In Due Course

Solution

by Brian Shimanuki

Answer:
SEDATIVES

This puzzle is presented as a restaurant menu with a set meal and à la carte items, but the menu item descriptions are all weird.

This puzzle is about Eggcorns (misheard phrases). We notice that the restaurant’s special ingredients are eggs and corn, as well as the phrases “coming down the pipe” and “happy as a clown” instead of “pike” and “clam” in the puzzle.

Identify the Eggcorn

Each menu item description has a part that describes the misheard version of an eggcorn literally (italicized in the below table) as well as a part that describes the meaning of the actual idiom (underlined in the below table). For example, for Baked dijon salmon, “allow dijon” describes “pass mustard”, but the actual idiom is “pass muster” meaning “measures up”.

Set Meal Item	Description	Eggcorn	Actual Idiom
Baked dijon salmon	Salmon marinated to allow dijon to seep through. We hope it measures up.	pass mustard	pass muster
Caprese bruschetta	Served first so you can munch on the wait patiently.	biting my time	biding my time
Caviar blini with creme fraiche	We express ourselves with this bite to proclaim harmony and accord amongst friends.	say one's peace	say one's piece
Cheese variety board	We dare you to not let your eyes water over this rotten cow product. No worrying about mistakes.	don't cry over spoiled milk	don't cry over spilt milk
Cider glazed ham	This is so good you'll want to take a bite out of this rump to prevent anyone else from starting first.	nip it in the butt	nip it in the bud
Espresso delight	The key takeaway is the aureate coated bonbon this is served with.	golden nougat	golden nugget
French onion soup	A hearty soup to douse your cravings and prepare you for more.	wet your appetite	whet your appetite
Harvest salad	A leafy harvest we've knit together to give you what you deserve.	reap what you sew	reap what your sow
Honey kataifi	We follow our traditional recipe closely, tugging strings of dough through spiced syrup.	towing the line	toeing the line
Parsley melon tonic	Served with an umbrella and tubule you'll be panting at, you'll try anything to finish it.	gasping at straws	grasping at straws
Prosciutto wrapped asparagus	These powerful stalks will have predominant control over your taste buds in a foreign land.	spear of influence	sphere of influence
Roasted quail	Get the drop on a single quail, all at once.	one fowl swoop	one fell swoop

Match Eggcorns to À La Carte Items

Each à la carte item has a word italicized which is a synonym of the corrected word in the eggcorn. This is hinted by the corrected words “pike” and “clam” appearing in the à la carte description instead of the corresponding eggcorns.

Extraction

The prices of the à la carte items should be used as indices into the set menu item names. To order the extracted letters, we rearrange the menu items into a traditional 12-course meal format.

The extracted letters in order are ANS SEDATIVES, meaning the answer is SEDATIVES.

Course	Set Meal Item	Eggcorn	Actual Idiom	À la carte Item	Price	Extract
Hors d'oeuvres	Caprese bruschetta	biting my time	biding my time	Bear claw	2	A
Amuse-bouche	Caviar blini with creme fraiche	say one's peace	say one's piece	Pizza slice	10	N
Soup	French onion soup	wet your appetite	whet your appetite	Sharp cheddar biscuits	12	S
Appetizer	Prosciutto wrapped asparagus	spear of influence	sphere of influence	Spinach balls	4	S
Salad	Harvest salad	reap what you sew	reap what your sow	Poppy seed muffin	5	E
Fish	Baked dijon salmon	pass mustard	pass muster	Draft beer	5	D
First main dish (white meat)	Roasted quail	one fowl swoop	one fell swoop	Chopped salad	10	A
Palate cleanser course	Parsley melon tonic	gasping at straws	grasping at straws	Catch of the day	13	T
Second main dish (red meat)	Cider glazed ham	nip it in the butt	nip it in the bud	Brussels sprouts	2	I
Cheese plate	Cheese variety board	don't cry over spoiled milk	don't cry over spilt milk	Pour over coffee	7	V
Dessert	Honey kataifi	towing the line	toeing the line	Chicken feet	4	E
Mignardise	Espresso delight	golden nougat	golden nugget	Chocolate chunk brownies	6	S