Friday, December 15, 2023 - Stop us if you've heard this one ... A NEPHALIST, a PHILATELIST and a CRUCIVERBALIST walk into a bar ... 🙄🍷

A challenging but not insurmountable Friday crossword by Alex Tomlinson - his debut! - with a whopping 8 debut answers. We cover all but 2 of them in today's episode, omitting only 2D, One whose work might be a piece of cake?, PASTRYCHEF (cute!) and 27D, "Don't even think of coming back!", ANDSTAYOUT (ouch!). In short, a lot to like in today's puzzle, and to get the full 411 hit download now (right after you hit subscribe, so you never miss an episode!) and within seconds (eh, if you've got good internet) you will be able to savor today's expedition through the grid.Show note image: A LIANA**fun fact: we first opted for a PALE blue dot,  but -- underlining Carl Sagan's point -- the dot was too small to be visible in a "podcast-sized" show note imageWe love feedback! Send us a text...Contact Info:We love listener mail! Drop us a line, [email protected], we're on FaceBook, so feel free to drop by there and strike up a conversation!