The March 30 crossword really hits home

[Thomps2525]

Annemarie Brethauer produces programs and documentaries for cable television channels. She also produces crossword puzzles. Her puzzles have appeared in USA TODAY, the Los Angeles Times, New York Times, Chronicle Of Higher Education, Games magazine and other publications. In her crossword today, "Last leg of a race" is HOMESTRETCH. Four answers include the letters H-O-M-E stretched out:

Very popular movie star, e.g.: HOTNUMBER
Studio feature that produces reverb: ECHOCHAMBER
"Talk Like a Pirate Day" greeting: AHOYMATEY
2017 Day-Lewis film with multiple Oscar nominations: PHANTOMTHREAD

The first echo chambers used for radio broadcasts and phonograph recordings were actually just large rooms with floors of concrete or polished stone. Sound would reverberate and thereby become richer and fuller. In the late 1950s, echoes and reverb began to be produced electronically. In the 21st century, most echo effects are produced via digital signal processing. Here is an article about the most famous echo device, the Watkins Copicat, designed and built by British electronics engineer Charlie Watkins:

https://www.musictech.net/reviews/watkins-copicat/

Today's crossword, same as almost all crosswords, contains several common, overused, short words: EBB, ERA, ERE, OAT, OBOE, OER, RTE, RYE, STP and UTE. "Tres menos dos" is UNO, which is not used in English. "Days, to Diego" is DIAS, which is not used in English.

"Hamm of soccer" is MIA. Mariel Margaret "Mia" Hamm, born in 1972 in Selma, Alabama, played for the North Carolina Tar Heels from 1989 to 1993 and the Washington Freedom from 2001 to 2003. As a member of the United States women's national soccer team from 1987 to 2004, Hamm won two gold medals (1996, 2004) and one silver medal (2000) in the Olympics. She also played on teams that won two FIFA World Cups. On May 22, 1999, Hamm scored her 108th career goal to set a new all-time record. Here is the video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mc013wLO3lI

Yes, I decided to sandwich in a few lines about Hamm. And now that my requisite bad pun is out of the way, I bid you all farewell until next time.