NPOYH = PHONY

LEHOL = HELLO

DIFELD = FIDDLE

GIXTAN = TAXING

CARTOON ANSWER:

AFTER LANDING IN HAWAII, THEY GOT THE —

HONELLFDETAI = “LEI” OF THE LAND

Good morning and happy Friday everyone!  Even though the day has just started for me, my kid’s are looking forward to high noon when school is officially out for the summer.  Do you remember that magical day when you had to wake up early one last time knowing that an eternity of summer was before you?  Ditching the books for beaches and pencils for your PlayStation truly was an amazing feeling and I look forward to recreating all the excitement and wonder that is summer break for them to enjoy!

Excellent clue word choices this morning by Mr. Hoyt, with FIDDLE being the only anagram to give me pause.  For some reason I saw “FIELD” in the word and couldn’t get it out of my mind.  When I finally solved it, I shook my head and remembered that we’ve seen it numerous times in the past.  I hope I’ve finally committed it to memory so it can join my personal stumper list which includes RELIC, HAIRDO, CARGO and RODEO.

The cartoon drawn by artist Jeff Knurek transports us to an idyllic oceanfront scene where a happy couple have just departed a plane and are receiving their customary Lei greeting.  Looking at the layout for the final solution, I figured “OF THE” or “ON THE” would make the most sense so that’s where I started the solve.  Crossing OF THE out from my clue letters caused LEI and LAND to jump out at me for a quick finish.  Having already completed Saturday’s game, we’ll have to wait until Sunday or maybe next week for that stumper of a puzzle that we all know is just around the corner.  Enjoy your Friday and I’ll see you tomorrow!  🙂