Theme: There must be a way!
Each of the theme answers is a recognizable person or thing, but does not match the clue until you SHOW THE word WAY at the beginning of the answer.
Here are the theme clues and answers, all of which are Across:
18. *Pop-up shop on the edge of the road?: SIDE HUSTLE. A side hustle is a job or occupation that brings in extra money beyond one's regular job. But a WAYSIDE HUSTLE might be a business at the edge of a road.
23. *Underground market for home goods?: FAIR TRADE. Fair trade is a trading partnership based on dialogue, transparency and respect. But WAYFAIR TRADE might be taking furnishings from the online retailer Wayfair and trading them off market.
35. *Butcher's knife that's very hard to handle?: WARD CLEAVER. Ward Cleaver is a fictional character in the television sitcom Leave It to Beaver. But a WAYWARD CLEAVER might be a big knife that is difficult to control.
50. *Snuck up on a chicken coop to collect breakfast?: LAID AN EGG. Saying someone laid an egg means they failed at something. But WAYLAID AN EGG means they hid themselves and attacked an egg by surprise.
58. Give clear directions, or how to make the starred clues match their answers?: SHOW THE WAY.
Today's puzzle comes to us from Renee Thomason (our Monday blogger, known in the Corner as sumdaze) and frequent constructor Katie Hale. Allow me to SHOW THE WAY through the rest of the clues and answers.
Across:1. State that's easy to draw: UTAH.
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| Because Wyoming and Colorado wouldn't fit! |
5. South American bean: CACAO. Best bean ever. Thank you, South America!
10. Loyalty program level: TIER.
14. Post-WWII alliance: NATO.
15. Celebrity gossip source since 1991: E! NEWS. A late-night entertainment news program on the E! cable network.
16. Princess athlete in the 1976 Summer Olympics: ANNE. The Games of the XXI Olympiad took place in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Princess Anne, daughter of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip of Great Britain, competed as part of the British equestrian team.
 |
| Princess Anne in the 1976 Olympics |
17. Air quality factor: SMOG.
18. [Theme clue]
20. Device called a "cashpoint" in the U.K.: ATM.
21. Matching: SAME.
22. Stellar: ASTRAL.
23. [Theme clue]
26. Court tie: DEUCE. Apparently, tennis score keeping was originally done using a clock face, marking points as 15, 30, and 45 minutes, with 45 eventually being abbreviated as 40:
18. [Theme clue]
20. Device called a "cashpoint" in the U.K.: ATM.
21. Matching: SAME.
22. Stellar: ASTRAL.
23. [Theme clue]
26. Court tie: DEUCE. Apparently, tennis score keeping was originally done using a clock face, marking points as 15, 30, and 45 minutes, with 45 eventually being abbreviated as 40:
0 points = Love (Zero was "The egg" or "L'oeuf" in French, which in English became "Love.")
1 point = 15
2 points = 30
3 points = 40
Tied score = All
40-40 = Deuce
Server wins deuce point = Ad-In
Receiver wins deuce point = Ad-Out
27. Host: EMCEE. We used to say "Master of Ceremonies," which became MC or "emcee."
28. Forensic profiling material: DNA.
30. Solstice mo.: DEC. Also JUN, but it wouldn't work with the perpendicular entries.
31. Corp. head: CEO.
33. Ripe old __: AGE.
34. "__ we forget": LEST. This phrase was first used in an 1897 poem by Rudyard Kipling called "Recessional," written to commemorate Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee.
God of our fathers, known of old,
Lord of our far-flung battle-line,
Beneath whose awful Hand we hold
Dominion over palm and pine—
Lord God of Hosts, be with us yet,
Lest we forget—lest we forget!
35. [Theme clue]
38. Chop garlic, say: PREP. DH and I do the prep for each other, taking turns as head chef and sous chef. Assembling a recipe is easier if you prep first and get all the ingredients mise en place.
40. Address bar character: DOT. A web address includes a "dot" before the domain name, as in LATimes.com.
41. Car wheel part: RIM.
42. Coxswain's lack: OAR. A coxswain sits in the stern of a boat, facing the bow, and steering with the rudder while coordinating the efforts of the rowing team.
 |
| A coxswain at work. |
43. Pressure meas.: PSI. Pounds per Square Inch.
44. Justice Sotomayor: SONIA.
48. Feudal lord: LIEGE.
50. [Theme clue]
54. Bringing up the rear: IN LAST.
56. Hindu honorifics: SRIS. In South and Southeast Asia, Sri is used as a polite form of address, similar to the English "Mr.".
57. Truly regret: RUE.
58. [Theme clue]
60. __ Williams bourbon: EVAN. Evan Williams is a brand of straight bourbon whiskey distilled at the Heaven Hill distillery in Louisville, Kentucky. The product is aged for a minimum of four years (which is more than the two year minimum to be called 'straight' bourbon, but is the minimum requirement for a straight whiskey that does not have an age statement on the label). It has been ranked as one of the world's best selling whiskey brands.
 |
| A Kentucky bourbon distillery I visited with DH in 2016. |
61. Ale holder: CASK.
62. Thrill to bits: ELATE.
63. Stitch up: MEND.
64. Supersmall: ITTY. Not "itsy" this time! Often itty-bitty or itsy-bitsy.
65. Many a forty-niner: MINER. Participant in the California gold rush.
66. Bank for mil. families: USAA. USAA (United Services Automobile Association) is a bank that is only available to military members, veterans, and their families.
Down:
1. In need of a Mr. Yuk sticker: UNSAFE. Mr. Yuk is a trademarked graphic image, created by UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, and widely employed in the United States in labeling of substances that are poisonous if ingested.
62. Thrill to bits: ELATE.
63. Stitch up: MEND.
64. Supersmall: ITTY. Not "itsy" this time! Often itty-bitty or itsy-bitsy.
65. Many a forty-niner: MINER. Participant in the California gold rush.
66. Bank for mil. families: USAA. USAA (United Services Automobile Association) is a bank that is only available to military members, veterans, and their families.
Down:
1. In need of a Mr. Yuk sticker: UNSAFE. Mr. Yuk is a trademarked graphic image, created by UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, and widely employed in the United States in labeling of substances that are poisonous if ingested.
2. Instrument also known as a chau gong: TAM-TAM. The Tam-Tam is a huge metal percussion instrument which makes a booming sound. When you strike the tam-tam, the sound gets louder and louder, building up to a climax before fading away.
3. Infinitesimal: ATOMIC.
4. Selfish type: HOG.
5. Labor leader Chavez: CESAR.
6. Inner self, to Jung: ANIMA.
7. Surrendered: CEDED.
8. Veneration: AWE.
9. Mae's sister on "Star Wars: The Acolyte": OSHA. "Star Wars: The Acolyte" is a television series created for the streaming service Disney+. An obscure clue! What ever happened to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration?
10. Decorator's asset: TASTE.
11. Unwelcome visitor: INTRUDER.
12. Intertwines: ENLACES.
13. Word on some campaign posters: RE-ELECT.
19. MyPlate org.: USDA. The United States Department of Agriculture produced this guideline for nutritious eating -- while supporting various types of food production that are anything but healthy.
21. Heifer's brother: STEER.
24. Summary: RECAP. A summary of what has been said; a recapitulation.
25. Polygon part: EDGE.
29. Not far: NEAR.
32. Probability calculations: ODDS.
33. Key not found on a Mac: ALT.
34. Finger bowl slice: LEMON. A finger bowl is a small bowl with water (and perhaps a slice of lemon) for rinsing fingers during a meal.
24. Summary: RECAP. A summary of what has been said; a recapitulation.
25. Polygon part: EDGE.
29. Not far: NEAR.
32. Probability calculations: ODDS.
33. Key not found on a Mac: ALT.
34. Finger bowl slice: LEMON. A finger bowl is a small bowl with water (and perhaps a slice of lemon) for rinsing fingers during a meal.
35. "Let's check the map": WE'RE LOST.
36. Spiral: COIL.
37. Exchange program papers: VISAS.
38. Future Hill worker's maj., maybe: POLI SCI. Someone who hopes to work on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC might study Political Science.
39. Slicker accompaniment: RAIN HAT. In this case, a slicker is a rain coat.
43. Wasp, for one: PEST. Wasps eat spiders, flies, roaches, and caterpillars. They pollinate at least 960 different plants, including 164 species that are completely dependent on them. They disperse seeds. They are responsible for the growth of figs! But sure, they're pests.
45. Jitters: NERVES.
46. Tropical lizard: IGUANA.
47. Meeting list: AGENDA.
49. Nervously clumsy: GAWKY.
51. Egyptian market city: ASWAN.
52. Furious: IRATE.
53. Person eager to tackle home improvement projects, briefly: DIYer. Do-It-Yourselfer.
55. Those folks: THEM.
59. New Haven student: ELI. Elihu Yale was the primary benefactor of Yale University, and students at Yale are called Elis in his memory.
60. Petting zoo bird: EMU. This seems to be a thing, but is it really safe to have a small child pet an emu?
36. Spiral: COIL.
37. Exchange program papers: VISAS.
38. Future Hill worker's maj., maybe: POLI SCI. Someone who hopes to work on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC might study Political Science.
39. Slicker accompaniment: RAIN HAT. In this case, a slicker is a rain coat.
43. Wasp, for one: PEST. Wasps eat spiders, flies, roaches, and caterpillars. They pollinate at least 960 different plants, including 164 species that are completely dependent on them. They disperse seeds. They are responsible for the growth of figs! But sure, they're pests.
45. Jitters: NERVES.
46. Tropical lizard: IGUANA.
47. Meeting list: AGENDA.
49. Nervously clumsy: GAWKY.
51. Egyptian market city: ASWAN.
52. Furious: IRATE.
53. Person eager to tackle home improvement projects, briefly: DIYer. Do-It-Yourselfer.
55. Those folks: THEM.
59. New Haven student: ELI. Elihu Yale was the primary benefactor of Yale University, and students at Yale are called Elis in his memory.
60. Petting zoo bird: EMU. This seems to be a thing, but is it really safe to have a small child pet an emu?
Here's the grid:
So, did you find THE WAY? Or WERE you LOST?
38 comments:
Sorry, but the meaning of the reveal escaped me until Naomi Z explained it. And how many people remember “Beaver” Cleaver’s dad, I wonder? Still, the puzzle was, for the most part, fair and fun. FIR, so I’m happy.
Good morning!
Couldn't find the theme, even with the reveal. Perhaps that's because WAYFAIR TRADE and WAYWARD CLEAVER don't mean anything to moi. I do remember Ward Cleaver as "Beaver's" dad, though. Along the way, my trusty Wite-Out came in handy with LAIRD/LIEGE and TINY/ITTY. That OSHA clue was cruel. Still, somehow, d-o got 'er done. The theme was clever, but not my favorite. Thanx, Renee (sumdaze), Katie, and NaomiZ.
PEST: I'm not so nervous in the back yard, now that I've got the Neffy nasal spray. Wasps, bees, and fire ants are local denizens that could otherwise prove fatal.
FIR, but erased gold for TIER and lug for RIM. Some folks use RIM as a synonym for an automobile wheel, as in "nice RIMs!"
I filled POLISCI without benefit of perp.
Never heard of keeping ALE, or any other beverage with compressed CO2, in a cask.
USAA's core business is insurance, although they have added banking to their product line. They used to have a regional HQ in Norfolk, but they moved it to nearby Chesapeake. Since Tidewater is largely a military area, USAA is a big deal around here.
Thanks to sumdaze and Katie for the fun, except that I remain unconvinced about the WAY FAIR TRADE. I know of the WAYFAIR TRADE site, but not why anyone would resell their stuff on the QT, or how that would be underground. And thanks to NaomiZ for another fine recap.
I had a loose feel for the theme but mostly finished without a firm grasp.
TGIF.
FIR. The theme completely escaped me, and only after coming here did it make sense, but just a little bit. Still puzzling over it! "Laid an egg" for example doesn't seem like sneaking up on anything?
This had some bite to it, but then again it is Friday, so it's to be expected. But some of the cluing was somewhat odd. Thank heavens for perps.
Overall, it's done, so there's that.
Took 17:15 today for me to find my way.
Honestly, I had no clue what was going on with the themers, even after getting "show the way." I guess I still don't understand the wayfair trade one, though I get the others.
Unknowns to me today included: Osha and her sister; the Egyptian city; and, Enews.
Tough puzzle. Even though the theme answers weren't helpful to me, the crosses saved the day. So, good work, sumdaze.
To "waylay" is to steal/intercept. So, if one waylaid an egg, then that means they would have stolen an egg.
Another match: “liege” showed up in both the LA Times and USA Today puzzles today. Seems like an unlikely coincidence…
Nice to see the byline of our own Renee in collaboration with assistant editor Katie, a fine Friday creation which I FIR in 14:35. I know some people don’t care about the theme, but to me, if it’s not obvious, figuring it out is a requirement of a successful solve. Today I had to pore over the themers and how they related to the reveal, and I finally did suss it out. Reminded me of the old Peter Frampton song “SHOW (ME) THE WAY”. DNK TAMTAM, or OSHA (definitely a late week clue), I knew ASWAN as a dam but not a city. GAWKY and gawk have entirely different meanings. I was a POLI SCI major so that was a gimme. Thanks Katie and Renee (your second publication in 8 days, impressive!).
NaomiZ ~ nice that you were tasked to blog a puzzle by a fellow Cornerite, very well done! Have you or will you try your hand at constructing? I think you would have the knack for it.
It was a struggle but I got it done. I couldn't really figure out what was going on until I'd filled SHOW THE WAY entirely by perps. A nice, tough (IMHO) puzzle without all the proper names that usually show up. But I did know SONIA and ANNE. WARD was perped but I knew Mr. Beaver, Sr. Where's Eddie Haskell? OSHA crossing ENEWS-both unknowns- was my last fill.
The unknown TAM-TAM stacked beside the unknown 'Mr. Yuk' sticker made UNSAFE a guess.
USDA, LEMON, and ALT- had to guess those because I didn't know.
DEUCE- since you must win by two points to take the game, I know some people who would call 30-30 little deuce and 40-40 big deuce. In no-add scoring it's 1,2,3,4; you get 4 points and you win the game-no DEUCE.
Good morning. This puzzle and review put me in a really good mood this morning. Thank you, Renee, Katie and NaomiZ!
A couple of years ago I put the USDA MyPlate Plan widget in my blogspot post. Just click TTP's Blog in my profile. Then scroll past the recalls links in the top post. It's easy to get your recommended caloric intake using the tool.
As an aside, I got the urge (in a big WAY) to have a few Halloween treats last night. I'm sure I'm going to burn off most of those added calories today as I take down the decorations and get to work on mulching all of the fallen leaves.
Actions speak louder than words, so I'd better get on my way. Have a great day.
Yooper, I also thought of that Peter Frampton song, and of The Raspberries 1970s song "Go All the Way"
Good Morning:
It took me a few minutes to understand the theme after filling in the reveal, but it certainly makes sense. The tricky cluing added to the difficulty level, especially in the NE quadrant. E News, Osha, as clued, and Unsafe (Mr. Yuk?) needed perps, but most of the fill was pretty straightforward, giving us a dreck-free, clean grid.
Thanks, Renee and Katie, for a Friday challenge and thanks, Naomi, for pinc-hitting for the Vagabond Brothers! 😂 Your review was spot-on and had several interesting tidbits to mull over.
I solved my 500th consecutive Phrazle puzzle this morning. Breaking this streak is going to be disappointing but it’s just a game. My streaks with Wordle are short-lived and don’t even mention Connections!
Have a great day.
Good Morning! What a treat to see Renee’s name as a co-constructor! Thanks Renee & Katie for the smooth fill of your puzzle and clever theme.
Perps were relied on and nicely placed for building blocks. Needed for EVAN, TAMTAM, OSHA (as clued).
A few WOs: style -> TASTE, ANIMe -> A and ITsY -> ITTY.
Thanks, NaomiZ, great RECAP and I share your thoughts about the emu!
After the reveal, the theme was easy to find. The themers as written were in the language. Adding WAY made all of them kind of whimsical.
I have bought several items from Wayfair online. Now they email me at least once a day.
The hardest for me was ENEWS crossing OSHA. I never heard of MY PLATE, but sussed its meaning.
Alan loves all the old TV reruns from the 50's and 60's. We see Leave it to Beaver and others over and over. June Cleaver's character seems so dated.
When we took our school classes to the zoo a cloud of persistent wasps landed on our food and drink. It was disconcerting. We had to be sure the drinks had lids and straws. I have seen several news reports of wasps landing in someone's soft drink cup and then stinging their mouth when they took a drink.
BTW, I approve this use of THEY and THEIR instead of HE OR SHE. There oughta be a separate word for that..
I learned ANIMA in a JUNG and FREUD course I took for my Master's degree.
Have a nice day. I have PT at 1:00 EDT so it greatly shortens my afternoon.
Stolen and sneaking up on are different.
I thought the theme involved adding SHOW to the first 2 as in SIDESHOW and TRADE SHOW, then WAY on the last 2. FIR but was WAY wrong!
Didn't like the answer to 54A as IN LAST seems to be missing something, like PLACE. When I'm in doubt about an answer, I try to create a sentence where both the clue and the answer fit. No luck on this one.
You usually Waylay someone to steal something.
Musings
-Doh! I filled in the familiar but oddly clued phrases while ignoring the surprising gimmick.
-What a lovely, transoceanic puzzle by our esteemed blogger Sumdaze in California and Patti’s assistant editor Katie in London.
-It was fun to fill in WARD CLEAVER but negligent to try and see how it satisfied the clue.
-Another good title might have been Ain’t No Way
-We got hacked last month and had to get new bank cards with new PINs. The first time I attempted a cash withdrawal, I had forgotten the new PIN and kept trying the one I had known for 20 years. Yet another trip to the bank worked things out.
-The Chicago White Sox came IN LAST this year and set an MLB record for number of losses.
-Mr. Yuk/UNSAVE was fun learning
--Some Macs use this key to replace the ALT key
-We have 240 welcome INTRUDERS last night before we ran out of candy. Nearly all of them said thank you and wished us a Happy Halloween.
-My AGENDA for today includes cleaning my bathroom, vacuuming, mowing the lawn and cleaning Lily’s water fountains. Better get at it.
Yellowrocks ~ thanks for bringing up a painful memory 😂. Years ago I was attending my wife’s family reunion, meeting her relatives for the first time. Casually sitting around sipping on a beer in a can, suddenly springing from my chair, stomping and spitting, they were all like What the ??? Yes a wasp had gotten in the can, I took a sip and YEOW, before I could spit it out it stung me inside my upper lip, for reference it felt like a hot needle was jammed in and kept there for hours. I had a mustache which helped disguise my very fat lip. To this day I cover the opening.
This puzzle proved to be pleasant on several levels. For one thing, it avoided the dreaded and obscure "celebrities." And it skillfully drew the solver away from some initial confusion to a most satisfying understanding of the puzzle's clever theme. Well done, sumdaze and Katie!
My only Natick headache was in the north, where OSHA sat alongside USDA, and also crossed ENEWS. Neighboring perps came to the rescue.
I was pleased to see Cesar Chavez appear in the puzzle. There is a small community, Keene, just a couple minutes west of my town, Tehachapi. The headquarters of Chavez's United Farm Workers, called La Paz, is located in Keene. The entire compound is now a National Monument, and Cesar Chavez (and wife Helen) is buried there. It's a beautiful place to visit. Let me know when you're in the area; Tehachapi is in the mountains a bit over an hour north of Los Angeles.
Thanks, sumdaze/Renee and Katie, for your thoughtful and clever Friday contribution!
A nicely constructed puzzle, finished quickly while disregarding (as usual) the gimmick.
Re wasps, their contributions to nature notwithstanding, they are indeed pests. They literally pester people with their aggression and unprovoked stinging.
I have to bring in UNSAFE off the bench to replace UNSAVE
After some stumbles at first, I FIR. For instance, I don’t know Mr Yuk, so needed perps for UNSAFE; new way of clueing OSHA; after that smooth sailing. I did have to change WERE here to LOST, and was flummoxed by LAID AN EGG.
Yes, USAA is primarily an insurance. We’ve been with them á while. They’re highly rated. But as Jinx stated they also offer banking services.
The theme however escaped me. I LAID AN EGG there.
Happy to see Sumdaze’s byline. And thank you NaomiZ for a nice recap and for explaining the theme which still is not totally obvious to me, but I’ll work on it.
Since our rain was mainly á drizzle, brave souls accompanied their little ones to trick or treat with umbrellas. The kids didn’t seem to be aware it was raining.
I don’t know why my letter á used alone sports an accent.
I had just finished a long bike ride and poured a large glass of some drink and sat on my back porch. I went back inside for a minute, came back outside, took a drink, and POW!. A WASP had nosedived into the glass. Got me on the upper lip.
This was quite a struggle for me, thanks to The Blog for showing me The Way...
The only one that makes sense to me is "Way" Ward Cleaver, I was just totally lost on all the others...
I do like Husker Gary's suggestion of the theme reveal being ain't no way.
Monkey @ 10:35, did you accidentally hold and śłîdë üp while typing? The blog informed me of this shortcut to adding whatever these letter thingies are called...
TTP yest,
Thanks for posting CC's puzzle twice! The 1st time I got lost trying to find the upper right hand corner to change the date of the puzzle. I'm not very good at puzzles you see, but I figured it out on the second attempt. CC's puzzle? Lotsa fun! But even scarier for me to think that "circles" might someday be replaced with Math...
Interesting new clue for OSHA. Needed the write up to understand the gimmick though...
Definitely a Friday-level for me. DNF, done in by the frozen middle north, and I never did stumble across the theme. Lots of clever clues mixed with ??? Clues!
Of course we’re proud to watch our sumdaze progress in the crossword construction world. It was interesting to see someone who doesn’t claim to be a stellar solver attack a Friday puzzle. I’d like to hear more about her collaboration with Katie Hale.
I enjoyed most of the puzzle, and it was Friday-worthy, but . . .
I managed to FIR despite a vision problem that sneaked up on me last weekend and, the eye doc sez, will never go away. But I failed to see the wayside, Wayfair, and wayward connection, and frankly, I’m not fazed by that, though I’m thankful for NaomiZ’s “splainin’. As it happens, Oregon calls some of its smaller rest-stop options “scenic waysides,” but it’s not a word you see often. I spent a lot of time at Wayfair last year buying a new holder for my big TV and other electronics. The delivery guys dumped and ran. “Wayward cleaver” is the sort of pun I liked when I was 12.
Good puzzle. Trite theme.
Most of today’s unknowns were in the clues, not the answers, notably “Mr. Yuk” and the obscure Star Wars entry, but also the market-town aspect of ASWAN, clueing “TIER” with loyalty programs, “address bar,” and the VISA clue. But the one absolutely unknown answer was E!NEWS, an overly deep dive into celebrity gossip. And I know USAA primarily as a military insurance purveyor, because that’s what Rob Gronkowski sells in those ads that I like but apparently many do not. With the banking clue, I waited for perps. And DYIer? Yuk!
“Snuck” and “dove” instead of “sneaked” and “dived” are considered acceptable nowadays, though they’re branded as informal. But to me, they’re on the same level as “alright” and “alot.” (Autocorrect tries to fix “alot” but has no problem with “alright,” so informality wins again, I guess.)
My eye disorder, posterior vitreous detachment (PVD) is probably common among Cornerites. I can become accustomed to the floater(s), but the smudgy blurriness is making it difficult to read. Still, I don’t think my issue is nearly as disabling as what Lemonade has been enduring. After age 70, we count our blessings differently.
I like "ain't no way" much better! Lets go back to the old clues for "OSHA" please. "Wayward Cleaver"? I'll give this one a Randy Jackson, "Aw-ight".
Neat Friday puzzle, many thanks, Renee and Katie. And your commentary was very helpful, thanks for that too, Naomi.
In the beginning, seeing UNSAFE and INTRUDER made me nervous that this puzzle was going to about someone suffering a home break-in or something. But pretty soon it was clear that this was about POLI-SCI as they call it nowadays, about business where folks worry about FAIR TRADE and an occasional SIDE HUSTLE, and the need to have someone SHOW THE WAY before folks started to complain WE'RE LOST. Well, this is not my territory, so I'd rather STEER CLEAR of all that stuff, and just go and play with that sweet IGUANA.
Have a great weekend coming up, everybody.
I didn’t hold the slide, that I know of. In fact it happens every time I type á in emails and texts. Funny.
As I have often admitted, I am probably the LEAST capable CW solver on the blog. Between that and my eyesight difficulties, I sometimes question whether I should even TRY a Fri or Sat CW, but gave it a go today and to my surprise managed to FIR in very good Friday time of 13 minutes, W/O cheating!! Hurray for me!! I even got the theme, but only after filling the CW and going back to study it. Of the theme fills, WAYLAIDANEGG is by far the weakest. But, all-in-all, a fun CW (almost always fun when you FIR), thanx RT&KH. Some of the fill needed perps: "My plate" had me thinking license plate, so when USDA perped, it took the V-8 can to wake up the brain cells. "Easy to draw state" had me thinking NDAK, SDAK, or some other rectangular state, but the clue had no abbreviations, so it had to be a four letter state. "Many a forty-niner" = "Lineman" wouldn't fit, so just one perp to get MINER. Much discussion about wasps, which reminds me that I used to frequently get wasp nests on the ceiling overhanging my outdoor shower. I'm aware of the benefit of wasps, but had to spray them anyway so I could use the shower. Then on a visit to Ibiza I noticed all the ceilings on balconies outside condos were painted blue. When I asked why, I was told, "Because wasps won't build their nests there if you paint it blue." When I got home I painted the ceiling blue, and, voila, haven't had a wasp nest there in close to twenty years. Don't know why, unless wasps think there is no ceiling there, it is the sky? Anyway...thanx NaomiZ for the outstanding write-up. (I'm still patting myself on the back for a fast Fri solve, and for getting the theme!)
You didn't get the accent mark in your 4th paragraph. Weird.
Hola! I only had time to read half the comments, first, I went to have blood drawn and now since it is All Saints Day I will go to Mass.
The puzzle was easier than most Fridays and FAIR as well. I feel lucky to have reached a ripe old AGE which neither my father or mother did. One aunt lived to 90; she was the riveter who worked on planes.
Have a wonderful day, everyone!
I was a kidlet at a family reunion (called "bum day" by my dad. Took a sip of Coke from a can, and a yellowjacket (wasp) stung me on my upper lip. Still remember that event more than a half century later. Now if I could just remember where I put my keys an hour ago...
Would I have driven through Tehachapi going the back way (some dirt road) from Santa Clarita to Kernville? Used to camp and play on the banks of the river.
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