February 3, 2022

Title: LOW PH

Constructors: Brooke Husic & Wendy L. Brandes

Editors: Mollie Cowger & Erik Agard

Theme Answers:

KEEP WATCH (4D: Look out for danger)

TOP NOTCH (6D: First rate)

DROP CLOTH (33D: Painter's protective sheet)

DEEP DISH (35D: Chicago pizza style)

Theme synopsis: The first word of each theme answer ends with the letter -P; the second word ends with the letter -H. Since the theme answers are vertical, the PH is LOW.

And now a word from our constructors:

Wendy: I had the idea for ph balance and then low ph. I was thinking of things that ended with a ph and Brooke came up with the idea of ending the first word with a p and last word with an h. Leave it to Brooke to take something and make it so much better and more interesting!
My favorite clues are for PEEP (my sister is mildly obsessed with peeps, so when Brooke came up with the clue, I thought it was perfect) and for SHORTFILM (Bao really really moved me).

Brooke: I'm so honored that Wendy approached me with this idea! I really loved the opportunity to do something a little different with a theme, and it's always so fun to work with Wendy because she is such a thoughtful and positive teammate. I really like this layout we had fun making the northeast and southwest corners full of hopefully delightful "bonuses". My favorite of our clues are ARES, DEER, and TITLE.

Things I learned:

• YAATEEH (58A: Navajo greeting) YÁ'ÁT'ÉÉH is used as a Navajo greeting to mean, "hello," "greetings," and "it is good."
• TREE (21D: What Melinda is assigned to draw in the novel "Speak") Speak is a 1999 novel by Laurie Halse Anderson. The book was the basis for the 2004 movie of the same name in which Kristen Stewart played Melinda, a high school student who essentially stops talking after she was raped. In the book, Melinda expresses her voice through her art, sketching TREEs on the walls of her closet. Since the topic of banned books has once again recently been in the news, I was interested in Laurie Halse Anderson's answer (on her website) to the question, "What would you say to those parents that are pushing for Speak to be banned?" Her response: "I would ask them why they are afraid to talk to their kids about sexual violence."

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• HOW ARE WE (14A: "What's the group feeling today?") We're good, puzzle. Thanks for asking! (This clue/answer pair made me smile.)
• TAPENADES (16A: Olive-based spreads) TAPENADES are essentially finely chopped or puréed olives, sometimes with the addition of capers and/or anchovies. TAPENADES spread on bread or crackers make a tasty appetizer. (If you like olives, of course.)
• DAMN (18A: 2017 Kendrick Lamar album) and DNA (40A: Second track on 18-Across) Kendrick Lamar released DAMN in 2017. The album won a Pulitzer Prize for Music (the first non-jazz or classical work to do so), and a Grammy Award for Best Rap Album. Although not officially released as a single, the song "DNA" gained popularity, and Billboard included it in their "100 Best Songs of 2017: Critics' Picks."
• ARES (24A: Greek god who rides a Harley in "The Lightning Thief") The Lightning Thief is a 2005 novel by Rick Riordan. It is part of the Percy Jackson & the Olympians series, and is based on Greek mythology. Here's a fun thing: My sister's granddaughters, who are huge Percy Jackson fans, had the opportunity to meet Rick Riordan when they happened to be on the same flight he was.
• PEEP (42A: Marshmallow bird) Ah, the marshmallow PEEP. People seem to love them or detest them, don't they. I've personally never tasted one! I'm not a huge marshmallow fan (exception made for marshmallows paired with chocolate in s'mores), so I've never been tempted.
• REACTS (44A: Undergoes a chemical change) Sometimes when a chemical REACTS, its pH changes. Nice subtle theme bonus here.
• SHORT FILM (53A: Domee Shi's "Bao," for one) Bao is a 2018 Pixar SHORT FILM about a steamed bun (bao) that comes to life. Bao preceded Incredibles 2 in theaters, and won an Academy Award for Best Animated SHORT FILM. 
• THEME (59A: Central idea) For example, two word phrases with the first word ending in -P, and the second word ending in -H.
• DANDAN (8D: ___ noodles (Sichuan dish with a repetitive name)) DANDAN noodles is a dish consisting of a spicy sauce served over noodles. The name refers to a type of carrying pole - a DAN DAN - used by street vendors selling the dish. 
• HAM (14D: Meat that a seitan roast might imitate) Seitan is made by washing wheat flour dough with water to remove the starch granules. It is sometimes used as a meat alternative, perhaps in a HAM roast.
• DEER (18D: "Dear ___: A Book of Homophones") This is a fun clue, because it's inferable even if one is not familiar with the book. Dear DEER: A Book of Homophones is a children's book by Gene Barretta, in which Aunt Ant has moved to the zoo, and is describing what she sees, including a moose that loved mousse.
• MAY (23D: Eid al-Fitr's month in 2022) Eid al-Fitr is a festival marking the end of Ramadan. In 2022, Eid al-Fitr will be observed on MAY 3.
• ANNE (27D: "The Chase" personality Hegerty) The Chase is a British quiz show featuring contestants playing against a professional quizzer, known as the "chaser." Each chaser has a nickname. ANNE Hegerty, one of the show's six chasers, is known as "The Governess."
• DEEP DISH (35D: Chicago pizza style) Ah, Chicago DEEP DISH pizza. Like PEEPs, some people like it and others don't care for it. Me, I have never met a pizza I didn't like! We actually have plans to eat Gino's East DEEP DISH pizza when we help our daughter move to a new place in Chicago next month.
• BERET (43D: Blank Panther) Funny story about this clue. When I solved the puzzle, I read this as "Black Panther." It was only while reviewing the puzzle that I noticed the clue actually says "Blank." This caused some confusion. When you google the term "Blank Panther," it assumes you've made a typo! And, after confirming with Brooke, that appears to be what happened with this clue. The clue should read [Black Panther], and is a reference to the civil rights organization that wore black BERETs as part of their uniform.
• TITLE (45D: This puzzle's is "Low pH") I always enjoy fun self-referential clues.

Geography review:

• OMAN (22A: Country that borders the UAE) OMAN is a country on the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia. As the clue tells us, OMAN shares a border with the UAE (United Arab Emirates). OMAN also borders Saudi Arabia and Yemen, and has coastline on the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of OMAN. The capital of OMAN is Muscat.

This puzzle does not have a basic THEME. It's okay to groan...I simply couldn't resist the opportunity to make a science joke! (Science in the puzzle - hooray!) The pH scale (standing for "potential of hydrogen" or "power of hydrogen") is used to determine the acidity or basicity of solutions. Acidic solutions have a LOW PH, while basic solutions have a high PH. It was fun to see a creative theme focusing on the last letters of words. In addition to the THEME, I enjoyed the many bonuses that Brooke and Wendy worked in. My (non)basic reaction to this puzzle: "That WAS fun." This puzzle was a delightful way to begin my Thursday.