January 4, 2024

Title: FIRST BATH

Constructor: Beth Rubin

Editor: Jared Goudsmit

Theme Answers:

PILLOW TALK (17A: Intimate chitchat in bed)

TOY POODLE (38A: Tiny, curly-haired dog)

MAT PILATES (65A: Exercise regimen done on the floor)

Theme synopsis: The FIRST word of each theme answer can be paired with the word BATH, to give us a BATH PILLOW, a BATH TOY, and a BATH MAT.

Things I learned:

• UDON (28A: Kamaage ___ (noodle dish)) Kamaage UDON refers to UDON noodles that are boiled, and then served in a bowl of hot water. The warm UDON noodles are removed from the bowl and dipped into a sauce before eating.

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• ROAR (1A: "I am woman, hear me ___") "I am woman, hear me ROAR," is the first line of Helen Reddy's 1971 song, "I am Woman."
• ARLO (14A: "Pegasus" singer Parks) "Pegasus" is a 2023 single by singer-songwriter ARLO Parks. The song, which features Phoebe Bridges, is from ARLO Parks's album, My Soft Machine. ARLO Parks says "Pegasus" is "about experiencing the warmth and lightness of good love for the first time."
• OCEANS (20A: Habitats for krill) Krill are small marine crustaceans. They live in all of the world's OCEANS, and are an important source of food for many marine animals, including whales, penguins, squid, and fish.
• SCOTTY (31A: "Star Trek" engineer) Montgomery "SCOTTY" Scott is a character in the Star Trek franchise. For nearly 30 years, he was the chief engineer of the USS Enterprise. I enjoyed this article that shares some SCOTTY quotes. Here's a couple of my favorites, "The more they overthink the plumbing, the easier it is to stop up the drain." and "I'm an engineer, not a miracle worker, Mr. Spock." The role of SCOTTY was originally portrayed by James Doohan, who played the role from 1966-1994. Simon Pegg portrayed SCOTTY from 2009-2016. Martin Quinn portrayed a young SCOTTY in a 2023 episode of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.
• ISSA (33A: "Hair Love" actress Rae) Anytime the animated short, "Hair Love," is mentioned in the puzzle, I like to link to it, because it's wonderful. If you haven't seen it, it's definitely worth seven minutes of your time. ISSA Rae voices the role of the mother in the film. In 2020, "Hair Love" was AWARDED (41D: Gave an Oscar to, say) an Oscar for Best Animated Short Film.
• SING (45A: Perform "Hey Ya!") "Hey Ya!" is one of two lead singles from OutKast's 2003 album, Speakerboxxx/The Love Below. The song reached number one on Billboard's Hot 100 and won a Grammy Award for Best Urban/Alternative Performance. The music video for "Hey Ya!" won a BET Award for Video of the Year.
• REED (51A: Mijwiz or clarinet, for example) A mijwiz is a traditional Middle Eastern REED instrument. The mijwiz has two pipes that are connected by a single REED. In the Levant (an Eastern Mediterranean region), the mijwiz is played as an accompaniment to belly dancing or dabke (a Levantine line dance). A clarinet is a single-REED instrument in the woodwind family. The clarinet has the largest pitch range of the common woodwind instruments. This clue provides two examples, which means a solver only needs to be familiar with one of the examples in order to successfully fill in the answer.
• AGE (54A: "Ice ___: The Meltdown" (film)) Ice AGE: The Meltdown is the second movie in the Ice AGE film series. It was released in 2006. 
• DRUM (63A: Djembe or timpani) A djembe is a goblet-shaped DRUM played with bare hands. A timpani is a type of kettle DRUM, played by striking the head of the DRUM with a mallet. Here's another clue that provides two examples, increasing a solver's chances of knowing the answer.
• ELSA (68A: "Show Yourself" singer in "Frozen II") In the 2019 Disney movie, Frozen II, ELSA sings the song "Show Yourself" as she is on a journey to explore her past. She follows a mysterious voice in an attempt to learn more about the source of her powers. "Show Yourself" is song by Idina Menzel and Evan Rachel Wood.
• TERI (70A: "Coraline" actress Hatcher) Coraline is a 2009 animated movie based on Neil Gaiman's novella of the same name. The title character of Coraline, which is categorized as dark fantasy horror, discovers a parallel universe behind a secret door. TERI Hatcher plays the role of Coraline's mother, and her Other Mother in the parallel universe.
• TOONS (72A: Scooby-Doo and Daria) Here's another clue giving us two examples, but this time you'll notice the connecting word is "and" instead of the "or" seen in the clues for REED and DRUM. This wording tells us the answer here is plural. Scooby-Doo and Daria are TOONS. Scooby-Doo is, of course, the Great Dane in the Scooby-Doo franchise. I learned about the TOON Daria from the July 30, 2023 puzzle. She is the title TOON in the TV show, Daria, which is a spin-off from the series Beavis and Butt-head.
• RAP (1D: Tierra Whack genre) I learned about RAP artist Tierra Whack from the February 1, 2022 puzzle. Her debut album, Whack World, was released in 2018.
• IDA (7D: Activist ___ B. Wells) I have previously written about investigative journalist and NAACP co-founder IDA B. Wells (1862-1931).
• OUTTA (39D: "Get ___ My Heart" (Ava Max song)) "Get Outta My Heart" is a 2023 song by Ava Max, from her album Diamonds & Dancefloors.
• DEE (40D: Actress and civil rights activist Ruby) Ruby DEE (1922-2014) played the role of Ruth Younger in the stage and film versions of A Raisin in the Sun. In addition to acting, DEE was a well-known civil rights activist. She emceed the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom and gave the eulogy at Malcolm X's funeral in 1965.
• SEATS (58D: Zafus and couches) Here's another clue with two examples, and once again, a plural answer is indicated by the use of the word "and." Zafus are cushions used as SEATS. They are often used in Zen meditation. Couches are SEATS for multiple people. There are a lot of synonyms for couches, such as sofas, settees, chesterfields, loveSEATS, and davenports.
• A few other clues I especially enjoyed:
• ALL CAPS (3D: WHAT THIS CLUE IS WRITTEN IN)
• DRY (29D: Like a desert or deadpan humor)
• I REFUSE (43D: "Absolutely not doing that!")

Geography review:

• TEL (21A: ___ Aviv) TEL Aviv is a city on the Mediterranean coast of Israel. The official name of TEL Aviv is TEL Aviv-Yafo, but it is often referred to simply as TEL Aviv.
• ATLANTA (12D: MLK's birth city) MLK is Martin Luther King Jr. (1929-1968), who was born in ATLANTA, Georgia. Martin Luther King Jr. grew up in ATLANTA and attended Morehouse College, an HBCU (historically black college and university) in ATLANTA. He went on to earn a Bachelor of Divinity degree from Crozer Theological Seminary in Upland, Pennsylvania, and a PhD from Boston University in Boston, Massachusetts.

For some reason, a BATH sounds lovely at the moment. All of the theme answers are fun today. Congratulations to Beth Rubin making a USA Today debut! Thank you, Beth, for this puzzle that was an excellent way to start my Thursday.