November 22, 2023

Title: ROUND THE CLOCK

Constructor: Olivia Mitra Framke

Editor: Amanda Rafkin

Freestyle: This is a themeless puzzle. ROUND THE CLOCK is a nod to the grid art, as well as the answers IT'S TIME (30A: "Look at the clock! We gotta go!") and TICK TOCK (17D: Sound from a grandfather clock).

And now a word from our constructor:

Olivia: Hey all! This is my first freestyle puzzle with USA Today (and my first themeless full-sized puzzle anywhere!) and I'm so pleased with how it turned out. If you know my Sunday NYT work, you may know that I'm a big fan of grid art and visual elements in crosswords. I had a great time setting this grid in a clockish design and placing two clock-related entries in the center. My favorite entry/clue combo is 42-Down, which references the incredible singer-songwriter VIENNA Teng (yes, my twitter/bluesky/etc. username @Livienna is inspired by her!). She has so many incredible songs, here are my top three (because I simply cannot narrow it down further, this was hard enough).

Things I learned:

• TAMARA (12A: "Bones" actress Taylor) Bones is a TV series that originally aired for 12 seasons from 2005-2017. The show is focused on forensic anthropology and forensic archaeology, and is loosely based on the life and novels of forensic anthropologist Kathy Reichs. TAMARA Taylor joined the show in its second season, and portrayed pathologist Camille Saroyan.
• MOORE (41A: "The Hours" star Julianne) The majority of 2002 movie, The Hours (with the exception of the opening and final scenes), depicts a single day in three different decades. The movie's focus is three women whose lives are connected by Virginia Woolf's 1925 novel Mrs. Dalloway (which I have written about previously). Those three women are Virginia Woolf (Nicole Kidman) in 1923, Laura Brown (Julianne MOORE) in 1951, and Clarissa Vaughan (Meryl Streep) in 2001. Highlighting a movie titled The Hours is a nice choice in a puzzle with a clock-themed grid.
• LIRA (58A: Currency in the board game Viticulture) Viticulture is a board game in which players operate an Italian vineyard. Although Italy currently uses the euro as its currency, before 2002 its currency was the Italian LIRA. 

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• ELKS (1A: Deer relatives) Elk is an unusual word in that the plural form can be either elk or ELKS.
• SIR (15A: Patrick Stewart's title) SIR is a title bestowed by the United Kingdom along with honors known as the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire. These honors reward contributions to society in the areas of arts, sciences, charitable work, and public service. SIR Patrick Stewart was appointed as an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2001, and knighted in 2010 by Queen Elizabeth II for his contributions to acting and cinema.
• TWINS (21A: Luke and Leia, e.g.) and STAR WARS (4D: Franchise with Sith Lords) Is it an Olivia Mitra Framke puzzle if it doesn't include a STAR WARS reference? Nicely, using TWINS to reference Luke and Leia, she has managed to give us not one, but two STAR WARS references.
• POTUS (26A: Person delivering the SOTU) The President of the United States (POTUS) delivers the State of the Union (SOTU) address each year before a joint session of Congress. The use of the abbreviation SOTU in the clue let us know the answer here is the abbreviation POTUS.
• ARNETT (29A: "Bojack Horseman" star Will) BoJack Horseman is an adult animated TV series centered around an anthropomorphic horse. Will ARNETT voices the title character, who was formerly a Hollywood sitcom star.
• LEAP (2D: Word before "year" or "day") I'm considering this answer a bit of a bonus today, since LEAP years and LEAP days relate to time. As a reminder, 2024 is a LEAP year, and will contain a LEAP day (February 29).
• DWAYNE (5D: Johnson who voiced Maui in "Moana") The 2016 Disney animated movie, Moana, is set on a Polynesian island. One of the characters in the movie is Maui, a trickster and shape-shifting demigod of the wind and sea and a master of wayfinding, a Polynesian system of navigation. As the clue informs us, Maui is voiced by DWAYNE Johnson.
• PELOTON (8D: Stationary bike brand whose name is a cycling term) In road cycling races, the PELOTON is the main group of riders. PELOTON Interactive, Inc. is a company that makes stationary bikes and other exercise equipment.
• REST (18D: Musical symbol that might look like a top hat) This is a fun clue! Remember, if the REST is sitting on top of the line, the person has not removed their "top hat" and is not staying for the entire performance, so this is a half REST. However, if the REST is hanging from the line, the person has removed their "top hat" and is staying for the whole show, so this is a whole REST. 
• OMAR (32D: Congresswoman Ilhan) Ilhan OMAR is the U.S. representative for Minnesota's 5th congressional district. Ilhan OMAR was born in Somalia, and immigrated to the United States with her family when Somalia was in the midst of a civil war. I have previously written about Ilhan OMAR. 
• COFFEE (34D: Tiramisu flavor) Now I'm hungry for tiramisu, the Italian dessert made by dipping ladyfingers in COFFEE and layering them with custard. The dessert is topped off with a dusting of cocoa powder. Delicious.
• IPHONE (38D: Apple product made with titanium as of 2023) The IPHONE 15 Pro and IPHONE 15 Pro Max, released this year, are the first models to feature a titanium frame. 
• T-BIRD (39D: "Grease" Guy) The T-BIRDs are the greaser gang in the 1978 musical movie Grease, and in some versions of the musical Grease. In other versions of the musical, the gang is known as the Burger Palace Boys.
• EYRE (40D: Fictional Jane who said "I would always rather be happy than dignified") Jane EYRE, who said, "I would always rather be happy than dignified," is the title character of Charlotte Bronte's 1847 novel. This clue reminded me of the EYRE clue in the October 13, 2023 puzzle. If we see enough EYRE clues, we might be able to hear Jane's entire dialogue. 

Geography review:

• ISLAND (54A: Manhattan or Madagascar) Manhattan ISLAND is bounded by three rivers: Hudson River, East River, and Harlem River. The majority of the Manhattan borough of New York City is located on Manhattan ISLAND. Madagascar is an ISLAND country located in the Indian Ocean off the southern coast of Africa. The capital of Madagascar is Antananarivo.
• IGBO (7D: Nigerian language) Nigeria is a country in West Africa. Its capital is Abuja. Though the official language of Nigeria is English, the country has three national languages: IGBO, Hausa, and Yoruba.
• VIENNA (42D: Singer-songwriter Teng who shares a name with a European capital) VIENNA is the capital of Austria. The city of VIENNA is, of course, not the focus of this clue, but a hint for solvers new to VIENNA Teng. Pianist and singer-songwriter VIENNA Teng's musical style incorporates folk, pop, and classical piano. While I was blogging today I listened to the three VIENNA Teng songs that Olivia recommended in her note. They are lovely.

TICK TOCK. IT'S TIME to talk about today's grid art! This clock inspired grid is quite delightful, isn't it? The crossing of the TIME-related answers in the center of the grid, combined with the grid art gives this puzzle a themed-ish feel, which is my favorite kind of themeless. No need to be a PARTY POOPER today – quite the OPPOSITE. Thank you, Olivia, for this puzzle that was a fantastic way to start my Wednesday.