December 16, 2022

Title: LOW STANDARDS

Constructor: Ada Nicolle

Editor: Anna Gundlach

Theme Answers:

MORNING ROUTINE (12D: Taking a shower, getting dressed, making coffee and so on)

I'LL HAVE THE USUAL (5D: "Same order as always")

SERIES REGULAR (17D: Recurring cast member in a TV show)

Theme synopsis: The LOWest word of each vertical theme answer is a synonym for STANDARD. Today's LOW STANDARDS are ROUTINE, USUAL, and REGULAR.

Things I learned:

• NNEKA (20A: Ogwumike of the WNBA) NNEKA Ogwumike plays basketball for WNBA's Los Angeles Sparks. Her younger sister, Chiney Ogwumike, also plays for the Sparks. In 2021, as part of a celebration of its 25th season, the WNBA named "The W25," the greatest players in WNBA history. NNEKA Ogwumike is on the list.
• HEADSET (28A: Twitch streamer's purchase that might look like cat ears) Although this was fairly inferable, I am wondering why I did not know before this that a cat ear HEADSET is an option?! Of course, I don't do any streaming on Twitch, so I don't need a cat ear HEADSET, but still... For now, I will console myself by looking at Willow's cat ears. 

  

  A non-HEADSET pair of cat ears

• DAEMON (39A: Physical form of one's inner self, in "His Dark Materials") Philip Pullman's trilogy of fantasy novels known as His Dark Materials is composed of Northern Lights, (published as The Golden Compass in North America), The Subtle Knife, and The Amber Spyglass. The novels have been adapted to a movie (The Golden Compass, 2007) and a TV series (His Dark Materials, 2019). In His Dark Materials, a person's inner-self manifests as an animal with human intelligence and the ability to speak. These beings are known as DÆMONS. 

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• BLOOD CELLS (15A: Leukocytes and platelets) The main types of BLOOD CELLS are erythrocytes (red BLOOD CELLS), leukocytes (white BLOOD CELLS) and platelets (thrombocytes). These three types of BLOOD CELLS make up 45% of BLOOD; the remainder of BLOOD is composed of plasma. Leukocytes are part of the immune system, and play a role in protecting the body from infectious diseases. One role of platelets is to clump together to stop acute bleeding when there is an internal or external wound. Hooray for science in crosswords!
• SANS (17A: Comic ___ (font)) I have previously written about the strong feelings many people have about the Comic SANS font, and about its usefulness for people with dyslexia. 
• TEENS (27A: Many "Riverdale" characters) Riverdale is a TV series based on the characters of the Archie comic books, many of whom are TEENS. 
• RGB (1D: Color system on a TV screen) RGB stands for red, green, and blue. The RGB color model is used in many electronic displays. Red, green, and blue are added together in various ways to produce many different colors. 
• EELS (2D: Long, slippery fish) Since the word "fish" is both singular and plural, this clue would work for eel or EELS. Tricky! 
• RHEA (36D: "Cheers" star Perlman) RHEA Perlman played head-waitress, Carla Tortelli, in the TV series, Cheers. During the show's 11 seasons (1982-1993), RHEA Perlman won four Emmy Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actress, and seven Golden Globes for Best Supporting Actress in a Television Series. 
• LIVER (41D: Organ that processes glucose) More science! Through a process known as glycogenesis, the LIVER turns glucose into glycogen, which serves as an energy reserve. When energy is needed, the LIVER performs glycogenolysis, and releases glucose into the blood stream. The LIVER can also synthesize glucose (gluconeogenesis). 

Geography review:

• SAMOA (53A: Polynesian island country) The country of SAMOA is comprised of two main islands, Savai'i and Upolu, and eight uninhabited islands. Located south of the equator in the Pacific Ocean, SAMAO is about halfway between Hawaii and New Zealand. The capital of SAMOA, Apia, is located on Upolu.

When I see Ada Nicolle's name as constructor, I have high STANDARDS, and in spite of its title, this puzzle delivered. Such a fun set of theme answers here. I also really enjoyed the clue for TEN (23D: Age of the birthday kid being asked "What's it feel like being double digits?") Thank you, ADA, for this puzzle that was a delightful way to start my Friday.