WSJ Contest, Friday, November 29, 2019

Mike Shenk’s Wall Street Journal contest crossword, “Leftovers”—Laura’s review

This week, our answer is what some people try after Thanksgiving. Let’s see what’s on the menu.

WSJ Contest – 11.29.19 – Solution

• [17a: Some Thanksgiving leftovers (5,6)]: LIMA BEANS
• [50a: Some Thanksgiving leftovers (3,7)]: WHITE MEAT
• [10d: Some Thanksgiving leftovers (2,8)]: CANDIED YAMS
• [25d: Some Thanksgiving leftovers (4,1)]: CREAMED CORN

Wanna bet those parenthetical numbers are enumerations of letters in the answer? Turns out, CANDIED is very similar to another entry: CANDID. And lo, each word in the themers corresponds to another entry in the grid, which are those themer words plus a letter, like so:

LIMA = [3d: Hurried flight]: LAM + I (5)
BEANS = [48a: Collars]: NABS + E (6)
WHITE = [29d: Spillane’s “___ Jury”]: I THE + W (3)
MEAT = [15a: Maggie’s sister-in-law in “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof”]: MAE + T (7)
CANDIED = [24d: Not posed]: CANDID + E (2)
YAMS = [53d: Sister of Jo, Meg and Beth]: AMY + S (8)
CREAMED = [42d: Flower cluster on a single stem, like that of the lily of the valley]:
     RACEME + D (4) Note: I’d argue that this is a very uncommon word, and not
likely to be used as a entry unless the meta mechanism demands it, which it does.
CORN = [56a: Servant of Saruman]: ORC + N (1)

Put those extra letters in order according to the enumerations, and you get:

NEW DIETS

which is, apparently, what some people try after Thanksgiving, and our answer. Sure, try a new diet if you’d like, and if you think it will help you feel healthier, rock on. But don’t deprive yourself or feel guilty for enjoying a feast. Everything in moderation, right? There is no shame in liking delicious food and drink, and in celebrating with family and friends, or in cooking fine edibles for your own damn self.

[15a: Maggie’s sister-in-law in “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof”]: MAE reminded me of a song. Here’s bluegrassy sister act Larkin Poe covering it: