November 17, 2020

Title: GO DOWN

Constructor: Gail Grabowski

Editor: Erik Agard

Theme Answers:

KITCHEN SINK (20A: Place for dirty dishes)

TAKE THE FALL (60A: Accept blame for someone else's mistake)

CHEESE DIP (11D: Accompaniment for tortilla chips)

LEMON DROP (33D: Candy that's a pucker-upper)

Theme synopsis: The last word of each theme answer means GO DOWN. We have SINK, FALL, DIP, and DROP.

Things I learned:

• LANE (30A: "Utopia" star Sasha) Utopia is an American TV series adapted from a British series of the same name. The series involves a cult underground comic book titled Utopia. Sasha LANE plays the role of Jessica Hyde.
• EDEN (6D: "Son of a Trickster" author Robinson) Son of a Trickster is the first in a trilogy of novels by EDEN Robinson. The novel draws on contemporary pop culture, as well as Robinson's heritage as a member of the Haisla and Heiltsuk First Nations. The trickster referred to in the title is the Haisla trickster, Wee'jit.
• TREE (35D: The Pokemon Sudowoodo looks like one) Sudowoodo is a Generation II Pokémon. When attacked, Sudowoodo goes in the forest and stands still to resemble a TREE.

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• FELT (5A: Stetson material) John B. Stetson founded his hat company in 1865.
  
  This clue reminded me of my dad, who often wore a Stetson-style hat.
• EMMA (67A: "The Bling Ring" star Watson) EMMA Watson played the role of Nicki Moore in The Bling Ring, a movie based on a 2010 Vanity Fair article written by Nancy Jo Sales titled "The Suspects Wore Louboutins." The movie tells the story of a group of fame-obsessed teenagers who burglarize the homes of celebrities.
• TOAST (12D: Pop-up restaurant offering) I filled toast from crossing answers, and therefore didn't read this clue until I was reviewing the finished puzzle. A clever clue!
• LEMON DROP (33D: Candy that's a pucker-upper) I also enjoyed this clue.
• ELMER (58D: "___ the Patchwork Elephant") ELMER the Patchwork Elephant by David McKee was first published in 1968. ELMER is an elephant with rainbow and white patchwork squares. 

Geography review:

• MOTTO (3D: "!ke e: /xarra //ke," for South Africa) The Republic of South Africa is the southernmost country in Africa. Its motto means "Unity in Diversity." When I first saw this clue I thought, "Autocorrect is not going to like me typing that!" 

From the title, I wondered if the theme answers might be vertical and GO DOWN today, but it was a nice surprise to discover synonyms of GO DOWN instead. A nice set of theme answers, I particularly like KITCHEN SINK, where our dirty dishes do pile up, and LEMON DROP, which makes me think of Professor Dumbledore. I am a fan of CHEESE DIP - chile con queso sounds delicious at the moment. I'd rather not TAKE THE FALL, though it rounds out the theme answers nicely. This puzzle was a delightful way to begin my Tuesday morning.