January 18, 2024

Title: ANYTHING GOES

Constructor: Catherine Cetta

Editor: Anna Gundlach

Theme Answers:

NERVE ENDINGS (19A: They'll let you know when you're in hot water)

NORA EPHRON (29A: Writer, director and producer of "You've Got Mail")

NOT EXACTLY (40A: "Close, but...")

NARROW ESCAPE (51A: Close call)

Theme synopsis: Each theme answer has the initials N.E. In other words, each one is an N.E. THING, which sounds like ANYTHING.

• NERVE ENDINGS
• NORA EPHRON
• NOT EXACTLY
• NARROW ESCAPE 

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• GARBO (14A: Actress Greta of the Golden Age of Hollywood) Greta GARBO (1905-1990) began her acting career during the era of silent films. Born in Sweden, she moved to Hollywood in 1925 recruited by Louis B. Mayer, a co-founder of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Her notable silent movie performances include A Woman of Affairs (1928) and The Kiss (1929). Her first sound film, Anna Christie (1930) was marketed with the tagline, "GARBO talks!" Greta GARBO is considered one of the greatest screen actresses of all time.
• MAR (15A: National Napping Day mo.) I found conflicting reports of the date of National Napping Day, though everyone agrees that this unofficial holiday occurs in March (MAR). Most sites agree that National Napping Day is celebrated the Monday after Daylight Saving Time begins, after people have "lost" an hour of sleep. By that reasoning, this year National Napping Day will be MAR. 11. However, I found at least one site that claims National Napping Day occurs each year on MAR. 15. Just to be safe, mark your calendars and plan to nap on MAR. 11 and MAR. 15 this year.
• NERVE ENDINGS (19A: They'll let you know when you're in hot water) What a great clue! NERVE ENDINGS located in your skin can detect temperature and pressure. 
• ORTEGA (26A: "Wednesday" actress Jenna) Wednesday Addams is the daughter of the Addams Family franchise, which is based on characters created by cartoonist Charles Addams. Wednesday is a TV series based on the character that premiered on Netflix in November 2022. Jenna ORTEGA plays the title character.
• NORA EPHRON (29A: Writer, director and producer of "You've Got Mail") NORA EPHRON (1941-2012) wrote, directed, and/or produced so many of my favorite rom-coms. In addition to You've Got Mail (1998), there's When Harry Met Sally (1989), Sleepless in Seattle (1993) and Julie & Julia (2009). I knew this answer immediately, and it made me happy to see NORA EPHRON in the grid. 
• CORNMEAL (4D: Main ingredient in polenta and grits) Both polenta and grits are made by boiling CORNMEAL. 
• AMANA (10D: Kitchen appliance brand) The AMANA Corporation, known for kitchen appliances, got its start just over 20 miles from where I currently live. The company was founded in 1934 in Middle AMANA, Iowa, as The Electrical Equipment Co. The name was later changed to AMANA Refrigeration, Inc., and is now the AMANA Corporation (owned by Whirlpool). AMANA appliances are still manufactured at a factory in AMANA, Iowa.
• CROSS (12D: What this puzzle's across and down answers do) I enjoy a self-referential clue.
• NEW WAVE (40D: The B-52s' genre) NEW WAVE is a music genre that originated in the mid-1970s in Britain. The B-52s are an American NEW WAVE band that formed in 1976. "Love Shack" (which we saw as a theme answer September 24, 2023) is considered their signature song. Fun Fact: The B-52s covered the song "(Meet) The Flintstones" (the theme song from the TV show) as the B.C. 52's, a fictional band from the 1994 movie The Flintstones.
• FDR (42D: POTUS who was in office for 12 years) The abbreviation POTUS, for President of the United States, lets solvers know the answer is the initials of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, FDR. From 1933 until his death in 1945, FDR was the POTUS. He is the only president to serve more than two terms.
• ERIE (52D: Indigenous people of northern Ohio) The ERIE people lived in the Great Lakes region along the southern shore of Lake ERIE. In the mid-17th century, warfare with the neighboring Iroquois forced most of the tribe to leave the area. ERIE, Pennsylvania and Lake ERIE are named for the ERIE people. This is our crossword-friend ERIE's fourth appearance this month.
• A few other clues I especially enjoyed:
• ABC (10A: Channel sometimes called "the alphabet network")
• IGLOO (13A: Home that might have a window made of ice)
• HOOD (30D: Car part called a "bonnet" in England)

Geography review:

• ASIAN (17A: Like someone born in Bhutan) Bhutan is a landlocked country in Asia. Located in the Eastern Himalayas, Bhutan is bordered by China and India. The capital of Bhutan is Thimphu.
• PESO (53D: Currency of Argentina) Argentina is located in the southeastern part of South America, with coastline along the Atlantic Ocean. The capital of Argentina is Buenos Aires, and the currency is the Argentine PESO.

This (at least for me) was a tricky theme to figure out. In fact, I had just decided I needed to "phone a friend" when the following thought went through my head, "I see that each theme answer has the initials N.E., but what do these N.E. things have to do with the theme? Oh...!" An extremely satisfying "Aha!" moment upon discovering that "N.E. thing" sounds like ANYTHING. Thank you, Catherine, for this clever puzzle.

One more thing today: I constructed today's Puzzmo puzzle. It's a midi called "Weather Forecast," and you can find it over on the Puzzmo site.