December 16, 2021

Title: BELL BOTTOMS

Constructor: Christina Iverson

Editor: Amanda Rafkin

Theme Answers:

WHAT'S FOR DINNER (8D: Question asked near mealtime)

HOW NOW BROWN COW (13D: Rhyming phrase for practicing articulation)

REVOLVING DOOR (14D: Rotating entryway)

Theme synopsis: The BOTTOM word of each vertical theme answer is a type of BELL. We have a DINNER BELL, a COWBELL, and a DOORBELL.

Things I learned:

• BIG (44A: "Sharice's ___ Voice") Sharice Davids is one of the first two Native American women to be elected to Congress. She is a member of the Ho-Chunk tribe, and is also the first openly LGBTQ+ person to represent the state of Kansas in Congress. Sharice's BIG Voice: A Native Kid Becomes a Congresswoman is a children's book co-written by Sharice Davids and Nancy K. Mays, and illustrated by Joshua Mangeshig Pawis-Steckley. You can watch Sharice Davids read her book here. I am always happy to discover a great new children's book. I have a feeling I will be adding this one to my collection.

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• DUA (4A: Grammy winner Lipa) Singer, songwriter, and model DUA Lipa won the 2019 Grammy Award for Best New Artist. The song, "Electricity" - a collaboration between DUA Lipa and the duo, Silk City - won a Grammy Award in 2019 for Best Dance Recording.
• PHASE (16A: The terrible twos, e.g.) When my kids were younger, my parenting mantra was, "It's a PHASE." (I previously wrote about this pertaining to the title of the June 28, 2021 puzzle.) Fortunately, a challenging PHASE, such as the terrible twos, will eventually pass. 
• SANDRA OH (50A: Actress who portrays Eve on "Killing Eve") Killing Eve is a British TV series about an investigator, Eve Polastri, who is tracking the psychopathic assassin, Villanelle. SANDRA OH portrays Eve, and Jodie Comer plays the role of Villanelle.
• NASA (53A: Org. that sends rovers to Mars) It's been several months since I've reminded you NASA's Perseverance Mars Rover has its own Twitter account. It recently posted a fascinating video about the preparations to bring samples the rover has been collecting on Mars back to Earth. 
• STEWS (63A: Semur and ratatouille, e.g.) Semur is an Indonesian STEW usually made with beef. Sweet soy sauce is combined with vegetables and spices to make the gravy. Ratatouille is a STEW originating from France that contains vegetables, commonly tomatoes, zucchini, eggplant, and peppers. 
• DEM (4D: "We ___ Boyz") "We DEM Boyz" is a 2014 song by rapper Wiz Khalifa. The song has been used by the Dallas Cowboys as an unofficial fight song.
• APRON (7D: Garment that might say "Kiss the cook") and WHAT'S FOR DINNER (8D: Question asked near mealtime) I enjoyed the appropriate proximity of these two answers. Although I'm a messy cook, I'm not good at remembering to wear an APRON. My answer to "WHAT'S FOR DINNER?" has always been, "Whatever the cook's hungry for."
• HOW NOW BROWN COW (13D: Rhyming phrase for practicing articulation) What a fabulous and fun answer! The nonsense phrase HOW NOW BROWN COW has been used a practice phrase for would-be actors and orators, since the early 1900s.
• REVOLVING DOOR (14D: Rotating entryway) As a fairly klutzy person, I always feel a bit of triumph after successfully navigating a REVOLVING DOOR.
• ARE (15D: "You ___ Your Best Thing") You ARE Your Best Thing: Vulnerability, Shame Resilience, and the Black Experience is an anthology of essays by Black people discussing experiences of vulnerability and shame resilience. The book is co-edited by Tarana J. Burke (founder of the Me Too movement) and Brené Brown (a researcher and professor that studies courage, vulnerability, shame, and empathy). I have not read this book yet, but it is on my (quite lengthy) "To Read" list. I really enjoyed this article - a conversation between Tarana J. Burke and Brené Brown about the book. I am a fan of Brené Brown's research, writing, and podcasts. My daughter and I recently had
  
  the cool experience of zooming with Brené Brown (and 9,200 of her closest friends).
• SUMO (55D: Rikishi's wrestling form) A Rikishi is a professional SUMO wrestler. Rikishi live by a set of strict lifestyle rules.

My only complaint about this puzzle is that it needs more COWBELL. I'm kidding, of course! I just wanted to link to that classic SNL skit. This is a fun theme with three solid and enjoyable theme answers. In addition to the theme answers, I liked ORCHESTRA, BAROMETER, COFFEE RUN, TRUE CRIME, PROMO, and I'VE GOT IT. Shoutout to the clue for VWS (35A: Bugs and Beetles on highways). This puzzle was a delightful way to begin my Thursday.