September 4, 2022

Title: TOP PARTS

Constructor: Zhouqin Burnikel

Editor: Erik Agard

Theme Answers:

TRANSFER OF POWER (3D: What a swearing-in ceremony marks)

THREE OVER PAR (5D: Triple bogey)

TWENTY ONE PILOTS (10D: "Stressed Out" duo)

Theme synopsis: Each theme answer consists of TOP PARTS in the sense that each is a three word phrase with words beginning with the letters T-O-P.

Things I learned:

• DEE (32A: "Bessie" director Rees) Bessie is a 2015 HBO movie about singer Bessie Smith. DEE Rees won a Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directing for Bessie. Other directing credits for DEE Rees include the movies Pariah (2011), Mudbound (2017) and The Last Thing He Wanted (2020).
• REESE (2D: Shot putter Hoffa) REESE Hoffa is a World Champion shot putter. He represented Team USA at the 2012 Olympic Games, where he won a bronze medal. According to his Instagram bio, REESE Hoffa is also a "Recreational Rubik's Cube Solver."
• TWENTY ONE PILOTS (10D: "Stressed Out" duo) TWENTY ONE PILOTS is the musical duo of vocalist Tyler Joseph and drummer Josh Dun. "Stressed Out" is a song from their 2015 album, Blurryface. 
• ARIAS (46D: Solos for He Hui) He Hui (also known as Hui He) is a Chinese opera singer who has performed worldwide.
• NORA (53D: "The Flash" character ___ West-Allen) The Flash is a TV series based on the DC comics character Barry Allen aka the masked superhero, Flash. NORA West-Allen is the daughter of Barry Allen and Iris West-Allen. She was named for Barry Allen's mother, who was murdered when Barry was a child. Jessica Parker Kennedy plays the role of NORA West-Allen on the TV series.

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• ARTS (1A: Wayang and pottery, for example) "Wayang" is the Indonesian word for puppetry. Wayang is a traditional form of shadow puppetry originating from the island of Java. Wayang has been designated as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO. Pottery is the art of forming objects from clay, and is one of the oldest human inventions. Pottery has been found dating to 29,000 to 25,000 BCE. Providing two examples of ARTS allows solvers to be successful even if they are only familiar with one. 
• HERO (14A: Villain's counterpart) This is the second day in a row HERO has been an answer in the puzzle. This caused the line, "I need a HERO..." from the Shrek 2 song "Holding Out For a Hero" to pop into my head.
• YAP (29A: Sound from a terrier) and ARF (42A: Sound from a terrier) Our puzzle has a case of noisy terriers!
• SPOT (43A: Cheetah marking) An individual Cheetah has an average of 2,000-3,000 SPOTs, arranged in a unique pattern. Fun fact: Unlike other wild cats, cheetahs are not capable of roaring. This is due to the shape of their larynx. Instead they communicate by chirping, stuttering, growling, yowling, and purring. My cat, Willow, does not roar either. However, I think she is definitely aware she's related to the big cats.

  

  Willow thinking big cat thoughts

• BAT FLIP (55A: Home run celebration) A BAT FLIP - tossing the bat so it rotates several times before landing - is a popular way to celebrate a home run in Asian and Latin American baseball leagues. In the United States and Canada, BAT FLIPs have sometimes been controversial, being seen as ostentatious or arrogant. This MLB video discusses BAT FLIPs. 
• APPS (1D: PlantSnap and LeafSnap, for example) As you might guess, PlantSnap and LeafSnap are APPS aimed at helping identify plants. 
• TRAIT (25D: Red hair or green eyes, for example) Red hair is a recessive TRAIT. That means in order to have red hair, you need to receive a red hair gene from each parent. Green eyes, on the other hand, is a mix of a dominant and recessive TRAIT. Green eyes are recessive when paired with a brown eye allele (a form or a gene), and dominant when paired with a blue eye allele. Genetics are fascinating to me.
• PTA (36D: Org. that publishes Our Children Magazine) Our Children Magazine is an online publication produced by National PTA (Parent Teacher Association). The magazine was first published in 1906, and has been a digital publication since 2015.

Geography review:

• PERU (13A: Cuzco's country) Cuzco is a city in southeastern PERU. It was the capital of the Inca Empire from the 13th to 16th centuries.
• SUR (4D: Big ___, California) Big SUR is a section of the California coast known for its rugged mountainous scenery.

I was initially stumped by today's theme. I was searching for a common thread between the TOP words in the theme answers. A nice "Aha!" moment when I realized each answer had words beginning with the letters TOP. PROVOLONE and TOOK A REST are enjoyable non-theme answers. I also appreciate SNORERS and PEAR TREES as answers, though I am not a fan of SNORERS or PEARs! Thank you, Zhouqin, for this puzzle that was a great way to begin my Sunday.