Monday's New York Times crossword puzzle solved: June 18, 2018

My time: 4:25.

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Ross Trudeau makes sure we're receiving his message in this puzzle which showcases the humble act of telephoning.  Clued in a straightforward manner are PHONE JACK, DIAL SOAP, CALL TO ORDER, and RING POPS.  The astute solver may have noticed that the first words of all these phrases are synonyms of "to call on the phone."  This also holds true for the capper: they're all BUZZWORDS, see.

I was not aware that the MACADAMIA came from Australia.  I knew it was grown in Hawaii.  The macadamia is the only native Australian crop that has ever been developed and traded internationally as a commercial food product. As the leading producer of macadamias in the world, Australia contributes more than 30% of the global crop.

I didn't notice TANIA Raymonde on "Lost" when I watched it.  However, I do enjoy her role in "Goliath."  And now, I've heard her name!

On June 14, I complained about soon as.  At least this time it's AS SOON!

ETTA James comes up a lot in puzzles.  Here she's clued as having the song "At Last."

WAIKIKI is Hawaii's famed surfing spot that's somewhat troublesome to spell.  It's a beachfront neighborhood made up of six distinct beaches in O'ahu.  The name WAIKIKI means "spouting fresh water" in the Hawaiian language, after the springs and streams that once separated it from the interior.

I liked some of the less common fill on this one: BASE PAY, CANNED IT ("stopped all that yapping"), UNICOLOR, AMPS UP, SNAIL MAIL.  Otherwise it's a fairly SO-SO puzzle, with lots of straightforward, literal clues.  And we really don't need any more amo, amas, AMAT in puzzles ever again.  In AWL, I had very little trouble with it.