Alan Young

I got stuck in the center because I was sure the 28 down was WADI. Legit, right?

I must quibble with some of the definitions. — J.S.Bach wrote thousands of compositions, but none of them are études. (I think you would’ve had the same problem with Beethoven or Brahms). — Meanwhile, in Thailand, the currency is the baht. One baht, two baht, many baht. No such word as bahts.

That was a nice, fresh challenge. If you throw something off a ship, it’s JETSAM, not FLOTSAM. But we know what you meant, because Boston Harbor.

The plural SATINS does not strike me as unusual. I know it from the Porgy and Bess lyric, “I’ll dress you in silks and satins.”

VAMP might have meant freeform improvisation in 1789, as your dictionary cites. But in the modern music world, it has the opposite meaning from “noodling“— it’s a fixed pattern that can be repeated without variation in preparation for a solo entrance.

All good, but why are there two E's in WOOKIEES?

My delight in the sparky long entries was overcome by distress at the trivia. Too many non-celebrity actors and singers. One trip to Google to finish the puzzle is tolerable, this one took five. By contrast, OISEAUX I knew right away.

I loved it! Cute theme, cute cartoons, and the double-entendre revealer was a great laugh 😂

Thanks for the helpful guide to the acronym FUBAR. A nearby acronym, GORP, comes from “good ol’ raisins and peanuts,” which used to be the standard go-to for day hikes, before the invention of boutique-style “trail mix.”

Would anyone care to explain the “runway nine” clue? I don’t know if I’ve ever seen an airport with nine runways, so there must be a code behind it, and some lore explaining the usage

FTW stumped me. Guessing, “feel the win”? My other sticking point: Caitlin's description of MOANIN' is exactly right— except the Jon Hendriks lyrics are almost never heard. I’ve heard and performed this tune 100 times, but didn’t recognize the line. When I see “jazz standard“ and “lyric“ in a clue, I assume the lyrics are going to be familiar!

Top marks to the constructor for ingenuity! The revealer was an awesome surprise. The rest of it was a little too easy, though. Another five minutes of struggling with the fill would have made the victory even sweeter..

Is this Saturday? But it seemed like I was doing a Wednesday puzzle. Otherwise , no complaints.

Has anyone ever said STACHE? Seems arbitrary to me. But more importantly, I think you misunderstand what a CONTACT HIGH is— or at least, what it was, and the 1960s when I first heard the term. Nothing to do with smoke. If someone is in an intensely altered state, usually because of LSD, sympathetic people around them are likely to feel somewhat out of the ordinary themselves. The “contact” is only in the vibrations. Enjoy!

pretty smooth! Only 17A seemed weird to me. Do people actually mix Champagne with gin??

Oh, here it is! <a href="https://www.stantec.com/en/ideas/topic/mobility/airport-runways-what-do-those-big-numbers-mean" target="_blank">https://www.stantec.com/en/ideas/topic/mobility/airport-runways-what-do-those-big-numbers-mean</a>

So much fun with all the novel entries! Over too fast though.