Hey everybody – getting this done on time this week because I’m eager to head off for a long weekend in Montreal. I haven’t been there in about 15 years, so if you have any suggestions (we’re staying near Vieux-Montréal and will be walking/using public transport) please drop them in the comments below. This week’s puzzle is titled “At the Restaurant” and that’s where I definitely plan to be for the next few meals, so let’s see what’s on the menu…
- Title: At the Restaurant
- Grid size: 15×15
- Number of entries: 76
- Difficulty: Easy (my solve time: 5:21)
I had the title in mind and once I got the theme, it definitely helped with the solve. The themers are phrases that normally don’t have anything directly to do with restaurants, but are clued to make them so:
- 17A: [Remark to a diner about a triple decker cheeseburger?]: THATS A TALL ORDER – A tall order is an unreasonable or difficult one to fill; I guess three patties with cheese on a bun with fixings is pretty tall as well.
- 27A: [Comment about a mopey waiter?]: THE SERVER IS DOWN – I have seen the warning that the server is down more often than I like, but luckily I’ve never had a depressing encounter with a waiter.
- 49A: [Featured entrée brought to one’s door?]: SPECIAL DELIVERY – This is almost clued straight; though – post-pandemic – delivery of meals to one’s door isn’t all that special anymore. However, delivery of the special of the day may be.
- 63A: [Gratuities left by paid athletes?]: TIPS FROM THE PROS – Pro tip: tip your server.
The key words in each of the phrases are in the grid in order of how they would occur when eating at the restaurant – one would place an order with your server, the server* would deliver your meal and the bill, and then you would pay and leave a tip. Clever if intentional; serendipitous if not 😉
This week the solve felt easy and my time aligns with that. I almost rated it Very Easy, but there are a few areas that caused me a double take or I had to skip and come back to later.
Canadian content:
- 5D: [___-on-the-Lake (Ontario town)]: NIAGARA – Better than being called the Mistake on the Lake.
- 34A: [Critter on a nickel]: BEAVER – Though I would not have known this if asked straight up, I had the starting “B” and it just made sense.
- 35D: [Jokey Canadianisms]: EHS – I won’t even touch this one as I don’t want to be thought of as stereotyping or making fun of Canadians, eh?
- 39D: [Canadian songstress Moore]: MAE – I initially put “Mia” in here, but soon learned about Ms. Moore.
- 45A: [Treaty now called CUSMA in Canada]: NAFTA – So I guess I’m not all that up to speed on trade agreements. I thought when NAFTA was gone, it was gone. But the Canada – United States – Mexico Agreement replaced it. It’s now called the US – Mexico – Canada Agreement in the US and I’ll guess it’s called the Mexico-US-Canada Agreement in Mexico. No, wait – it is called Tratado entre México, Estados Unidos y Canadá (T-MEC). Which is pretty much MUSCA in Spanish…
Other stuff:
- 2D: [Really pumped (about)]: RAH RAH – Having got the starting “R” I had “revved up” stuck in my head even though I saw it wouldn’t fit. So I needed several more crosses to get this one.
- 23A: [It translates to “the greatest desert”]: SAHARA – Appropriately so, I’d say.
- 32D: [Gun rights grp.]: NRA – I wish there was a well-known piece of legislation called the “Native Rights Act” or something similar that could be used to clue this.
- 38A: [“The Office” receptionist]: PAM – Pretty much everything I know about the American version of “The Office” I learned from crosswords.
Quote of the week:
“One child, one teacher, one pen, and one book can change the world.”
– Malala Yousafzai (born 12 July 1997)
*It occurs to me that “special” could also go in here, because the server would also tell you about the specials.