June 6, 2023

Title: MEAT IN THE MIDDLE

Constructor: Jimmy Peniston

Editor: Erik Agard

Theme Answers:

DRY SHAMPOO (19A: No water-needed hair products)

STROBE EFFECT (42A: Flashing light phenomenon)

LEAVE ALONE (60A: Not bother)

Theme synopsis: There is a MEAT - HAM, BEEF, or VEAL - in the MIDDLE of each theme answer.

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• DRY SHAMPOO (19A: No water-needed hair products) A DRY SHAMPOO works by reducing the greasiness of hair without the need for water. Although the first commercially available DRY SHAMPOO product didn't appear on the market until the 1940s, products similar to DRY SHAMPOO have been used for centuries. That first commercial DRY SHAMPOO? It was called Minipoo.
• WEALTH (26A: "___ is not the fruit of labor but the result of organized protected robbery" (Frantz Fanon)) FRANTZ FANON (1925-1961), who we saw as a theme answer a couple of weeks ago, was a psychiatrist and political philosopher. "WEALTH is not the fruit of labor but the result of organized protected robbery," is a quote from Frantz Fanon's 1961 book, The Wretched of the Earth.
• MLK (50A: "Beyond Vietnam" (1967) speaker, for short) Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK) delivered his speech, "Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence," on April 4, 1967 at Riverside Church in New York City. The date of the speech was exactly one year before MLK was assassinated. In the speech (which you can read here), MLK declared that his conscience left him "no other choice" than to oppose the Vietnam War.
• ENYA (52A: "Orinoco Flow" singer) In case you need some ENYA in your day (you definitely need some ENYA in your day!), here's a link to her 1988 song, "Orinoco Flow."
• LEAVE ALONE (60A: Not bother) Perhaps it's because she was miffed at the

  

  Willow

  lack of a cat reference in this puzzle (or more likely because I returned home last night after being gone for a couple of days), but Willow did not want to LEAVE (me) ALONE while I was writing this. Several breaks had to be taken during the writing of this post in order to pet the cat. 
• CORAL (65A: Reef-building organism) It's always amazing to me to remember that CORAL reefs are comprised of living organisms. The CORAL in a reef are held together by calcium carbonate they secrete. Scientists have debated for centuries whether CORAL are plants or animals, as they have similarities to both. Presently, they are classified as animals.
• MONAE (9D: Singer Janelle) Janelle MONAE launched her singing career in 2003 with a self-financed and self-released demo album titled The Audition. Her most recent album, The Age of Pleasure, is scheduled to be released in three days, on June 9. In addition to her singing career, Janelle MONAE also has an acting career. Her portrayal of twins in the 2022 movie Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery was an incredible performance.
• WWE (26D: SummerSlam org.) SummerSlam is an annual pay-per-view live-streaming event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. (WWE). This year's event will take place in Detroit, Michigan, and is scheduled for August 5.
• TEA (40D: Salabat, for example) Salabat is a traditional Filipino TEA made with fresh ginger. It is a popular drink for cooler months, and is also used as a throat-soothing remedy.
• AORTA (54D: Largest artery in the human body) Serving up science facts is simply another service offered by crosswords (in addition to their immense entertainment value). The AORTA originates from the left ventricle of the heart and extends down towards the abdomen. Branches of the AORTA carry blood throughout the body.

Geography review:

• EURO (63A: Currency in Athens and Zagreb) Athens is the capital and largest city of Greece. Zagreb is the capital and largest city of Croatia. Greece and Croatia are part of the European Union, and use the EURO as their currency.
• ASIA (38D: Bangladesh's continent) Bangladesh is a country in South ASIA. Bangladesh borders India on the west, north, and east, and Myanmar to the southeast. The southern edge of Bangladesh is coastline along the Bay of Bengal. The capital of Bangladesh is Dhaka.

I have an idea - let's MEAT IN THE MIDDLE today. I appreciated two particular aspects of this theme that made it especially elegant. I liked that each theme answer contained a different kind of MEAT, and that the MEAT appeared in the exact middle of each theme answer, with the same number of letters on each side. In addition to the theme, I enjoyed the answers ICED LATTE, LILY PADS, TROLLEY, and WE COOL. Thank you, Jimmy, for this puzzle that was a fantastic way to start my Tuesday.

One more thing today: Jimmy Peniston is one of the Lil AVC X roster members, and his most recent midi is out today. It's titled "Oceanography." You need an AVCX subscription to solve it, though you can also purchase it for $1.00.