March 9, 2022

Title: THE BROKEN RUNG

Constructor: Zhouqin Burnikel

Editor: Erik Agard

Theme Answers:

RUSSIAN DRESSING (16A: Spread for a reuben)

RUDE AWAKENING (26A: Unpleasant surprise)

RUSHED HEADLONG (59A: Moved hastily)

Theme synopsis: In each theme answer, the word RUNG is BROKEN, with RU- appearing at the beginning and -NG at the end of each answer.

Things I learned:

• TOE (56A: Where metti is worn) Metti are TOE rings. They are worn in India to symbolize marital status.
• ELLE (62A: Miss USA 2021 ___ Smith) ELLE Smith competed in the Miss USA pageant as Miss Kentucky, and on November 29, 2021, she became Miss USA 2021. ELLE Smith grew up in Ohio, and graduated from the University of Kentucky in 2020 with a degree in journalism.
• CANE (6D: Jean Toomer novel) CANE is a 1923 novel by Jean Toomer that is composed of a series of vignettes intertwining the stories of six women. The novel tells about the experiences of Black people in the United States. 
• ASIAN CUP (15D: Soccer tournament hosted by India in 2022) From January 20 to February 6, 2022, India hosted the Women's ASIAN CUP. The Women's ASIAN CUP is a soccer tournament (known as football in Asia) between members of the ASIAN Football Confederation (AFC). It is held every four years. This year, China defeated South Korea in the final to win the tournament.
• LOL (61D: "That's hilarious! /gen") I am familiar with "LOL," meaning "laughing out loud," but was confused by the "/gen" part of the clue. Was this a typo? It is not a typo. I learned that "/gen" is used as a tone indicator. "Gen" is short for "genuine," and the addition of "/gen" to a comment indicates sincerity.

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• AUTO (36A: The second A in NASCAR) NASCAR = National Association for Stock Car AUTO Racing
• OSU (41A: Alma mater of Anita Hill, for short) Lawyer, educator, and author Anita Hill has a BS degree from Oklahoma State University (OSU) and a JD degree from Yale University. She is currently a professor at Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts.
• PHI (47A: Zeta ___ Beta) Zeta PHI Beta is a historically Black sorority founded at Howard University in 1920.
• OREO (64A: Cookie with a Sour Plum flavor) The limited edition Sour Plum OREO cookies are green, and are said to have a savory and sweet flavor. They were released with a pink Sakura Strawberry OREO.
• EYES (66A: Snakes never close theirs) The reason snakes don't close their EYES is they don't have eyelids. Instead, a snake's EYES are protected by small, clear scales.
• PERSIAN (8D: Like Rumi) Rumi was a thirteenth-century PERSIAN poet. Rumi's poems have been widely translated, and remain popular, even more than 700 years after his death.
• WOKS (28D: Pans for beef chow fun) Beef chow fun is a Cantonese dish that originated in Guangdong, China. It consists of stir-fried beef, wide rice noodles, and bean sprouts.

Geography review:

• SCOTS (1A: Edinburgh residents) Edinburgh is the capital of Scotland, and therefore, its residents are SCOTS.
• EURO (33D: Currency in Estonia) Estonia is a country in northern Europe. It has coastline on the Gulf of Finland, the Baltic Sea, and Lake Peipus, and shares borders with Latvia and Russia.
• OSLO (54D: Holmenkollen Ski Festival city) Holmenkollen is a mountain and a neighborhood in OSLO, Norway. The Homenkollen ski jump is a landmark of the neighborhood. Located underneath the ski jump is the Holmenkollen Ski Museum that includes an exhibition of 2,500 pairs of skis. The Holmenkollen Ski Festival began in 1892, and occurs annually in March. Unfortunately, we've missed our opportunity to attend this year, as the Festival was held March 4-6.

THE BROKEN RUNG is a term describing the finding that women are less likely to be promoted from entry-level jobs to managerial positions. It's difficult to shatter the glass ceiling if you can't get on the ladder. Although not a good thing in the work force, THE BROKEN RUNG is enjoyable as a theme in today's puzzle. Was my favorite theme answer RUDE AWAKENING or RUSHED HEADLONG? It was a toss-up. I also liked the answers UPLOADS, I HOPE, and OYSTER STEW. This puzzle was a great way to begin my Wednesday.