October 6, 2023

Title: OMG

Constructor: Rafael Musa & Rebecca Goldstein

Editor: Amanda Rafkin

Theme Answers:

FALL FROM GRACE (18A: Lose power and prestige)

THOM GUNN AWARD (34A: Annual prize for gay male poetry)

MUSHROOM GRAVY (51A: Savory veggie-based sauce)

Theme synopsis: Each theme answer contains the letter string OMG.

Things I learned:

• MONA (16A: “This Arab is Queer” author Eltahawy) MONA Eltahawy is an Egyptian American journalist and social commentator. MONA Eltahawy is one of the 18 authors that contributed to the 2022 book, This Arab is Queer: An Anthology by LGBTQ+ Arab Writers.
• THOM GUNN AWARD (34A: Annual prize for gay male poetry) The THOM GUNN AWARD is presented annually by Publishing Triangle, and honors works of gay male poetry. The AWARD - then known as the Triangle AWARD for Gay Poetry - was first presented in 2001 to THOM GUNN, for Boss Cupid. Following THOM GUNN's death in 2004, the AWARD was renamed in his honor.
• A LA (10D: “Vamos ___ playa”) "Vamos A LA playa," which translates to "Let's go to the beach," is the title of two songs: a 1983 song by Righeria, and a 1998 song by Miranda.

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• INSTA (43A: App with photo carousels) Although I have used photo carousels on Instagram, (INSTA, for short), I didn't know that's what they are called. When you make a post on INSTA, you choose whether to share one photo, or multiple photos. If you share multiple photos, people looking at the post must swipe left and right in order to see all the photos. This is called a photo carousel. 
• ALAN (47A: Mathematician Turing) ALAN Turing was a mathematician, computer scientist, code-breaker, and logician. He is considered to be the father of theoretical computer science and artificial intelligence. In spite of his accomplishments, ALAN Turing was treated quite horribly by the British government during his lifetime, and faced persecution because he was gay. In 2021, the Bank of England unveiled a new 50 pound note that features ALAN Turing.  Honoring him on a banknote doesn't make up for how he was treated during his lifetime, but he does deserve to be honored so it's good to see him get recognition.
• TWIX (54A: “Choose a Side” candy bar) TWIX is a candy bar made by Mars, Inc., that consists of a shortbread cookie coated with caramel and chocolate. The name "TWIX" is a portmanteau of "twin sticks," and TWIX are most often sold in packages of two sticks. In 2012, TWIX launched a marketing campaign that asked consumers to choose between "Right TWIX" or "Left Twix," even though all the bars are identical. Honestly, this is brilliant marketing! In 2022, TWIX explicitly clarified that all the bars are identical and created a new tagline, "Left or Right, a good decision either way."
• ANTS (60A: Most numerous insects in the world) Over 14,000 different species of ANTS have been identified, and it's hypothesized that there are thousands more. Scientists that study ANTS estimate there are around 20 quadrillion ANTS worldwide. That number again, is 20,000,000,000,000,000. That is a lot of ANTS! 
• WINGSPAN (6D: Board game whose dice tower is a bird feeder) I'm always delighted to see a mention of WINGSPAN in the puzzle. If you are unfamiliar with WINGSPAN and have missed out on my previous writings about this excellent game, a good place to start is with Amanda Rafkin's WINGSPAN-themed puzzle. 
• AMY (20D: “Jeopardy!” champion Schneider) AMY Schneider is a 40-time Jeopardy! champion, and holds the show's second-longest winning streak (after Ken Jennings). She is also the most successful woman to compete on Jeopardy! During her run on Jeopardy!, AMY Schneider tweeted about her experience, often interacting with fans and responding to questions. This is a timely clue, as AMY Schneider's memoir was released three days ago. It's titled, In the Form of a Question: The Joys and Rewards of a Curious Life.
• ANAGRAM (29D: “Discounted” is one for “deductions”) I always enjoy a good ANAGRAM. Have you taken the time to see what words can be made by moving around the letters in your name? My name ANAGRAMs to "scholarly heels."
• TNT (32D: “Shaq Life” channel) Shaq Life is a TNT TV series that premiered in 2020. The show is about the life of former professional basketball player Shaquille O'Neal.
• CAT PARENT (33D: Person buying kitty litter and laser pointers) Oh, hey, I resemble this answer!

  

  Willow is extremely helpful

  I had a photo picked out to share with you, but as I type this, Willow is "helping" by lying across my right forearm. So I will save the photo I had chosen for another day, and instead share a photo of Willow helping with today's blog post.
• NYT (50D: Newspaper with a “Modern Love” column, for short) "Modern Love" is a weekly column published by The New York Times (NYT, for short). A podcast and a TV show have been adapted from the column, and a book has also been published. "Modern Love" takes a look at "relationships, feelings, betrayals, and revelations." 

Geography review:

• ERIE (13A: Cleveland’s Great Lake) Cleveland, Ohio is the largest city on the shores of Lake ERIE. Our crossword-friend ERIE is off to a good start this month. It's the sixth day of the month and this is the third time we've seen ERIE this October. 
• SFO (15D: Bay Area hub) San Francisco International Airport (SFO) is located about 13 miles south of San Francisco. It is a hub for United and Alaska Airlines.

OMG, what a puzzle! In addition to the theme, I really enjoyed the long, Down answers, the previously mentioned CAT PARENT, as well as JELLO SHOT, THAT'S MINE, and SUPERHERO. Thank you, Rafa and Rebecca, for this puzzle that was a fantastic way to start my Friday. 

(P.S. Happy birthday, Rafa!)