"___ Dere" (jazz classic about a toddler's many questions) / WED 11-2-22 / Friedrich who created a scale of hardness / Nutmeg's "sister spice"

Theme answers:

• Italian confection brand known for its gold foil wrappers-- FERRERO ROCHER / IBERIA, AVER, SEER
• Small dog originally bred for fox hunting-- BORDER TERRIER / AMBER, ERMA, ZEROS
• First men’s tennis player to reach 10 consecutive Grand Slam singles finals-- ROGER FEDERER / BEER ME, FERRY, FIERCE
• Shout that may accompany many arms waving-- WE'RE OVER HERE / ALERT, AVERSE, FRERE

Word of the Day: TESS Gerritsen (author of medical and crime thrillers) —

While on maternity leave, she submitted a short story to a statewide fiction contest in the magazine Honolulu. Her story, "On Choosing the Right Crack Seed," won first prize and she received $500. The story focused on a young male reflecting on a difficult relationship with his mother. Gerritsen claimed the story allowed her to deal with her own childhood turmoil.

Hey besties! It's Malaika and I'm back for another Malaika MWednesday. I hope you all enjoyed your Halloweekend-- currently I am feasting on Reese's cups. I liked this puzzle a lot, and I hope you did, too! Sometimes there is Discourse (TM) about whether rebus puzzles should only be on Thursdays. Idk. I hated the very first rebus puzzle I did (I still remember it lol), then felt fine about them, and now I like them because I think they are usually pretty easy-- I got this one as soon as I read the clue for FERRERO ROCHER, which, by the way, is an awesome entry.

I also loooved WE'RE OVER HERE, this is something I truly yell all the time as someone who does a lot of Park Hang Outs.

These write-ups are kind of boring when it's a good puzzle! What else is there to say? OH HELL YEAH is a stellar long answer, and I like BEER ME as well, with that super clever clue (Slangy command to someone arriving with a six-pack). I wish RUMI had been clued as Beyonce's daughter, but I guess she hasn't really done anything yet. I can't even find any bad fill to comment on!! (AVER, I guess? Maybe?) Many thanks to Ethan and Tomas for this lovely Wednesday treat!

Bullets:

• TIDAL and FIERCE also could have gotten Beyonce clues (via the streaming app and Sasha Fierce)
  
• What is your favorite Indian flatbread? For me, it doesn't get any better than bhatura, but I respect the hell out of puri
• Deal breaker? for NARC!! Wow!!

xoxo Malaika

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