April 26, 2023

Title: RRR

Constructor: Zhouqin Burnikel

Editor: Erik Agard

Theme Answers:

RED RED ROSE (16A: Flower that "my Luve is like," in a Robert Burns poem)

RISK REWARD RATIO (39A: Investor's calculation)

RUG RAT RACE (63A: Parenting phenomenon driven by the competitiveness of college admissions)

Theme synopsis: Each theme answer consists of three words beginning with the letter R.

Things I learned:

• MAYO (19A: Takoyaki topping) Takoyaki is a ball-shaped snack in Japanese cuisine. Made in a special molded pan, takoyaki consists of a batter filled with minced octopus, tempura scraps, pickled ginger, and green onion. The cooked balls are brushed with takoyaki sauce (similar to Worcestershire sauce) and MAYO before being topped with sprinkles of edible green seaweed and shavings of dried bonito (a type of fish).
• RUG RAT RACE (63A: Parenting phenomenon driven by the competitiveness of college admissions) RUG RAT RACE is a term coined in 2010 by University of California, San Diego economists, Garey and Valerie Ramey. It describes an increase in time spent by parents on college preparatory activities, sometimes when children are quite young. Although I am familiar with the increased competitiveness of college admissions, and the lengths some parents will go to in order to make sure their children get accepted to an elite school, the term RUG RAT RACE was new to me. 
• REE (5D: "Winter's Bone" main character ___ Dolly) Winter's Bone is a 2010 movie adapted from Daniel Woodrell's 2006 novel of the same name. In the movie, REE Dolly, portrayed by Jennifer Lawrence, is a teenage girl in the rural Ozarks of Missouri trying to protect her poverty-stricken family.

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• FIBER (1A: Leafy greens are rich in it) and KALE (6A: Leafy green) This is the first of a number of linked or echoed clues that we see in today's puzzle. 
• BLT (10A: Diner sandwich) and CLUB (15A: Diner sandwich) The upper right corner of the puzzle is specializing in sandwiches.
• OLAY (14A: Skin care brand) and ALOE (7D: Skin care ingredient) It was fun to see this pair of skin care answers crossing in the puzzle. 
• RED RED ROSE (16A: Flower that "my Luve is like," in a Robert Burns poem) Robert Burns's poem, "A RED, RED ROSE" begins, "O my Luve is like a RED, RED ROSE / That's newly sprung in June." The poem has been set to music, and was originally published in 1794 as a song. Scottish poet and lyricist, Robert Burns (1759-1796) is regarded as the national poet of Scotland. 
• SLEEP (21A: Get some shut-eye) and NAP (26A: Get some shut-eye) and RESTS (31A: Gets some shut-eye) With this trio of clues, this section of the puzzle appears to be in need of some shut-eye.
• OTTO (35A: Name that's a palindrome) and NAAN (37A: Flatbread that's a palindrome) Rounding out the echoed clues today is this palindrome pair.
• SALTS (45A: Tsukemono seasonings) Tsukemono - also known as Japanese pickles - are vegetables preserved in SALTS.
• FILL (52A: ___ in the blank) I absolutely ADORE (13A: Love to pieces) this clue! It's delightful to use the phrase "FILL in the blank" as a FILL in the blank clue.
• KOREATOWN (6D: Neighborhood with Hangul signage) Hangul, the South Korean term for the Korean alphabet, is the official writing system for the Korean alphabet. (In North Korea, the Korean alphabet is known as Chosōn'gŭl.)
• NERD (26D: Carlton Banks, for example) This is a reference to the TV series The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, and the reboot series, Bel-Air. Carlton Banks is the NERDy cousin of Will Smith, the protagonist of the shows.
• ARIAS (27D: Qinqiang solos) From the December 18, 2022 puzzle, I learned that qinqiang is a genre of Chinese opera.

Geography review:

• ARAB (58A: ___ Republic of Egypt) ARAB Republic of Egypt is the official name for the country often referred to simply as Egypt. Located in the northeast corner of Africa, Egypt extends into the southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. The capital of the ARAB Republic of Egypt is Cairo.
• EAST (40D: Lhasa-to-Wuhan direction) Lhasa is the administrative capital of Tibet Autonomous Region, an area in Southwest China. Wuhan is the capital of Hubei Province in China. Wuhan is located in central China, and, as the clue informs us, is EAST of Lhasa.
• LIMA (48D: Peru's most populous city) In addition to being its most populous city, LIMA is also the capital of Peru. LIMA's metropolitan area has a population of over 11 million. 

From the April 8 puzzle, I learned that RRR is a Telugu-language movie that tells a fictional story of two revolutionaries in India. Today RRR makes a fun puzzle theme. I enjoyed the answers BLUE STATES, COLD SNAP, PASTA SALAD, and SKELETON. As I mentioned above, I really liked the plethora of paired clues in this puzzle. Thank you, Zhouqin, for this puzzle that was a superb way to begin my Wednesday.