December 1, 2023

Title: THE ENDING WILL SHOCK YOU!

Constructor: Kenneth Cortes

Editor: Amanda Rafkin

Theme Answers:

HOOKUP CULTURE (20A: Way of life that favors casual sex)

GENERAL ELECTRIC (41A: "Imagination at work" company)

BUMPER STICKER (60A: One might read "Honk if you love pizza!")

Theme synopsis: The ENDING word of each theme answer can precede the word SHOCK. Today we have CULTURE SHOCK, ELECTRIC SHOCK, and STICKER SHOCK.

Things I learned:

• HEAT (10D: ___: Pedal to the Metal (racing game)) HEAT: Pedal to the Metal is a board game released last year by Days of Wonder (the company that makes the Ticket to Ride series of board games). Players manage the cards in their hands to be the first to get their race cars around the track.

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• PETS (17A: Animals that might receive belly rubs) "Yes, please,"

  

  Willow

  
  my PET Willow says, "I would like some belly rubs."
• DEAR (18A: "___ John (Taylor's Version)") "DEAR John (Taylor's Version" is a song from Taylor Swift's re-recorded album released in July of this year, Speak Now (Taylor's Version)." The original version of "DEAR John" was released in 2010. 
• SIERRA (23A: "Ephemera" author DeMulder) Ephemera, published this year, is the latest book of poetry from SIERRA DeMulder. You can read some poems from Ephemera on SIERRA Mulder's website, and I recommend checking them out. I was going to recommend one, but I couldn't decide – I think this might be an indication that I should buy Ephemera! I have previously written about SIERRA DeMulder and her poem, "Today Means Amen."
• TMZ (27A: Celebrity news program) TMZ, a news organization owned by Fox Corporation, advertises itself as having "the latest in celebrity gossip and entertainment news." TMZ is an acronym for "thirty-mile zone," a name used to refer to an area in Los Angeles that contains a number of film and TV studios.
• GENERAL ELECTRIC (41A: "Imagination at work" company) GENERAL ELECTRIC adopted the slogan, "Imagination at work" in 2003. The slogan replaced, "We bring good things to life."
• ELENA (44A: Supreme Court justice Kagan) ELENA Kagan has been a Supreme Court Justice since 2010.
• IDA (52A: ___ B. Wells) IDA B. Wells (1862-1931) was an investigative journalist and a co-founder of the NAACP.
• BUMPER STICKER (60A: One might read "Honk if you love pizza!") I'm a fan of the BUMPER STICKER example used in this clue. Honk! I do love pizza.
• SEAL (71A: Marine mammal that can eat up to 6% of its body weight every day) As I've mentioned before, I enjoy an interesting animal fact with my crossword. The SEAL belongs to the group of mammals known as pinnipeds. These mammals are fin-footed and semi-aquatic. There are many types of SEALs, ranging in size from 100 pounds (the Baikal SEAL) to 7,100 pounds (the elephant SEAL).
• RENE (72A: Descartes who said, "I think, therefore I am") RENÉ Descartes (1596-1650) was a French philosopher, scientist, and mathematician. His work is considered foundational to the development of modern philosophy.
• PRAYER RUG (38D: Mat often pointed toward Mecca) Mecca is a city in Saudi Arabi, and as the birthplace of Muhammad, it is considered to be the holiest city in Islam. PRAYER RUGs used by Muslims are pointed toward Mecca when in use.
• RAP METAL (42D: Genre for Linkin Park) Linkin Park is a Grammy-Award-winning rock band that has been active since 1996. RAP METAL is genre of music that combines hip hop and heavy metal.
• IBIS (52D: Bird with a curved beak) The IBIS is a long-legged wading bird. It has a long bill that curves downward. 
• OSCAR (56D: One of four for Katharine Hepburn) As the clue informs us, Katherine Hepburn (1907-2003) won four Academy Awards, also known as OSCARs. Those four OSCARs were awarded for her work in Morning Glory (1934), Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1968), The Lion in Winter (1969), and On Golden Pond (1982).

Geography review:

• AVIV (1A: Tel ___) Tel AVIV is a city on the Mediterranean coast of Israel.
• YEN (51A: Japanese currency) Japan is an island country in East Asia. The capital of Japan is Tokyo, and its currency is the Japanese YEN.
• SELMA (68A: Alabama city in civil rights history) SELMA, Alabama is located about 50 miles west of Montgomery on the banks of the Alabama River. In 1965, the Edmund Pettus Bridge that crosses the Alabama River in SELMA was the starting point for a series of civil rights marches from SELMA to Montgomery to advocate for voting rights.

I hope this puzzle didn't SHOCK you too much. Hopefully you were IN THE ZONE as you solved. THE ENDING WILL SHOCK YOU! is a great title, and I enjoyed uncovering each type of SHOCK. I wonder if any solvers will experience CULTURE SHOCK at the idea of HOOKUP CULTURE. Thank you, Kenneth, for this puzzle that was a great way to start my Friday.