November 25, 2023

Title: PIE IN THE SKY

Constructor: Jared Goudsmit

Editor: Jared Goudsmit

Theme Answers:

PIERCED EAR (3D: Place for some studs or hoops)

PIECE OF MY HEART (5D: Erma Franklin hit covered by Janis Joplin)

PI'ERRE BOURNE (9D: "Poof" rapper)

Theme synopsis: The word PIE is found at the top (IN THE SKY, say) of each vertical theme answer.

Things I learned:

• PLUM (5A: Li hing mui fruit) Li hing mui, whose name loosely translates to "traveling PLUM," is salty dried Chinese PLUM. Known for its combined sweet, sour, and salty taste, li hing mui is also eaten in powder form, sprinkled over foods and used in drinks.
• FRED (66A: Gospel singer Hammond) FRED Hammond is a Grammy-Award-winning gospel singer.
• PI'ERRE BOURNE (9D: "Poof" rapper) PI'ERRE BOURNE is a rapper and record producer. "Poof" is the intro song on PI'ERRE BOURNE's 2019 debut studio album, The Life of PI'ERRE 4. 
• HOT (44D: Like phall curry) Phall curry is known for being HOT. Its extreme spiciness comes from a mix of chilli peppers such as scotch bonnet, habanero, Carolina Reaper, or ghost peppers. Phall originated in Asian restaurants in Birmingham, United Kingdom. 

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• PAPA (9D: "___ Was a Rollin' Stone" (funk hit with the lyric "All he left us was alone") The song "PAPA Was a Rollin' Stone" was originally recorded in May of 1972 by the Motown group, the Undisputed Truth. The Temptations recorded "PAPA Was a Rolling Stone" later the same year. Their version reached number one on Billboard's Hot 100. 
• PIANO (14A: Nina Simone's instrument) Nina Simone (1933-2003) was a singer, songwriter, PIANO player, and civil rights activist. I have previously written about Nina Simone.
• LEAP DAY (41A: February 29) In the Gregorian calendar (the standard calendar in much of the world), February 29 is added as a LEAP DAY almost every fourth year. This addition accounts for the fact that 365 days is shorter than a solar year by about six hours. The addition of an occasional LEAP DAY keeps the seasons from shifting in the calendar year. I say almost four years, because while a LEAP DAY occurs in years divisible by four, it does not occur in a year divisible by 100 unless that year is also divisible by 400. So, while the year 2000 had a February 29, the year 2100 will not. (I think it's safe to say I will not need to worry about that...) The next LEAP DAY, as I mentioned just a few days ago, will be February 29, 2024. 
• CARE BEAR (54A: Love-a-Lot or Funshine) The CARE BEAR franchise was created by Elena Kucharik in 1981. Originally designed to be used on greeting cards, the idea expanded to included toys, and has grown to books, TV shows, and movies. Each CARE BEAR is a different color and has a unique symbol on its belly. Love-a-Lot is magenta pink with two hearts, and Funshine is lemon yellow with a smiling sun.
• SEVEN (57A: Square root of 49) and UNO (7D: Neuve menos ocho) Math in the crossword! (I like it.)
• AJAX (58A: "Stronger than dirt!" brand) AJAX is a powdered cleaning product manufactured by Colgate-Palmolive since 1947. In the 1960s, AJAX began using the slogan, "Stronger than dirt!" in commercials featuring a knight on a white horse.
• MARA (2D: The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" actress Rooney) The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo is a 2011 movie based on the 2005 book by Stieg Larsson. MARA Rooney portrays computer hacker Lisbeth Salander, who has survived severe emotional and sexual abuse.
• PIECE OF MY HEART (5D: Erma Franklin hit covered by Janis Joplin) Erma Franklin recorded "PIECE OF MY HEART" in 1967. The song was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance. The winner of the category that year was Erma Franklin's sister, Aretha Franklin, for "Chain of Fools." In 1968, Janis Joplin sang vocals on the Big Brother and the Holding Company cover of "PIECE OF MY HEART." The song was Janis Joplin's best known song. 
• POST (11D: Blog entry) I felt I should include the clue [Blog entry] in this POST.
• FONT (30D: Calibri, e.g.) It took me a few moments to remember that Calibri is a FONT. To help me remember in the future, I've written this entry in Calibri.
• NBA (60D: Org. with Suns and Spurs) Those NBA teams are the Phoenix Suns and the San Antonio Spurs. Apparently these two teams have a rivalry that dates back to the 1990s.
• A few other clues I especially enjoyed:
• BAR TRICK (19A: Dropping a dime in a bottle without touching it, e.g.)
• TABOO (64A: Talking about politics at the dinner table, maybe)
• PIERCED EAR (3D: Place for some studs or hoops)
• SEX ED (48D: Course that might involve putting a condom on a banana, for short)

Geography review:

• AREA (16A: 7,056 square miles, for Fiji) Fiji is an island country in the South Pacific Ocean. The capital of FIJI is Suva. About 110 of Fiji's 330 islands are permanently inhabited. That AREA of 7,056 square miles includes those 330 islands and more than 500 islets (small, often unnamed islands). For comparison, the AREA of Fiji is between that of New Jersey (8,722 square miles) and Connecticut (5,543 square miles).
• EAST (18A: Algeria-to-Libya direction) Algeria and Libya are countries in North Africa. Both countries border the Mediterranean Sea. Libya is to the EAST of Algeria. The country of Tunisia also borders the Mediterranean and is nestled between Algeria and Libya. Capital review: The capital of Algeria is Algiers. The capital of Libya is Tripoli. The capital of Tunisia is Tunis.
• ARAB (1D: United ___ Emirates) The United ARAB Emirates (UAE) is a Western Asian country located on the Arabian Peninsula. The capital of the UAE is Abu Dhabi.

It's fun to see the THANKSGIVING LEFTOVERS theme continue today with PIE IN THE SKY. Thank you, Jared, for this puzzle that was a great way to start my Saturday.