A very indie crossword.
Grid: 15×15, Difficulty: Easy-Medium
[solve online] [.puz version] [pdf version][solution]
Constructor commentary (contains puzzle spoilers)
With posting this puzzle I have donated $10 to the Coalition of Immokalee Workers. If you enjoyed this puzzle and have the financial means, I encourage you to also make a donation.
I have been fortunate enough to do some organizing work in collaboration with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW) and the Student Farmworker Alliance (SFA), and I will always appreciate how much they have taught me about centering stakeholders in your organizing. The CIW is a farmworker-led human rights organization based out of Immokalee, Florida, the center of the state’s $600 million tomato industry. CIW has successfully helped combat farm labor exploitation via their Fair Food Program, which holds retail companies accountable for the working conditions of farmworkers in their tomato supply chains. In response to CIW’s organizing, all major US fast food companies have signed onto the Fair Food Program, expect for Wendy’s! If you want to learn more about the history of CIW, check out the documentary Food Chains. And be sure to #BoycottWendys until they sign on to the Fair Food Program and stop profiting off of the exploitation of farmworkers.
Theme: The odd grid geometry and niche theme definitely make this the indie-est crossword I’ve made yet. With such a niche theme, I tried to make sure that most of the crosses with the theme answers were straightforward so that you can solve the puzzle even if you have never heard of CIW. I also wanted to make the rest of the puzzle pretty easy so that it is accessible to anyone interested in CIW but not a frequent crossword solver. Obviously, all the theme answers are phrases related to CIW, but did you realize that they are all also alliterative?!
Cocoa (9-Across: Tejate ingredient) Tejate is a non-alcoholic corn and cocoa based beverage traditionally made in Oaxaca, Mexico. If you walk around the streets of Oaxaca, you will probably see some venders serving this frothy chocolate drink out of big bowls. I really enjoyed the taste of it but it was less sweet than I expected.
BOO (42-Across: Ghost character in “Mario Tennis”) I really love Boo because he is just a super cute ghost.
SPYS (58-Across: 1974 C.I.A. parody film) I have never seen this film or seen it referenced anywhere outside of crosswords, so I’m not super happy with it being in this puzzle. I originally included it thinking it was just the plural of “spy” until a test solver pointed out that my clue made no sense. I wasn’t able to change that word without having to completely rework that whole section of the puzzle so I kept it in and referenced the film.
MOTH (3-Down: Animal that can jam bat echolocation calls to avoiding getting eaten) I did not study moths, but I did my PhD in zoology at the University of Florida, which also happens to be the home of the “largest collections-based research and education center in the world focused on butterflies and moths“. So it’s probably safe to say that I’ve been exposed to more moth facts than the average person. The one included in this clue is one of my favorites.
SWANN (1976 Superbowl MVP Lynn ___, who credited his gracefulness on the field to his ballet training as a child) As a little kid I wanted to be a wide receiver and I feel like my dad was always telling me this fact about Lynn Swann. Either that or he told me once and for some reason it always stuck with me. I never became a wide receiver (I was a lineman) or did ballet.
EFRON (Actor who played Troy in “High School Musical”) When I was in middle school I watched High School Musical many many times. I tried to play it off in a “I’m watching this kid’s movie ironically” kind of way, but I actually just really like the movie.
The LilyPad 