November 13, 2023

Title: GO FOR A DIP (Freestyle)

Constructor: Matthew Stock

Editor: Amanda Rafkin

Freestyle: This is a themeless puzzle. GO FOR A DIP is a nod to TABLESIDE GUAC (38A: Cantina dip that's prepared in front of you, for short).

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• I DOS (25A: Wedding words exchanged before breaking a glass) Breaking a glass by stomping on it is a Jewish wedding tradition. This article from My Jewish Learning provides some background about this tradition.
• BAG (27A: ___ of tricks) and MORE (57A: "But wait! There's ___!" and BLINK (64A: "___ and you'll miss it!") and IT'S MAGIC (12D: "How I did that trick will remain a mystery) I put these four  clues / answers together into a little story: 
• Matthew said, "I have a BAG of tricks." Matthew pulls a crossword puzzle out of his sleeve with a flourish. "Tada! How I did trick will remain a mystery - IT'S MAGIC! But wait! There's MORE! BLINK and you'll miss it!"
• TABLESIDE GUAC (38A: Cantina dip that's prepared in front of you, for short) I enjoy cooking, so when I go out to eat, it tends to be more about the experience for me than the food. (Though I do enjoy ordering restaurant meals that I don't make at home.) This is one reason I am a fan of TABLESIDE dining experiences, such as flambés. I learned while reading up on this that in the restaurant industry, TABLESIDE service - the cooking or finishing of foods at a diner's table - is known as guerdon service. I also like guacamole, or GUAC, so TABLESIDE GUAC is a winning situation, as far as I'm concerned. I discovered this interesting article that talks about the appeal of TABLESIDE GUAC, which appears to have entered the restaurant scene in the 1990s. The article also talks about when and how avocados and GUAC became popular in the U.S.
• MEN (45A: "White ___ Can't Jump") White MEN Can't Jump is a 2023 movie. The sports comedy is a remake of a 1992 movie of the same name. While the 1992 version of the movie has a 75% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes (a review aggregator site), the remake has an approval rating of only 26%. 
• CATNIP (53A: Herb inside a toy fish, perhaps) Here's a photo of Willow sound

  

  Willow

  asleep and (probably) dreaming of a CATNIP-filled toy fish.
• PELE (68A: Brazilian soccer legend) PELÉ (1940-2022) is considered one of the greatest soccer players of all time. Throughout his career, PELÉ averaged a goal per game.
• ALAINA (2D: "American Idol" alum Lauren) I learned about Lauren ALAINA when we saw her name as a theme answer on September 20, 2020. Lauren ALAINA was the runner-up on the tenth season of the singing competition American Idol. 
• MOLTEN (3D: Like lava or the inside of lava cake) Mmm. This clue has me dreaming of chocolate lava cake with a MOLTEN chocolate interior. Here's a recipe in case you're also a fan of this treat. (Note: In spite of the name of the blog this recipe is from, I am not the writer of Sally's Baking Recipes!)
• OKAPI (7D: African grazer with striped legs) Although the striped legs of an OKAPI resemble a zebra, it is actually a member of the giraffe family. OKAPIs are only found in the wild in one country, the Democratic Republic of Congo. Fun fact: An OKAPI has a long tongue that is black or dark blue in color. An OKAPI's tongue is so long it can be used to wash its eyelids or clean out its ears!

Geography review:

• PARIS (60A: 2024 Olympics host city) The 2024 Summer Olympics will be held July 26 to August 11, 2024 in PARIS, France. This will be the third time PARIS has hosted the Olympic Games, the previous times being 1900 and 1924. Fun fact: The sport of breaking, also known as breakdancing, will be a part of the Summer Olympics for the first time in 2024. 
• BORA BORA (11D: French Polynesian island with a repeating name) BORA BORA is a French Polynesian island in the Pacific Ocean. The island was formed by an extinct volcano, and is the largest of several islands known as the BORA BORA Group.
• ETNA (58D: Mount ___ (Italian volcano)) Mount ETNA is an active volcano located on the Italian island of Sicily. Perhaps I should have paired this answer with MOLTEN.

In addition to the answers I've highlighted above, I also liked STAGE NAMES, ART GALLERY, ALL FOR IT, and TALL TALE. Thank you, Matthew, for this puzzle that was a refreshing way to start my Monday.

One more thing today: I constructed today's Puzzmo crossword. It's a midi titled, "The Universe Is So Much Bigger Than You Realize."