I would like the brand for the HAND SOAP and FACE WASH to be Dial. Et tu, emu.
@Lewis Yeah, but to clean the inside you'd need Irish Spring.
@Lewis That would be a Missed Opportunity, but maybe another time, eh, Adam? (BTW, Dial soap turned out to be an allergen for me..."allergic contact dermatitis" made my teens miserable until I left for college; there was no other soap in our house. 'Deodorant soaps' are often a problem. My Tip for the Day)
@Lewis This is sufficient proof that you need to be on the puzzle editorial board. This would have been a brilliant addition to today's puzzle!
@Lewis I’m more of an unscented Aveeno body wash with essential oils (DIY soaps) woman lol! Namaste!!
Sam writes: It’s not the past that’s loved but the love that’s past. That might be the best sentence I’ve read in Wordplay in a…um…long time.
@Steve L I breezed right past it... so thank you for pointing it out. And I agree.
@Steve L Thank you for pointing this out. I too missed it as I was skimming the article. It's lovely.
@Steve L It's not the L that's Steved, it's the Steve that's L'ed.
@Steve L So do you think this that what the picture for this column is referring to? That picture is a more difficult reference for me to figure out than the clock puns (which I didn't get until the puzzle was finished...nicely done.)
@Steve L You're right to point out the poignancy of this seemingly off-handed remark. See my comment for a deeper dive into the remark and its connection to the photo.
@Steve L Thanks for calling this to our attention. As I usually do, I skimmed the column, and I missed that nice bit of wordplay.
I thought maybe taking a week off would be enough to restore my enjoyment of NYT grids. Well, apparently it was not. I don't get the theme, TBH. I mean, I *get* it but I don't understand what's special or particularly witty about it. I suppose it's... Punny? In this dad-joke sort of really unfunny way Mr Shortz seems to love so much? Meh. Anyway, I'm off to wash my clocks with hand soap Ha Ha, so funny 🫤 Of all the trivia and names I knew... The Afghan president 🤣 Spring is in full swing in Warsaw. Even the oaks are sprouting leaves. They are always one of the last trees to do so around here - before climate change wreaked havoc on nature, when winters were colder and longer, oak trees would not begin to become green before May. And chestnuts are in bloom - another sign of high spring. For decades the exam at the end of high school - "matura" (or "egzamin dojrzałości", maturity exam) - was organized over a few days at the beginning of May, just as the chestnuts were blooming: and it was a hard exam, so teenagers were stressed out by the sight of those otherwise beautiful flowers. My matura in the late 90s was one of the last on this traditional schedule. Then educational reform changed the exam timetable and contents, and the chestnuts started blooming in April. I may only be in my 40s, but I'm beginning to see how people may miss "the good old days" 🤣 Signing off for a few days/weeks again.
@Andrzej Have a restful detox and hope you come back refreshed!
@Andrzej Sorry to hear that! I’m surely not the only one who will miss your contributions to the comments.
@Andrzej I took 2 months off and found renewed enjoyment upon my return (and the comments section seemed less acerbic as well)!
@Andrzej Sorry you are signing off again, I enjoy reading your comments and thoughts! Enjoy your Spring break.
@Andrzej Seeing the impacts of climate change within the span of just our lifetimes is enough to drag anybody down. Same with just about everything else in the world. I find the Russian barbarity in Ukraine to be horrifying from my distant vantage point, I can’t imagine what it’s like having it happen on your doorstep. For what it’s worth, I find the crossword to be a very pleasant diversion from the troubles of the world. Sometimes my dark mood bleeds into my crossword world but for the most part it’s a looked-forward-to respite and brief bit of asylum. Your recollection of blooming “kashtan” (Ukrainian for chestnut, not sure what it is in Polish) brought me back to my year in Ukraine in ‘89. It was pretty dreary and grey back then but spring was beautiful. I remember walking with friends around the Podil with its art shops down cobblestone streets and the Pechersk Lavra at the top of the hill. A breath of fresh air after a bleak Soviet winter! Which is to say that hope springs eternal.
@Andrzej The chestnut trees that line our street are in bloom too, as well as the giant antique rhododendron, camellia, mock orange, roses, mammoth geranium and calla lilies in our yard. The wall of trumpet vine has buds and the Dutch irises are waist high, but neither is yet in bloom. It has been sunny and warm for the past few days, but we are promised more cold weather on Friday. I stay bundled up in my ratty down vest and hoodie, and that's inside the house. Coastal weather can be a trial, but we are not really suffering. Our house is still standing, buildings are not in ruins, and no terrifying air raid sirens—so far—but we have no idea what is going to happen from one day to the next. Everything is in turmoil and ruled by whims.
The watchmaker-turned-comedian had great timing. (His set was the clock of the town.)
@Mike For a second there you had me going, but I caught on after a minute. I've got to hand it to you, Mike.
@Mike Just chiming in to say that sounds a little cuckoo.
@Mike Complaint about a cheesy watch? The time is ripe.
@Mike I guess you'll do anything for the seiko a good pun. At least it's better than some of your math ones which are horror -- logical!
The theme was kind of flimsy, but I really liked the fill. Even the three-letter entries were fresh. I also finished up a month of gold stars so… go me.
Oh, fresh punny theme, perfect for basing a puzzle on, cleaning that clock with HAND SOAP and FACE WASH. Hah! Throw in DAWDLE, which looks and sounds marvelous to me, and which reminds me of my mom, who I miss, and who used the word all the time. Add a bit of irony – having CENSOR BAR in the grid, as puzzles almost always have them – horizontal lines of black squares – but there’s nary a one today. Cross RIPE with ARID (sounds like the deodorant brand), put a backward SELAD in the same row as SALAD, and toss in RESCUE DOG, which describes three of the most scintillating beings I’ve ever known. And you’ve easily won me over, Adam, with your STEW, your HASH, of loveliness. Grateful thumbs up here!
Never before have I heard of the phrase, CLEANONESCLOCK and now that I have, I reckon I'll promptly eject it from my memory 😬😆
Today's photo that accompanies the "Wordplay" column is touching and nostalgic, demonstrating both "the past that’s loved" and "the love that’s past." It's a photo taken from an auction of Beatle's memorabilia. It's a note from George Harrison to his first wife Pattie Boyd, stating "Pattie, don't forget I love you -- George" Many of us know the story of what happened next: a marriage destroyed by infidelity and drug use. The dark side of wealth and fame that came early and suddenly. And Pattie's relationship with Eric Clapton, that gave us the song "Layla." And George and Eric remained friends. Nostalgia and romanticism, concealed below the jokey "Heart Test" headline. Beautifully done, Sam!
Seeing how brilliant today's photo was, I need an explanation of yesterday's. For those who don't remember, it showed a picture from the early '70s of British actress Judy Huxtable using her then-boyfriend Peter Cook (one-time comedic partner of Dudley Moore) as a bridge to cross a creek. The title of the column was "Lofty Tributary", a small change on one of the clues ("Lofty tribute" for ODE). My best guess is that Moore was being a GENT by keeping his girlfriend dry, holding her a-"loft" as she crossed this "tributary" of a river. Yes, I know, I'm thinking about this too much. But sometimes, like today, there's a payoff. @Sam Corbin, can you help me out?
And the outstretched hands that say, not "Here for your perusal and purchase,...", but "Here is my love that I offer to you. Will you take it???" And the gloves that say, not "I must protect this valuable piece of paper from my hand oils", but "I'm afraid that I might get burnt..." Oh, Sam, you're killing me!
@hardroch you wanted me to let you know about my Town election race ... I lost but it was super close (3600 votes to 3296). I'm actually quite delighted with the support I received given that my opponent is well known in town and a long time incumbent. Not quite CLEANINGONESCLOCK!! My campaign was very modest in term of my outreach and given the closeness of the race I will definitely run next year. Super super interesting to run for local office. I suggest all you smart contributors to this board consider it in your own cities and towns. Good news is that several candidates I supported won, and it's enough to potentially make a huge difference in some aspects of my town (Milton MA). As for the puzzle, it was fun and quick and I love a dad joke or three so right up my alley. I completed it very late last night as I watched the election results roll in. Cheers to all!
@Niki B Congratulations on coming so close and best of luck in your next campaign.
TIL (I think) that when clued as valleys, even broad ones, the etymologically distinct vALES and DALES present a Loa/Kea situation.
It would be HARD to DISCO dance with PEG LEGS. I’m sure someone could COACH you through it, though. Perhaps an OLD FLAME? (Better bring your EKG.) Seeing CENSOR BAR in the middle of the puzzle gave me a theme idea. You know how there are certain words that are allowed in the puzzle but we’re not permitted to use them in our comments? I’m envisioning a puzzle where these are the theme words, and they’re all hidden under the black squares. Under black censor bars, so to speak. If I knew how to construct a puzzle, I’d make this happen!
Well, kind of a tough Tuesday for me, but managed to work it out. And... must admit that I remained appropriately 'puzzled' to some extent about the theme even after I finished. That's all on me - no big deal. Answer history search today was inspired by SPEEDO. Wondered about a different kind of clue for that and... wondered if MREARL (or MISTEREARL) had ever been in a puzzle. And... Nope and nope. Wonder how many will get that connection. And of course my puzzle find today. A Monday from August 2, 2010 by Diane Baker Van Hoff. Three theme clues in that one, here are those clues and answers: "Tempo?" THESPEEDOFMUSIC "Ka-ching?" THESOUNDOFMONEY "Spectrum?" THECOLOROFLIGHT Thought that was pretty clever. Here's the Xword Info link: <a href="https://www.xwordinfo.com/Crossword?date=8/2/2010&g=17&d=A" target="_blank">https://www.xwordinfo.com/Crossword?date=8/2/2010&g=17&d=A</a> I'll shut up now. ...
@Rich in Atlanta - It’s a Wednesday (so probably why it’s a little tricker than you expected!)
@Rich in Atlanta -- Wow, that is a clever theme; thanks for finding it and posting it!
I was really baffled by 31 down , then realised the clue was “Stitchers gathering” and not “Snitchers gathering “ Dyslexics of the world Untie!
@Paul I read it as "Pitchers" some how and even came up with "a swinglers" initially. Yikes 😂
Best month I've ever had with only two blue stars
Well, that puzzle pretty much solved itself, which was nice because I have a headache and probably should have waited until the morning. I didn't fully understand the theme until I read the column... I mean, I am familiar with the expression CLEAN ONE'S CLOCK and figured out what THE TIME IS RIPE had to do with it, but the connection to HAND SOAP and FACE WASH only appeared to be related to general cleaning until Sam pointed out the reference to clock hands and faces. Are SPEEDO swimsuits more form-fitting than other brands? Favorite clue: Like a 1,000-piece monochromatic jigsaw puzzle. Reminded me of a puzzle our family worked on for a week. It was a giant red (so much red!) Coke can, and I think it was 5,000 pieces.
@Beth Speedos sure are form-fitting, aren't they?
@Beth The key is to think of men’s swimsuits. You’re perfectly right that their women’s suits are no more form-fitting than any other brand.
Straightforward despite not ever having heard the theme before. I think I understand now from reading the comments that it generally means to trounce someone? But clearly it works as a washing metaphor as well. Ok, I’ll go with it. Chuckled at KALE facing FATS. The former is Beelzebub’s salad, the latter nectar of the gods, liberally used in my Carnivore lifestyle. Yum. Love the clue for PEGLEGS. Aar. Having the Alpacas’ fibre checked today for quality pre-shearing. Not looking to make money out of my girls, but a few skeins of yarn for knitting socks would be nice. Otherwise we’re self sufficient in garden fibre; it makes excellent slug deterrent.
@Helen Wright Even though we are about 80% vegetarians, I agree with you about kale and love few things more than potatoes roasted in duck fat.
Today's ear worm: My Grandfather's Clock. My grandfather's clock was too large for the shelf, So it stood ninety years on the floor. It was taller by half than the old man himself, Though it weighed not a pennyweight more. It was bought on the morn of the day that he was born, And was always his treasure and pride. But it stopped short, Never to go again, When the old man died. Chorus: Ninety years without slumbering, Tick, tock, tick, tock. His life seconds numbering, Tick, tock, tick. It stopped short, never to go again, When the old man died. In watching its pendulum Swing to and fro, Many hours had he spent as a boy; And in childhood and manhood the clock seemed to know, And to share both his grief and his joy. For it struck twenty-four when he entered at the door, With a blooming and beautiful bride. But it stopped short, never to go again, When the old man died. There's more, of course, but it won't fit here. I loved this puzzle. What a fun Wednesday! I usually find Wednesdays have a small level of frustration, but this one had more fun than not, so thank you for starting my day with fun!
@Momerlyn And now it's my ear worm, and much more fun than this puzzle. Thanks for the trip down memory lane!
@Momerlyn I remember singing this in elementary school. Thank you!
@Momerlyn I could have recited the first verse and chorus without peeking, but the second verse was quite unfamiliar. I wonder how many years it has been. 70? 80?
I found the two “bottleful” clues oddly annoying. Not sure why they stuck out to me enough to comment. I think it was the / . And the word “bottleful” was just kinda unnecessary. I enjoyed the punny fill for those two clues, however. And I enjoyed the puzzle quite a bit. Perhaps a skosh too easy, but most puzzles CLEAN my CLOCK so I shall not complain about a breezy solve.
@Striker Why aren't they written the same?!?!
As someone who has somehow never heard the idiom “clean one’s clock”, this theme didn’t have much by away of “aha!” moments for me. But assuming I’m the weird one and this is a real idiom (it wouldn’t be the first time!) I do feel like the constructor did a good job with its multiple meanings. Nice, breezy solve.
@Stephen If you're weird, I'm weird alongside you. I also didn't know the expression; never heard it in my whole life.🤷
@Stephen Alex Trebek was once asked if, with all his experience as host of Jeopardy, he could compete with current contestants. As I remember it, his answer was something like: "I could hold my own with people my age but the younger ones would clean my clock." Why I remember this after many years is a mystery.
@Stephen Interesting origin of the idiom: <a href="https://grammarist.com/idiom/clean-someones-clock" target="_blank">https://grammarist.com/idiom/clean-someones-clock</a>/
@Francine Interesting that "beat hands down" is listed as the first alternative. 😉
I didn't think it was super challenging, solved in under 10 mins and thought the theme was ok but not hugely compelling - certainly a bit different and unique. I did enjoy quite a lot of the clues, on their own I wouldn't have been able to solve a few but was able to with crossings
@Joel I'm curious, exactly how much under ten minutes was your solve?
Fun one. Not sure why, but I really love seeing left-right symmetry when I open the grid. Probably because it means there’s something charming afoot, and the rotational had to be tossed to let it shine! Thank you Adam! Happy hump day all!
To not let the perfect be the enemy of the good is a great all around life lesson that I often remind myself to heed. Appreciated reading it in constructor's notes. Well, it may not have been a perfect puzzle but to me it was a good one! I had fun filling it out, I learned things (KATANA and ASHRAF), and had some chuckles ("Ways of the world" for ROADS, "Silly ones" for GEESE, and "Chance to see the big game" for SAFARI.) I first put STEW in at 65A instead of HASH. Was amused to later put STEW in at its proper place at 50D. Fun fact: if you were to go to a diner with my family of origin, including niblings and spouses, every one of us (except my husband) will order corned beef HASH, two eggs over-medium, and extra crispy hashbrowns. My siblings and I all married up but there are some raised eyebrows when my husband is the only one to go with steak & eggs or some such. Guess I have a thing for a handsome rebel! Lots of food references: HASH, STEW, SALAD, KALE, HOCK, FATS, GEESE... did I go too far? Good thing I had a bagel sandwich while solving to stave off hunger. Wonder if there's ever been a theme around cooking one's goose or your goose is cooked. So, I know KALE has a bad rap, but we love it and grow it on our garden balcony. Here's a really lovely recipe if you want to give it a try: <a href="https://www.loveandlemons.com/kale-pesto" target="_blank">https://www.loveandlemons.com/kale-pesto</a>/ I use cashew seeds instead of pepitas because we always have them on hand. Favorite was: "Love of the past" for OLDFLAME. Cheers, all!
@HeathieJ - I used to go to a great diner in lower Manhattan with colleagues for lunch. Oddly, my colleague from a working class Jewish background made fun of me, from a lace curtain Irish background, for ordering corned beef hash. She seemed to think it was declassee.
I loved it for the grown-up cluing, interesting words, lack of made-up random phrases and only a little entertainment trivia, which was actually interesting.
Fun little way to start my Wednesday. My dog is thankful this was a fast solve, he gets to go out now.
@Andy G My cat is happier when the solve is longer. She gets to stay curled up on my shins while I'm puzzling things out.
Man, I wish I could make puzzles this good. 👍👍👍 Adam!
DACA, ACA. I miss that guy. TIL it’s not THETIMEISRIghT. No KALE SALAD for me, thanks. I’ll take the HASH or maybe the STEW. Nice one, Adam!
@Cyndie “The time is right” is also a common phrase. Just not the right one here.
Flew through that one. Very clean and straightforward
It was fine. The two clues that went along with the main theme were clunky and didn't really make any sense as to why one was what it was and the other was what it was... Oh well, on to tomorrow.
Nice one. OLD FLAME was good fun, and PEGLEGS and ROADS. I have heard of CLEAN ONES CLOCK, but not KATANA, or LOLLYGAG. This went by smoothly and pleasantly. I do wonder though, does a crossword exist which does not have a film reference? Asking for a friend.
@Jane Wheelaghan That's so interesting you have not heard of KATANA! It never ceases to amaze me how different the life experiences of people can be - for some reason, KATANA has been popping up throughout my very Polish and un-Japanese life. I suppose gaming is the reason? Interesting 🙂
@Jane Wheelaghan The first one is a new one on me too. I do know KATANA from my Japanese speaking elder son, but LOLLYGAG only through the spelling Bee!
Welp...the SE took me longer than the entire remainder of the puzzle.... I can't explainit except that "Silly ones" (Comics? Fools? Simons? No, that's SIMPLE ) had me stumped....and then "Inbox" made me think of the desk tier with TBD (?ToBeDone? ) and then "Spat" was either the over-shoe fancy-dress thingie or past tense of SPIT (PTUI? SKEWER? IMPALE?) so I just got farther out on that limb, and finally ADA!!! (Just one too many battles with the school system over the Americans with Disabilities Act regulations about "reasonable accommodations") and finally the (too late to help us) ACA dawned on me, as I lay exhausted in the ROAD.... After the nickel dropped, zip zip, and I even enjoyed seeing the CLOCK FACE and HANDS.... so cute. New to me: CENSOR BAR (Stupid thing supposedly disguising people in photos, etc.)...I didn't know it had a name.... Frances Perkins: a genius and a humanitarian... Rather a contrast, eh?
@Mean Old Lady Frances Perkins should be on the 20 dollar bill.
@Mean Old Lady That was the corner I had to turn to the Column for. Besides the problems you mention, I couldn't imagine HASH in a diner. People would pay for hash? (Nor did I know it could be made from meat and potatoes. I only sort of remember it, by name, from my childhood, 70~85 years ago.)
Great wave length match for me. Really enjoyed having down clues for the theme. That was a good mix up.
The puzzle was fine, but the theme was weak to a point that it was distracting.
I really liked this theme. Thought it was pretty clever and satisfyingly simple. Maybe on the easy side for a Wednesday but I'm not one to complain about that. Thanks a lot!
@Lee Kellogg I'd say it was average for the new standard of 'there will be cheats' Wednesdays these days. I needed four cheats. I liked the theme, and agree it was clever.
What time is it? I have hands and a face but I am not a clock. Dad joke number 11,230. Nice one. We are often confused by the various money terms as we are bears of little brain. Thank you Adam
@dk IT’S HOWDY DOODY TIME! But usually it’s 10:10…just take a look at any watch ad.
Never heard of the phrase "clean one's clock" either. Perhaps the basis of a theme should be something more robust, but to be honest I thought this was a fun and satisfying puzzle nevertheless - thanks Adam!
Very fast solve today. Had peglega ( think my brain was thinking aa was fixed on alas instead of sigh, but figured it out in the end
ENCUR, ASHRAD and TRIAMS had me reevaluating my initial appraisal of how easy this Wednesday puzzle was. The right answers, (INCUR, ASHRAF and TRIADS) were fairly simple to figure out, which is nice. Cheers
Straightforward enough puzzle, had some nice clueing ('SAFARI' and 'CENSORBAR' were fun). I've never heard the phrase used in the theme before - a sentiment reflected in many comments - but once I put it together with the crosses, I felt it all click.
OLD FLAME got me good. I had OLD FLING instead!
I've never heard of any expression that had anything to do with cleaning anyone's clock. Nevertheless, I managed to finish the puzzle without resorting to looking anything up. Again, another puzzle that didn't float my boat.
Fun one, thank you! No double platinum hip-hop albums or HBO series actors to search for. . For a minute there I hoped 52A would be PITTSBURGH, but not enough spaces.
@The Poet McTeagle And 55A was not ORBITS...one letter too long.
I was so proud when I solved the left "bottleful" clue to be HENNESSY. I had the H and the first N. As someone who does not drink, go me for getting a drinking-related clue! I was certain Hennessy had something to do with beating opponents soundly. I eventually solved the puzzle without any lookups. And I never heard of "cleaning one's clock" before. Yay! I'm getting better! Celebrating with a drink.... Tea.
Nice puzzle! I wonder if this is the first appearance of Ashraf? If you do more puzzles, could you work in more Afghanistan references? Maybe something on Nasir Khusrow (of Badakhshan)? NYT I think you missed an opportunity to have little clock faces appear at the solve.
What does time being ripe have to do with cleaning one’s clock. Stick to one figure of speech please. This puzzle is far from IDEAL. Also, how come I just solved Sunday and it’s coming up as a blue solve instead of a yellow solve? I didn’t use any check or reveal function. Finally, I was looking at a print copy of NYT from last week and noticed a lot of other puzzles, like the Cryptic. Why can’t we get those in the Games app?
@Charles Nelson Reilly From Sam in today's column: "For instance, at 15A, [A reason to act this very instant … or why you might 6-Down 32-Down?] solves to THE TIME IS RIPE, because “ripe” refers to odor that might merit a cleaning."
@Charles Nelson Reilly When you do a puzzle out of chronological order, you can’t get a gold star. The second Sunday puzzles used to be available online at nytimes.com, but the powers that be decided not to make them available. The site xwordinfo.com, however, does make the second Sunday puzzles available to solve online (non-mobile only). There is an annual fee for this (I believe $20), but you also gain access to all the wonderful data available. In addition, you can solve pre-Shortz crosswords, which you cannot access at the NYT site. While it’s unfortunate that this is behind a pay wall, at least the NYT is not getting an additional money grab for the service, as xwordinfo is an independent site.
I’ve never come across a clock that had an odor, or at least I’ve never sniffed to check, but I’m sure someone out there has a good story to that effect.
@JM Agreed. The time is ripe just means it is a great time to do something. Ripe doesn't necessarily have anything to do with odor.
@JM In the 1990s, when Poland was recovering from the shock of the fall of the old regime and the many years of crisis that caused it, and democracy and market economy did not yet bring about increased prosperity, Polish train stations and trains became one of the most horrible places on earth - dirty, smelly, dilapidated and dangerous. 30 years later I can still remember the stench. And, actually, when I think of any train station paraphernalia, like those huge clocks, that unspeakable smell - of urine, iron, dust, sweat, motor oil, rotting trash, mould - accompanies the mental images. There is a famous 1989 song from the band Kult (which means Cult, and they are a cult band, funnily enough) with the line: Czy byłeś kiedyś w Kutnie na dworcu w nocy Jest tak brudno i brzydko Że pękają oczy oczy oczy Polska Mieszkam w Polsce Were you ever in Kutno [a town and train hub], at the train station, at night? It's so dirty and ugly your eyes will burst. Poland, I live in Poland I recommend Googling "Mieszkam w Polsce" by Kult and translating the lyrics via DeepL (which works much better than Google Translate) - they paint a very vivid, accurate, bleak image of this sorry country at the end of "communism." I'm so glad things have changed since then, dang 🤣
@JM OK here's one. I was on my bike, scouting yard sales one fine Saturday. I found some treasures that day! A pair of wooden shoes, a stove-top popcorn popper, and an old handmade quilt. I loaded these into my bike basket and headed for home. The bike was a little top heavy and tippy, but everything was secure. I took a shortcut down a dirt road and spied a big sale at an old farmhouse. What luck! I looked through plows and jars and old oak dressers, when I saw it, a mantle-top pendulum clock. What a beauty! Great condition, how could I pass it up? After paying a pittance for the clock, I loaded it on my bike. I nestled it in the blanket and secured the whole thing with bungee cords. Success! Off I rode, giddy from my bargain hunting prowess. As I biked down the drive, a chicken darted into my path. I braked, I swerved, and I toppled over, right into the manure pile. The chicken was safe, but I was a mess. The clock fell off the top and landed face first. I picked up my bike, reloaded my basket, and gingerly rescued my new clock from its odiferous environs. The glass was shattered, and the front of the clock was caked with manure. Pee-yoo! "Well, I can get a new glass for this, and there's no other damage. It's nothing a little HAND SOAP and FACE WASH won't fix right up. I'm heading home now, because as my mother always said, when THE TIME IS RIPE, it's time to CLEAN ONE'S CLOCK!"
Really too easy I think. That seems to be a recurring, er, theme this week. This puzzle's actual theme was fine, a little subtle, and better than the "fill" that surrounds it. (This seems to be the opposite of someone else's opinion a few posts below me.) I wonder if it would have been a better puzzle if the constructor hadn't split up the phrase after all. It's Wednesday and I had to check a couple of times to make sure because it was going so fast... Ah well. ____________________ Jesse Goldberg 8/28/2024 for Puzzle of the Decade (emu filler)
What a fun and challenging Wednesday! Well done!