January 14, 2022

Title: WINGSPAN

Constructor: Amanda Rafkin

Editor: Amanda Rafkin

Theme Answers:

WEB SURFING (17A: Browsing the net)

WILD MUSTANG (39A: Free-roaming horse of the American West)

WINNING BIG (62A: Hitting the jackpot)

Theme synopsis: The word WING SPANs each theme answer.

And now a word from our constructor:

Amanda: This puzzle contains an example of a theme that was born specifically out of me wanting to geek out about something that I like. In this case, that something is the board game Wingspan, which has garnered quite a bit of attention since it came out a couple of years ago. If you're not familiar with it, Wingspan is a card-based, engine-building board game in which you take on the role of a bird enthusiast hoping to attract the best birds to the nature preserve represented by your personal player mat. In typical engine builder fashion, you start off with very few resources, but if you play your cards right (lol) then you will slowly become more and more efficient at generating points with each passing turn (like an engine running faster and faster). Have the most points at the end of the 4 rounds, and you're the winner! One of the most stunning features of Wingspan is the artwork, done by the inimitable Beth Sobel, who did the artwork for so many of the games that I personally count as favorites: Cascadia, Calico, Verdant, Viticulture, and of course Wingspan. If you haven't yet given this beautiful game a try, it comes with the highest recommendation from me!

Things I learned:

• TODAY (32A: "___ Means Amen" (Sierra DeMulder book)) "Dear you: Whoever you are, However you got here, This is exactly where you are supposed to be." These are the opening lines of the title POEM of Sierra DeMulder's 2016 poetry collection, TODAY Means Amen. I highly recommend listening to Sierra DeMulder read "TODAY Means Amen." 
• MAO (40D: Card game with unspoken rules) The goal of the card game MAO sounds easy: get rid of all your cards. The catch is that you can't break any of the rules, and you don't always know what those rules are. New players are informed, "The only rule you may be told is this one." Sounds like the makings of enjoyable chaos.

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• TAYTAY (21A: "All Too Well" singer, to fans) It's only been three days since we saw Taylor Swift's (TAYTAY to fans) song, "All Too Well," used as a clue.
• WILD MUSTANG (39A: Free-roaming horse of the American West) There are approximately 85,000 WILD MUSTANGs living on various public lands in the western United States. Technically, the horses are "feral" rather than "wild," as they are descendants of once-domesticated animals. Though the horses are popular with tourists, photographers, and animal lovers, managing the increasing population of WILD MUSTANGs also present challenges. If you want to read more, I recommend this National Geographic article. 
• TREE (42A: Grandmother Willow, e.g.) In the 1995 Disney movie, Pocahontas, Grandmother Willow is a talking TREE (voiced by Linda Hunt) that advises Pocahontas. I like this clue, because it's inferable even for those unfamiliar with the character of Grandmother Willow.
• CLONE (49A: Genetic copy) This answer reminded me of a book I just finished reading, Six Wakes by Mur Lafferty. If you enjoy science fiction with a dose of locked-room mystery, I recommend it. The book was a gift from my son, who (you may have noticed) likes to give me books and games. No complaints here!
• ERIN (59A: Sportscaster Andrews) ERIN Andrews is a sideline reporter for Fox's NFL broadcasting team. You may also know her from Dancing With the Stars. She competed on the show in 2010, and co-hosted it from 2014-2019.
• LINT (67A: Dryer schmutz) First of all, "schmutz" is a great word. Secondly, dryer LINT fascinates me. Each time I empty the LINT trap (especially after drying a load of new towels or sheets), I think there must me some creative use for the stuff. I think some people have used it to make paper, but I haven't gotten to that point yet.
• POEM (72A: Megan Falley creation) I tangentially learned about Megan Falley from the June 26, 2020 puzzle that featured an Olivia Gatwood POEM as a clue. Together these two poets created a traveling, interactive poetry show called Speak Like a Girl. 
• SUB (3D: The Crew: Mission Deep Sea vessel, informally) The Crew: Mission Deep Sea is a cooperative board game. Players are working together as the crew of a SUB, to search for a lost continent. I liked the mention of this bonus board game in this board game-inspired puzzle. 
• TIL (31D: "Shop ___ You Drop") Shop TIL You Drop is a game show that originally aired between 1991 and 2005. As you might guess, the show was based on shopping, and was set in a shopping mall. I like that because "Shop TIL you drop" is a well-known phrase, a solver would not need to be familiar with the game show to know the answer.
• NAM (63D: Founder of video art Paik ___ June) I learned about video art pioneer Paik NAM June from the December 11, 2021 puzzle. 

Geography review:

• OHIO (15A: Indiana's neighbor) Time for a Geography Quiz! In addition to Indiana, what other states are OHIO's neighbors? Answer at the end of this post.

Astute readers will recall that just a couple of weeks ago I used the appearance of an answer that was a

bird (SNIPE) to recommend the game WINGSPAN. I was delighted, therefore, to see the title of today's puzzle, and even more so to learn that Amanda is a fellow fan of WINGSPAN. I've included a couple of photos of WINGSPAN being played, so you can spy the lovely artwork Amanda mentioned in her notes, as well as the fun egg tokens, and the delightful bird feeder dice roller. Such a fun game! And a delightful puzzle that it inspired. The three theme answers are all solid, and I liked seeing the word WING broken differently in each answer. I also enjoyed the lovely long bonuses: THEATER GEEK, ARE WE A THING, ADULT SWIM, YOGA PANTS, and C'EST LA VIE. This puzzle was a fabulous way to begin my Friday.

Answer to Geography Quiz: OHIO's neighbors are Indiana (as the clue informed us), Kentucky, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Michigan. OHIO also borders Lake Erie.