October 16, 2020

Title: DROP COOKIES

Constructor: Stella Zawistowski

Editor: Erik Agard & Paolo Pasco

Theme Answers:

SPOONFUL OF SUGAR (6D: One "helps the medicine go down," in a song)

WHEEL OF FORTUNE (9D: Game show with Free Spins)

BREAD AND BUTTER (14D: Main thing)

Theme synopsis: The theme answers are "dropping" vertically in the puzzle, and the last words of the theme answer are types of DROP COOKIES - SUGAR COOKIES, FORTUNE COOKIES, BUTTER COOKIES. 

Things I learned:

• NAM (1A: ___ pla (Asian fish sauce)) A staple in some Asian cuisines, this liquid condiment is made from salted fish or krill that has fermented for up to two years.
• VERA (33A: "Up in the Air" star Farmiga) Up in the Air is a 2009 movie based on Walter Kim's book of the same name. The movie centers on frequent flyer, Ryan, a man who specializes in termination assistance for a human resources firm. VERA Farmiga, plays the role of Alex, a professional woman who also flies frequently.
• RUMBA (60A: Dance with a yambu style) There are three distinct forms of RUMBA: yambú, guaguancó, and columbia. Yambú is a romantic style of dance in which a single couple slowly dances within a circle of conga drummers and singers. The partners seldom touch except when moving side by side.
• SOSA (38D: Singer Mercedes) Mercedes SOSA was an Argentine singer whose music was characterized by a folk-inspired style and lyrics pertaining to social issues. She was described as the "voice of the voiceless ones." SOSA was part of the "nuevo cancionero" that played a role in the pro-democracy movements in Portugal, Spain, and Latin America during the 1970s and 1980s.

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• AFOOT (42A: Taking place right now) This word always makes me think of Sherlock Holmes. Interestingly, in the 56 short stories written about Holmes, he only said, "The game is afoot," one time, at the beginning of "The Adventure of the Abbey Grange."
• HAUL (58A: Result of a shopping spree) Once you get home from your shopping spree, you can record a HAUL video and upload it to YouTube, as I learned from last Saturday's puzzle.
• HORSE (72A: Centaur's bottom half) 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.
• AREA (2D: ___ 51) AREA 51 is a highly classified U.S. Air Force training facility in Nevada. AREA 51 was the focus of a satirical FB event to "Storm AREA 51." The joke event was scheduled for September 20, 2019, and over 2 million people responded they were going, with another 1.5 million indicating they were "interested." 
• TRI (4D: Race that may end with a marathon, for short) A triathlon, or TRI, is an endurance race consisting of swimming, cycling, and running. 
• SPOONFUL OF SUGAR (6D: One "helps the medicine go down," in a song) "...in a most delightful way." The song, "A SPOONFUL OF SUGAR," from Mary Poppins, was written by Robert B. Sherman and Richard M. Sherman. Robert Sherman got the idea for the song after one of his children described receiving his polio vaccine by explaining that the medicine was put on a cube of sugar and then he swallowed it.

Geography review:

• ARAB (13A: The "A" in UAE) The UAE, or United ARAB Emirates, is a country on the Arabian Peninsula. Abu Dhabi is the capital of the UAE.
• EURO (19A: Cyprus currency) Cyprus is an island country in the Mediterranean. Nicosia is the capital of Cyprus.
• ROUGE (10D: Baton ___, Louisiana) Baton ROUGE, which means "red stick" in French, is the capital of Louisiana.

Hmmm, for some reason I feel inspired to make cookies today. Perhaps DROP COOKIES? A delightful theme with some lovely long theme answers. SPOONFUL OF SUGAR is especially nice, since DROP COOKIES are made by dropping a SPOONFUL of batter on a baking sheet (as opposed to cutting out or otherwise forming the dough.) Nothing to SOB about in the rest of the puzzle either. Smooth fill and interesting cluing made this puzzle an enjoyable way to begin my Friday. Thanks to Stella, Erik, and Paolo, who shall not remain NAMELESS.