November 14, 2023

Title: MILL AROUND

Constructors: Kavin Pawittranon & Nijah Morris

Editor: Jared Goudsmit

Theme Answers:

MIGHT AS WELL (21A: "No reason not to")

MISTER KNOW IT ALL (38A: Wise guy)

MILKING THE BULL (53A: Proverb that describes a fruitless task)

Theme synopsis: The word MILL is found AROUND each theme answer:

• MIGHT AS WELL
• MISTER KNOW IT ALL
• MILKING THE BULL

Things I learned:

• XBOX (48A: Gaming console for Sea of Thieves) Sea of Thieves is an XBOX game that was released in 2018. In the game, the player assumes the role of a pirate, and completes voyages on a pirate ship, while exploring the game's world. 
• MISER (11D: Heat ___ ("The Year Without a Santa Claus" character) The Year Without a Santa Claus is a 1974 Christmas TV special that features stop motion animation. The show is based on a 1956 book of the same name by Phyllis McGinley. The premise of the story is that Santa Claus wakes up with a cold one year, and thinking nobody believes in him anymore, decides to take a holiday instead of delivering gifts. When Mrs. Claus cannot change his mind, she enlists a couple of elves to find proof that people still believe in Santa. Antics ensue. Heat MISER (George S. Irving) and Snow MISER (Dick Shawn) are brothers and sons of Mother Nature (Rhoda Mann). In 2006, a live-action remake of The Year Without a Santa Claus aired on NBC and was released on DVD. Harvey Fierstein plays the role of Heat MISER in the live-action version.
• SWAY (19D: Radio host Calloway) SWAY Calloway is a radio personality and journalist. He currently hosts "SWAY in the Morning," a weekday morning show on Sirius XM. SWAY Calloway was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 2020.
• BARB (35D: Sharp part of a fence, or a fan of Nicki Minaj) One of Nicki Minaj's alter egos is Harajuku Barbie. This has led to her fan base being known as the BARBz. I was grateful for the fence hint in this clue, as I was unfamiliar with the BARBz.
• ALEX (37D: Steve's female counterpart in Minecraft) Minecraft is a sandbox game, a video game in which players have a chance to be creative and explore the world without a set objectives to accomplish. While exploring the world, players can discover and extract raw materials, craft tools, and build things. When Minecraft was first released in 2009, the default character was Steve. ALEX was added as an option in 2010.

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• I'M CALM (1A: Possible response to "Don't panic!") My first thought here was, "Don't tell me not to panic!" Obviously, that didn't fit. That's okay, "I'M CALM."
• MSG (11A: Additive found in some Pringles) MSG (monosodium glutamate) is added to foods as a flavor enhancer that imparts an umami, or savory, taste. While original Pringles do not contain MSG, many of the flavor varieties do. 
• PEA (20A: Keema matar veggie) Keema matar is a dish that originated in the Indian subcontinent. It consists of minced or ground meat with PEAs.
• UNLUCKY (30A: Like the number four, in Chinese culture) In Chinese culture, the number four is considered UNLUCKY because its pronunciation is similar to the word death. Chinese buildings often lack a fourth floor.
• MILKING THE BULL (53A: Proverb that describes a fruitless task) It occurs to me that MILKING THE BULL would not only be fruitless, but also dangerous!
• MOLE (2D: "Star-nosed" mammal) It's pretty obvious how the star-nosed MOLE got its name. This small semi-aquatic animal has 22 appendages on its nose, which are arranged in a star shape. The star-nosed MOLE doesn't use its uniquely-shaped nose to smell, but for touching and feeling and to help it navigate, as its eyesight is quite poor.
• APP (4D: Snapchat or Subway Surfers) Snapchat is a photo sharing APP. Subway Surfers is a video game APP. 
• LLAMA (5D: Woolly animal featured in The Sims) The mention of and appearance of LLAMAs is a recurring theme in The Sims, a series of life simulation video games. Beginning with The Sims 4, released in 2014, players can raise LLAMAs and shear them for their wool. 
• KOI (40D: Fish with an Asagi variety) KOI are colored varieties of carp. Asagi KOI are generally light blue on the top and red underneath.
• HAKA (45D: Maori dance) The Māori are indigenous people of New Zealand. The HAKA is a ceremonial dance in the Māori culture. 
• PSA (61D: "Talk. They Hear You" ad, e.g.) "Talk. They Hear You" is a campaign created by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration to help parents have conversations with their children about alcohol usage. The campaign includes PSAs (public service announcements) for TV, radio, and print.

Geography review:

• THAIS (32A: Bangkok residents) Bangkok is the capital of Thailand. It's also the country's most populous city.
• RED SEA (67A: Body of water Sudan touches) The RED SEA lies between Africa and Asia. The countries with coastline on the RED SEA are: Egypt, Sudan, Eritrea, Djibouti, Yemen, and Saudi Arabia.
• OHIO (26D: Arsenio Hall's birth state) Comedian, actor, and talk show host Arsenio Hall was born in Cleveland, OHIO. He is an alum of Kent State University, located in Kent, OHIO.

Today's title let me know just what to expect from the theme. That's not at all a bad thing, and it was fun to uncover the MILL AROUND theme answers, which were all great. In addition to the answers I've already highlighted, I also enjoyed CLOSE-KNIT, COLOSSAL, MALIBU, TEXTURED, and HOW IS IT. Thank you, Kavin and Nijah, for this puzzle that was a terrific way to start my Tuesday.