January 24, 2024

Title: ON AND ON AND ON

Constructor: Kelsey Dixon

Editor: Kelsey Dixon

Theme Answers:

LONDON TIPTON (20A: Fictional hotel heiress from "The Suite Life" series)

I'M ONLY ONE PERSON (38A: "You're asking too much of me!")

MONSOON SEASON (57A: Annual period of heavy rainfall)

Theme synopsis: Each theme answer contains the word ON three times.

• LONDON TIPTON
• I'M ONLY ONE PERSON
• MONSOON SEASON

Things I learned:

• LIAR (15A: "Boy's a ___" (PinkPantheress single)) PinkPantheress is a British singer-songwriter who signed a record deal after some of her songs went viral on TikTok. Her 2022 song, "Boys a LIAR" reached number two on the UK charts. A 2023 remix version of the song, "Boy's a LIAR Pt. 2" featured rapper Ice Spice. That version reached number three on the Billboard Hot 100.

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• POSH (1A: Swanky member of the Spice girls) POSH Spice was the nickname of Victoria Beckham when she was a member of the Spice girls.
• PSST (5A: "Wanna hear a secret?") PSST ... wanna hear a secret? Today is Kelsey Dixon's birthday. Okay, it's not really a secret, but this clue provided a nice opportunity to mention it. Happy birthday, Kelsey! Thank you for gifting us with this puzzle on your birthday!
• AFRO (18A: Jazmine's hairstyle in "The Boondocks") From 1996 to 2006, The Boondocks was a syndicated comic strip written by Aaron McGruder. The comic depicted brothers, Huey and Riley, who have moved with their grandfather from the West Side of Chicago to a predominantly white (fictional) suburb in Maryland. From 2005 to 2014, an animated series based on the comic strip, and also titled The Boondocks, aired on Cartoon Network's late-night programming block, Adult Swim. Jazmine is the biracial daughter of the Dubois family that lives across the street from Huey and Riley. As the clue informs us, Jazmine's hairstyle is an AFRO.
• RANTS (19A: Goes on and on and on) What a fun bonus META (28A: Self-referential) answer!
• LONDON TIPTON (20A: Fictional hotel heiress from "The Suite Life" series) The Suite Life of Zack & Cody is a TV sitcom that originally aired on the Disney Channel from 2005-2008. The series is set in the TIPTON hotel in Boston, where twins Zack and Cody live in a suite with their mother who performs in the hotel lounge. LONDON TIPTON (portrayed by Brenda Song) is the teenage daughter of the hotel's owner.
• ARMS (37A: Cactus limbs) Coincidentally, in writing about cacti yesterday, I mentioned, "Saguaro branches are referred to as ARMS."
• TAR (47A: Fossil-preserving goop) At the La Brea TAR Pits in Hancock Park in Los Angeles, California, natural asphalt has seeped up from the ground for tens of thousands of years. The TAR preserved the bones of animals unlucky enough to get caught in the pits centuries ago.
• SITAR (53A: Instrument with two layers of strings) The SITAR is a plucked string instrument used widely in Hindustani classical music. A SITAR has 18, 19, 20, or 21 strings. The instrument is played by plucking the six or seven strings which run over raised frets. The remainder of the strings are under the frets, and are "sympathetic strings" that resonate with the played strings.
• COSMO (61A: Classically pink cocktail) A cosmopolitan, or COSMO, is a cocktail made with vodka, Cointreau, cranberry juice, and lime juice.
• ACAI (63A: Three-syllable berry) Well, strawberry wouldn't fit here, so the answer must be AÇAÍ, the berry whose name is spelled with four letters and pronounced with three syllables.
• DRUID (65A: D&D race with nature-themed magic) In the role-playing game, Dungeons & Dragons (D&D), the DRUID is a playable character class. The DRUID gains its spells and magical powers from nature. Some DRUIDs are able to take on animal forms.
• DADS (66A: "My Two ___ and Me" (children's book)) My Two DADS and Me is a children's book written by Michael Joosten and illustrated by Izak Zenou. The book follows families throughout their day, with illustrations showing a number of different families with two DADS.
• HANDYMAN (4D: Teddy's profession in "Bob's Burgers") Bob's Burgers is an animated sitcom centered on Bob and Linda Belcher and their children, Tina, Gene, and Louise. As the name of the show suggests, the Belchers own a burger restaurant. Teddy is a HANDYMAN and a loyal customer of Bob's Burgers.
• TROPE (8D: Movie or TV cliche) In another coincidence, I also used the word TROPE in yesterday's write-up, while discussing the Japanese manga series Lone Wolf and Cub. The wiki website TV TROPEs is a fun site to explore. It discusses various TROPEs, providing descriptions and examples.
• ANN (11D: "Abbot Elementary" actress Lisa ___ Walter) Lisa ANN Walter portrays second-grade teacher Melissa Schemmenti, on the TV mockumentary Abbott Elementary.
• HORSE (25D: Half of a centaur) A centaur is a creature from Greek and Roman mythology that has the lower body and legs of a HORSE, and the upper body of a human.
• AMISH (32D: Pennsylvania sect) The AMISH are an ethnoreligious group known for simple living and plain dress. Many AMISH immigrated to Pennsylvania in the early 18th century, and Pennsylvania has the largest population of AMISH in the United States.
• ORA (62D: "Pokemon Detective Pikachu" actress Rita) Pokémon Detective Pikachu is a 2019 movie based on the Pokémon franchise. The movie is a fantasy mystery, following a Pokémon trainer trying to solve the mysterious disappearance of his father. Rita ORA portrays a scientist, Dr. Ann Laurent.

Geography review:

• LOA (39D: Mauna ___ (Hawaiian volcano)) Mauna LOA is on of five volcanoes that form the island of Hawai'i. Mauna LOA is an active volcano, and has likely been erupting for over 700,000 years. Mauna LOA is one of a pair of Hawaiian volcanoes with 3-letter names that make frequent crossword appearances. The other volcano of the pair is Mauna Kea. Mauna LOA and Mauna Kea are about 35 miles apart on the island of Hawai'i. Unlike Mauna LOA, Mauna Kea is currently dormant.
• SOCAL (52D: Region containing L.A. and Ojai) The SOCAL (Southern California) region is generally defined as containing California's ten southernmost counties. Although smaller in area than northern California, SOCAL is the more populated of the two regions. Los Angeles (L.A.), the largest city in the state, is located in SOCAL. The city of Ojai is also in SOCAL, located northwest of L.A. Ojai is known for a culture focused on ecology, health, local agriculture, hiking/walking, and art. Ojai city ordinance prohibits chain stores in order to encourage local business. SOCAL is also home to the La Brea TAR Pits, which I mentioned above.

Well, there's no need to go ON AND ON AND ON about this puzzle, is there? This is a fun theme with enjoyable theme answers. My favorite is I'M ONLY ONE PERSON, as I can easily envision that statement being a part of RANTS. Thank you, Kelsey, for this delightful puzzle.