December 26, 2023

Title: GET DOWN!

Constructor: Claire Rimkus

Editor: Amanda Rafkin

Theme Answers: 

ORANGE TREE (3D: Citrus plant in a grove)

GARBAGE TRUCKS (8D: Vehicles that empty curbside bins)

MASSAGE THERAPY (14D: Stress-reducing treatment)

PAGE TURNER (28D: Thrilling book)

Theme synopsis: The word GET is found hidden in each vertical (DOWN) theme answer: ORANGE TREE, GARBAGE TRUCKS, MASSAGE THERAPY, and PAGE TURNER.

Things I learned:

• NIA (44D: WNBA player Coffey) NIA Coffey plays basketball for the WNBA team, the Atlanta Dream. NIA Coffey's position is small forward. Today I learned that the small forward, also known as the three, is one of the positions on a basketball team. (I knew the term forward, but "small forward" is new to me." Wikipedia tells me that "Small forwards are typically shorter ... than power forwards and centers but taller ... than either of the guard positions." Of course, shorter here is relative. NIA Coffey is 6'1". 

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• EARP (13A: "Wynonna ___" (Syfy show)) I have previously written about the Syfy show, Wynonna EARP, which is described as a supernatural Western horror series. Melanie Scrofano portrays Wynonna EARP.
• BOAT (21A: The Amazon Trail conveyance) The Amazon Trail is an educational computer game in which players attempt to successfully navigate the Amazon River in a BOAT, and reach the lost Inca village of Vilcabamba. 
• GULL (37D: Beach bird) Q: What do you call a GULL that falls for every joke? A: GULLible.
• TUNDRA (41A: Cold, treeless biome) The term TUNDRA refers to a region with limited tree growth due to frigid temperatures and a short growing season. There are three types of TUNDRA: Arctic TUNDRA (located in the far Northern Hemisphere), Antarctic TUNDRA (most of Antarctica), and alpine TUNDRA (mountainous regions at high elevation).
• TEAR (64A: Feature of the "Crying Face" emoji) 😢 Behold the TEAR on the "Crying Face" emoji.
• PAGE TURNER (28D: Thrilling book) I enjoy reading, and for me, any book I am enjoying becomes a PAGE TURNER. For this reason, I have to be careful about when I start reading a book; I have spent many late nights finishing books I just started! What's a PAGE TURNER you've read this year? Two books I've especially enjoyed this year are Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus, and Last Devil to Die, the fourth book in the Thursday Murder Club series by Richard Osman.
• DAILY (48D: Frequency with which some people solve crosswords) This is a fun meta clue! Why yes, I am one of those people that solves crosswords DAILY.
• DANAI (50D: "The Walking Dead" actress Gurira) The Walking Dead is a TV series adapted from a comic book series. DANAI Gurira portrays Michonne on the show.
• SOLO (56D: Song with one singer) and DUO (60A: Two singers, for example) This is a nice DUO of consecutive singing-related clues.
• Answers that inspired me to look up animal facts:
• PET PIG (31A: Companion that oinks) A fun fact about PIGs is that they are smarter than dogs; a fact in favor of a PET PIG, perhaps. A PIG can learn its name in two weeks, and will come when called.
• EGRETS (36A: Long-legged wading birds) EGRETS are members of the heron family. They live on every continent except Antarctica, and have a lifespan of about 15 years.
• GNU (39A: African animal with a silent letter) GNUs, also known as wildebeests, are the largest species of antelope. There are two species of GNU: the blue GNU, also called the common wildebeest, and the black GNU, also called the white-tailed GNU.
• EGG (42A: A baby platypus hatches from one) The platypus is one of the rare mammals that lays EGGs instead of giving birth to live young. The platypus also has a rubbery bill and biofluorescent fur (its fur will glow green-blue under a black light). In addition, the male platypus has a spur on its hind foot that delivers venom. 

Geography review:

• ERIE 67A: Great Lake by Cleveland) Cleveland, Ohio is located in the northeastern part of Ohio, along the shores of Lake ERIE. It is the largest city on Lake ERIE. Hello to our crossword-friend ERIE! January 8 was the first time we saw ERIE as an answer this year. On that day I invited readers to guess how many times we would see ERIE as an answer in 2023. For comparison, in 2021, we saw ERIE as an answer 42 times, and in 2022, ERIE appeared 37 times. Exactly three readers took me up on the invitation! (My guess of how many readers would make a guess was zero, so that exceeded my expectation!) I also made a guess, so the four guesses we have are 36, 39, 40, and 42. We are getting close to the end of the year, so will this be the last 2023 ERIE appearance, or will we see our friend again? To date, we have seen ERIE 36 times this year, so it's guaranteed that the ERIE appearances will fall within the range of guesses. I'll give you an update in five days! (Side note: My guess was 36, so I'm kind of hoping we won't see ERIE again this year.)

It's time to GET DOWN! Alternatively, or perhaps relatedly, it might be time for some MASSAGE THERAPY. I enjoyed this hidden word theme. Thank you, Claire, for this puzzle that was a fantastic way to start my Tuesday.