November 10, 2023

Title: WHAT A TRIUMPH!

Constructor: Nate Cardin

Editor: Jared Goudsmit

Theme Answers:

SUCCESS STORY (20A: Tale of triumph)

WIN WIN SITUATION (39A: Circumstance in which everyone triumphs)

VICTORY IS MINE (55A: Triumphant cry)

Theme synopsis: All of the theme answers are related to TRIUMPHing.

Things I learned:

• ELLA (65A: Actress Purnell) ELLA Purnell is one of the many celebrities that I recognize once I see their face. I saw ELLA Purnell in the 2016 movie, Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, in which she played the role of Emma Bloom, a teenager that can manipulate air and breathe underwater. More recently, ELLA Purnell played the role of Jackie in the TV series, Yellowjackets (2021-2023).
• EAT (11D: Enjoy some kelewele, e.g.) Kelewele is a Ghanian dish also known as Spicy Fried Plantains.
• MARIA (25D: Tennis star Sharapova) MARIA Sharapova is a former tennis player. She competed on the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) Tour from 2001 to 2020. For 21 weeks during that time, she was ranked by WTA as number 1 in the world in women's singles. To date, MARIA Sharapova is the only Russian to achieve a career Grand Slam (winning all four major tennis championships in a single calendar year).
• BICEP (52D: Muscle exercised by spider curls) A spider curl is a variation of a BICEP curl, a weight training exercise in which the arm is bent towards the body at the elbow. To do a spider curl, a person lies face-down on an incline bench. A barbell is then lifted off of the floor, keeping the upper arms fixed. 

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• MAT (25A: Word aptly found backward in "tatami") A tatami is a type of mat traditionally used as flooring in Japanese rooms.
• CARE (32A: The "C" of TLC) TLC = tender loving CARE
• CHARGE (37A: Power up, like an electric vehicle) It was just two days ago that we saw ELECTRIC CAR in the puzzle. Electric cars aren't the only electric vehicles that CHARGE, of course. There are also electric bikes, scooters, golf carts, aircrafts, etc.
• ROBIN (51A: "The Princess Bride" actress Wright) I will always be happy to see a reference to the iconic 1987 movie, The Princess Bride, in the puzzle! ROBIN Wright portrays the title character, Buttercup, who is forced to become the Princess Bride and marry Prince Humperdink instead of her true love, Westley. I have previously shared a photo of my Princess Bride magnet collection.
• ANITA (60A: "Body and Soul" singer Baker) "Body and Soul" is a 1994 song from Anita Baker, off of her album, Rhythm of Love.
• NERD (66A: Rhyming nickname for a crossword lover) Oh, hey, it's me! And probably you as well, I'm guessing.
• TONY (10D: Award for "Hadestown") The musical Hadestown tells a version of the Greek myth of Orpheus going to the underworld to rescue his fiancée, Eurydice. The Broadway production of Hadestown won eight TONY Awards in 2019, including the awards for Best Musical and Best Original Score.
• MSG (13D: Umami ingredient) Umami is one of the five basic tastes, along with sour, sweet, salty, and bitter. MSG (monosodium glutamate) is used as a flavor enhancer that imparts an umami taste. 
• CAT (32D: Lion or tiger (but not a bear)) Here is a photo of my CAT,

  

  Willow

  
  Willow looking thoughtful. Perhaps she's thinking of a lion or tiger (but not a bear). 
• NEOPET (47D: Virtual animal such as a Kacheek)  A NEOPET is a virtual pet that users of the online site Neopets can take care of - buying them food, toys, and other accessories. A Kacheek is one species of NEOPET.
• NPR (61D: Network where Ayesha Rascoe hosts "Weekend Edition Sunday") Ayesha Rascoe hosts Weekend Edition Sunday, the Sunday edition of NPR's radio news magazine program. She has been hosting Weekend Edition Sunday since March 2022.

Geography review:

• EURO (15A: Currency in Malta) Malta is an archipelagic country (one consisting of islands) in the Mediterranean Sea. The country and its main island share the name Malta. The capital of Malta is Valletta, whose metropolitan area covers the entire island of Malta. Malta is one of the European Union members that uses EURO as its currency.
• ANA (12D: Santa ___, California) Santa ANA, California is the county seat of Orange County, and is part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area.
• IRAN (59D: Mashhad's country) Mashhad is the second-most populous city in IRAN, following Tehran. Mashhad is located in the northeastern part of IRAN, near the IRAN-Turkmenistan border.

Nate Cardin constructs a crossword, and then we get to solve it. That sounds like a perfect WIN WIN SITUATION to me! I really enjoyed this theme. It was fun to discover each TRIUMPH. Thank you, Nate, for this puzzle that was a triumphant start to my Friday morning.