September 14, 2023

Title: KEEP IT PG

Constructors: Kate Hawkins & Taylor Johnson

Editor: Amanda Rafkin

Theme Answers:

POTATO GNOCCHI (20A: Starchy Italian dumpling dish)

PINT GLASS (34A: What beer is often served in)

PEPPER GRINDER (51A: Item often next to a saltshaker)

Theme synopsis: The first word in each theme answer begins with a P, and the second word in each theme answer begins with a G.

Things I learned:

• REID (53D: Paralympic champion Amanda) Amanda REID is a swimmer, cyclist, and snowboarder. She represented Australia in swimming at the 2012 Summer Paralympics (as Amanda Fowler), and in cycling at the 2016 and 2020 (held in 2021) Summer Paralympics. She won a silver medal in 2016, and a gold medal in 2020. In 2023, Amanda REID won a gold and bronze medal in snowboarding at the World Para Snowboard Championships. 

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• NONEVENTS (18A: Nothingburgers, say) According to Merriam-Webster, the first known use of the word NONEVENT was in 1936. The word nothingburger has (only) been used since the 1950s, when the term was coined by gossip columnist Louella Parsons. Merriam-Webster hasn't added nothingburger to its dictionary yet. Perhaps it's waiting to see if the word's popularity turns into a NONEVENT. (Okay, I know that sentence doesn't quite work; please humor me.)
• POTATO GNOCCHI (20A: Starchy Italian dumpling dish) POTATO GNOCCHI are small dumplings consisting of flour, egg, salt, and POTATO. The starchy dumplings may be served with a variety of sauces. From the puzzle's title I was able to guess the theme, which helped me figure out this answer. Once the POTATO part was obvious, I searched my mind for an accompanying word beginning with G that would make sense here. The only tricky part is that GNOCCHI is one of those words I can never quite remember how to spell. Are there two Cs (yes!)? Is there an H in there somewhere (also yes)? 
• HULU (29A: "PEN15" streaming service) I have previously written about the series, PEN15, which describes itself as "middle school as it really happened." PEN15 premiered on HULU in February 2019, and ran for two seasons.
• MILK (39A: Harvey who was California's first openly public official) Harvey MILK was California's first openly gay elected official. He was elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 1977. Eleven months into his term, Harvey MILK and Mayor George Moscone were assassinated by a disgruntled city supervisor. Harvey MILK was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2009.
• CURB (45A: ___ cut (feature of an accessible sidewalk) A CURB cut is a concrete ramp connecting an elevated sidewalk to street level. The feature is also referred to as a CURB ramp. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 requires CURB cuts to be present on all sidewalks in the U.S. Many CURB cuts also feature tactile paving, which I have previously written about.
• AREA CODES (55A: 612 and 651, for Minneapolis) The AREA CODE system for telephone numbers has been in use since the 1940s. In the days of mobile phones and voice over Internet protocol (VOIP), AREA CODES aren't as useful as they used to be for determining a call's origin. 
• RENT (59A: "Seasons of Love" musical) The RENT song, "Seasons of Love," is the reason many people know there are 525,600 minutes in a year. This song has now become my earworm for the day, but I don't mind; it's one of my go-to feel good songs. "How do you measure, measure a year?"
• ERA (2D: Villain ___ (2022 TikTok trend) I wrote about the Villain ERA TikTok trend when we saw a reference to it in the August 31 puzzle. 
• ALEC (10D: Actor Guinness) Speaking of not being able to remember how to spell things (see GNOCCHI), every time I encounter this clue, I have an internal monologue about whether Actor Guinness is ALEC or Alex. (As often as I've put this answer in crossword puzzles, you'd think I would know this by now.) ALEC (with a C) Guinness (1914-2000) is known for his portrayal of Obi-Wan Kenobi in the original Star Wars trilogy (1977, 1980, 1983). ALEC Guinness's earlier film credits include Great Expectations (Herbert Pocket, 1946), Oliver Twist (Fagin, 1948), and The Bridge on the River Kwai (Colonel Nicholson, 1957). He also played the title role in Doctor Zhivago in 1965.
• BURRATA (40D: Mozzarella-and-cream cheese) BURRATA is a semisoft cheese made from mozzarella and cream. You read that correctly, it's a cheese made from cheese. BURRATA, which originated from southern Italy, is essentially a shell of mozzarella cheese wrapped around a mixture of cheese curds and cream. 
• RBG (42D: "Notorious" former SCOTUS member) Ruth Bader Ginsburg (1933-2020), known as RBG, was a member of the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) from 1993-2020. Throughout her life she was an advocate for gender equality and women's rights. In 2013, Shana Khiznik (who was a law student at New York University), was inspired by a dissent written by Ruth Bader Ginsburg that defended voting rights, and created a Tumblr account as "the Notorious RBG." The nickname was a takeoff on the name of the rapper Notorious B.I.G. The nickname stuck, and Ruth Bader Ginsburg embraced it. In1988, Shana Khiznik co-authored Notorious R.B.G.: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg. I will always be happy to see a Ruth Bader Ginsburg reference in a puzzle. 

Geography review:

• ATL (24A: City with the world's busiest airport (Abbr.)) Atlanta (ATL) is the capital of the U.S. state of Georgia. The city is home to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, whose airport code is ATL. Delta Airlines has its primary hub in Atlanta, and the airport serves as an operating base for Frontier, Southwest, and Spirit Airlines. In 2022, the Atlanta airport served over 93.6 million passengers, making it the busiest airport in the world (by passenger traffic), a title it has held since 1998 (except for 2020). 

Sorry, no X-rating here, this puzzle KEEPs IT PG. As I mentioned above, I guessed the puzzle's theme from the title. This made it fun to uncover the PG phrases while I solved. Congratulations to Taylor Johnson making his USA Today crossword debut today. Thank you, Kate and Taylor, for this puzzle that was a terrific way to start my Thursday.