December 18, 2023

Title: BREAK COVER

Constructor: Emma Lawson

Editor: Jared Goudsmit

Theme Answers:

COVID BOOSTER (20A: Supplementary vaccine offered since 2021)

CHERRY TURNOVER (37A: Triangular pastry with a stone fruit filling)

COLORADO RIVER (56A: Waterway that carved the Grand Canyon)

Theme synopsis: The word COVER is broken by each theme answer.

• COVID BOOSTER
• CHERRY TURNOVER
• COLORADO RIVER 

Things I learned:

• LES (28A: ___ Nubians (French musical duo)) The musical group LES Nubians is composed of sisters Hélène and Célia Faussart. The French duo's debut album was titled Princesses Nubiennes (1998). 
• UKES (36A: Instruments played by Kalakaua, for short) Kalākaua was the king of the Hawaiian islands from 1874-1891. Ukuleles, or UKES for short, were introduced to the Hawaiian island's during Kalākaua's reign by Portuguese immigrants. Kalākaua became proficient on the ukulele, and would often play for visitors. In 1997, Kalākaua was the inaugural inductee into the Ukulele Hall of Fame. (Yes, there's a Ukulele Hall of Fame!)

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• PSA (5A: "Be Smart, Don't Start" ad, e.g.) "Be Smart, Don't Start" ads are public service announcements (PSAs) aimed at teaching school-aged children the dangers of tobacco use. Similar campaigns have been used aimed at opioid and alcohol use. Here's a funky Blue Cross Blue Shield PSA I found that features Blaze, the Braggin' Blue Dragon.
• CEDAR (8A: Wood that repels moths) The moth-repelling tendencies of CEDAR are due to the oils in its wood. Once CEDAR dries out (if it no longer has a distinctive CEDAR scent), it's no longer effective as a moth repellent.
• OMEGA (16A: Greek letter after psi) Psi is the penultimate (next to last) letter of the Greek alphabet. OMEGA is the 24th and last Greek letter.
• COVID BOOSTER (20A: Supplementary vaccine offered since 2021) Staying up to date with COVID BOOSTERs remains one of the best ways to protect yourself and those around you from getting seriously ill from COVID-19. Just yesterday I listened to an interview with Kyle Harper, a historian that studies the history of infectious disease. He talked about how the discovery of vaccines (the first vaccine targeted smallpox, which has now been eradicated) made a huge impact on the survival of humans. He also discussed that one of the main reasons to get vaccinated is to protect those around us. We get vaccinated to protect each other. If you haven't received the latest COVID BOOSTER, I recommend doing so. (Side note: The interview I reference was on the podcast Nobody Listens to Paula Poundstone. The podcast is totally wacky, but the interview is great!)
• OTTERS (43A: Frolicking aquatic mammals) Two days in a row now OTTERS have been frolicking in our puzzle.
• RUE (48A: She played Blanche on "The Golden Girls") On the TV sitcom, The Golden Girls (1985-1992), Blanche Devereaux, portrayed by RUE McClanahan, is a southern belle that grew up on a plantation in Georgia before relocating to Miami with her husband. Now widowed, she owns the house that she shares with Dorothy Zbornak (Bea Arthur), Rose Nylund (Betty White), and Sophia Petrillo (Estelle Getty). The use of just the character's first name in the clue is a hint that the answer is the actor's first name.
• MEAN (63A: "What do you ___?" (question Jennifer Lawrence anxiously repeats in a meme)) The "What do you MEAN?" meme featuring Jennifer Lawrence is a take-off on a clip from her appearance on Hot Ones. (I have previously written about Hot Ones, a YouTube talk show that features celebrities being interviewed while they are eating increasingly spicy chicken wings.)
• SLED (69A: Pulk or toboggan) A pulk is a Nordic SLED pulled by a dog, skier, or reindeer. It is often used to transport gear and equipment. A toboggan is a SLED traditionally used for transport by indigenous peoples of northern Canada. Toboggans are often used recreationally for SLEDding downhill.
• SAMOSA (6D: Pastry that might be fried in ghee) A SAMOSA is a fried or baked pastry filled with potatoes, onions, peas, meat, and spices. Ghee is a type of clarified butter, whose many uses include frying SAMOSAs.
• COMETS (8D: Space objects with tails) You can think of COMETS as dirty snowballs. Left over from the formation of the solar system approximately 4.6 billion years ago, COMETS are made of dust, rocks, and ice. COMETS orbit the Sun. When COMETS get close to the Sun, they heat up and release dust and gases that trail behind the COMETS and form their characteristic taisl.
• EMIR (9D: House  of Saud title) The House of Saud is the ruling royal family of Saudi Arabia. Male members of the House of Saud have the title of EMIR.
• TEA (61D: Shoumei or oolong) Shoumei is a white TEA, and oolong is a black TEA.
• HERO (38D: "Anti-___" (Taylor Swift song)) "Anti-HERO" is a 2022 song by Taylor Swift. "It's me, hi, I'm the problem, it's me..." 

Geography review:

• AREA (13A: 150,872 square miles for Zimbabwe) Zimbabwe is a country in Southern Africa. Zimbabwe is landlocked by its neighbors, South Africa, Botswana, Zambia, and Mozambique. The capital of Zimbabwe is Harare. The AREA of Zimbabwe is slightly smaller than that of the U.S. state of California (163, 695 square miles), and slightly larger than that of Montana (147, 040 square miles).
• RENO (42A: Nevada city) RENO is located on the western edge of Nevada, near the California-Nevada border.
• COLORADO RIVER (56A: Waterway that carved the Grand Canyon) The COLORADO RIVER flows through five U.S. states (Colorado, Utah, Arizona, Nevada, and California), and two Mexican states (Baja California and Sonora). The COLORADO RIVER flows through the Grand Canyon, which was carved by the river over the course of millions of years.
• PISA (15D: Leaning Tower city) The Leaning Tower of PISA in Italy is known for its famous slant. The tower is a campanile - a freestanding bell tower - that houses seven bells. Its nearly 4° lean is a result of a soft foundation. Amazingly, the Leaning Tower of Pisa has survived at least four strong earthquakes. Scientists discovered that the same soft soil that caused the tower to lean influences the tower's ability to withstand earthquakes.

I appreciated that the theme answer broke the word COVER in a different way each time. In themes of this type, it's nice to either have a consistent BREAK pattern, or have each BREAK be different. I enjoyed the clue for DECOR (21D: Home ___ (Target section where you might find a "Live, Laugh, Love" pillow)). Thank you, Emma, for this puzzle that was a fabulous way to start my Monday.