September 12, 2023

Title: CUTTING EDGE

Constructor: Alice Liang

Editor: Amanda Rafkin

Theme Answers:

EDITORIAL PAGE (20A: Spot for opinions in a newspaper)

ECONO LODGE (36A: Budget motel chain)

EDGAR ALLAN POE (55A: "The Raven" author)

Theme synopsis: The word EDGE is CUT by each theme answer.

Things I learned:

• NET (37D: Leap and a ___ will appear) When I looked for the origin of the saying, "Leap and a NET will appear," I found it attributed to naturalist John Burroughs, and described as a Zen concept.  (I also found it with the wording "the NET," as well as "a NET.") This saying is generally used to encourage people to take chances and step out of their comfort zone. The mom in me wants to stress that this NET is metaphorical, not physical. (No leaping from high places expecting a NET to appear, please.)

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• BATS (6A: The only mammals that fly) This is a fun fact, isn't it? Here are some more facts about BATS: There are 1,400 identified species of BATS. Many BATS eat insects, though some eat fruit or nectar. And then there are vampire BATS, which feed on the blood of other animals.
• ANNA (24A: Actress Chlumsky) On the TV series Veep (2012-2019), ANNA Chlumsky portrayed Amy Brookheimer, the Vice-President's Chief of Staff.
• ASHE (34A: First Black man to win the U.S. Open) Arthur ASHE (1943-1993) won the U.S. Open in 1968. He went on to win the Australian Open in 1970, and Wimbledon in 1975.
• AUG (35A: International Clown Week mo.) Clown Weeks have been celebrated on a local level in some places since the 1950s. In the United States, AUG. 1-7, 1971 was the first National Clown Week. It was President Richard Nixon that signed the proclamation. Since then, the celebration has expanded to become international. International Clown Week is an effort to recognize the efforts of clowns to make people laugh. Do you like clowns? Some people do not like clowns at all. And, of course, not all clowns are funny. (Exhibit A: Pennywise from Stephen King's novel, It.)
• EDGAR ALLAN POE (55A: "The Raven" author) "Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary..." So begins EDGAR ALLAN POE's narrative poem, "The Raven," which was first published in 1845. Fun Fact: The name of the NFL team, the Baltimore Ravens (chosen in a fan contest), was inspired by EDGAR ALLAN POE's poem. EDGAR ALLAN POE (1809-1849) is best known for his poetry and short stories, many of which were macabre and mysterious. His 1841 story, "The Murders in the Rue Morgue" has been described as the first modern detective story. The EDGAR award, presented each year by the Mystery Writers of America, is named for him.
• WERE (66A: "I Knew You ___ Trouble") "I Knew You Were Trouble" is a song by Taylor Swift. It is a song on the albums, Red (2012) and Red (Taylor's Version) (2021). 
• POPES (68A: Holy See leaders) The Holy See refers to the government of the Roman Catholic Church. The POPES have jurisdiction over the Catholic Church, and operate from Vatican City, which is an independent city-state within Rome.
• AMADEUS (2D: Wolfgang ___ Mozart) Wolfgang AMADEUS Mozart (1756-1791) was a prolific Classical composer. Although he was only 35 years old when he died, he composed over 800 works during his lifetime. In 1991, on the occasion of 200 years after Wolfgang AMADEUS Mozart's death, a collection of his complete works was released by Philips Classics Record. The set consisted of 180 CDs.
• ROSIE THE RIVETER (3D: Feminist icon with the campaign slogan "We Can Do It!") As I wrote last week, the iconic poster of ROSIE THE RIVETER - showing a woman wearing a red-and-white, polka dot bandana, with the words "We Can Do It!" - was originally used as a motivational poster by the Westinghouse Company's War Production Committee in 1942. 
• HOAGIE (10D: Sandwich whose name originated in the Philly area) The HOAGIE, an Italian roll piled with meat and cheese, has been the official sandwich of Philadelphia since 1992. The origin of the sandwich's name is unclear. Several possibilities have been suggested, as this Taste Atlas article describes. 
• PHD (32D: Degree held by Kizzmekia Corbett) Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett, whose PHD in microbiology and immunology is from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, is a viral immunologist. She is the scientific lead of the Vaccine Research Center's coronavirus team at the National Institute of Health. The work of her team was vital to the development of the COVID-19 vaccine. 
• EILISH (48A: "Bad Guy" singer Billie) "Bad Guy" is a 2019 song by Billie EILISH, who wrote the song with her brother, Finneas O'Connell. "Bad Guy" was the first song to be streamed over two billion times on Spotify. 
• NFL (49D: Org. with Lions and Bears) The Detroit Lions and the Chicago Bears are NFL teams.
• NATO (58D: Thirty-country defense grp.) The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is a military alliance established with the signing of the North Atlantic Treaty in 1949. There are currently 30 NATO MEMBERS. Five additional countries (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Finland, Georgia, Sweden, and Ukraine) have informed NATO of their desire to join the alliance.

This CUTTING EDGE puzzle utilizes a classic USA Today theme approach. Interestingly, when I uncovered EDITORIAL PAGE, I noticed that it started with the word "EDIT," which is a type of cutting, so I wondered if perhaps the theme would have something to do with that. My "AHA!" moment came with ECONO LODGE, which obviously didn't fit my previous theory. Great to see Alice Liang with a solo byline today! Thank you, Alice, for this puzzle that was a terrific way to start my Tuesday.