March 27, 2023

Title: CAR COVERS

Constructor: Claire Rimkus

Editor: Erik Agard

Guest Blogger: Kelsey Dixon

Theme Answers:

CERAMIC JAR (17A: Cookie container)

CINNAMON SUGAR (33A: Churro coating)

CANDACE PARKER (41A: 2008 WNBA Draft's first overall pick)

CAKE BATTER (63A: Ice cream flavor with sprinkles)

Theme synopsis: The theme answers are 'COVERED' inside the word CAR

Things I learned:

• Emezi, mentioned in the clue for READ (58D: Enjoy some Emezi) was a new name to me! Akwaeke Emezi is a Nigerian writer whose debut novel, Freshwater, explored their non-binary, transgender identity as it relates to the Igbo concept of ogbanje. Their latest novel, You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty, is a romance being adapted into a feature film by Amazon and Michael B. Jordan! 
• BODY (40A: ___ neutrality)— While solving, I assumed this would be "NET" neutrality, and then I realized it was 4 letters. Body neutrality, as I understand it, takes the idea of 'body positivity' further and suggests completely removing physical appearance as part of your self-worth. I really enjoyed learning about this, and am glad to have come across it in this puzzle! 

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• This was a very animal-centric puzzle! I felt like it was especially heavy in the big cats category— there was (19A: Beyonce's voice role in the 2019 remake of "The Lion King"), (47A: Feline zodiac sign), and (11D: Lion's cry). I also counted two whale instances and one koala! 
• DIJON (7D: Type of mustard) was very evocative for me and any other condiment fans out there, as we're currently in the midst of an international mustard shortage! Droughts and poor weather have impacted mustard seed yields, which means our Dijon days may be numbered. 
• CANDACE PARKER (41A: 2008 WNBA Draft's first overall pick) is such a great inclusion in this theme, and I loved being able to confidently type this one in on my first go. This Adidas commercial gives a brief overview of her career for people who are not-yet fans (and gives me chills). What I don't love is that she's no longer on the Chicago Sky...but I will nevertheless persist...

Geography review:

• ARAB (42D: The A in UAE)— UAE is an initialism for the United Arab Emirates. The Emirates are part of the Arabian Peninsula and share land borders with Oman and Saudi Arabia. Through the Persian Gulf, the Emirates also have maritime borders with Qatar and Iran. In looking this up, I realized I could only name two of the seven Emirates, so I'm going to try to learn more about the other five bodies.

It's Kelsey (again!), as Sally is still taking a little time off. I hope everyone enjoyed their weekend—Matthew's post yesterday got me thinking about some springtime projects and a trip to Home Depot (I love how the stores smell!) For now, though, it's another late-winter week in Chicago for me! Thank you to Claire for starting it off strong with such a great puzzle! The grid was stunning when I first opened it, the solve was smooth and fun, and it inspired me to get some (63A: Ice cream flavor with sprinkles) this week!