March 4, 2023

Title: SYSTEMS DOWN

Constructor: Erik Agard

Editor: Erik Agard

Theme Answers:

NEWSFLASH BUDDY (11D: According to a viral Trill Withers tweet, it's white people's equivalent of "you got me [bleep]ed up")

SAFE AND SOUND (18D: Unharmed)

JOB SECURITY (26D: Assurance for an employee)

IT'S AN HONOR (28D: "I feel so lucky!")

OLD SCHOOL (33D: Retro)

FACE VALUE (35D: What a statement might be taken at)

Theme synopsis: The bottom (DOWN) word of each vertical theme answer is a type of SYSTEM. We have a BUDDY SYSTEM, a SOUND SYSTEM, a SECURITY SYSTEM, an HONOR SYSTEM, a SCHOOL SYSTEM, and a VALUE SYSTEM.

Things I learned:

• ACE (47A: "___ of Spades" (Faridah Abike-lyimide novel) According to Faridah Àbíké-íyímídé's website, she is an author, tea drinker, and grown-up. She is also "a collector of strange mugs..." I just learned about Faridah Àbíké-íyímídé, but I feel like we could be friends! ACE of Spades is Faridah Àbíké-íyímídé's debut novel, a young adult thriller about two Black students at a private school. It won the 2022 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work - Youth/Teens. If you'd like to learn more about ACE of Spades and Faridah Àbíké-íyímídé, I recommend checking out her website. I particularly enjoyed the 22 Facts About Me page. When an author's website is entertaining, it makes me want to read their books. This clue is a good one, because even though I wasn't familiar with the book, the answer was inferable. And now I've learned something new.
• NEWSFLASH BUDDY (11D: According to a viral Trill Withers tweet, it's white people's equivalent of "you got me [bleep]ed up") Here's a link to this viral tweet, which has received over 272,000 likes, and over 53,000 retweets.

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• RAINEY (14A: Blues legend Ma ___) Ma RAINEY (1886-1939) has been called the "Mother of the Blues." Ma RAINEY is in the Blues Foundation's Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and her song, "See See Rider Blues" (which I have written about previously) is in the Grammy Hall of Fame.
• BISON (16A: U.S. national mammal) The American BISON is native to North America, and is the continent's largest mammal. It was named the national mammal of the United States in 2016. This National Parks newsletter - the BISON Bellows - discusses how BISON were nearly extinct less than 100 years ago. For further reading, here's "15 Facts About Our National Mammal: The American BISON."
• PET (21A: Cockatiel or cocker spaniel) Nice alliteration in this clue. I do not have a cockatiel or a cocker spaniel as a PET, but I do have a cat.

  

  Willow

• RNA (22A: Counterpart of 45-Across) and DNA (45A: Molecule in chromosomes) Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) is a double-stranded polynucleotide chain that carries genetic material. Ribonucleic acid (RNA) is a single-stranded molecule (which folds onto itself) that is important for the coding, regulation, and expression of genes. I could go on, and on and on... We often see DNA or RNA in the puzzle. It was fun to see them together today. 
• INJERA (25A: Flatbread eaten with shiro wat) Shiro wat is a chickpea stew that originated in Ethiopia and Eritrea. It is served atop INJERA, a sour fermented flatbread traditionally made of teff flour.
• ALOO (51A: ___ paratha (potato-stuffed flatbread) This is your occasional reminder that ALOO is a South Asian term for potatoes, so when you notice a dish in a crossword clue contains potato, the answer may be ALOO.
• III (3D: This clue's number in Roman numerals) I don't really mind the occasional Roman numeral in crosswords, and this is a fun clue.
• GAY (42D: The G in GLAAD) GLAAD is a media-monitoring organization whose name is an acronym of GAY & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation. According to their website, "GLAAD works through entertainment, news, and digital media to share stories from the LGBTQ community that accelerate acceptance." At a time when many states (including mine - ugh!) are proposing anti-LGBTQ legislation, the work of organizations like GLAAD is extremely important. 
• ANN (51D: Actress Lisa ___ Walter) Lisa ANN Walter currently plays the role of second-grade teacher Melissa Schemmenti on the TV mockumentary, Abbott Elementary.

Geography review:

• SWEDE (19A: Person from Stockholm or Gothenburg) Stockholm is Sweden's capital and its largest city. Stockholm is situated on the east coast of Sweden. The city consists of fourteen islands, and over 30% of the city area is waterways. Gothenburg, Sweden is located on the country's west coast, and is its second largest city.
• MECCA (44A: Major city in Saudi Arabia) MECCA, Saudi Arabia is considered the holiest city in Islam.

Today's puzzle treats us to not three, not four, not five, but six theme answers! That's quite impressive, especially as the theme answers are all solid and interesting. The grid is striking, with the bottom portion of the grid essentially separated into three columns. I'm guessing that was necessary to get all that theme material to cooperate, and it works well. Thank you, Erik, for this puzzle that was a delightful way to start my Saturday.