February 27, 2024

Title: RUNNING STARTS

Constructor: Ada Nicolle

Editor: Amanda Rafkin

Theme Answers:

WATER BALLOON (20A: Projectile at a pool party)

MASCARA MOSH PIT (37A: Self-appointed label for queer post-punk band Ekko Astral)

FRIDGE MAGNET (55A: One might hold up a child's drawing)

Theme synopsis: Each theme answer STARTS with a word that is sometimes described as RUNNING: WATER, MASCARA, and FRIDGE.

Things I learned:

• MASCARA MOSH PIT (37A: Self-appointed label for queer post-punk band Ekko Astral) As the clue informs us, the band Ekko Astral describes their music as "MASCARA MOSH PIT." Their vocalist-guitarist Jael Holzman also describes their music as "a combination of colors and wall of noise." I needed to rely on crossing answers to uncover MASCARA MOSH PIT, but the crossings are fair, so it wasn't a problem.
• RASTA (21D: ___ pasta (rhyming fusion dish)) RASTA pasta is a creamy pasta dish with the flavors of Jamaican jerk chicken and bell peppers. I was thankful for the "rhyming" hint here. 
• IGLOO (52D: Home for the fictional penguin Pingu) Pingu is an animated children's TV series that originally aired in Switzerland in the 1990s. The title character is a penguin who lives with his family in an IGLOO. 

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• IPOD (17A: Music player name-dropped in Iyaz's "Replay") "Replay" is a 2009 song by Iyaz. It is the title track from Iyaz's debut album. "Shawty's like a melody in my head / That I can't keep out, got me singing like / Na-na-na-na, every day / It's like my IPOD stuck on replay, replay-ay-ay-ay..."
• ORAL (18A: Like Prozac) and OTC (22D: Available without a Rx) We have a couple of med-related clues today. Prozac is an ORAL antidepressant medication. Prozac is not OTC (over-the-counter), but requires a prescription.
• MODEL (19A: Zendaya, for one) Zendaya is a MODEL, actress, and singer. She began her career as a MODEL for Macy's and Old Navy. As an actress, Zendaya currently portrays Rue Bennett on the TV series Euphoria.
• CAT BED (31A: Where a sleepy kitty might rest) This clue is accurate because it contains the word "might." My cat, Willow, asks, "Why would I sleep in a CAT BED when I can sleep on your lap?"

  

  Willow

• TED (49A: "Chopped" host Allen) When my husband and I are on the road and staying in a hotel, we like to relax by watching the Food Network. This is a special treat for us since we don't have a way to watch it at home. We are always happy when Chopped is on, as it is one of our favorites. TED Allen hosts the cooking competition on which four chefs compete against each other for a chance to win $10,000. There are three rounds of competition - appetizer, entree, and dessert. For each round, contestants are given a basket of four "mystery" ingredients that must be incorporated in their dish. At the end of the round, a panel of judges weigh in on each dish, and one contestant hears TED Allen say the fateful words, "You've been chopped."
• ALPACA (2D: Llama relative) In researching the difference between a llama and an ALPACA, I found a How Stuff Works article that addresses the question. The article also describes both animals as resembling "an ostrich mixed with a standard poodle and a camel." I can see that... 
• SAMOSA (9D: Savory South Asian pastry) A SAMOSA is a fried or baked pastry filled with potatoes, onions, peas, meat, and spices. 
• FDR (27D: New Deal prez) The New Deal was a series of programs and regulations enacted between 1933 and 1939, when Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR) was president. These programs included the establishment of Social Security.
• TOP SURGERY (32A: Gender-affirming procedure for some trans people) and SCAR (33D: One of two gained after 32-Down) Gender affirming TOP SURGERY for a transgender man involves bilateral mastectomy. Some transgender women may also have TOP SURGERY for breast augmentation. Either way, a couple of SCARs will be one result. 
• DONATELLO (35D: One of the Ninja Turtles) The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are DONATELLO, Leonardo, Raphael, and Michelangelo. 
• HELGA (41D: "Hey Arnold!" character with a big pink bow) Hey Arnold! is an animated TV series about a fourth grader named Arnold who lives with his grandparents. HELGA G. Pataki, voiced by Francesca Marie Smith, is a cynical, academically-gifted girl who sports a pink bow in her hair..
• URL (60D: www.translifeline.org, for one) Trans Lifeline is a grassroots non-profit organization "offering direct emotional and financial support to trans people in crisis - for the trans community, by the trans community." The organization's vision is a "world where trans people have the connection, economic security, and care everyone needs and deserves - free of prisons and police." That is a world I would like to live in!
• A few other clues I especially enjoyed:
• OFF (25A: "Get ___ my lawn!")
• ARROW (63A: "This way" symbol)
• STRAW (45D: A shared milkshake might have two in it)

Geography review:

• UCLA (42A: SoCal school in Westwood) Westwood is a neighborhood in north central Los Angeles, California. The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is located in Westwood. The SoCal abbreviation for southern California in the clue alerts us that the answer will be an abbreviation.
• TAIWAN (1D: Country where bubble tea originated) The bubbles in bubble tea are most often tapioca balls (also known as "boba" or "pearls"). Bubble tea can be made from black, green, or oolong tea, and either with or without milk. Bubble tea originated in the East Asian country of TAIWAN in the 1980s.

I'm always delighted to see Ada Nicolle's byline when I open up the puzzle. Ever since I uncovered the theme of today's puzzle, I've been thinking of the classic, "Is your refrigerator (FRIDGE) RUNNING?" joke! (Better catch it...) I appreciate the visibility of queer and trans topics that Ada always works into her puzzles. Thank you, Ada, for this fabulous puzzle.