February 28, 2024

Title: WEDDING BELLS (Freestyle)

Constructor: Carolyn Davies Lynch

Editor: Amanda Rafkin

Freestyle: This is a themeless puzzle. WEDDING BELLS is a nod to REHEARSAL DINNER (17A: Pre-wedding meal) and BRIDESMAID DRESS (55A: Garment often worn only once).

And now a word from our constructor:

Carolyn: Hi everyone! Thanks so much for taking the time to solve my puzzle today...or at least read what Sally has to say about it. 😉 I'm a relatively new crossword constructor, and this is my first USA Today puzzle -- but not my last! I hope you enjoyed the nuptial vibe...when I saw that REHEARSAL DINNER and BRIDESMAID DRESS were each 15 letters long, I figured they'd be a fun pair for a freestyle puzzle, and this one was born. It's been really fun to go through the process with USA Today's amazing puzzle editor Amanda Rafkin, who's been so helpful and responsive throughout it all. If you've ever been curious about trying your hand at creating a crossword, I highly recommend submitting one to her!

Things I learned:

• SAL (8D: Educator and activist Castro) SAL Castro (1933-2013) was a teacher in the Los Angeles (L.A.) area. Throughout his career and after he retired, SAL Castro was an advocate for the importance of education, especially for Mexican Americans (Chicanos). In 1968, he was involved in the East L.A. Walkouts (which I have written about previously), protests by Chicano students against unequal conditions in L.A. high schools. SAL Castro was arrested following the protests; the charges were dropped in 1972. I was happy to learn about SAL Castro today.

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• FITS (8A: "If the shoe ___...") According to the Grammarist, shoes are not the only piece of clothing used to essentially say, "If this describes you, own it." Similar sayings include, "If the cap FITS..." and "If the cloak FITS..." I'm guessing that the story of Cinderella has had a role in making "If the shoe FITS..." the most well-known of these sayings. Thanks to the this clue, I now have the Taylor Swift song, "long story short" as an earworm. "If the shoe FITS, walk in it 'til your high heels break..."
• REHEARSAL DINNER (17A: Pre-wedding meal) and BRIDESMAID DRESS (55A: Garment often worn only once) These grid-spanning answers are a fun pair to build a themeless puzzle around. I especially enjoyed these answers because there are WEDDING BELLS ringing in our family at the moment. My daughter is getting married in April.
• URSULA (25A: Disney villain played by Melissa McCarthy) In the 2023 live-action film The Little Mermaid (based on the 1989 animated movie), Melissa McCarthy portrays URSULA, the conniving sea witch. Melissa McCarthy has described the character of URSULA as "a great broad and at the same time ... I don't think her mental health is great."
• PET DOORS (43A: Flaps for indoor/outdoor cats and dogs) My cat, Willow, is an indoor cat, and therefore has no need for a PET DOOR. I have (jokingly) contemplated

  

  Willow

  putting a PET DOOR on my closet, as she makes daily excursions in there to scout about, which begin with her meowing at me until I get up and open the DOOR for her.
• ACNE (11D: Skin condition sometimes treated with birth control) Hormones can play a role in the development of ACNE. Birth control pills, which alter hormone levels, can be an effective treatment for severe ACNE in some women.
• DOONE (19D: Lorna ___ (cookie brand)) Lorna DOONE is a brand of shortbread cookies. They were first sold in 1912. There's no official record of how the cookies came to be named Lorna DOONE, but it has been speculated that they were named after the title character in Lorna DOONE, an 1869 novel by R. D. Blackmore.
• ROSIE (24D: "White Men Can't Jump" actress Perez) White Men Can't Jump is a 1992  sports comedy movie about streetball hustlers. The streetballers are Billy (Woody Harrelson) and Sid (Wesley Snipes). ROSIE Perez portrays Gloria, who is Billy's girlfriend. ROSIE Perez does not star in the 2023 remake of White Men Can't Jump.
• TONYS (40D: The 2001 production of "The Producers" won 12) The Antoinette Perry Awards for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, better known as the TONYS, are presented annually. The Producers, with its 12 TONYS, holds the record for the most TONYS received by a single production. The Producers was written by Mel Brooks, adapted from his 1967 movie of the same name. The 2001 production of The Producers starred Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick.
• BEER (52D: "99 Bottles of ___" (reverse-counting song)) Oh my goodness, this brings back memories of riding on a school bus!
• NSFW (54D: "Don't open this at the office" letters) NSFW = not safe for work
• RBG (57D: Former SCOTUS member who said "Dissents speak to a future age") Ruth Bader Ginsburg (RBG) (1933-2020) was an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) from 1993 until her death. The abbreviation SCOTUS in the clue alerts us that the answer will be an abbreviation. I really like the inclusion of the quote in the clue. I miss RBG's SCOTUS presence.

Geography review:

• LONE STAR (28A: The ___ State (Texas)) Texas's nickname of "The LONE STAR State" is a reminder that Texas was previously an independent republic after it broke away from Mexico in 1836 until it became a U.S. state in 1845. The state flag of Texas features a single STAR.
• BALI (51D: Indonesia's only Hindu-majority province) BALI is a province of Indonesia that includes the island of BALI and a few smaller islands. BALI is the only province of Indonesia where Hinduism is the main religion. Over 85% of BALI residents follow Balinese Hinduism. In the remainder of Indonesia, the majority religion is Islam.

WEDDING BELLS are ringing in this puzzle. As previously mentioned, I really enjoyed the two related grid-spanning answers. I also liked the answers FOR REAL, EDIBLES, and STATE OF MIND. Congratulations to Carolyn Davies Lynch making her USA Today debut! Carolyn is one of the constructors  at Lil AVC X (where I am an editor), and I'm delighted to see her work in this venue. I recently had the pleasure of meeting Carolyn while my husband and I were on vacation in California. I've included a photo of that meeting below, which has a bonus of also featuring frequent USA Today constructor Rafael Musa. Thank you, Carolyn, for this excellent puzzle.

One more thing today: I want to tag onto something Carolyn mentioned above. If you are interested in constructing a USA Today crossword, I encourage you to give it a go. You can find puzzle specifications and information about open submission periods here. 

Carolyn, Rafa, and me