September 22, 2023

Title: OPENING BANDS

Constructor: Sally Hoelscher

Editor: Kelsey Dixon

Theme Answers:

RUBBER DUCKIE (19A: It makes bath time lots of fun, according to Ernie)

WATCH YOUR TONGUE (38A: "Those words are hurtful!")

WEDDING DRESS (56A: Garment that's usually white)

Theme synopsis: The OPENING word of each theme answer can precede the word BAND. We have RUBBER BAND, WATCH BAND, and WEDDING BAND.

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• ARM (5A: Saguaro limb) The Saguaro is a tree-like cactus that can grow to heights of over 40 feet tall. The Saguaro is a columnar cactus, with branches that are referred to as ARMs. Saguaros have a relatively long life span, and may grow their first ARM around 75-100 years of age. Saguaros are native to the Sonoran Desert in Arizona, the Mexican state of Sonora, and some areas of California.
• EARL (16A: ___ grey tea) EARL grey tea is a blend of tea to which bergamot oil has been added, giving it a unique scent and taste. Oil of bergamot is extracted from the rinds of bergamot oranges. EARL grey tea blend is thought to be named for Charles Grey, 2nd EARL Grey, a British Prime Minister in the 1830's. Grey supposedly received a gift from China of tea flavored with bergamot oil, although the story may be apocryphal. Although EARL grey tea is one of the few kinds of tea I don't care for, it happens to be my husband's favorite tea. Therefore, I'm happy to include this clue for him, particularly since this puzzle was, as you will see, made specifically with him in mind.
• RUBBER DUCKIE (19A: It makes bath time lots of fun, according to Ernie) "RUBBER DUCKIE, you're the one / You make bath time lots of fun / RUBBER DUCKIE, I'm awfully fond of you...voh voh di oh..." I have previously written in detail about the RUBBER DUCKIE that

  

  My husband and RUBBER DUCKIE

  
  my husband and I began hiding for each other after a trick-or-treater dropped it on our driveway one day, and how our daughter and her then-boyfriend-now fiancé, once hid 50 RUBBER DUCKIEs all over our house. (We still have not found them all!) With that background, you will not be surprised that RUBBER DUCKIE is my favorite of today's theme answers. Here's a photo of my husband with RUBBER DUCKIE after it hitched a ride on our vacation to Grand Teton National Park last year.
• TRY IT (27A: "Here, taste this") and IT'S A NO (31A: "Gonna pass on that") It amused me to clue these two answers as if there was a mini-conversation happening in the middle of the grid.
• WEDDING DRESS (56A: Garment that's usually white) With our daughter and her fiancé planning their WEDDING for next April, it was fun to include WEDDING DRESS as a theme answer, and the new phrase of WEDDING BAND is appropriate, as well.
• YODA (63A: Jedi mentor he was) It was fun to write this clue in YODA's distinct pattern of speech.
• OPERA (1D: An adaptation of "Where the Wild Things Are" is one) I have not seen the OPERA based on Maurice Sendak's 1963 children's book, Where the Wild Things Are, but I enjoyed learning about it while looking for an OPERA to highlight for this clue. 
• READ (6D: Enjoy "Piggie Pie!," say) Piggie Pie! is a children's picture book

  

  Piggie Pie!

  by Margie Palatini. This book, featuring Gritch the Witch on a quest to find some piggies to use in her recipe for piggie pie, has been a favorite at our house for many years. (Not to worry, the piggies are too smart for Gritch the Witch!) I READ Piggie Pie! to our kids many times when they were younger. If you aren't familiar with Piggie Pie!, I encourage you to find a copy and READ it.
• ANN (10D: "Abbott Elementary" actress Lisa ___ Walter) Lisa ANN Walter portrays second-grade teacher Melissa Schemmenti, on the mockumentary Abbott Elementary. 
• SWIFT (15D: Taylor who's recording "(Taylor's Version)" albums) Since 2021, Taylor SWIFT has been releasing (Taylor's Version) editions of some of her earlier albums. The fourth re-recorded album will be 1989 (Taylor's Version); it is scheduled to be released October 27.
• EARTH (What "educated" is a reminder of in the mnemonic "My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Noodles") "My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Noodles" is a mnemonic to help remember the names of the planets in order: Mercury, Venus, EARTH, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. Any time I write a really long clue, I know there's a possibility it will get cut. There are character count limits, after all. I am really happy this clue made it through the editing process, because I really like it.
• IHOP (29D: Chain with limited-time pancake tacos) IHOP's limited-time pancake tacos come in four varieties: Fresh Strawberry Cheesecake, Caramel Banana, Breakfast, and Country Chicken and Gravy (that one comes with pickles...). 
• LBS (60D: Abbr. on a bag of cat food) Were you worried that I might not work a cat reference into this puzzle? Sneaking this clue in close to the end...whew!

  

  Willow and RUBBER DUCKIE

  
  Willow, as you can see, is not sure what to make of RUBBER DUCKIE.

Geography review:

• TAHOE (35A: Lake near Reno) Lake TAHOE is a freshwater lake in the Sierra Nevada mountain range. It is located on the California-Nevada border. Lake TAHOE is the second deepest lake in the United States, behind Crater Lake in Oregon.
• ERIE (36A: Great Lake near Cleveland) Cleveland, Ohio is the largest city on Lake ERIE.
• IOWA (57A: ___ City, ___) Oh, look! Somehow IOWA City, IOWA made its way into this puzzle. In addition to being my home, IOWA City is the home of the University of IOWA. Because of the repetitive nature of its name, IOWA City doesn't make nearly as many crossword appearances as another IOWA college town. I'm thankful to the editors for keeping this clue.

You've probably guessed this fact by now, but I can confirm it. I designed this entire theme so that I could include RUBBER DUCKIE in a puzzle. This puzzle is essentially the ultimate RUBBER DUCKIE surprise. Since I knew I wanted RUBBER DUCKIE in the puzzle, I brainstormed for ways to incorporate it, and ultimately landed on this OPENING BANDS idea. I'm pleased with how the puzzle turned out, and extremely happy for this puzzle to be out in the world. I hope you enjoyed solving it as much as I enjoyed creating it. Many thanks to Kelsey for the fabulous editing.