November 11, 2023

Title: WHAT A MENSCH! (Freestyle)

Constructor: Amanda Rafkin

Editor: Amanda Rafkin

Freestyle: This is a themeless puzzle. WHAT A MENSCH! is a nod to YOU'RE SO NICE (33A: "That's incredibly kind!").

Things I learned:

• MATADOR (39A: Person wearing the traje de luces) The traje de luces is the traditional attire for a Spanish MATADOR. "Traje de luces" is Spanish for "suit of lights." The name refers to the gold and silver threads and sequins that often adorn the outfit.

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• MONTE (17A: ___ Cristo sandwich) and EATS (51A: Enjoys a jambon-beurre) A MONTE Cristo sandwich is a ham and cheese sandwich that is battered and deep fried. A jambon-beurre is a French sandwich of ham and butter on a baguette.
• ALLIE (18A: Noah's love in "The Notebook") The Notebook is a 1996 novel by Nicholas Sparks, which was adapted into a 2004 movie of the same name. Noah and ALLIE, an elderly couple, are the main characters of The Notebook. ALLIE has Alzheimer's, and Noah reads the story of their life to her in an effort to help her remember.
• BTS (26A: "Butter" group) "Smooth like butter, like a criminal undercover..." Released in 2021, "Butter" was the second BTS song fully recorded in English.
• ADA (37A: "___ Twist, Scientist") and YOU (33D: "If ___ Give a Mouse a Cookie") I enjoyed the use of these two children's books to clue three-letter answers. I learned about Andrea Beatty's book, ADA Twist, Scientist, from the April 23, 2021 crossword. The book is about a young girl that asks a lot of questions Her name is ADA Marie, a name the author chose to honor ADA Lovelace and Marie Curie. After I learned about the book, I bought two copies of it - one for myself, and one for a friend that had just had a daughter and named her ADA Marie. If YOU Give a Mouse a Cookie is the first in a delightful series of children's books by Laura Numeroff. Other books in the series include If YOU Give a Moose a Muffin, and If YOU Give a Pig a Pancake.
• TED (40A: "Story of Your Life" author Chiang) We saw TED Chiang's novella "STORY OF YOUR LIFE," in the puzzle a week ago. 
• MADEA (61A: Titular role for Tyler Perry) MADEA is a character created and portrayed by Tyler Perry, who says the character, "is the PG version of my mother and my aunt." The MADEA films include MADEA's Family Reunion (2006) and A MADEA Homecoming (2022).
• ION (65A: Particle in "pistachio nuts") This is a fun hidden word clue.
• OOPS! ... I DID IT AGAIN (11D: Britney Spears song with the lyric "I played with your heart, got lost in the game") "OOPS! ... I DID IT AGAIN" is a Britney Spears song from her 2000 album of the same name. We saw "OOPS! ... I DID IT AGAIN" as a theme answer August 30, 2021.
• MANATEE (27D: Sea cow) The MANATEE is a slow-moving, herbivorous marine mammal that is also referred to as a sea cow. MANATEEs live in marshy coastal areas and rivers in the Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico, Amazon basin, and West Africa.
• ART DECO (24D: 1920s architectural style) and TUDOR (30D: Medieval architecture style) ART DECO architecture is characterized by symmetry, verticality, and a use of geometric ornamentation. TUDOR architecture is characterized by steeply pitched gable roofs, embellished doorways, and groupings of windows. Half-timbering is another feature of TUDOR architecture, with spaces between the wood framework filled with masonry or stucco.
• SALDANA (42D: "Special Ops: Lioness" actress Zoe) Special Ops: Lioness is a Paramount+ TV series that premiered earlier this year. The series is loosely based on Team Lioness, a U.S. Army program that used female soldiers to search local women during operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. Zoë SALDAÑA portrays Joe, a CIA officer in charge of the Lioness program, which sends female operatives undercover.
• CGI (58D: Special FX first used in the movie "Vertigo") CGI stands for computer-generated imagery. In Alfred Hitchcock's 1958 movie, Vertigo, CGI was used in the opening credits to create a series of spirals that emerge and dissolve.
• EPA (60A: Energy Policy Act org.) The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is a U.S. government agency whose mission is to protect human health and the environment. The EPA is the organization tasked with enforcing regulation in acts passed by Congress that pertain to the environment. The Energy Policy Act of 2005 addresses a variety of topics including energy efficiency, renewable energy, and oil and gas.

Geography review:

• CUZCO (1A: Onetime capital of the Inca Empire) CUZCO is a city in southeastern Peru. Ancient CUZCO was the administrative, political, and military center of the Inca Empire.
• SLC (22A: Utah Jazz's city (Abbr.)) The Utah Jazz are an NBA team. They play their home games at Delta Center arena in Salt Lake City (SLC), Utah.
• LAS (49A: The "L" of UNLV) The University of Nevada, LAS Vegas (UNLV) is located in Paradise, Nevada, an unincorporated town adjacent to LAS Vegas.

There's a ton of great fill in this puzzle. In addition to the answers I've highlighted above, I enjoyed TELL THEM I SAID HI, UFO SIGHTINGS, WE HAD TO, I'M HERS, and HUMIDITY (enjoyed seeing it in the puzzle, don't enjoy it overall). Thank you, Amanda, for this puzzle that was a fabulous way to start my Saturday.