Call Me If You Get Lost

If you are reading this on release day, it will be Good Friday, one of the most presumptuous names for a stat holiday (second only to Really, Really Great Tuesday). Though honestly, having the day off does make it a Good Friday, so it’s not necessarily wrong. And while I’m not a big meat-eater these days, Easter dinner does have some of the best sides in the game, so for those who celebrate, it’s hard to complain. Plus, of course, the excuse to eat way too much egg- and bunny-shaped chocolate. And let’s be honest - Really, Really Great Tuesday can’t hold a candle to that.

This week’s puzzle is a remake of one of my pre-YEGwords creations. While the original puzzle was okay, I thought the theme deserved better fill and a wider audience :)

Discussion (and spoilers!) below the break.

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Call Me If You Get Lost by Brandon Cathcart

Discussion

The pre-YEGwords version of this puzzle had a different ending: going to a rock climbing gym with the phrase DOWN TO HANG. While that fit my original 11×11 grid, I thought the phrase DOWN TO EARTH was stronger, so I expanded the grid to 11×12 and reworked essentially the entire puzzle. The result was a more satisfying solve and an opportunity to shout out the wonderful non-profit Arch Greenhouse, as planting season is right around the corner.

Another exciting bit was getting to shout out one of my favourite songs of all time - this beautiful track by Bear’s Den. I got to see them live a few years ago, and their harmonies are just as incredible in person.

Today’s Theme

We’ve got an unorthodox theme today, with an across clue and two down clues forming a series of steps:

21A. Need directions? 1. Head west, then turn north at the clock tower...
5D. 2. Turn back west when you reach the used book store…
9D. 3. Finally, head south until you reach the greenhouse!

Each of these steps harkens to a common phrase… Heading west, then going north is making a right turn, so a right turn at the clock tower is RIGHT ON TIME. Turning back west is a left turn, at the used book store is LEFT ON READ, and heading south to the greenhouse is, of course, DOWN TO EARTH (soil).

Behind the Clues

5A. I’ve gotten back into watching F1 racing this year, so related cluing may sneak in, like this one. When you [Pass the last car on the grid, as the first car on the grid], you LAP the other car.

35A. ["Benjamin Button" an actor, say] used to be an easier clue, but after determining the bottom right corner was too easy, it got a creative makeover. The original clue for DE-AGE was [Digitally make younger, like in the movie “Benjamin Button”] or something like that, which was not only clumsier but a bit too easy.

39A. I love flipping tropes on their heads, and this fits that bill. [They're not action figures, Mom, they're dolls! 😤] is KENS. The classic little boy complains about his action figures being called dolls, but, well, Ken is a doll. So…

1D. For one of the best RUBE [___ Goldberg machine]s of all time, we have to look no further than the wacky, creative minds (and great music) of OK GO.

7D. I’ve always said it - it should be legally required that movie sequels indicate that in an easy, discernible way (I’m looking at you, Fast & Furious). The offender mentioned here is the sequel to Wicked, so [Clearer subtitle for "Wicked: For Good"] is PART II.

33D. As someone who scours Facebook Marketplace for furniture not irregularly (though I rarely actually purchase things), [Mid-century modern wood] is TEAK, though most posters will label anything as “MCM.” 🙄

I hope you enjoyed this puzzle!

Until next week,

Brandon