March 16, 2021

Title: TAILWIND

Constructor: Brooke Husic

Editor: Erik Agard

Theme Answers:

EARLY AUGUST (19A: The middle of Leo season)

SHOOTS THE BREEZE (38A: Has a casual chat)

NIGHTINGALE (55A: Statistician Florence)

Theme synopsis: The TAIL of each theme answer describes a type of WIND: GUST, BREEZE, and GALE.

And now a word from our constructor:

Brooke: I'm really happy with how this puzzle turned out and with the overall feel of the clues — some personal favorites are SIZE and NASAL and SOY. I'm glad we highlighted Florence NIGHTINGALE as a statistician: they were a pioneer in data visualization and leveraged this to advocate for sanitation reforms that led to improved life expectancies in various communities.

Things I learned:

• ALL (4A: THE "A" in AYCE) AYCE = ALL You Can Eat - I had no idea, but now that I know I feel like, "Have I really never seen this abbreviation before?" Perhaps it's just been so long since I've eaten at a restaurant, AYCE or otherwise... Here's some trivia for you: The idea of the AYCE buffet has been credited to Las Vegas publicity and entertainment manager, Herb Cobb McDonald, who introduced the idea in 1946.
• ASIA (49A: #MagandangMorenx creator Jackson) In 2016, actress and digital creator, ASIA Jackson, created the global movement #MagandangMorenx to challenge colorism and celebrate the diversity of Filipino beauty. The phrase translates to "beautiful brown skin." It's nice to see a non-geographical clue for ASIA occasionally. Our crossword friend ASIA is making its fifth appearance of the month.
• SKA (22A: Genre for Caz Gardiner) Prior to forming her own self-titled band, Caz Gardiner was a part of several groups, including The Checkered Cabs, The Ambitions, and Caz and The Day Laborers. 
• QUINZHEES (8D: Shelters made of snow) A QUINZHEE is a snow shelter made from shaping and hollowing a large pile of loose snow. QUINZHEES can be used for winter camping or simply for fun. QUINZHEES differ from igloos which are built from blocks of hard snow. QUINZHEES are usually a temporary form of shelter. This is a completely new term to me. That's fun!
• TAIL (47D: Long part of a jerboa) A jerboa is a desert rodent found throughout Arabia, Northern Africa, and Asia. A jerboa uses its long TAIL - which can be longer than its head and body combined - to hop around in a manner similar to kangaroos. 

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• RUNT (14A: Candy piece shaped like a fruit) RUNTs are crunchy candies shaped and flavored like a variety of fruits. The original RUNT fruits introduced in 1982 were banana, cherry, strawberry, orange, and lime. 
• IOWA (32A: People also known as the Baxoje) The IOWA, or Báxoje, are a Siouan people. My state of residence is named after the IOWA, who used to live on this land before being displaced in the 1830s.
• GIRL (41A: Madonna's "Material ___") Well, this brought back some memories! Madonna's "Material Girl" was released in November 1984 when I was a college sophomore. 
• NIGHTINGALE (55A: Statistician Florence) Many of us know Florence NIGHTINGALE as a social reformer and the founder of modern nursing. She was also a statistician, and a pioneer in using graphical representations of data (infographics) to help people understand their meaning. 
• FREELANCER (61A: Self-employed professional) Oh, hey, it's me! Before becoming a FREELANCER constructing crossword puzzles and writing this blog, I worked as a FREELANCER writing children's curriculum. As with any job, there are pros and cons to being a FREELANCER, but for me it's a great fit. The benefits of flexible schedule and work load are tremendous. One of the big challenges, of course, is an irregular pay schedule. This seems like an opportunity to say that this blog will always be ad-free and free to read. There is a "Tip Jar," labeled "Donations." If you read the blog on a regular basis, or read a post that particularly resonates with you, consider clicking that button. All support is tremendously appreciated! (And completely optional!)
• EARL (3D: ___ Grey tea) If you'd like to know more about EARL Grey tea, check out what I wrote about it previously.
• LOTUS (5D: Flower that may serve as a throne) A LOTUS throne is often seen as a pedestal for divine figures in Buddhist art and Hindu art.
• BURRITO (17D: Dish that can be served wet) A wet BURRITO is one covered with chili sauce and melted cheese. 
• SZA (36D: "Hit Different" singer) SZA is the professional name of singer and songwriter Solána Imani Rowe. "Hit Different" was released in February 2020, and features guest vocals from Ty Dolla Sign.
• JULIE (48D: "Daughters of the Dust" director Dash) Daughters of the Dust is a 1991 movie written, directed, and produced by JULIE Dash. I learned about this movie, which tells the story of three generations of Gullah women, from the December 15, 2020 puzzle. JULIE Dash has also written two books about the movie: Daughters of the Dust: The Making of an African American Woman's Film, and Daughters of the Dust: A Novel. The latter book is a sequel set 20 years after the movie.  
• NAS (57D: "HOLIDAY" singer Lil ___ X) Lil NAS X's song, "HOLIDAY" was released on November 13, 2020, and joined the ranks of at least 18 other songs by this title. 

Geography review:

• TEL (37D: ___ Aviv, Israel) One of TEL Aviv's nicknames is "The Big Orange." The nickname is a play on New York City's nickname of "The Big Apple," and refers to the Jaffa oranges which were grown in the area and exported to Europe. Ironically, many of the orange orchards were uprooted to make room for the city of Tel Aviv. 

This puzzle would have fit right in here yesterday, as the weather was quite windy, blowing in a mid-March snowstorm. Not as windy today, but still a lovely day for a TAILWIND puzzle. Lots to like here. As you can see, I learned quite a bit today. Fun to see the long bonuses of PET RABBITS and FREELANCER just above and below the theme answers. As often is the case with Brooke's puzzles, I enjoyed the cluing today. This puzzle was a delightful way to start my Tuesday.