January 14, 2024

Title: PARK OUTSIDE

Constructor: Stella Zawistowski

Editor: Jared Goudsmit

Theme Answers:

PARTY IN THE BACK (19A: Part of a description of a mullet)

PUNCTUATION MARK (38A: Comma or colon)

PATCHWORK (53A: Game in which players compete to build the highest scoring quilt)

Theme synopsis: The word PARK is divided and found at the OUTSIDE edges of each theme answer.

• PARTY IN THE BACK
• PUNCTUATION MARK
• PATCHWORK

Things I learned:

• TAPS (52A: Dances like Charles Coles) Charles "Honi" Coles (1911-1992) was posthumously inducted into the American TAP Dance Hall of Fame in 2003. He was self-taught, learning to TAP dance on the streets of Philadelphia where he grew up. Charles Coles was a member of the TAP dancing group called the Copasetics, who were featured in the 1977 documentary Great Feats of Feet. To add a little joy to your day, here's a video clip of Charles Coles and Tommy Tune TAP dancing.
• YOKE (33D: Item carried on the shoulders at a strongwoman meet) A lifting YOKE is a piece of equipment used in strongwoman competitions. (It's also used in strongman competitions, but I appreciate the choice here.) The YOKE is a large metal frame with a crossbar that's placed on the back and carried. Weights are added to the bottom corners of the YOKE to increase the difficulty level. This video clip shows an example of a strongwoman YOKE walk.

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• CHEF (1A: Culinary pro such as Leah Chase) CHEF Leah Chase (1923-2019) was based in New Orleans, Louisiana, and earned the nickname "Queen of Creole Cuisine." I learned about Leah Chase from the January 6, 2021 crossword. 
• GEEK (18A: ___ out (go on a rant about a subject of interest)) Interesting. I'm sure I never GEEK out, say about a science or National Park answer in a crossword puzzle...
• PARTY IN THE BACK (19A: Part of a description of a mullet) The mullet hairstyle is characterized by short hair in the front and longer hair in the back, leading to the description, "Business in the front, PARTY IN THE BACK."
• YEN (23A: Japanese currency) and MONEY (7D: "Bread" and "dough" are slang for it) It's fun that these two answers cross in the grid)
• PETS (27A: Hamsters and parakeets, e.g.) Willow would like a word.

  

  Willow checking the grid

  She is wondering why the obvious example of cat was not used here. I tried to explain to her that there are other PETS besides cats, but she was unimpressed.
• GSA (50A: Org. that might celebrate LGBTQ+ History Month) GSA here stands for "gay-straight alliance," a student-led organization that seeks to provide a safe and supportive community for LGBTQ+ persons.
• PATCHWORK (53A: Game in which players compete to build the highest scoring quilt) The game PATCHWORK was released in 2014. As the clue describes, players take turns "building" a quilt. They do so by "purchasing" patches and fitting them onto their board. I haven't played PATCHWORK, but it reminds me of the game Calico, which I have previously written about (and which I subsequently asked for and received for Christmas).
• OREO (59A: Cookie with a Tiramisu flavor) This is two days in a row that an answer has contained a tiramisu reference. OREOs with "Tiramisu Flavor Creme" is one of the limited edition OREO flavors. When I did a google search for "tiramisu OREO," I also discovered a number of recipes for "OREO Tiramisu," a variation on the Italian dessert that uses OREOs instead of ladyfingers.
• ALOO (64A: ___ methi (potato dish)) ALOO methi is a dish in India cuisine that consists of potatoes and fenugreek leaves. This is your occasional reminder that ALOO is a South Asian term for potatoes, so when you notice a dish in a crossword clue contains potato, the answer may be ALOO.
• SERVE (66A: Start a tennis match) and SET (63D: Part of a tennis match) A nice pair of tennis clues; a tennis double, you might say.
• HULA (2D: Dance with pu'ili) The pū'ili is an instrument made of split bamboo sticks. Some HULA dances incorporate pū'ili. The instruments may be tapped against a dancer's body, tapped against the ground, or a pair of pū'ili may be tapped together.
• NE-YO (13D: ""So Sick" singer) NE-YO is a Grammy-Award-winning R&B singer, songwriter, and record producer. His breakthrough hit, "So Sick," topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart when it was released in 2005. 
• BOP BAG (24D: Toy that springs back after being punched) A BOP BAG is an inflatable punching BAG. You can get BOP BAGs decorated in many different ways. You can even get a plain BOP BAG that you can decorate yourself. 
• SONATA (26D: "Moonlight ___" (Beethoven piece)) Ludwig van Beethoven completed "Piano SONATA No. 14" in 1801. Later, the piece became known as "Moonlight SONATA." Would you like some "Moonlight SONATA" in your day? (Why wouldn't you?)

Geography review:

• SOHO (37A: NYC neighborhood near TriBeCa) How's your knowledge of New York City (NYC) neighborhoods? The NYC neighborhoods of SOHO and TriBeCa both have names that are derived from their location. The SOHO neighborhood derives its name from being SOuth of HOuston Street. The area is home to a number of art galleries, artists' lofts, and shops. Tribeca is a shortened version of "Triangle Below Canal Street." The neighborhood is bordered by Canal Street, West Street, Broadway, and Chambers Street. Those four streets form a quadrilateral rather than a triangle, but hey, that's what imagination is for.
• EMIR (3D: Kuwaiti ruler) EMIR is a title used by a ruler in Islamic countries. Kuwait is located at the tip of the Persian Gulf, and is neighbors with Iraq and Saudi Arabia. The capital of Kuwait is Kuwait City, and the current EMIR is Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah.
• THREE (32D: Number of U.S. states that start with "C") Well, it looks like it's time for a Geography Review Quiz. Can you name the THREE U.S. states that begin with the letter C? The answer is at the end of this blog post.

The title of PARK OUTSIDE let me know exactly what to expect from the theme of this puzzle. Each theme answer breaks the word PARK in a different location. We have PAR/K, P/ARK, and PA/RK. In a theme such as this, it's nice when the word breaks are either consistent or all different. Thank you, Stella, for this puzzle that was a delightful way to start my Sunday. 

Answer to Geography Review Quiz: The three "C" states are California, Colorado, and Connecticut.