June 18, 2023

Title: BACKS AWAY SLOWLY ... (FREESTYLE)

Constructor: Enrique Henestroza Anguiano

Editor: Amanda Rafkin

Freestyle: This is a themeless puzzle. The title, BACKS AWAY SLOWLY..., is a nod to REACTION GIF (37A: Homer Simpson backing into a hedge, for example).

Things I learned:

• SARI (16A: Garment seen in many Shaadi photos) Shaadi is a term used for an Indian or Pakistani wedding, at which SARIs are often worn.
• DORIS (60A: "Shibboleth" artist Salcedo) DORIS Salcedo is a visual artist and sculptor from Colombia. "Shibboleth" was a temporary art installation DORIS Salcedo created in 2007 as a commission for the Tate Modern in London. The word "shibboleth" refers to a custom, tradition, or use of language that distinguishes one group of people from another. Shibboleth is a Hebrew word meaning "stream." English speakers borrowed the word and gave it the aforementioned meaning based on a rather gory Biblical story (Judges 12:4-6). The art installation, "Shibboleth," was a 548-foot long crack in the floor of one of the Tate Modern's exhibition halls. At one end of the hall, a hairline crack was visible. As the crack meandered to the other end of the hall, it expanded to a few inches wide and nearly two feet deep. DORIS Salcedo said of "Shibboleth," " It represents borders, the experience of immigrants, the experience of segregation, the experience of racial hatred." The art installation was on display until April 2008, when it was filled in, leaving a visible line - a scar of sorts - in the floor.

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• MADE (14A: "Look What You ___ Me Do") "Look What You Made Me Do" is a 2017 song by Taylor Swift. Like most of Taylor Swift's music videos, the one for this song is filled with symbolism. If you enjoy that kind of analysis, Rolling Stone explains it in this article. (My favorite part of the music video is the end when all of the different versions of Taylor are talking to each other.)
• PATTI (18A: "Punk poet laureate" Smith) A few weeks ago, this answer would have been in the "Things I learned" section. However, I recently learned about PATTI Smith. It wasn't from a USA Today puzzle, but it was from a crossword! PATTI Smith was an answer for a puzzle I recently fact-checked as part of my editing responsibilities at Lil AVC X. From that fact-checking, I learned PATTI Smith is a singer, songwriter, poet, and author that was an influential part of the 1970s punk rock movement. She often fuses poetry and rock music, leading to her being called the "punk poet laureate."
• REACTION GIF (37A: Homer Simpson backing into a hedge, for example) and MEME (4D: 37-Across, often) You can see the REACTION GIF of Homer Simpson backing into a hedge here. Know Your Meme provides some background on the journey of this particular image from a 1994 episode of The Simpsons to a REACTION GIF and a MEME. I find it interesting that although the REACTION GIF and MEME are widely used in moments of embarrassment to indicate the wish to disappear, in the original Simpsons episode it did not have that meaning.
• NOV (52A: Dia de los Muertos month (Abbr.)) Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) is celebrated on NOV. 1 and 2. The Mexican holiday is a time to pray for and remember family and friends that have died. 
• OREO (58A: Cookie that sometimes deep-fried) A deep-fried OREO is exactly what it sounds like, an OREO dipped in batter (typically buttermilk pancake mix) and then deep-fried. The deep-fried OREO was first introduced at the Los Angeles County Fair in the early 2000s by Charlie Boghosian, a food vendor known as "The Man Who Fries Everything."
• TARAJI (2D: "Hidden Figures" star ___ P. Henson) TARAJI P. Henson played the role of Katherine Johnson in the 2016 movie, Hidden Figures. She won a BET Award and an NAACP Image Award for the role. TARAJI P. Henson serves as the narrator for a documentary released in January of this year, titled Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project. The documentary looks at the life of poet Nikki Giovanni, and discussed the historical periods she lived through, including the Civil Rights Movement and Black Lives Matter.
• CAT PROOF (11D: Make a room safe for Whiskers) My response to this answer was, "Do I CAT PROOF?" This was immediately followed by the realization that of course I do, but it's so second nature by now I almost don't realize it. Around our house CAT PROOFing includes not using curling ribbon, not leaving hair ties lying around, and keeping the spider plant in a place where Willow cannot eat the plant babies. This photo was taken last night while

  

  Willow

  Willow was "helping" me play the game Abducktion. Yes, those are tiny rubber duckies! Given our family history with rubber duckies, I could not pass this game up. My husband and I are enjoying this new game. It's easy to learn, but surprisingly challenging at times. 
• RANCHERA (37D: Genre of traditional Mexican music) I learned about RANCHERA music from a previous Enrique Henestroza Anguiano puzzle. 
• GRIEF (39D: "But what is ___, if not love persevering?" ("WandaVision" quote) I have previously written about the Marvel Comics TV miniseries WandaVision. This quote, "But what is GRIEF, if not love persevering?" is from the penultimate episode of the series. The line is spoken by the character Vision.
• LOBO (57A: WNBA analyst Rebecca) Rebecca LOBO is a former WNBA player. During her career she played for the New York Liberty (1997-2003), Houston Comets (2002), and Connecticut Sun (2003). She was inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2010. Rebecca LOBO is now a sports reporter for ESPN.

I was intrigued by the title today, and I had a nice "Aha!" moment when I read the clue for 37-Across and realized it was likely the inspiration for BACKS AWAY SLOWLY... I really enjoyed learning about DORIS Salcedo and "Shibboleth." Thank you, Enrique, for this puzzle that was a marvelous way to start my Sunday.