PCC#27 "On Your Marks"

Answer explanation: POO + MAA = puma, RHEE + BACH = reebok, ACE + SIX = asics, NIGH + QUAY = nike, COAL + HAHN = cole haan, ECK + COE = ecco, DOCK + CURS = dockers... first letter of these shoes in grid order = PRANCED... first letter of the first half of clues = DOWNTHE... first letter of the second half of clues = CATWALK... so the meta answer is PRANCED DOWN THE CATWALK... i'm not a model but one can dream right?

Constructor notes: pronunciation puzzles can get tricky because not everyone pronounces things the same way... i got the idea for this puzzle from QUAY... if you've never seen the word before, "KWAY" seems like a logical guess... so i clued that entry in such a way that knowing it's pronounced KEY can help you solve the meta... some of the brands are not as well-known (for example ecco i've only heard of before from crosswords)... also dockers is a bit of an outlier as the other brands specialize in shoes whereas dockers is more general apparel that happens to sell shoes

one tiny inelegance is that a native korean speaker may take issue with the RHEE pronunciation... the hangul character for RHEE, 이 in Syngman Rhee is pronounced "EE" (without the R sound)... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lee_(Korean_surname)... i figured that the romanized spelling will dictate its pronunciation... for example, my last name Chow is pronounced chow as in puppy chow but pronounced more like "joe" in mandarin chinese and "jau" in cantonese

Bonus puzzle: I created a just-for-fun branding mini-puzzle that you can play here: https://crosshare.org/crosswords/VBehFu2r3WfTQDvYz9BA/pcc0-its-all-fun-and-games-until-you-have-to-pay-rent

The puzzle is free and suggested donations to any charity (shoe-related or not) is encouraged and appreciated.

March 15 is National Shoe The World Day. The day sheds light on the importance of footwear and the need for quality footwear for millions of people worldwide who can't afford or don't have access to it.

Here's the one I donated to this year: https://becauseinternational.org/shoe-the-world-day... I really liked the "shoe that grows" innovation... it's an expandable shoe that can be adjusted as a child grows

This was so cool - fortunately I noticed the symmetry or I may never have noticed POO MAA. LOL. Too funny. Thanks, Philip!

Fun one, Phil! I'll admit I didn't spy the clue letters at first, but guessed that it might be "... down the runway." I did peek at that last nudge to bring this one home.

Funny story about QUAY — I have a friend who lives on a street with that name. The first time I drove there, I nearly missed the turn when Google Maps told me to turn on "Key" Avenue!

Wow! Very impressive construction. I confess I needed the nudges but still fun to solve.And I REALLY appreciated the symmetry in the partners - I was trying all sorts of combos until I noticed that. Thanks! I also appreciated the explanation on pronunciations - and your name.

Couldn’t see ASICS forever and I have a pair. The symmetry certainly helped!

This puzzle was quite a workout! I had to go to the nudges because I had a tough time getting the pairs straight (aha, symmetry, thanks!) and also what to include in determining the letters and order to get to the solution. So challenging but fun. Thanks, Phil -- and also for all the interesting information you've shared as I know nothing about anime or manga (except as crossword entries!)

Recovering test solver here-- it only took me four submissions to figure out why "Pranced down the runway" was not correct.

Incredibly fine construction. Symmetrical location makes if much more difficult for the constructor, but it's a gift for solvers, which is why I quickly stopped looking for those puppies to go with HUSH and martens to go with DOCK. I couldn't have gotten CATWALK without the nudges.