October 26, 2022

Title: O_O

Constructor: Ada Nicolle

Editor: Anna Gundlach

Theme Answers:

EL TIEMPO ES ORO (20A: "Time is money," in Spanish)

LACTO OVO (37A: Type of vegetarian who eats dairy and eggs)

SPECIAL AGENT OSO (56A: Children's series about a teddy bear going undercover)

Theme synopsis: Each theme answer ends with a word that has the letter pattern O_O: ORO, OVO, OSO. 

And now a word from our constructor:

Ada: Shout-out to Julia Kaye, Laura Les, and Amy Schneider, the three trans women populating the northeast corner of the grid. Also shout-out to the editor Anna Gundlach, the trans woman populating the other half of the byline <3.
I'm so proud to be a trans woman!!!

Things I learned:

• STELLA (29A: Designer McCartney) English fashion designer STELLA McCartney launched her own fashion house in 2001. She has had many partnerships and collaborations, including Adidas and Disney. She has partnered with and designed looks for Taylor Swift. STELLA McCartney is the daughter of Paul and Linda McCartney, and she has launched some collections honoring the Beatles, including The Beatles: Get Back and All Together Now.
• SPECIAL AGENT OSO (56A: Children's series about a teddy bear going undercover) SPECIAL AGENT OSO is an animated Disney series featuring a stuffed panda named OSO (the Spanish word for bear). OSO and his friends work for UNIQUE, The United Network for the Investigation of Quite Unusual Events. In each episode, OSO is given a special assignment to help a child complete a task. The series is designed to be interactive, and encourages children to use their observational and cognitive skills.

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• ANNA (14A: "Cups" singer Kendrick) ANNA Kendrick sang the "Cups" song in the 2012 movie Pitch Perfect. The song uses the lyrics for a Carter family song, "When I'm Gone" (1931), and is accompanied by a children's clapping game, the cup game. ANNA Kendrick used "Cups" for her Pitch Perfect audition, and it was then used in the movie, replacing a different song her character was supposed to sing, "I'm a Little Teapot." ANNA Kendrick didn't come up with the idea of pairing the song and the cup game together, but she definitely played a big role in the song's popularity.
• EL TIEMPO ES ORO (20A: "Time is money," in Spanish) and MIO (28D: "Ay, Dios ___!") and ESTA (59D: "Donde ___ la biblioteca?") We have a Spanish conversation running through the puzzle's clues and answers today. "EL TIEMPO ES ORO." ("Time is money." ORO is the Spanish word for gold.) "Ay, Dios MIO!" ("Oh my god!" or "Oh Lord!" Would you look at the time!) Donde ESTÁ la biblioteca? ("Where is the library?" Perhaps so I can look up books on time-saving techniques...)
• DOM (53A: ___ Perignon champagne) DOM Pérignon is named after a Benedictine monk who pioneered a number of winemaking techniques in the late 1600s and early 1700s. DOM Pérignon is a vintage champagne, meaning all of the grapes used to make it are harvested in the same year. The first vintage of DOM Pérignon was released in 1921.
• ENACT (63A: Vote into law) Speaking of voting, do you have a plan to vote in the upcoming election? Election Day is Tuesday, November 8. If you're eligible to vote, I encourage you to do so. Every voice is important. I believe my husband and I are going to take advantage of early voting and vote tomorrow.
• SAL (1D: Khan Academy founder Khan) Khan Academy is a non-profit organization that produces educational videos on a number of topics, including math, science, history, finance, and art. The short videos are available for free. SAL Khan began Khan Academy in 2008, after several years of creating videos to tutor family members. SAL is short for Salman. SAL is also a shortened version of Sally, but not one I use. (Historically, only one person, a high school friend, has been allowed to call me SAL.)
• PARM (4D: Eggplant ___ (entree)) Eggplant PARM, short for Eggplant Parmesan, is a dish of fried slices of eggplant layered with cheese and tomato sauce. I have a fabulous recipe for eggplant PARM which bakes the eggplant slices instead of frying them. The recipe is a ton of work, but absolutely delicious, so I usually make several batches at a time and stock up my freezer. 
• BLOOMER (8D: "Super Late ___" (Julia Kaye book)) Julia Kaye is the artist and illustrator of the web comic Up and Out. Super Late BLOOMER is a collection of comic strips that document the early days of her gender transition.
• LAURA LES (9D: Hyperpop artist who's half of 100 gecs) I have previously written about 100 gecs, LAURA LES, and hyperpop. 
• LAP (30D: Place for a cuddly kitten) Willow's all-time favorite place to be is on my LAP.

  

  Willow on my LAP

  She starts out underneath a fleece blanket, and when she gets too warm, crawls out and lies on top of the blanket. When I head downstairs and sit in my recliner, it doesn't take long for her to appear.
• AMY (31D: "Jeopardy!" champion Schneider) Beginning in November 2021, AMY Schneider won 40 consecutive Jeopardy! games, giving her the second-longest winning streak in the game show's history (second only to Ken Jennings). Although not having a TV means I don't watch Jeopardy! every night, I do follow AMY Schneider on Twitter. During her time on Jeopardy!, she gave her thoughts on each night's match. Hopefully she'll do the same during the upcoming Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions.

The emoticon o_o is often used to convey confusion or surprise. I suppose every crossword is confusing at first, before you begin to work out the answers, but fortunately, I didn't find this one more confusing than any other. And after seeing the constructor's name, I was not at all surprised to find this puzzle was enjoyable! Three interesting theme answers today, and some great fill. I especially liked I SEE NOW, NAME ONE, COMING OUT, ADOPTED, FAN ART, and UNISEX. Thank you, Ada, for this puzzle that was a delightful way to start my Wednesday.