March 15, 2023

Title:  HIGH TOPS                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  

Constructors: Sara Cantor & Brooke Husic

Editor: Erik Agard

Theme Answers:

SECRET HANDSHAKE (4D: Complex series of daps, chest bumps, etc.)

SURGERY CENTER (5D: Outpatient facility for some procedures)

DOG PARENT (8D: Maltipoo's mommy, for example)

RAMEN BAR (10D: Japanese noodle shop)

Theme synopsis: The HIGHest word of each vertical theme answer can be preceded by the word TOP, giving us TOP SECRET, TOP SURGERY, TOP DOG, and TOP RAMEN.

And now a word from our constructors:

Sara & Brooke: We had a blast making this puzzle together! Our favorite fill is CRANBERRY, SISTER SISTER, and ME THREE, and our favorite clues are for DOG PARENT, CELL, SECRET HANDSHAKE, STORAGE, MONTH, and ESE.

Things I learned:

• MDS (46A: Degrees from Meharry) Meharry Medical College is a historically Black medical school in Nashville, Tennessee. Founded in 1876, the school began as a department of Central Tennessee College, becoming a separate institution in 1915. Meharry Medical College was the first medical school for Black students in the South.
• ELVA (55D: Taiwanese singer Hsiao) ELVA Hsiao was a finalist in the singing competition, New Talent Singing Awards, which is organized by a broadcasting company in Hong Kong. This led to the Taiwanese singer being signed to EMI Virgin Records in 1998. Her debut album is appropriately titled ELVA First Album (1999). Her most recent album is Naked Truth (2020). 
• EDM (61D: Kaytranada's music) Kaytranada is a Grammy-award-winning DJ and record producer. His 2019 album, Bubba won a Grammy Award for Best Dance/Electronic Album, and the song "10%" from that album won a Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording. EDM stands for Electronic Dance Music. Kaytranda was born in Haiti, and grew up in Canada.

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• PREP (9A: HIV prevention method) PREP is short for "pre-exposure prophylaxis," a term used to describe the use of antiviral medications in HIV/AIDS prevention, specifically in persons not yet exposed to the virus. 
• ARTERY (31A: Blood vessel that transports oxygenated blood) A little anatomy and physiology review in the puzzle today. Arteries (with two exceptions) carry oxygenated blood from the heart to other parts of the body. The counterpart of an ARTERY is a vein, which (with two exceptions) transports deoxygenated blood back to the heart. The two arteries that carry deoxygenated blood are the pulmonary ARTERY and the umbilical ARTERY. These arteries transport blood to the lungs and placenta, respectively, where the blood is oxygenated. The pulmonary and umbilical veins then carry oxygenated blood.
• BEA (33A: "The Golden Girls" star Arthur) BEA Arthur (1922-2009) portrayed Dorothy Zbornak on the TV series The Golden Girls. In 2002 she starred on Broadway in a show based on her life and career, BEA Arthur on Broadway: Just Between Friends. Before taking up acting, BEA Arthur served in the U.S. Marine Corps Women's Reserve during World War II.
• SISTER SISTER (48A: Show that starred Tia and Tamera Mowry) Identical twin sisters, Tia and Tamera Mowry, portray identical twin sisters separated at birth in the TV series, SISTER, SISTER. I first learned about this TV show from a puzzle constructed by Brooke Husic in September 2020. 
• CELL (65A: The mitochondria is the powerhouse of the ___") The phrase "the powerhouse of the CELL" as a description of mitochondria was coined by cell biologist Philip Siekevitz in a 1957 article. Mitochondria earned this nickname because they take in glucose and oxygen and generate adenosine triphosphate (ATP), which is a source of chemical energy for CELLs. More recently, the phrase "the mitochondria is the powerhouse of the CELL" has - as so many things have - become a meme. The phrase is typically used at the end of a list of things titled something along the lines of "what I learned from school," as a way of poking fun at the sometimes seemingly useless information taught in schools. If you want to learn more about the mitochondria, and how they're actually more than the powerhouse of the CELL, here's a video for you. 
• DOG PARENT (8D: Maltipoo's mommy, for example) A maltipoo is a DOG breed that's a cross between a Maltese and a poodle.
• NSA (21D: _o _trings _ttached) Once you fill in the blanks, you see that NSA here stands for No Strings Attached. This type of clue, where each blank is filled in with a letter, is less common than fill-in-the-blank clues looking for a word, such as the clue for CELL. 
• STORAGE (25D: Where Beyonce keeps her Birkins) This fun clue is a reference to the song, "Summer Renaissance," the last track on Beyoncé's 2022 album, Renaissance. The song ends with the lyrics, "So elegant and raunchy, this haute couture I'm flaunting / This Telfar bag imported, Birkins, them s***s in STORAGE." Telfar is a Black-owned brand whose handbags Beyoncé has repped since 2021. Here's some more information on this name drop.
• MONTH (28D: Unit of time that's hard to rhyme with) Go ahead, try and find a rhyme for MONTH. This is a fun, playful clue!
• ESE (45D: Minion___ (language spoken in "Despicable Me")) Another playful clue! MinionESE is a fictional language spoken by the yellow creatures featured in the Despicable Me movies. 

Geography review:

• KOREA (13A: The K in the country cold ROK) ROK stands for the Republic of KOREA, the official name for South KOREA. The capital of South KOREA is Seoul.
• OMAHA (35A: People for whom a major city in Nebraska is named) Many OMAHA people currently live in northeastern Nebraska and western Iowa. OMAHA, the largest city in Nebraska, is named after them. 
• ENG (45A: Part of the U.K. (Abbr.)) The United Kingdom (U.K.) is comprised of England (ENG), Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.
• EST (68A: Philly winter time zone) Philadelphia - Philly, for short - is the largest city in Pennsylvania. Located in the eastern U.S., Philly is on Eastern Standard Time (EST).
• ETNA (7D: Mount ___, Sicily) Mount ETNA is an active volcano on the east coast of the island of Sicily. Mount ETNA is in an almost constant state of volcanic activity, and is a Decade Volcano. These volcanoes, designated as such by the United Nations, have been deemed worthy of particular study in light of their history of destructive eruptions. 
• ASIA (14D: Home to Japan and Vietnam) Japan is an island country in East ASIA. Japan's capital is Tokyo. Vietnam is a country in Southeast ASIA. Its capital is Hanoi.

A great set of theme answers, entertaining clueing, and smooth and interesting fill. What a delightful puzzle! In addition to the answers I've already highlighted, I liked CRANBERRY and ME THREE. Thank you, Sara and Brooke, for this puzzle that was an excellent way to start my day.