January 14, 2023

Title: MALCOLM IN THE MIDDLE

Constructor: Will Nediger

Editor: Erik Agard

Theme Answers:

CHLOE X HALLE (20A: "Ungodly Hour" duo)

HARD X-RAYS (37A: High-energy radiation)

IBRAM X. KENDI (55A: "Antiracist Baby" author)

Theme synopsis: The letter X, as in MALCOLM X, appears in the MIDDLE of each theme answer, therefore we have MALCOLM IN THE MIDDLE.

Things I learned:

• CO-HOSTS (31A: Aubrey Gordon and Michael Hobbes, for the podcast "Maintenance Phase") I wrote about Aubrey Gordon, author of What We Don't Talk About When We Talk About Fat, on July 2, 2021. I have also previously written about Michael Hobbes, as a CO-HOST of the podcast, You're Wrong About. Today I learned that Aubrey Gordon and Michael Hobbes work together as CO-HOSTS of Maintenance Phase. This weekly podcast addresses the "junk science behind health and wellness fads." Recent episodes include "'Glorifying Obesity' and Other Myths About Fat People," "Workplace Wellness," and "The Food Pyramid."
• HARD X-RAYS (37A: High-energy radiation) The high energies of HARD X-RAYS give them the ability to penetrate surfaces, making them useful for imaging the inside of objects. HARD X-RAYS are used in medical imaging and airport security. Soft X-RAYS, which have lower photon energies, are used in some forms of microscopy. I knew of X-RAYS, of course, but was not familiar with the HARD and soft terminology. 

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• OTOH (13A: "But at the same time..." for short) OTOH = on the other hand
• CHLOE X HALLE (20A: "Ungodly Hour" duo) The Grammy-Award-winning duo CHLOE X HALLE is comprised of sisters CHLOE and HALLE Bailey. "Ungodly Hour" is the title track of their second album, released in 2020. 
• CORRECT (45A: "Ding ding ding!") and I DO (47A: Wedding answer) When I was reviewing the puzzle, I had the silly thought that if the order of these two clues was reversed, it would make a little story. [Wedding Answer] "I DO." ["Ding ding ding!] "CORRECT!" Side note: I don't generally make New Year's resolutions, but often I will choose a word for the year, something to reflect on as the year progresses. This year, I have chosen the word "silly." I have always tended toward silly, but this year I've decided to embrace that. So consider this a warning that musings like this may pop up more often this year than they have in the past.
• IBRAM X. KENDI (55A: "Antiracist Baby" author) I have previously written about IBRAM X. KENDI, author of How to Be an Antiracist. The children's book Antiracist Baby was written by IBRAM X. KENDI, and illustrated by Ashley Lukashevsky. The book is designed as a tool for teaching young children to be antiracist. When I saw the title of today's puzzle, I began imagining what the theme would be, as I always do. I surmised we might see references to people named Malcolm in the center of the theme answers, and the first Malcolm to come to mind was Malcolm X, which immediately led me to think of IBRAM X. KENDI. It's rare that I am on the correct track with my theme guesses, so this was a nice surprise. I couldn't immediately think of other Malcolms that would work with such a theme, but it turned out I didn't need to.
• COLLARD (3D: ___ greens (food in a New Year's tradition) and PEAS (53D: Black-eyed ___ (food in a New Year's tradition)) New Year's food traditions are many and varied. What you eat at the beginning of a new year is likely to vary depending on your religion or where you live, but many of the traditional foods are chosen due to their association with luck or prosperity. The New Year's tradition of eating black-eyed PEAS and COLLARD greens is often associated with the southern United States. Black-eyed PEAS are eaten to bring luck, perhaps because they are round like coins, or because they increase in size when cooked. COLLARD greens, and other cooked greens, are thought to resemble folded money, so the idea is that eating them will lead to financial success.
• LEOPARD (22D: Spotted big cat) In honor of this answer, here's a picture of my non-spotted, not-so-big cat. 

  

  Willow

• SOMEONE (39D: "___ Like You" (Adele hit)) "SOMEONE Like You" is a 2011 song from Adele's album, 21. Thanks for the earworm! ("Never mind I'll find SOMEONE like you / I wish nothing but the best for you...")
• LATIN (51D: "Cogito, ergo sum" language) Cogito, ergo sum is Latin for "I think, therefore I am."

Geography review:

• OSLO (17A: Capital of Norway) Out of curiosity, I looked to see how many times I had written about OSLO last year. The answer is 26, an average of once every two weeks. It seems appropriate then, that today, two weeks into the new year, is the first time I've written about the capital of Norway in 2023.

HEY, LOOK! We have a nice set of theme answers today featuring a MIDDLE X, and a creative title to tie them together. Nothing to say "UH OH" about at all. Thank you, Will, for this puzzle that was an enjoyable way to start my Saturday.