August 7, 2023

Title: CLEAR THE WAY

Constructor: Jared Goudsmit

Editor: Amanda Rafkin

Theme Answers:

WAKEY WAKEY (17A: Cutesy "Time to get up!")

WAITED PATIENTLY (35A: Calmly stood in line, say)

WATCH PARTY (57A: Get-together around the TV)

Theme synopsis: Each theme answer appears within the word WAY (i.e. the answers have CLEARed THE WAY).

Things I learned:

• OPERA (61A: Musical drama such as "Omar") Omar is an OPERA composed by Rhiannon Giddens and Michael Abels that is based on the 1831 autobiography, A Muslim American Slave: The Life of Omar ibn Said. Omar premiered at the Spoleto Festival USA in 2022, and won the 2023 Pulitzer Prize for Music.

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• WHEN (6A: "You can stop pouring now") "WHEN," of course, means, "You can stop pouring now," if it is said in response to, "Say WHEN..." This brought back memories of my childhood and made me laugh. 
• OSAGE (14A: Oklahoma people) The OSAGE are indigenous peoples native to the Midwestern United States. The OSAGE Nation is currently headquartered in Oklahoma.
• DAD (23A: Marlin, to Nemo) This is a reference to the 2003 animated movie, Finding Nemo.
• JAM (26A: Fruity spread in some hamantaschen) Hamantaschen are triangular pastries filled with JAM. Hamantaschen mean's "Haman's pocket," and the cookies are traditionally made and eaten during the Jewish holiday, Purim. I've previously written about Purim.
• TOO (34A: "All ___ Well" (Taylor Swift song)) The unabridged version of this Taylor Swift song, "All TOO Well (10 minute version)" holds the Guinness World Record for the longest song to hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
• BOW (45A: Stick for playing a violin or a morin khuur) I was thankful for the two examples given in this clue. I am familiar with a BOW used to play a violin. Today I learned about the morin khuur, a traditional Mongolian stringed instrument also known as the horsehead fiddle. A morin khuur consists of a trapezoidal wooden sound box attached to a long neck. The instrument is held upright, and the two strings attached to the sound box are played using a BOW. The morin khuur is considered a national symbol of Mongolia.
• DODOS (47A: Extinct flightless birds) DODOS were flightless birds that lived on Mauritius, an island in the Indian Ocean east of Madagascar. DODOS have been extinct since the 1600s. Their extinction was a result of being hunted by sailors and invasive species, as well as destruction of habitat.
• DUET (54A: "You're the One That I Want," e.g.) "You're the One That I Want" is a DUET written for the 1978 movie version of Grease. The original version was sung by Olivia Newton-John (as Sandy Olson) and John Travolta (as Danny Zuko). 
• AGED (4D: "Well, that comment ___ like milk") In contrast to something that has "AGED like a fine wine," something that has "AGED like milk" has not stood up well to the test of time. The phrase is sometimes used to refer to social media posts that haven't stood up well. According to Know Your Meme, the catchphrase "AGED like milk" appears to have had its early beginnings in comments referring to women getting older. Let me be clear that I find the phrase "AGED like milk" quite amusing, but not when it's used in reference to women getting older. (Honestly? Ugh.)
• JELLY ROLL (12D: Jazz pianist Morton) JELLY ROLL Morton was a pianist, bandleader, and composer. One of the first published jazz composition's was his song, "Original JELLY ROLL Blues." We saw JELLY ROLL MORTON as a theme answer January 28, 2022.
• PEI (28D: Louvre Pyramid architect I.M.) The Louvre Pyramid is a large glass and metal pyramid in the main courtyard of the Louvre Palace in Paris. It was designed by I.M. PEI (1917-2019), and completed in 1989. The Love Pyramid serves as the main entrance for the Louvre Museum. It consists of 603 rhombus-shaped and 70 triangular panes of glass.
• MAYAN (52D: Like the ruins of Tikal) Tikal is a complex of MAYAN ruins. Tikal, which is the remains of a city that was likely called Yax Mutal, is located in the rainforest in Guatemala. It's estimated that the city was inhabited from the 6th century B.C.E. to the 10th century C.E. The MAYAN ruins are now part of Tikal National Park, which has been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Geography review:

• FIJI (10A: Island country in Oceania) Oceania is a geographical region that includes Australasia (Australia, New Zealand, and some neighboring islands), Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. FIJI is an island country in the Melanesia region of Oceania. About 110 of FIJI's 330 islands are permanently inhabited. The capital of FIJI is Suva.
• PISA (55A: Leaning Tower city) The Leaning Tower in PISA, Italy is famous for its slant. The Leaning Tower of PISA is a free-standing bell tower, or campanile, and is part of the PISA Cathedral. Its nearly four-degree lean is a result of a soft foundation. Amazingly, the Leaning Tower of Pisa has survived at least four strong earthquakes. Scientists discovered that the same soft soil that caused the tower to lean influences the tower's ability to withstand earthquakes.
• HIKES (7D: Enjoys the Kalalau Trail) The Kalalau Trail is an 22-mile (round trip) trail along the Nāpali Coast on the Hawaiian island of Kauai. The trail traverses the sides of cliffs, which lead down to rocky shores, and ends at an undeveloped beach. Kalalau Trail often appears on lists of dangerous HIKES. I watched a short video showing a 3D animated trail map of Kalalau Trail, and that was enough to convince me that I am perfectly content enjoying photos other people have taken on this trail, and don't feel the need to HIKE it myself.

CLEAR THE WAY for this puzzle. I chuckled at WAKEY WAKEY, and was delighted to fill in WAITED PATIENTLY without having to (impatiently) wait for assistance from crossing answers. Lots of enjoyable fill today, including FACE VALUE, SPEED DATE, EYE CHARTS, ICED LATTE, and LIKE I CARE. Thank you, Jared, for this puzzle that was a great way to start my Monday.