November 28, 2023

Title: RELAX! (Freestyle)

Constructor: Willa Angel Chen Miller

Editor: Amanda Rafkin

Freestyle: This is a themeless puzzle. RELAX! is a nod to IT WAS A JOKE (52A: "Don't treat that so seriously!").

Things I learned:

• EDWIN (46D: All-Star Mets pitcher Diaz) EDWIN Díaz is a pitcher for MLB's New York Mets. He was an All-Star in 2018 while playing for the Seattle Mariners, and in 2022 representing the Mets. EDWIN Díaz did not pitch during the 2023 season because he was recovering from surgery to repair a patellar tendon tear. EDWIN Díaz is from Puerto Rico. His brother Alexis Díaz is a pitcher for MLB's Cincinnati Reds. Side note: I've actually seen Alexis Díaz pitch, as he was an All-Star this year, and I attended this year's All-Star Game.

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• ROLLS-ROYCE (18A: British luxury car brand) A company named ROLLS-ROYCE has been producing British luxury cars since Charles ROLLS and Henry ROYCE formed a partnership in 1904. Their first company was known as ROLLS-ROYCE Limited. The company became government-owned in 1971, and the car division (the company had expanded to make aero-engines as well) was sold in 1980 and renamed ROLLS-ROYCE Motors. The company was sold again in 1998, and ROLLS-ROYCE Motor Cars is now a subsidiary of BMW. 
• MAYBE (29A: "Call Me ___" (2012 hit) "Call Me MAYBE" is a song by Carly Rae Jepsen. "Call Me MAYBE" was MTV's Song of the year for 2012. 
• INERTIA (44A: Subject of Newton's first law) Newton's laws of motion were first described by Isaac Newton in his 1687 work Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica. The laws describe the relationship between the movement of an object and the forces acting on it. Newton's first law concerns INERTIA, and is summarized as: An object at rest will remain at rest

  

  Willow on my lap

  unless it is acted upon by an outside force. I blame Newton's first law for the fact that when I am sitting in my chair in front of the fireplace with a cat on my lap I don't want to get up. Hooray for science in the crossword!
• DARE (50A: "Just Say No!" program) DARE stands for Drug Abuse Resistance Education. In the 1980s and 1990s, "Just Say No!" was used as a slogan by the DARE programs. (Side-note: Some studies have questioned the effectiveness of DARE and "Just Say No!" campaigns.)
• JANE (56A: Actress and activist Fonda) JANE Fonda has an extensive filmography. A couple of my favorite JANE Fonda movies are On Golden Pond (1981) and 9 to 5 (1980). JANE Fonda is also known for her activism in many areas. She launched a political action committee (PAC) last year – the JANE Fonda Climate PAC – to support the ousting of politicians that support the fossil fuel industry. 
• DOYLE (11D: Arthur Conan ___) Sir Arthur Conan DOYLE (1859-1930) is the creator of the fictional detective Sherlock Holmes. The 1887 novel, A Study in Scarlet, was the first of four novels Arthur Conan DOYLE wrote that featured Sherlock Holmes. He also wrote 56 short stories about the popular detective and his side-kick, Dr. Watson.
• PANDA (24D: National Zoo's Xiao Qi Ji, e.g.) Xiao Qi Ji is a male PANDA that was born at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C. on August 21, 2020. The name Xiǎo Qíjì means "little miracle." Xiao Qi Ji and his parents, Mei Xiang and Tian Tian, left the National Zoo earlier this month and are currently living on a PANDA reserve in Chengdu, China.
• ABC (26D: "The Good Doctor" channel) The Good Doctor is an ABC TV series that premiered in 2017. The show is based on a 2013 South Korean TV series of the same name. The show's main character is an autistic surgeon, Dr. Shaun Murphy (portrayed by Freddie Highmore). 
• IT'S (41D: "___ Okay to Not Be Okay") IT'S Okay to Not Be Okay is a South Korean TV Show. It was named by The New York Times as one of "The Best International Shows of 2020." The main characters of the show are Ko Moon-Young, a children's book author rumored to have antisocial personality disorder, and Moon Gang-tae, who works at a psychiatric hospital. IT'S nice that the answer here is inferable even for solvers unfamiliar with the TV show. 
• TERESA (43D: Taiwanese singer Teng) TERESA Teng (1953-1995) has been referred to as the "Eternal Queen of Asian Pop." The Taiwanese singer became popular in Japan in the 1970s, and was known for her melancholy love songs. I learned about TERESA Teng from the September 9, 2022 puzzle.
• A few other clues I especially enjoyed:
• KARATE (Martial art that translates to "empty hand")
• MINECRAFT (31A: Game with a blocky aesthetic)
• IRONY (6D: It might be verbal, dramatic or situational)
• MELT (7D: Turn from a snowman into a puddle, say)

Geography review:

• ERIE (35A: Lake by Cleveland) Cleveland, Ohio is located on the southern shores of Lake ERIE. Cleveland is the second-most populous city in Ohio (after Columbus), and the largest city on Lake ERIE.

There's a lot of great fill in this freestyle puzzle. I haven't even mentioned APPLE CARE, FREELANCE, TEDDY BEAR, SMILE LINES, and ARE WE ALONE yet. Congratulations to Willa Angel Chen Miller who is making a USA Today debut! Thank you, Willa, for this puzzle that was a terrific way to start my Tuesday.