Olivia: It's so great to be back in the USA TODAY alongside my good friend Sally!! Looking through this puzzle again, I'm thrilled that so many of my interests got references: from tennis to music scores to roll-and-write board games to Star Wars (of course)... it's always great when constructor voice is maintained through editing. I hope you all enjoyed this fun, springy theme. My roof garden is already flourishing!
Sally: It's always delightful to collaborate with Olivia. This puzzle represents our tenth published collaboration, seven of which have been USA TODAY puzzles.
What I Learned from Today’s Puzzle
EMO (9D: My Chemical Romance genre) This clue was added during the editing process, which introduced me to the EMO band My Chemical Romance. Interestingly, in learning about the band, I discovered that although they are considered an influential group in the EMO genre, My Chemical Romance has at times rejected the EMO classification. The music of My Chemical Romance has also been described as alt rock, pop-punk, punk rock, and hard rock.
Random Thoughts & Interesting Things
BIOME (15A: Taiga or tundra, e.g.) A taiga, also referred to as a boreal forest, is a BIOME characterized by forests of pines, spruces, and larches. A tundra is a region with limited tree growth due to frigid temperatures and a short growing season. There are three types of tundra: Arctic tundra (located in the far Northern Hemisphere), Antarctic tundra (most of Antarctica) and alpine tundra (mountainous regions at high elevation).
SEA (16A: "See the line where the sky meets the ___? It calls me") "See the line where the sky meets the SEA? It calls me," is a line from the song, "How Far I'll Go," from the 2016 Disney animated movie, Moana.
ISABEL BLOOM (17A: Artist known for her concrete sculptures) As an art medium, concrete is inexpensive, readily available, and weather-resistant. It eventually became the medium of choice for ISABEL BLOOM (1908-2001), whose concrete sculptures often depicted children and animals. ISABEL BLOOM was born in Texas, but her family moved to Davenport, Iowa when she was a year old. The ISABEL BLOOM company, which creates sculptures in the artist's style and maintains her legacy, still maintains a production studio in Davenport. I have an ISABEL BLOOM sculpture of a bunny that was given to me as a bridesmaid's gift from my college roommate who, like ISABEL BLOOM, grew up in Davenport, Iowa.
EYED (21A: Odd-___ cat (feline with two different colored peepers)) Odd-EYED cats, as the clue describes and their name suggests, have eyes that are different colors. Odd-EYED cats can be of any breed. However, although the condition is not linked with a specific breed, it is more common in some breeds, such as the Khao Manee that I wrote about earlier this month. My cat, Willow, is not odd-EYED. As you can see in this photo, both of her eyes are green.
ORION (26A: Belted archer in the sky) The constellation known as ORION is named for a hunter in Greek mythology. Three of the brightest stars in the constellation appear to be in a straight line, and are referred to as ORION's belt.
WOMEN IN STEM (31A: Organization addressing gender parity in science, math, tech, etc.) WOMEN IN STEM is an organization that works with high schools around the world. Their approach aims to address limited opportunities for STEM activities at the high school level, and attempts to change long-standing attitudes about WOMEN IN STEM. This theme answer was a suggestion from Amanda during initial conversations about a theme set. I'm always happy to highlight WOMEN IN STEM!
ISLES (47A: "Survivor" settings) The American version of the reality TV series Survivor first aired in 2000. Each season, a group of strangers are placed in an isolated location, and must provide themselves with food and shelter, while competing in challenges. The show just finished its 46th season, which took place on the ISLES of Fiji.
CHIA (66A: ___ pet (1970s fad)) Ah, CHIA pets, the terra cotta figures that are planters for CHIA seeds, which resemble hair when they sprout. Although CHIA pets aren't as popular as when they became a fad in the 1970s, they're definitely still around, and available in many different designs.
SHARP (67A: #, on a music score) The symbol #: Is it a number sign, a pound sign, a SHARP on a music score, or a hashtag? It's all of the above, of course.
KING (69A: Billie Jean ___ (tennis icon)) Billie Jean KING, who was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1987, is considered one of the greatest tennis players of all time. In 1973, a tennis match between Bobby Riggs and Billie Jean KING was dubbed the "Battle of the Sexes." Billie Jean KING won the match in three sets.
NORTH (70A: Polaris direction) Polaris, also known as Alpha Ursae Minoris, is commonly referred to as the NORTH Star. The stable position of Polaris in the NORTH sky made it historically useful for navigation.
SOSA (72A: Mercedes ___ (Latin Grammy award winner)) Mercedes SOSA (1935-2009) was an Argentine singer whose music was characterized by a folk-inspired style and lyrics pertaining to social issues. Her six Latin Grammy Awards include a Latin Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2004.
REBEL (4D: ___ Alliance (Galactic Empire's foe in "Star Wars") Members of the REBEL Alliance are the main protagonists of the Star Wars franchise. In our collaborations, it is Olivia that brings in the Star Wars references. I asked her what I should say about the REBEL Alliance, and she suggested mentioning the animated TV series, REBELs (2014-2018). The series is set 14 years after Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, and features characters from the original Star Wars trilogy, as well as some new characters. Edited to add: Olivia has just informed me that saying the REBEL Alliance is the main protagonist of the franchise is not quite right due to the complex political situation of the prequels between the Jedi and the Republic and several splinter factions in spinoffs such as in The Bad Batch,The Mandalorian, and so on. I am assuming this is correct.
ABBY (6D: Six-time U.S. Soccer Athlete of the Year winner Wambach) A member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame, ABBY Wambach helped the U.S. women's national soccer team win two Olympic gold medals.
NILE (7D: African river) The NILE River is the longest river in Africa. The NILE flows north into the Mediterranean Sea, passing through 11 countries: Egypt, Sudan, South Sudan, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Uganda, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, and Burundi.
OWL (25D: Duolingo mascot bird) Duolingo is a language learning app. It uses a gamified approach to learning, with interactive exercises and quizzes. Duolingo's mascot is a green cartoon OWL named Duo.
OREO (58D: Cookie with a dirt cake flavor) Dirt cake is a dessert that is made using crushed OREO cookies, pudding, and gummy worms. Dirt Cake OREOs were released in February of this year. They consist of chocolate cookies that are topped with "gummy worm inspired sprinkles." Two layers of creme – brownie-flavored and chocolate – have OREO crumbs in them. This feels like a very meta OREO variety.
OHIO (59D: State whose first and last syllables sound the same) OHIO is the only U.S. state whose first and last syllables sound the same. Unless, of course, you count the only single-syllable U.S. state, whose first and last syllables are its only syllable. (That state is Maine.)
THO (59D: "OTOH...") OTOH stands for "on the other hand." The shortened version is a hint that the answer will be a shortened version: THO for although.
Crossword Puzzle Theme Synopsis
ISABEL BLOOM (17A: Artist known for her concrete sculptures)
WOMEN IN STEM (31A: Organization addressing gender parity in science, math, tech, etc.)
LIGHT BULB (44A: It may symbolize an idea)
PUT DOWN ROOTS (56D: Settle in to a community)
The last word of each theme answer is a part of a FLOWER.
I am a fan of progression themes, where the order that the theme answers appear in the puzzle is a part of the theme. In this puzzle, as we move down through the puzzle, we encounter the FLOWER parts from top to bottom: BLOOM, STEM, BULB, ROOTS. When I write about my own puzzles, I like to look back and remember how the puzzle idea originated. This theme was Olivia's idea. (Side note: If you've ever wondered why on our collaborations sometimes Olivia's name is listed first and sometimes it's mine, Olivia and I have the practice that the person who originates the theme gets first billing in the byline.) Olivia initially pitched this idea to me with the theme answers LIGHT BULB, FACE-PLANT, and GRASS ROOTS. As the idea evolved, only one of those theme answers made the cut, we replaced PLANT with STEM, and added a BLOOM. I'm pretty happy with how this puzzle turned out, and I hope you enjoyed solving it. Thanks, as always, to Olivia for collaborating, and Amanda for editing. Here's a photo to go along with today's theme.
