A BABKA is a braided sweet bread that originated in Jewish communities in Eastern Europe. It may be filled with cinnamon, chocolate, fruit, or cheese.
• OSIRIS (46A: Egyptian god of the afterlife) When I read this clue I thought, "Oh, is that OSIRIS? Wait, how do I know that?" Of course I learned it from a crossword puzzle. OSIRIS, often depicted as green-skinned, was the ancient Egyptian god of fertility, agriculture, the afterlife, the dead, resurrection, and life.
• ARLO (59A: Singer Guthrie) ARLO Guthrie is a folk singer-songwriter. In 1981, the state of Massachusetts adopted ARLO Guthrie's song, "Massachusetts," as the state's official folk song.
• NSFW (62A: "Don't let your boss catch you looking at this" letters) NSFW = not safe for work
• BANH MI (10D: Vietnamese baguette sandwich) BANH MI is the Vietnamese word for bread. A BANH MI sandwich is served on a baguette, and often contains pork, and vegetables such as cucumber, pickled carrots, and daikon radishes, with chili sauce and mayo.
• OHO (37D: Exclamation hidden in "woohoo") OHO! This is a fun hidden word clue.

Geography review:

• HONSHU (40A: Island that's home to over 80% of Japan's population) The island country of Japan consists of 14,125 islands (that's a lot!), approximately 260 of which are inhabited. The largest and most-populated of Japan's islands is HONSHU. Home to approximately 104 million people, HONSHU is the second-most populous island in the world, after Java (which is home to 145 million people, about 56% of Indonesia's population).
• OMAHA (3D: Nebraska city home to the Museum of Shadows) OMAHA is the largest city in Nebraska. Located in OMAHA's Historic Old Market District, the Museum of Shadows - "the most haunted museum in the world" - is home to haunted artifacts and oddities.
• QUEBEC (12D: French-speaking Canadian province) The province of QUEBEC is one of Canada's thirteen provinces and territories. The largest of Canada's provinces by area, QUEBEC is the second-largest by population, after Ontario. The official language of QUEBEC is French.
• EL CAPITAN (30D: Yosemite monolith climbed in "Free Solo") EL CAPITAN, also

  

  EL CAPITAN

  known as EL CAP, is a vertical rock formation located in Yosemite National Park. It is about 3,000 feet from base to summit. The 2018 documentary, Free Solo, followed rock climber Alex Honnold's 2017 attempt to perform the first-ever free solo climb of EL CAPITAN. A free solo climb is one done without ropes or other safety equipment, and is as dangerous as it sounds. While filming Free Solo, the directors struggled with the ethical ramifications of the possibility Alex Honnold might die while they were filming his climb. **Spoiler alert**... the climb was successful. Whew! The last time I wrote about EL CAPITAN, I told you about a legend about its creation. 
• OHIO (46D: "Hot in Cleveland" state) Hot in Cleveland is a TV sitcom that originally aired from 2010-2016. As you might guess from its title, Hot in Cleveland is set in Cleveland, OHIO. The premise of the show is that three aging stars from Los Angeles (portrayed by Valerie Bertinelli, Jane Reeves, and Wendie Malick) are on their way to Paris when their plane makes an emergency landing in Cleveland, OHIO. They decide to stay and lease a house. Betty White also stars in the show, as a caretaker of the rented house.

There are so many great conversational phrases in today's puzzle. We have "SURE THING," "HONEST!" "I SUPPOSE," "I MEANT...," "SAME HERE," and the previously mentioned "ANY IDEAS?" Thank you, Rafa, for this puzzle that was a fabulous way to start my Sunday.

One more thing: Rafa has a themeless crossword doubleheader today. He also co-constructed today's Universal puzzle with Rebecca Goldstein.