This clue would be outstanding even if we weren’t coming out of a pandemic that exposed just how literally it was true. Hint: it’s got nothing to do with needing a hint. An ESSENTIAL WORKER is help that, quite frankly, is needed, and I’m glad they got the respect of central placement and a stunning, late-week worthy clue. (Their only other appearance was in a Monday last year from Saint-Cyr.) I was also a fan of Spots where you might count sheep, where I overshot straight to BEDS before getting back to LEAS, and Half of “Guys and Dolls” which isn’t GALS but rather ACT I. I have a Lack of objections, in a phrase, or as the puzzle clues it, NO BONES.
- David Distenfeld, The New York Times, 3/4/22
The Crossword Scholar 