December 5, 2023

Title:  CLOSER TO FINE

Constructor: Amie Walker

Editor: Amanda Rafkin

Theme Answers:
HEART LINE (17A: Palm part pertaining to love)
MACARONI ART (36A: Kid's craft project that uses pasta)
BOXED WINE (61A: Pinot noir served from a spigot, say)

Theme synopsis: The CLOSER (i.e. last word) of each theme answer can be added TO the word FINE, to give us FINE LINE, FINE ART, and FINE WINE.

Random thoughts and interesting things:
  • AVE (21A: "___ Maria" (Beyonce song)) Beyoncé's song "AVE Maria," is a re-write of Franz Schubert's 1825 composition. Beyoncé recorded "AVE Maria" for her 2008 album, I Am... Sasha Fierce.
  • PANEL (24A: Group that might host a "Dispatches from Middle-earth" talk at Comic-Con) At this year's Comic-Con in San Diego, the "Dispatches from Middle-earth" PANEL discussed many things, including the upcoming animated movie, "War of the Rohirrim."
  • NORA (41A: The "N" of N.K. Jemisin) N.K. Jemisin is a four-time Hugo-Award-winning author. I have previously written about N.K. Jemisin, whose initials stand for NORA Keita.
  • MMA (55A: Alana McLaughlin's sport) In September 2021, Alana McLaughlin made her MMA (mixed martial arts) debut, and won. She is the second openly-trans fighter in the MMA. I first learned about Alana McLaughlin from the December 24, 2021 puzzle. If you'd like to learn more about Alana McLaughlin's journey to becoming an MMA fighter, I recommend this article from The Guardian (content warning: the article discusses abuse and painful family dynamics).
  • GEODE (63A: Crystal-filled rock) A GEODE is a hollow rock in which crystals are secluded. The crystals are only visible when the rock is broken open. GEODEs are found in parts of the midwestern United States (including Iowa), Brazil, Namibia, Mexico, and an area of Somerset, England.
  • ZOOMIES (1D: Pet's sudden burst of energy) I was delighted to be able to fill in this answer immediately without the help of crossing answers. Willow says, "Look at me.
    A calico cat relaxing on a woman's shoulder. The cat has its paws crossed.
    Willow

    Do I look like a pet that would get the ZOOMIES?" The answer is yes! Although it's funny when a pet gets the ZOOMIES and begins running around the house (for no apparent reason), it's definitely less amusing when it happens in the middle of the night.
  • OM NOM NOM (2D: Cookie Monster's cookie-munching sound) Here's another answer I filled in immediately! Like Cookie Monster, I've never met a cookie I didn't like, "OM NOM NOM!" I recently saw an article about the contents of Cookie Monster's cookies, and I think it's safe to say that the cookies I eat are tastier.
  • LIL (9D: Phil's twin in "Rugrats") LIL and Phil DeVille are twins on the animated TV series, Rugrats.
  • ARIANA (10D: "Barbie" actress Greenblatt) ARIANA Greenblatt portrays Sasha in the 2023 movie, Barbie. Sasha is a teenage girl that criticizes Barbie for encouraging unrealistic standards of beauty. Sasha's mother, Gloria (America Ferrera) is a Mattel employee.
  • SPACE (23D: "Blank ___" (Taylor Swift song)) I appreciate the aptness of using a fill-in-the-blank clue here. Taylor Swift originally released "Blank SPACE" in 2014. 
  • ADOBO (28D: Filipino stew) The main ingredients of the Filipino stew, ADOBO, are vinegar, soy sauce, black peppercorns, and bay leaves. The dish may be cooked with pork or chicken, or only vegetables.
  • BANDS (35D: Meet Me at the Altar and Veruca Salt, for two) I learned about the pop-punk BAND, Meet Me at the Altar (stylized as Meet Me @ the Altar) from the the October 23, 2023 puzzle. Veruca Salt is an alt rock band that took its name from a Charlie and the Chocolate Factory character. 
  • TREE POSE (39D: Yoga asana where arms represent branches) TREE POSE is one of the balancing poses in yoga. To get into TREE POSE, one stands on one leg, bending the other leg and placing the foot of that leg against the standing leg, either above or below the knee. The arms, representing branches, are either raised overhead, or placed in front of the chest, with the palms of the hands together.
  • EID (52D: Islam's ___ al-Fitr) EID al-Fitr is an Islamic festival marking the end of Ramadan.
  • A few other clues I especially enjoyed:
    • COMMA (13A: Punctuation mark in "Honey, I Shrunk the Kids")
    • BOXED WINE (61A: Pinot noir served from a spigot, say)
    • KNEELS (12D: Gets eye-level with a toddler, maybe)
    • ONTO (59D: "Hold ___ your butts!")

    Geography review:

    • OSLO (14A: Nobel Peace Center city) OSLO, the capital of Norway, has been the home of the Nobel Peace Center since 2005. The Center showcases winners of the Nobel Peace Prize and their work. Earlier this year, I wrote about the Nobel Peace Center, and noted that it was closed for renovations. I'm happy to report that the Center is open again, so it's time to resume planning a trip to OSLO.
    I had a nice "Aha!" moment in discovering this puzzle's theme. When I uncovered HEART LINE, I wondered if there was a rhyming thing going on. MACARONI ART disproved that theory. ANY IDEA? (42D: "Do you have a guess?) At that point, the answer was no. I didn't figure out the theme until I uncovered BOXED WINE. "Aha! FINE WINE!" Thank you, Amie, for this puzzle that was a terrific way to start my Tuesday.


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