March 5, 2021

Title: PILLOW TALK

Constructors: Amanda Rafkin & Brooke Husic

Editor: Erik Agard

Theme Answers:

BODY POSITIVITY (19A: Movement with many celebrated figures)

THROW IN THE TOWEL (39A: Concede defeat)

NECK OF THE WOODS (55A: Area where someone lives)

Theme synopsis: The first word of each theme answer is a type of PILLOW. We have a BODY PILLOW, a THROW PILLOW, and a NECK PILLOW.

And now a word from our constructors:

Amanda and Brooke: The saga continues... things are heating up! We were happy to get HEAD STARTS in this grid as a shout-out to our collab debut, and we really love Erik's suggestion for the BODY POSITIVITY clue (19A: Movement with many celebrated figures). Keep an eye out for our next installment to see how things progress. OK BYE!

Things I learned:

• MALIA (15A: One-named "Dirty Laundry" singer) MALIA is a singer based in Los Angeles, whose first single, "Satisfaction," was released in 2015. "Dirty Laundry" is a 2017 song which features Syd, the vocalist from the band The Internet. (Note: There is also a British jazz singer named MALIA - different artist.)
• IRENE (64A: Nobel winner Joliot-Curie) IRÈNE Joliot-Curie and her husband Fréderic Joliot-Curie won the 1935 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for their discovery of artificial radioactivity. IRÉNE's parents were Marie and Pierre Curie.
• KAW (Kanza Language Project nation) The KAW Nation are a tribe of indigenous people in Oklahoma and parts of Kansas. The last fluent speaker of the Kanza language died in 1983. The Kanza Language Project was established in 2001 to preserve the language and teach it to elementary school children. 
• HAIM (57D: Pop band formed by Alana, Danielle and Este) Sisters Alana, Danielle, and Este are the pop rock band HAIM. Their most recent album, released last year, is titled Women in Music, Pt. III. 

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• PHO (1A: Vietnamese soup) PHO, considered Vietnam's national dish, consists of broth, rice noodles, herbs, and meat.
• BODY POSITIVITY (19A: Movement with many celebrated figures) BODY POSITIVITY advocates the acceptance of all bodies, regardless of size, gender, race, or physical ability. This is a nice clue, because it can be interpreted as "a movement promoted by celebrities," or "a movement celebrating figures of many shapes and sizes."
• NICOLE (37A: Comedian Byer) NICOLE Byer is the host of the TV series, Nailed It! - a reality series bakeoff competition with amateur bakers trying to replicate complicated cakes and pastries.
• THROW IN THE TOWEL (39A: Concede defeat) The phrase THROW IN THE TOWEL originated from the sport of boxing. When a boxer is losing, their coaches or teammate may literally throw a towel into the ring as a method of indicating surrender.
• SIS (43A: Family nickname) I was excited to see this clue today, because I have a SIS, and it just so happens that today is her birthday. (Thanks for that happy coincidence, Amanda and Brooke.) Happy b,irthday to my SIS today! (Or as I call her, my Seester!)
• ANGUS (51A: Name that's also a breed of cattle) ANGUS cattle are a Scottish breed of beef cattle with solid red or solid black coloring. In the United States, there is a distinction made between red ANGUS and black ANGUS breeds. Black ANGUS is the most common breed of beef cattle in the United States. 
• ELMS (68A: Some bonsai trees) Bonsai is a Japanese art form utilizing cultivation techniques to produce small trees in containers that mimic the shape and scale of full size trees. Bonsai can be created from nearly any perennial tree or shrub species, including ELMS.
• DAVIS (9D: Producer/actress Viola) Viola DAVIS was the first Black person to achieve the "Triple Crown of Acting," - winning an Academy Award, an Emmy Award, and a Tony Award. (She's won two Tony Awards.) 
• PEZ (20D: Dispenser candy) There's just something appealing and silly about PEZ dispensers. PEZ candy has been around since 1927. The first PEZ dispensers were similar in shape to a cigarette lighter, and dispensed mints marketed as an alternative to tobacco. It wasn't until 1955 that PEZ placed heads on the dispensers and began marketing them to children. Since that time, over 1500 different PEZ dispenser designs have been created. 
• BTS (36D: Halsey collaborators on "Boy With Luv") When the music video for "Boy with Luv" was released on April 12, 2019, it was viewed 74.6 million in the first 24 hours. That was a record at the time, though it has since been surpassed.

Geography review:

• ARAB (16A: The "A" in UAE) Abu DHABI is the capital of the United ARAB Emirates. Abu DHABI was featured in yesterday's puzzle, and today's appearance of UAE made me realize I neglected to include it in the geography review section yesterday! 
• ASIA (66A: Thailand's continent) The capital and largest city of Thailand is Bangkok. This is the second appearance this month of our crossword friend, ASIA.

As Amanda and Brooke mentioned in their notes, the title of their first puzzle collaboration was HEAD START. Now we've advance to PILLOW TALK...interesting! Speaking of today's theme, I thought it was appropriate to see LIPS in the puzzle. I also enjoyed the answers I'M OVER IT and WRINKLES. This was an enjoyable puzzle to begin my Friday. (Okay, I actually typed Thursday at first...I have no idea what day it is!)