October 4, 2023

Title: MATERIAL WORLD

Constructors: Jasmeet Arora & Brooke Husic

Editor: Amanda Rafkin

Theme Answers:

GLASS CLIFF (19A: Metaphor for a high-risk leadership position that may set a woman or nonbinary person up for failure)

CONCRETE JUNGLE (35A: Crowded city with a competitive atmosphere)

SILICON VALLEY (54A: Tech hub in California's Bay Area)

Theme synopsis: The first word of each theme answer is a MATERIAL: GLASS, CONCRETE, JUNGLE. The second word of each theme answer is a feature or terrain of our WORLD: CLIFF, JUNGLE, VALLEY.

And now a word from our constructors:

Jasmeet & Brooke: Our favorite answers in this puzzle are GLASS CLIFF, SALSA CLUBS, and MENDHI, and our favorite clues are at 14-Across, 64-Across, 12-Down, and 53-Down!

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• HULA (13A: Sacred dance that honors Laka) In Hawaiian mythology, Laka is the goddess of the HULA. One origin story of HULA credits Laka with creating the dance on the island of Moloka'i. 
• GLASS CLIFF (19A: Metaphor for a high-risk leadership position that may set a woman or nonbinary person up for failure) The term "GLASS ceiling" has been used for many years as a metaphor for the barrier that keeps women and nonbinary people from obtaining high-level leadership positions. "GLASS CLIFF" was coined in 2005 to describe the challenges faced by women and non-binary people that are appointed to leadership positions. The British researchers that coined the term, Michelle K. Ryan and Alexander Haslam, noticed some companies that were struggling appointed women to leadership positions. If the company continued to struggle, the woman was blamed for the failure, even though the company was struggling prior to her leadership. The GLASS CLIFF phenomenon applies to minority groups, as well as women and nonbinary people. If you'd like to learn more about the GLASS CLIFF, this Vox article provides a good overview.
• ELI (30A: Actor Goree) ELI Goree's credits include the role of Muhammad Ali in the movie, One Night in Miami, and the role of Munroe "Mad Dog" Moore in the TV show, Riverdale. 
• RAITA (60A: Yogurt prepared with produce, herbs and spices) The vegetables in RAITA, often cucumber and onion, may be raw or cooked. The herbs and spices used in RAITA include coriander, cumin, mint, cayenne pepper, and chaat masala.
• RING (64A: "___ the Alarm" (Beyonce song) "RING the Alarm" is a song from Beyoncé's second studio album, B'Day.
• CORE (66A: Uneaten apple part (usually)) and PEEL (28D: Uneaten banana part (usually)) I liked the echoing of this pair of clues, as well as the recognition that although they are often not eaten, apple COREs and banana PEELs are edible. 
• SHEDS (68A: Loses fur) and LAP (12D: Place for a snuggly pet)

  

  Willow on my LAP

  Willow was ecstatic that my husband and I binge-watched the last four episodes of Only Murders in the Building (season 3) last night, as it meant lots of LAP time. As for shedding, it's one of the things pet owners live with. Sometimes when I consider all the fur Willow SHEDS, I am amazed she has fur left.
• MEHNDI (3D: Pre-wedding body art tradition) A MEHNDI party is a pre-wedding celebration in South Asian culture. The main focus of the party is the application of intricate henna designs on hands (and sometimes feet). Jasmeet and Brooke's puzzle last puzzle mentioned another pre-wedding tradition, a SANGEET. In that blog post, I mentioned my friend Sarah, whose daughter was recently married in a ceremony that combined Indian and American cultures. That wedding included a MEHNDI party, and I asked Sarah if she would be willing to share some photos with me to use on the blog. MEHNDI designs are intricate and beautiful, and often contain details significant to the wearer. (Thank you for sharing the photos, Sarah!)

  

  Henna designs from a MEHNDI party

• EARL (38D: Rapper ___ Sweatshirt) EARL Sweatshirt is the stage name of rapper, songwriter, and record producer, Thebe Neruda Kgositsile. His most recent album is a collaboration with the Alchemist. It was released in August of this year, and is titled Voir Dire.
• PEACH (53D: Princess ___ (Super Mario character)) In the Mario franchise of video games, Princess PEACH rules the Mushroom Kingdom. 
• SARI (54D: Wrap styled with a choli) A choli is a fitted blouse worn with a SARI. 

Geography review:

• ERIE (31A: Shallowest Great Lake) Our crossword friend ERIE is making an appearance for the second day in a row. Yesterday, we were reminded that Lake ERIE is the southernmost of the Great Lakes. Today we are reminded it is also the shallowest of the five lakes. Lake Superior is the deepest of the Great Lakes.
• LAOS (33A: Neighbor of Vietnam) LAOS is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia. Vientiane is its capital. In addition to bordering Vietnam, LAOS is a neighbor to Myanmar, China, Cambodia, and Thailand.
• SILICON VALLEY (54A: Tech hub in California's Bay Area) SILICON VALLEY is a term applied to a region of California that is home to many high-tech corporations. Located in the southern part of the San Francisco Bay Area, SILICON VALLEY encompasses the cities of Palo Alto, San Jose, Menlo Park, and Sunnyvale, as well as a number of other cities. SILICON, the element that lends its name to the area, is used in some transistors and integrated circuit chips. 

Like Madonna in her 1985 song, today this puzzle has us all living in a MATERIAL WORLD. The theme answers today are all evocative phrases; an interesting set. LINGO, CARRIAGE, SLOPPY JOE, and SALSA CLUBS are all great answers. Thank you, Jasmeet and Brooke, for this puzzle that was a wonderful way to start my Wednesday.