October 20, 2025

Title: Roy WHO Biv?

Constructor: Harry B. Samuels

Editor: Amie Walker

Theme synopsis:

• ECO-CONSCIOUS (20A: *Green)
• SEASICK (38A: *Green)
• JEALOUS (41A: *Green)
• COLD HARD CASH (55A: *Green)

Roy WHO Biv?: Each of the theme answers is a possible meaning of "Green."

And now a word from our constructor:

Harry: I am so excited to be making my publishing debut in the USA Today Crossword! The initial idea for this puzzle came from the phrase “Going Green”. Its split meaning between being ECOCONSCIOUS or getting SEASICK immediately sparked my interest and got me thinking about a possible theme. After working with Amanda to “nix the gerund angle”, and remove clumsy themers like STARTINGTOMOLD, we arrived at the final theme set. One possibility that didn’t make the cut was, NEWINTOWN or UNSEASONED,  representing Green as “new” or “naive”. I also owe a huge thank you to my crack team of friends and family test solvers!

What I learned from today's puzzle:

• SMEE (38D: Ally in Captain Hook's Villain deck, in the game Villainous) In the game Villainous, players take on the role of Disney villains. Each villain has their own special abilities, allies, challenges, and objectives. Although the game Villainous is new to me (always happy to learn of a new game!), I was able to infer that SMEE would be the ally of Captain Hook.

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• MAR (14A: National Take a Walk in the Park Day mo.) National Take a Walk in the Park Day is celebrated each year on MAR. 30. The related National Walk to a Park Day is celebrated on October 10 each year.
• SONIA (15A: Supreme Court justice Sotomayer) SONIA Sotomayor has been an associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court since 2009. She is the first Hispanic justice to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court.
• U-HAUL (16A: Moving company with SuperGraphics) Supergraphics are oversized graphics sometimes applied to building walls or floors. In the case of U-HAUL, the SuperGraphics are applied on the sides of their rental vehicles. U-HAUL vehicles have adorned their vehicles with SuperGraphics depicting U.S. states and Canadian provinces since 1988. You can view all the U-HAUL SuperGraphics online. 
• BURR (23A: "Hamilton" character Aaron) The character of Aaron BURR in the musical Hamilton is, of course, based on a real person. Aaron BURR (1756-1836) was the Vice President of the United States from 1801-1805, serving under President Thomas Jefferson.
• ELI (44A: Dunkin' spokesperson Manning)  ELI Manning is a former quarterback. He played 16 seasons with the NFL's New York Giants. During his career, he led the Giants to two Super Bowl victories, and was named MVP in both of those years (2008 and 2012). In addition to his football accomplishments, ELI has also been a spokesperson for Dunkin'.
• OBIT (45A: Passing bio?) Not a bio listing successful passing attempts, but rather an OBIT, a bio published after one's passing.
• ALPHA (60A: ___ Phi ___ (oldest intercollegiate historically Black fraternity)) ALPHA Phi ALPHA, the oldest intercollegiate historically Black fraternity, was founded in 1906 at Cornell University. 
• MAA (64A: "I'm a goat!") In the world of crosswords, sheep say "Baa!" and goats say "MAA!" In real life the sounds these animals make are a bit less clear cut.
• ELOTE (66A: Grilled street snack topped with chili powder)  ELOTE, the term used in Central America and Mexico for an ear of corn, is derived from the Nahuatl word for "tender cob." ELOTE is sold as street food in some regions of Mexico.
• SYKES (69A: Comedian Wanda) Wanda SYKES began her career as a stand-up comedian in 1987. Ten years later she joined the writing team of The Chris Rock Show. Currently Wanda SYKES portrays Lucretia Turner on the Netflix TV series The Upshaws, a show she co-created with Regina Y. Hicks. Wanda SYKES is also currently on a "Please & Thank You Tour."
• SULU (9D: "Star Trek" lieutenant) Lieutenant Hikaru SULU is a character in the Star Trek franchise. The character has been portrayed by George Takei and John Cho.
• ACLU (27D: Legal rights org.)  I'm always happy to highlight the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the work they do to protect the rights of all people in the United States.
• TRIO (30D: Huey, Dewey and Louie, e.g.) Huey, Dewey, and Louie are a TRIO of anthropomorphic ducks. They are the nephews of Donald Duck.
• EXHALE (50D: Box breathing instruction) Box breathing is a deep breathing technique used for relaxation and stress management. It involves a four-part cycle of breathing: inhale, hold, EXHALE,  hold. Each step is done for a slow count of four.
• A few other clues I especially enjoyed:
• LOG (53A: Spot for "ants" in a homemade snack)
• STASH (68A: A squirrel's might be full of acorns)
• OBAMAS (48D: First family until 2017)

In today's puzzle, the theme is found in the clues. There are four answers in the puzzle that are clued identically as [Green]. It's fun to see the various meanings of the word green. The title intrigued me when I first read it. Roy G. Biv is a mnemonic device for remembering the colors of the rainbow in order: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet. Replacing the initial "G." with the word "WHO" is a clever way to hint at the puzzle's theme. Congratulations to Harry B. Samuels making a USA Today crossword debut. Thank you, Harry, for this interesting puzzle.