December 3, 2020

Title: TABLETOPS

Constructor: Rachel Fabi

Editor: Erik Agard

Theme Answers:

COFFEE CAKE (3D: Crumbly dessert)

WORK WONDERS (9D: Have a really good effect)

PERIODICALS (25D: Magazines and newspapers)

ROUNDABOUT (32D: Not straightforward)

Theme synopsis: The first part of each theme answer - which is the TOP, as the answers are vertical - can precede the word TABLE. We have a COFFEE TABLE, a WORK TABLE, the PERIODIC TABLE, and a ROUND TABLE.

Things I learned:

• MAE (28A: Carrie ___ Weems) Carrie MAE Weems is a contemporary artist best known for her photography and videos. Her accomplishments and accolades are many. She won a MacArthur Fellowship in 2013. In 2014, she was the first Black woman to have a retrospective at the Guggenheim.  In 2018, Weems was featured as one of The New York Times Style Magazine Greats. One of her most famous works is "The Kitchen Table Series" (1990), a series of images and accompanying text. You can view the images from "The Kitchen Table Series" and explore a timeline of Carrie MAE Weems's life on her website. 
• DRE (36A: Ghost's protege on "Power") Power is a Starz network TV series which tells the story of a drug dealer whose street name is Ghost, portrayed by Omari Hardwick. Rotimi Akinosho plays the role of Andre "DRE" Coleman. 

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• ANT (37A: Word after "carpenter" and "pharaoh") Oh, another opportunity for me to practice spelling pharaoh! At least I didn't have to put it in the grid today. Carpenter ANTs build nests inside wood, though unlike termites, they do not consume the wood. Pharaoh ANTs are a tropical species, but can thrive in temperate regions, seeking out buildings with central heat. 
• SIR (40A: What Marcie calls Peppermint Patty) Marcie's habit of calling Peppermint Patty, "SIR," dates back to Marcie's first appearance in the Peanuts comic strip in 1971. The reason for this practice is never revealed. Here's a piece of trivia for you: The first character to address Peppermint Patty as "SIR" was not, in fact, Marcie. It was a girl named Sophie in a 1968 series of strips about summer camp.
• COS (44A: Partner of sin and tan, in trig) Partner of sin(e) and tan(gent), in trig(onometry) = cos(ine).
• SXSW (69A: Austin festival named for a direction, for short) SXSW, or South by Southwest, is an annual conglomeration of festivals - music, interactive media, and film - that take place annually in Austin, Texas. SXSW Music is the largest music festival of its kind in the world. I originally learned of SXSW from crossword puzzles.
• SHERYL (10D: Singer Crow) SHERYL Crow is a singer, songwriter, and actress. She has toured with Michael Jackson, and has won nine Grammy Awards. She is also a 1984 graduate of the University of Missouri. I mention this specifically, because my mom and sister live in Columbia, Missouri, and Sheryl Crow is definitely a favorite celebrity there. 

Geography review:

• PESO (15A: Currency of Argentina) Argentina is a country in South America. Its capital is Buenos Aires.
• UNC (35A: Sch. in Chapel Hill) The University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill was founded in 1789, and is one of three schools to claim the title of oldest public university in the United States. The other two schools claiming the title are the University of Georgia, and the College of William and Mary. 
• BOSNIA (52A: ___ and Herzegovina) BOSNIA and Herzegovinia, often known informally as BOSNIA, is a European country. Its capital is Sarajevo. 
• ERITREAN (22D: Many a Tigrinya speaker) Tigrinya is spoken in Eritrea and northern Ethiopia.
• IOWAN (53D: Resident of Cedar Rapids, e.g.) Well, you know I liked this answer! ("Hey, it's me!") Cedar Rapids is about 30 miles north of where I live, and is the second largest city in Iowa, following the state's capital, Des Moines. However, this is Iowa, so our second largest city has a population around 135,000 people. It would take 62 cities the size of Cedar Rapids to equal one New York City. The nickname of Cedar Rapids is the "City of Five Seasons," the "fifth season" being time to enjoy the other four. To IOWANs, it is also known as the "City of Five Smells." The smell of the city varies depending on the daily production at the Quaker plant. 

This was a fun puzzle! Before I even began solving it, I was struck by the grid design, and how the black T-shape at the bottom resembles a table. As a science geek, I appreciated the inclusion of the PERIODIC TABLE, even though there isn't a compound word or two word phrase beginning with PERIODIC. I learned from the theme that the term WORK TABLE was originally used to specifically refer to a sewing table.  Rachel Fabi posted on Twitter this morning that this puzzle is the "first in a two-part series of tributes to dungeons and dragons...(not really) (but kind of)." Dungeons and Dragons is the original TABLETOP role-playing game. Shall we begin guessing what the title of the next D&D tribute puzzle will be? If you have ideas, post them in the comments. In addition to the theme, I enjoyed the answers TRIFECTA, AND SCENE, and the clue for ACHOO. I also appreciated learning about Carrie MAE Weems. I'D SAY this puzzle was a delightful way to start my Thursday.