August 20, 2023

Title: TAG UP

Constructor: Matthew Stock

Editor: Jared Goudsmit

Theme Answers:

LASER PRINTER (4D: Copy room machine)

FREEZE FRAME (18D: Film technique often used before a flashback)

PHONE A FRIEND (23D: "Who Wants To Be a Millionaire?" lifeline)

Theme synopsis: The UPmost word in each vertical theme answer can be paired with the word TAG. Today we're playing LASER TAG, FREEZE TAG, and PHONE TAG.

Things I learned:

• NOKIA (11D: Finnish phone brand) NOKIA is a multinational telecommunications and information technology corporation. I've heard of the NOKIA brand, but didn't know much about it. The NOKIA headquarters are located in Espoo, Finland. NOKIA has a long history, dating back to 1865. The first NOKIA company was a pulp mill. NOKIA's mobile phone business was purchased by Microsoft in 2014. 

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• MILANOS (13A: Pepperidge Farm sandwich cookies) A thin layer of chocolate sandwiched between two crisp cookies ... yum! I am a fan of Pepperide Farm's MILANOS.
• AKA (19A: Isis Naija Gaston ___ Ice Spice) Ice Spice is the professional name of Isis Naija Gaston. Last time I wrote about Isis Naija Gaston AKA Ice Spice, I mentioned she had teamed up with Nicki Minaj on the song "Barbie World," and I noted that I was on my way to see

  

  My Weird Barbies

  
  the movie, Barbie, that afternoon. I am happy to report I enjoyed the movie immensely! I can also tell you that all of the Barbies I had when I was younger are well-loved "Weird Barbies." (Also, that fur-lined coat and hat in the photo was featured in the end credits of the movie!)
• EARL (41A: "Goodbye ___" (Chicks song)) "Goodbye Earl" is a song from The Chicks 2000 album, Fly. Wikipedia describes this song as a "country murder ballad." The song is about a man named EARL that abuses his wife, ignoring a divorce and restraining order. When the wife ends up in intensive care, she and her best friend decided "that EARL had to die." Because of the violent nature of the song, some radio stations refused to play it. Other stations paired the song with a PSA about domestic violence. The Chicks' liner notes for the song provide the disclaimer: "...Chicks do not advocate premeditated murder..."
• NON (68A: ___ sequitur) A NON sequitur is a response or story that seems to come out of nowhere, as it's not related to the current topic.

  

  Willow the watch cat

  This morning my husband got up early to put up a sign in my office. The funniest thing was that Willow meowed the entire time, giving him away! (See what I did there...)
• CLAW (3D: Bear ___ (pastry)) First MILANOS and now a bear CLAW. This puzzle is making me hungry!
• PIKACHU (9D: Yellow, mouselike Pokemon) PIKACHU first appeared in 1996 in the video games Pokémon Red and Pokémon Green. The yellow, mouselike PIKACHU serves as a Pokémon mascot.
• MEME (29D: "Kermit Drinking Tea," for one) If you've spent any time at all on social media, you've likely seen the Kermit sipping TEA meme, featuring a photo of the lovable green Muppet sipping tea. The photo is often accompanied with the hashtag, #ButThatsNoneofMyBusiness. If you've ever wondered why Kermit sips Lipton Tea, it's because the photo used in the meme is from a 2014 Lipton Tea commercial.
• EMEZI (49D: "Freshwater" author Akwaeke) Akwaeke Emezi is a writer and video artist. Akwaeke Emezi was born and raised in Nigeria, and moved to the United States at the age of 16 to attend New York University. Their books include Freshwater (2018), Pet (2019), The Death of Vivek Oji (2020), and You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty (2022). Freshwater, a semi-autobiographical novel about a college student that finds out she has three spirits living in her subconscious, is being adapted into a TV series by FX.
• STAY (59D: 2012 Rihanna hit) "STAY" is a 2012 song by Rihanna. "STAY" is a popular song name - Wikipedia lists over 50 songs with that title!

Geography review:

• ORE (30A: Eugene's state (Abbr.)) Eugene is the second-largest city in Oregon (ORE), after Portland. Oregon's capital, Salem, is the third-largest city in the state.
• SYDNEY (69A: Australian city with a famous opera house) SYDNEY is the most-populous metropolitan area in Australia. It is located on the east coast of Australia. The SYDNEY Opera House was designed by Danish architect, Jørn Utzon, and is considered one of the world's most distinctive buildings. The building opened in 1973, and is home to Opera Australia, the SYDNEY Theatre Company, and the SYDNEY Symphony Orchestra.
• NILE (2D: Africa's longest river) The longest river in Africa, the NILE, flows north into the Mediterranean Sea. The NILE River flows through 11 countries: Egypt, Sudan, South Sudan, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Uganda, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, and Burundi.

Remember to TAG UP after solving today. This is a great set of theme answers! Thank you, Matthew, for this puzzle that was a delightful way to start my birthday Sunday!