January 27, 2021

Title: COM DOWN

Constructor: Zhouqin Burnikel

Editors: Erik Agard & Amanda Rafkin

Theme Answers:

CREAM OF MUSHROOM (7D: Soup that's often a casserole base)

CARTON OF MILK (8D: Dairy aisle purchase)

CENTER OF MASS (20D: Balancing point, in physics)

Theme synopsis: All of the theme answers are DOWN entries and are phrases whose words begin with the letters C-, O-, and M. 

Things I learned:

• RON (12A: Comedian Funches) RON Funches is a comedian and voice actor. He voiced the role of Cooper in the animated movies Trolls and Trolls World Tour, and in the spin-off series, Trolls: The Beat Goes On!
• GMC (69A: Savana automaker) The GMC Savana is a full-size van from General Motors. I was glad this was clued as "Savana automaker" instead of simply "Savana maker," since the clue made the answer inferable even though I wasn't familiar with this particular make of GMC.
• NATE (14D: "Big ___" (comic strip)) Since 1991, the comic strip, Big NATE has detailed the adventures of NATE Wright and his best friends, Francis and Teddy. The strip's creator is Lincoln Pierce.

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• COBB (8A: Salad with bacon and hard-boiled eggs) There are various stories about the origin of the COBB salad. Most versions agree that the salad originated at the Hollywood Brown Derby, owned by Robert Howard COBB. Some people say COBB himself invented the salad late one night in 1937, tossing together leftovers he found in the kitchen, and adding bacon. Or it may be that the salad was invented by executive chef Robert Kreis in 1929, the year the restaurant opened, and that Kreis named it for Robert COBB.
• GIN (31A: Pink lady ingredient) The Pink lady is a cocktail made with GIN, grenadine (resulting in the characteristic pink color), and egg white. 
• SAL (55A: "My Gal ___" (1942 musical starring Rita Hayworth)) My Gal Sal is a biopic of composer and songwriter, Paul Dresser, and singer, Sally Elliot. Rita Hayworth played the role of Sally Elliot and Victor Mature played the role of Paul Dressler. Their singing voices were dubbed by Nan Wynn and Ben Gage. My Gal Sal won an Academy Award for Best Art Direction. You know I had to highlight a movie with a main character named Sally!
• ANIMATORS (56A: Some Studio Ghibli workers) Studio Ghibli is an animation film studio headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. Studio Ghibli was a theme answer in the July 23, 2020 puzzle. 
• SWEAT (63A: Have a good shvitz) A shvitz is a sauna or steam bath, which would indeed make you SWEAT.
• DAKOTA (4D: Siouan language) DAKOTA is the language spoken by the DAKOTA people of the Sioux tribes. DAKOTA is part of the Siouan language family which also includes Crow, Hidatsa, Mandan, Catawban, and Woccon.
• CREAM OF MUSHROOM (7D: Soup that's often a casserole base) I've never used canned CREAM OF MUSHROOM soup for anything other than a casserole base. I've often wondered if people actually prepare it as a soup. (Let me know if you do!) 
• HORN (54D: Instrument with French and English varieties) The French HORN is a brass instrument, and is technically a version of a German HORN. The English HORN is a double-reed woodwind instrument, also known as the cor anglais, which isn't technically a HORN, and isn't actually English. Now that's perfectly clear, isn't it?
• YOGA (60D: Exercise with asanas) An asana is a body posture or pose. YOGA asanas are designed to improve flexibility, strength, and balance. A couple of weeks ago, the word asana was an answer in the puzzle, and my daughter commented that she was surprised I didn't highlight it in the blog. (Sometimes I have to make choices so I don't highlight every answer.) So, this one's for you, Leah!
• PUMA (61D: Cougar) The PUMA, also known as cougar or mountain lion, is the fourth largest species of cat, following the lion, tiger, and jaguar.

Geography review:

• KOREA (17A: Busan, South ___) Busan is the second-most-populous city in South KOREA. 

Don't stress out today, simply calm down - I mean COM DOWN! - and consider this puzzle. CREAM OF MUSHROOM was the first theme answer I uncovered, immediately cluing me in to the puzzle's theme and providing a chuckle as I thought of all the casseroles this soup is used to make. Some lovely non-theme answers today: TATER TOTS (also used in many a casserole!), SCENARIO, CAFFE MOCHA, and ANIMATORS. NO LIE was fun, too, though my brain had trouble parsing it and I spent a few seconds trying to figure out what a NOLIE was! This puzzle was an enjoyable way to start my Wednesday.

P.S. The song "TIME AFTER TIME" - a theme answer in yesterday's puzzle - was released 37 years ago today.