September 27, 2023

Title: LAST KISS

Constructors: May Huang & Rafael Musa

Editor: Amanda Rafkin

Theme Answers:

PARDON MY FRENCH (20A: Apology offered after swearing)

SOCIAL BUTTERFLY (40A: Person talking to everyone at a party)

CLEARING THE AIR (57A: Defusing a misunderstanding)

Theme synopsis: The LAST word of each theme answer is a type of KISS. We have a FRENCH KISS, a BUTTERFLY KISS, and an AIR KISS.

Things I learned:

• DISCO (19A: Evelyn "Champagne" King genre) Evelyn "Champagne" King's most well-known song is the 1977 DISCO hit, "Shame."
• ORCA (64A: Type of whale that goes through menopause) Menopause is the time when menstrual periods cease, and it marks the end of reproductive ability. The majority of animals continue to be able to reproduce until they die. Only humans (that menstruate), pilot whales and ORCAs go through menopause. ORCA females can live for decades after they have finished breeding. A recently published scientific study suggests that post-menopausal ORCA females play a role in boosting the lifespans of their offspring and helping their sons navigate social relationships. Isn't science fascinating?
• LEMUR (41D: Primate such as Zoboomafoo) Zoboomafoo was an animated children's TV program that aired from 1999-2001 on PBS Kids. The title character was a talking LEMUR.

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• SCAR (1A: Enemy of Simba and Mufasa) and LION (58D: Simba or Mufasa) A nice pair of LION King clues.
• SWAB (5A: Part of a rapid COVID test) Just a reminder that we're still living in the time of COVID (and likely will always be now to some extent). Now is the time to get the most recent COVID vaccine that was released earlier this month. Also, the federal government is once again providing free COVID tests. Each household can order four tests.
• FED (24A: Gave kibble to) and NINE (36D: Number of lives cats are said to have)

  

  Willow taking shelter under a blanket

  
  These two clues are making me miss Willow! My husband and I are currently on vacation, and while we are having a wonderful trip, I do miss our cat. Even though Willow is being well cared for while we are gone, I know she will have a lot to say to us about our absence once we return home. 
• ETRE (66A: Raison d'___) "Raison d'ÊTRE" is a French phrase meaning "reason for being."
• SOUR (69A: Olivia Rodrigo's debut album) Olivia Rodrigo's debut album, SOUR, was released in 2021. "Drivers License" was the album's lead single.
• ERIN (10D: Activist Brockovich) ERIN Brockovich's lawsuit against Pacific Gas and Electric Company of California was the subject of the 2000 movie ERIN Brockovich. The case involved groundwater contamination in Hinckley, California.
• TOFU (30D: Sundubu-jjigae ingredient) Sundubu-jjigae is a dish that originated in Korea. It consists of curdled soft TOFU, vegetables, and gochujang (red chili paste). Seafood and meat may be added to the dish, which is served with rice.
• CORI (57D: Congresswoman Bush) CORI Bush is a U.S. Representative for Missouri. The district she represents (Missouri's 1st congressional district) includes all of the city of St. Louis, and most of northern St. Louis county.
• NATO (60D: Peacekeeping grp. with an alphabet) Ah, here's the NATO phonetic alphabet, which I have been attempting to review whenever it appears in a crossword I solve. Today I will remind myself that in the NATO alphabet, G is for golf, H is for hotel, and I is for India.
• BAD (62D: "I can make the ___ guys good for a weekend" (Taylor Swift lyric)) "I can make the BAD guys good for a weekend," is a line from Taylor Swift's 2014 single, "Blank Space." Thank you for this earworm. "I've got a blank space, baby / And I'll write your name."

Geography review:

• IOWA (15A: State south of Minnesota) IOWA is indeed south of Minnesota. It is also north of Missouri, east of South Dakota and Nebraska, and west of Wisconsin and Illinois.
• SONOMA (23A: Wine country next to Napa) SONOMA and Napa are two of the counties in California's Wine Country, a region north of San Francisco. Thanks to a combination of favorable climate, geography, and geology, the area is considered one of the premier wine regions in the world.
• BANFF (8D: Town home to Canada's oldest national park) The town of BANFF, Alberta, Canada is located inside of BANFF National Park, which, as the clue informs us, is Canada's oldest national park. BANFF is located in the Rocky Mountains, and is notable for its glaciers,

  

  Peyto Lake in BANFF National Park

  ice fields, pine forests, and alpine lakes. I was quite happy to see BANFF in the puzzle today, since my husband and I recently visited BANFF for the first time just last week. The scenery in Banff is absolutely stunning. This photo shows Peyto Lake, one of BANFF's many glacier-fed lakes. The water is truly this stunning turquoise color, a result of the glacial rock flour that flows into the lake.

A fun theme today, with three excellent theme answers. In addition to the answers I've already highlighted, I also enjoyed TWANG, ACCENT, and REDEEM, and the science-related clue on MATTER (49D: States of ___ (solid, liquid, gas, plasma)). Thank you, May and Rafa, for this puzzle that was an excellent way to start my Wednesday.