Title: STAFF MEETING
Constructor: Mark McClain
Editor: Erik Agard
Theme Answers:
BALLET FLAT (17A: Thin-heeled shoe)
STICKY NOTE (56A: Piece of paper from a colorful pad)
EXTRA SHARP (10D: Cheddar variety)
ALL THE REST (27D: Whatever is left)
TUNES (24D: Things to hum)
Theme synopsis: The last words of the multiple-word theme answers are all things you might find on a STAFF, a musical STAFF, that is. Combine enough FLATs, NOTEs, SHARPs, and RESTs, and you'll have some TUNES.
Random thoughts and interesting things:
- LEAN (9A: "___ on Me" (Bill Withers song)) "LEAN on Me" is one of those songs that sparks many memories for me, so I enjoyed seeing it in the puzzle. It is one of only nine songs to reach number one on the Billboard Hot 100 with versions recorded by two different artists. Bill Withers, who wrote the song, took it to the top of the charts in 1972. A version recorded by Club Nouveau reached number one in 1987. "LEAN on Me" ranks 208 on Rolling Stone's list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time."
- ODES (15A: 2016 Sharon Olds poetry collection) Sharon Olds won the Pulitzer Prize in Poetry in 2013 for her poetry collection, Stag's Leap. Even if you were unfamiliar with Sharon Olds, this answer is inferable since ODES and the singular ODE are frequent crossword answers.
- MONEY (34A: What cowry shells were once used as) Cowries are sea snails with smooth, shiny shells. Although no longer used as MONEY, cowry shells are still used in making jewelry.
- ASH (42A: Shade of gray) Taking this opportunity to send some vibes of strength and endurance (and rain) to those on the west coast dealing with wildfires.
- STICKY NOTE (56A: Piece of paper from a colorful pad) Ah, the useful and ubiquitous STICKY NOTE, or Post-it note. You' may have heard the story of the 3M scientist who was attempting to develop a super-strong adhesive and instead accidentally created the pressure-sensitive adhesive that would later inspire the creation of the STICKY NOTE. Several years later that fortuitous accident was put to use to invent Post-it notes. You just never know what will develop from a perceived failure.
Geography review:
- TAMPA (25D: Florida bay city) TAMPA is on the west coast of Florida, on TAMPA Bay near the Gulf of Mexico. Although TAMPA is not in the path of Hurricane Sally, let's also send some good vibes to that part of the world as well. (It's an odd experience to share a name with a tropical storm/hurricane!)
This puzzle did not leave me CROSS at all! I enjoyed the musical theme and the choice of theme answers, particularly ALL THE REST. It felt appropriate to see a couple of TUNES ("LEAN on Me" and "Come SEE About Me") referenced in the clues. We even had some OBOES to help us make music today. The rest of the fill felt smooth. This puzzle was the most delightful STAFF MEETING I've attended in a long time, and a pleasant start to my Tuesday.
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