November 23, 2023

Title: DIG IN

Constructor: Amanda Rafkin

Editor: Amanda Rafkin

Theme Answers:
WHERE SHOULD I GO (20A: Question from a person looking for travel tips)
MARDI GRAS PARADE (39A: New Orleans event with floats)
PLEAD IGNORANCE (55A: Say "I swear I was totally clueless")

Theme synopsis: The word DIG is found IN each theme answer:
    • WHERE SHOULD I GO
    • MARDI GRAS PARADE
    • PLEAD IGNORANCE
Things I learned:
  • ODES (33D: "___ to Lithium" (Shira Erlichman book)) Shira Erlichman is an author, visual artist, and musician. She was born in Israel, and now lives in Brooklyn. In Hebrew, her name means "song and poem." Shira Erlichman's poetry collection, ODES to Lithium, was written after she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. (Lithium is a medication used to treat bipolar disorder.)
Random thoughts and interesting things:
  • LARPS (13A: Plays an IRL fantasy game) IRL stands for "in real life," and LARP stands for "live-action role-playing game." When one LARPS, one joins with others in physically portraying characters, combining elements of gaming, cosplay (costume play), and improvisational acting.
  • PIE (24A: Common Thanksgiving dessert) A nice nod to the holiday.
  • RITES (44A: Bar mitzvah and Shichi-Go-San, e.g.) Bar mitzvah is a Jewish RITE celebrating coming-of-age for a (usually 13-year-old) boy. For girls, the equivalent RITE is called the bat mitzvah. Shichi-Go-San is a traditional RITE of passage for young children held annually on November 15. Shichi-Go-San includes three ceremonies, one for 3-year-olds, one for 5-year-old boys, and one for 7-year-old girls. 
  • PAL (61A: "Your heart is true, you're a ___ and a confidant") "Your heart is true, you're a PAL and a confidant," is a line from the song "Thank You for Being a Friend." This song was originally recorded in 1978 by Andrew Gold. It gained further recognition when Cynthia Fee covered it to be used as the theme song for the TV show, The Golden Girls.
  • CLAWS (1D: Cat features that need to be clipped) Willow and I are DIGging all the cat-related clues today (though this one isn't her favorite).
  • CALICO (9D: 58-Down in which players make quilts to attract cats) and GAME (58D: The Isle of Cats or Cat Lady, e.g.) GAMEs and cats?! Yes, please; I'm in. The clue for Calico describes it well. I do not have the GAME Calico, but as it involves quilts and cats, I think I need it! I first learned about the GAME Isle of Cats from the December 4, 2021 puzzle, and this led me to add this GAME to our (extensive) GAME collection. In this GAME, each player is rescuing cats from an island, and fitting them into a boat. The game Cat Lady is new to me. In this card GAME, players collect cats, toys, food, catnip, and costumes. Here's a photo of Willow helping me play Isle of Cats.
    A woman holding a cat while playing a board game about cats on a boat.
    Willow and Isle of Cats
  • SNAIL (28D: SpongeBob's pet Gary is one) In SpongeBob SquarePants, Gary is the name of SpongeBob's pet sea SNAIL. Gary's full name is Garold Gareth Wilson, Jr.
  • ERAS (36D: The ___ Tour) and EARWORMS (37D: Songs that get lodged in your brain) The ERAS Tour, is Taylor Swifts current concert tour. I liked the fact that these two clues were consecutive, as Taylor Swift songs often lodge in my brain as EARWORMS.
  • ACORN (53D: Nut that looks like it's wearing a little hat) This clue reminded me of this Liz Climo comic that has been showing up on my Facebook feed lately.
  • A few more clues I especially liked:
    • U-TURN (34A: Driver's "Oops, I'm going the wrong way" maneuver)
    • ESL (47A: Class that might teach idioms (Abbr.))
    • THAT'S ON YOU (31D: "Sorry, but not my fault whatsoever")

    Geography review:

    • MARDI GRAS PARADE (39A: New Orleans event with floats) New Orleans, Louisiana is known for its annual MARDI GRAS celebrations, a tradition that dates back to the 1700s. MARDI GRAS, also known as Shrove Tuesday, is the day before Ash Wednesday, which marks the start of Lent in the Christian tradition). MARDI GRAS festivities in New Orleans usually last for about two weeks, leading up to the actual day. The MARDI GRAS PARADEs are organized by social clubs known as krewes.
    • RIO (41D: ___ de Janeiro) RIO de Janeiro is the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. RIO de Janeiro is also known for its pre-Lent festivities dating back to the 1700s. The RIO Carnival happens each year and lasts from the Friday before Ash Wednesday until noon on Ash Wednesday. 
    Whatever your day holds, I hope you're able to DIG IN! and enjoy some delicious food. Thank you, Amanda, for this puzzle that was a delightful way to start my Thursday. Happy Thanksgiving!


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