June 20, 2023

Title: FLORA AND FAUNA (FREESTYLE)

Constructor: Claire Rimkus

Editor: Amanda Rafkin

Freestyle: This is a themeless puzzle. The title is a nod to the presence of one plant (FLORA) and abundance of animals (FAUNA).

Things I learned:

• UNO (49A: Card game created to help solve an argument about Crazy Eights) This is a fun fact about UNO that I didn't know. UNO was invented by Merle Robbins in 1971. Merle Robbins lived in Milford, Ohio, where he was a barber. (I happen to know where Milford, Ohio is, because I have an uncle that lives there. Milford is part of the Cincinnati metropolitan area.) Merle Robbins invented UNO to resolve an argument with his son about the rules of Crazy Eights, a card game quite similar to UNO. Originally, the game was only intended for the Robbins family, but after inviting some friends to play the game and discovering the friends also enjoyed it, the family had 5,000 copies of the game made. Merle Robbins died in 1984, but his legacy lives on. Over 151 million copies of UNO have been sold worldwide. Although I find verification about the argument, I wasn't able to find any details about what the particular argument was. I'm so curious about the details!
• ELENA (4D: Main character in "One Day at a Time") One Day at a Time is a TV sitcom that premiered in 2017. The show is based on the TV series of the same title that originally aired from 1975-1984. The show centers on a Cuban-American family living in the Echo Park neighborhood of Los Angeles. The main characters of the show include single mother Penélope, her children Alex and ELENA, and her mother Lydia. I enjoyed reading this interview with Isabella Gomez, who portrays ELENA. I grew up watching the original One Day at a Time, but haven't seen the new one yet. This clue might be the nudge I needed to check it out.
• TEEN (56D: Many a "Paper Girls" character, age-wise) Paper Girls is a TV series that premiered in 2022, and is based on a comic book series of the same name. The show is about four TEEN girls that, while out on their paper routes in 1988, unknowingly time travel to 2019. In their efforts to get back to their own time, they end up in the midst of conflict between factions of time travelers. 

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• CORAL (16A: Orangey-pink color) Although it's clued to the color rather than the marine invertebrates, I'm counting this as a FAUNA sighting. Reef-building CORAL have similarities to both plants and animals, but are currently classified as animals.
• ORANGUTAN (18A: Ape native to Borneo) FAUNA! For some reason, it's difficult for me to remember how to spell the word ORANGUTAN. In fact, when I finished this puzzle with a typo, I knew exactly where to look. ORANGUTANs have distinctive red fur, and are the largest mammal that lives in trees.
• COW (23A: Calf's mom) FAUNA!
• ELK (35A: Deer relative) FAUNA! Two nights ago, my husband and I glanced out our back window and happened to see a deer walking by. I guess I'm glad it wasn't a deer's larger relative, an ELK.
• ARTIFICIAL PLANT (37A: Greenery that never requires watering) ARTIFICIAL FLORA! This is a fun grid-spanning answer. Some ARTIFICIAL PLANTs are easy to spot, but some of them look amazingly real.
• GHEE (44A: Butter used in biryani) GHEE is clarified butter. It is used in making biryani, a rice dish originating from South Asia.
• PASTRIES (51A: Bourekas and croissants, etc.) Bourekas are stuffed PASTRIES popular in Israeli cuisine.  Croissants are buttery, flaky PASTRIES associated with French cuisine.
• CAT TREATS (57A: They're often tuna-flavored) With the mention of CAT,

  

  Willow

  I'm counting this as FAUNA. Speaking of a CAT, here's a photo of Willow pretending to be a book. 
• THEN (66A: "And ___ She Kissed Me" (St. Vincent song)) "And THEN She Kissed Me" is a reimagining of the 1963 song "And THEN He Kissed Me." The new version was sung by St. Vincent for the 2018 album Universal Love - Wedding Songs Reimagined. The album contains classic love songs adjusted to be about same-sex relationships. 
• HEN (67A: Clucking bird) FAUNA!
• SARAH (5D: Actress Paulson of "Ocean's 8") Ocean's 8 is a 2018 heist film that's a continuation and a spin-off of the Ocean's trilogy (Ocean's Eleven, 2001; Ocean's Twelve, 2007; Ocean's Thirteen, 2007). The movie features an ensemble cast of SARAH Paulson, Sandra Bullock, Cate Blanchett, Anne Hathaway, Mindy Kaling, Awkwafina, Rihanna, and Helena Bonham Carter.
• PINA COLADA (9D: Rum, coconut milk, and pineapple juice cocktail) For some reason, I'm wondering if I have some frozen pineapple in my freezer and coconut milk in my pantry. Maybe I should add that to my grocery list.
• PSA (24D: GLAAD TV spot, e.g.) Here's a PSA sponsored by GLAAD. And here's another one. GLAAD was founded in 1985 as the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation. The nonprofit organization "works through entertainment, news, and digital media to share stories from the LGBTQ community that accelerate acceptance."
• HELL (29D: "Raise ___" (Brandi Carlile song)) "Raise HELL" is a song from Brandi Carlile's 2012 album, Bear Creek. 
• FISH (31D: Many aquarium residents) FAUNA!
• PIN (33D: Accessory displaying pronouns, perhaps) Just a reminder that using a person's correct pronouns is a great way to show respect. When I was searching for information about pronoun PINs, I was delighted to stumble across this information provided by Drake University, one of my alma maters. 
• NORAH (50D: Singer and pianist Jones) I have previously written about NORAH JONES. 

Geography review:

• USA (27A: Neighbor of Mex.) The United States of America (USA) is Mexico's neighbor to the north. Mexico's neighbors to the southeast are Guatemala and Belize. The capital of Mexico is Mexico City.
• ERIE (61A: ___ Canalway Trail (360-mile bike path)) The ERIE Canalway Trail connects the cities of Albany and Buffalo, New York. As the name suggests, the trail parallels sections of the ERIE Canal. This is a fun way to clue our crossword-friend ERIE, which is making its second appearance this month.

What a fun FREESTYLE puzzle. We have the grid-spanning FLORA of ARTIFICIAL PLANT, surrounded by a ton of FAUNA. I am a fan of themeless puzzles that have an underlying connecting thread such as this. Thank you, Claire, for this terrific Tuesday puzzle.