Time for a trip to the laundromat - NYT Crossword Clue

Introduction

Today's clue, "Time for a trip to the laundromat," is a charming and straightforward puzzle piece that evokes a sense of routine and domestic life. It's a classic definition-style clue that points to a common, if slightly old-fashioned, compound phrase. Solvers familiar with everyday expressions should find this one a quick and satisfying fill.

Clue Analysis

The clue can be broken down quite simply:

• "Time for...": This part of the clue signals that the answer will be a specific period, event, or designated occasion.
• "...a trip to the laundromat": This specifies the activity associated with that time: doing laundry.

Putting it together, the clue is asking for the name of the designated time for doing laundry. It's a direct, literal definition, with no wordplay, puns, or misdirection involved.

Thinking Approaches

For a clue like this, a few straightforward approaches work well:

1. Direct Association: Read the clue and let your mind free-associate. What do you call the day you do your laundry? The most common term that comes to mind is likely the correct answer.
2. Keyword Combination: Isolate the key concepts: "time" and "laundry/laundromat." Brainstorm synonyms or related words for each. For "time," you might think of day, week, hour. For "laundromat," you might think of wash, clean, clothes. Combining these, the pair wash and day clicks together to form a familiar phrase.
3. Leverage Crossings: If the answer doesn't immediately come to you, getting even one or two letters from intersecting clues (the "crossings") will almost certainly reveal it. For example, seeing a 'W' at the beginning or a 'Y' at the end would be a major giveaway.

Background Context

The concept of a "wash day" has a long history. Before the advent of modern washing machines, laundry was an arduous, all-day task. Families, particularly housewives, would dedicate a specific day of the week (often Monday, to wash away the weekend's grime) to this chore. It involved boiling water, scrubbing clothes by hand on a washboard, wringing them out, and hanging them to dry.

While in-home washers and dryers have made the process much easier, the term "wash day" persists in our vocabulary to describe the day we set aside for this chore, even if it only takes a couple of hours. The clue's mention of a "laundromat" also brings to mind a more communal or urban experience of this routine.

Conclusion

This clue is a perfect example of how the NYT Crossword incorporates everyday language and cultural touchstones. It's a simple, definition-based clue that rewards general knowledge over complex wordplay. It serves as a great entry point into a section of the puzzle, helping solvers build confidence and gather letters for more challenging surrounding clues.

Hints

1. Hint 1: This refers to a scheduled household chore.
2. Hint 2: It's a specific day of the week often designated for a particular task.
3. Hint 3: The task involves cleaning clothes.
4. Hint 4: It's a two-word phrase, with the first word being a verb related to cleaning with water and soap.

The answer is: [WASH/DAY]