Playing Chutes and Ladders has its ups and downs. (But I'm game for it.)
@Mike Where does the candy land when it falls out of the chute? Sorry. True story -- verifiable by the emus -- I once had a job as an elevator operator. It, too, had its ups and downs.
This was easily the most magnetic crossword puzzle I've ever done. I got qute a charge out of it. !!!!! !!!!! Emu alert: Please discharge this comment.
@Steve L OT here. I wasn't thinking fast enough the other day. A logical answer to Book that follows II Chronicles is I2 Chronicles. Alas, it wouldn't fit.
What a pro you are, Samuel A. A lovely puzzle could have been made simply focused on answers whose beginning and ends could be reversed, like HAND OFF and OFF HAND. But that wasn’t enough for you. First, as you mention in your notes, those reversed answers had to have completely different meanings. That boosts the quality of the theme. Then you added the “opposites attract” motif, that is, you found pairs of answers that fulfilled the above condition, AND contained opposite components, AND fulfilled the requirements of symmetry! Wow, and once again, what a pro you are, Samuel A. That motif, where the answers had to be reversed to fit their clues, AND that the reversals happened because the opposites “attracted” each other, well, that is a spectacular double-whammy theme you made. A delectable riddle to spar with, not to mention that it was woven into a milieu sparked with “Hah!”-inducing clues. For me, pure pleasure. The art and science of puzzle-making showcased today by a maestro. Thank you for a splendid outing, Samuel!
@Lewis Blew my mind when I finally spotted OVER/UNDER. That's next level construction stuff.
I’m not going to say this was an excellent Wednesday. It was, but I’m not going to say it. But but but, I wanted a Thursday. I really really really wanted a gnarly Thursday! I was almost counting it. Strike that. I *was* counting on it! I mean, NYT, what about my needs? I’m not having a tantrum here. I’m not. But what about a rebus or two? Themers hidden inside black boxes, running outside the grid, diagonally and upside down, nothing but French clues, themers that make sharp turns, words that make no sense until they do, hidden marriage proposals, emoji clues . . . ? Sure, a subtle and clever “opposites” theme is fine and all . . . for a Wednesday. “Hey Puzzlemucker?” “What?” “OH BEHAVE!” “Yeah, you’re right.” Loved it! Thanks Sam.
@Puzzlemucker Easy Mode Thursday. Let go my Froffles, emus
@Puzzlemucker YEAH BABY A phrase that got me wrong footed from the start. That, and typing with fingers that strayed from the home keys more than usual resulted in a Thursday average time despite no real difficulties.
I probably had something close to the ideal experience the constructor had in mind. Caught PASSOVER and realized it had to be OVERPASS, started hunting for other phrases to flip, got maybe half of them before the revealer (OPPOSITES ATTRACT) made me notice the symmetry between PAT DOWN and UP CHARGE. That let me pre-fill OUT, UNDER, and ON, which really clicked the rest of the puzzle in place. Not the hardest Thursday, but a really fun solve!
Despite many wonderful ahas throughout the puzzle, my favorite was *the* AHA at 2D. I clearly remember when that video came out, when MTV was still Music television. It was a groundbreaking video that won six awards at the 1986 MTV Video Music Awards. From an article about it: "The video used a pencil-sketch animation and live-action mix called rotoscoping, in which the live-action footage is traced over frame by frame to give the characters realistic movements." "Around 3,000 frames were rotoscoped, taking 16 weeks to complete." <a href="https://youtu.be/djV11Xbc914?feature=shared" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/djV11Xbc914?feature=shared</a> As you can see, Mr. Donaldson, you had me at AHA. Thank you for a very sharp and creative puzzle, one that kept me on my toes and had me uttering many an aha, while singing "Take On Me." Of course.
@sotto voce And then there's the hidden, if not identical, reference to the puzzle's theme in the song itself, TAKEONME/TAKEMEON.
@sotto voce Music in all its wonderful exuberance has always been a huge part of my life; and I pulled AHA out of the depths of memory having not thought of that band for nearly 50 years. When I clicked on the link you so thoughtfully provided I was washed away by a wave of nostalgia. In the middle of my residency training back then, I had no time for MTV. But work hard/play hard: when that song came on in a club or party, my beautiful young wife and I would find the dance floor. And until today, I had never seen that amazing video. Aha, indeed. Thanks, Ms. Sotto.
First, thanks to all who welcomed me back so graciously yesterday. I'm glad to be back. I think I've lost my rhythm because of the long hiatus. Today's puzzle took me longer both to solve and to spot the gimmick than in should have. As I was finishing, and as I (finally) filled in the revealer, I got about half the gimmick. I saw the reversed words and enjoyed the way they worked. What I didn't get or at least didn't see, was the juxtaposition of the paired entries. Didn't see it at all until I read Deb's explanation. Oh, well. the good part of the long hiatus is the archive: I can go back and do several puzzles a day as I continue to recuperate. I'll get my rhythm back pretty soon, I think. Anyway, I should have a fresh start. Fittingly, today is my birthday. I'm now 82. I've read that doing things like XWPs is good for the brains of the elderly. We'll see. Now, on to Wordle and Connections and a big cuddle with Lois. Again, thanks for the good wishes.
@Deadline I didn't see the paired entries either. The themes are often lost on me; I just trudge through clue by clue. Then reading the explanation of the theme is a fun surprise. At my age, only a bit behind you, every day above ground is a blessing. I have to chase my Zoey for a cuddle. NYT Games are a fine way to pass the time until she flops down. Happy Birthday!
@Deadline a very happy birthday to you!
@Deadline Wishing you a very happy birthday! You’re doing great.
Okay, so I'm not quite ready to start Thursday's puzzle yet at this late hour on Wednesday night at a martini and a half in, but I do want to say that I think earlier tonight I finally encountered the emus!! HUZZAH!! I had some extra free time tonight and I had some extra comments to share on the Wednesday puzzle. My latest one has seemingly disappeared into the emu ether. After starting on these crosswords in August of 2023, I kind of feel like I finally arrived! HUZZAH!!
@HeathieJ Congratulations! You have arrived! You have hit the big time! You’ve made it! !!!! !!!! $&@“(!
I love how “pat down” and “down pat” have such different meanings. Did we have another puzzle somewhat recently with similarish word swaps… hmmm…. Because I don’t have the memory of the last six months of puzzles down pat, I shall now proceed to pat down the archives to try to find what I think I’m remembering. Stay tuned.
@Cat Lady Margaret Check out 6/25/23 Sunday by John Westwig, “Opposites Attracting.” First themer was IN OUTING (“Event at a hot new club”). It might be what you had in mind? (There was also an “Opposites Attract” Sunday puzzle on 9/11/22 with opposites hidden inside themers, e.g., KARLA BONOFF)
@Cat Lady Margaret I don’t think that’s what you are thinking of, though. I do think there was a similar word swap theme recently, where the themers had to be read second word or second root first to make sense, but I can’t find it. Driving me a little crazy.
Great work Samuel! Clever concept, great execution. Super fun from start to finish. 👏 Loved this one so much that I’m commenting for the first time, after doing at least a thousand puzzles along the way.
I got the reversed aspect of the theme answers early on and solved this pretty easily, obviously without understanding the revealer. Understanding the full dynamic of the play makes this puzzle a pretty extraordinary construction. One note: the idea that canine pack structure has ALPHAS (52D) who are the lead dogs (or wolves) was based on some pretty lousy research and has long been discredited, but sadly lingers in popular culture as a description and justification for a particularly boorish, stupid and misogynistic form of male behavior. I rarely criticize cluing, but this trope is one that can be omitted, IMNSHO. Thanks for a great puzzle, Mr. Donaldson!
Our perfect week of puzzles continues - assuming “perfect” means right in that sweet spot of not too tough / not too easy. ALTHO, if we’re talking about the perfect puzzle for each day of the week, I would say, the theme was pretty easy to sniff out, today. I suppose I like a Thursday to be a bit more dazzling with its trickery. I want to briefly feel like a Thursday Genius™️ when I crack the code. Not sure I felt that with this one… but, whatever this puzzle lacked in trickery, it more than made up for with fantastic clues and wonderful fill. A perfectly enjoyable challenge. Well done, Samuel A. Donaldson. And, thank you!
Some moments of my solve: Got PASSOVER not long after starting, mostly because of the crosses, and said to myself, I've never heard that word used for highway crossings, just a Jewish holiday. But at that point, I didn't connect it with OVERPASS, thus not picking up on the idea that the words had to be turned around. It took me longer than it should have to get the next section, particularly because I had --NEA-- in 17A and decided that "Family tree" had to be GENEALOGY, and therefore we were dealing with a typical Thursday rebus. Of course, that was not the case, and I moved on with the area incomplete. I got the revealer, 40A, but that simply got me to realize that PASSOVER was just a reversal of OVERPASS. I was probably going too fast to realize that these answers had to be the opposites of the adjacent words to fulfill the revealer. But the information that I had to put in eight compound words or eight phrases with the words reversed got me through UNDERGO, ORDER IN, OUTLAYS, and so on. It was only when I reached the end and reread the revealer clue, that I noticed that OVER was paired with UNDER, IN with OUT, etc. A major 2D moment! A brilliant concept and a brilliant execution.
Bravo for an amazing and inspired theme. I solved the puzzle on my computer rather than on my phone, which I rarely do, which may partially explain my time being 26% faster than average. Emus long for length. I will try not to disappoint, so that they do not disappoint. "Hey, you stupid dot!" Sorry to dis a point.
@Jim The default setting among most of the solvers who drop by seems to be phone solving, but I solve on my desktop whenever I can, using the phone only when 10:00 hits while I'm in a car (not driving, of course) or otherwise out of the house, including on vacation. Or occasionally when a ballgame runs past 10:00 and it's not available online. I probably solve on the desktop 95% of the time. It's a much better experience, in my opinion, and it's even quite a bit better than solving on a laptop. I am aware that the youngs mostly don't bother with desktops anymore, but I couldn't drop the desktop for work-related reasons. You can't really do intricate Excel work on a phone...or if you can, I've got to hand it to you. Though I'm retired now, I still do occasional work for my employer, and can't imagine doing most of it on a phone; even a laptop would be much more challenging. You will certainly lower your average by solving on a desktop.
I always solve on my phone, and the usual 15×15 grid is a perfect size. Today it seemed a bit small, and I quickly confirmed that it's a 16×15 and that my deteriorating eyesight wasn't the issue. (I don't do Sundays because they're a beast to navigate on a phone.)
Lovely theme echo in the answer LINEAGE, which, reversed, becomes the totally-different-meaning AGE LINE. Et tu, emu.
Hmm. I'd always interpreted SMH to mean "Smack My Head." Googled it, and the first entry says it means "Shaking My Head." Learn something new every day; but I really do prefer my interpretation.
@Splat I've always known it as The Sydney Morning Herald
@Splat that is so funny, I always thought it meant So Much Hate. 🤦♂️ I went with OMG before changing it to SMH.
@Splat When I first encountered SMH on the interwebs, I interpreted it as, "So Much Hate!" I like it, and I'm sticking to it.
Lots of suffering, especially in the NW, before I got to the revealer and figured out the trick. Without knowing it, PASSOVER is ungettable and I was wondering what sort of PASS_____ there is to get you across a highway? Of course I didn't know the Austin Powers catchphrase, and CAPTCHAS, as fiendishly clued here, was also a mystery. I was NEVER going to crack the NW! I was cursing the puzzle early on and thinking I might just throw it against the wall. But once the scales fell from my eyes, I had to admire the trick and all my suffering ended as quickly as it had begun. Where did I suffer? At every single revealer, that's where. But while I had few crosses to help out in the NW, the area around the revealer wasn't too hard and that eventually came in to my great relief. I'm always saying that the only good puzzle trick is one where you can't solve unless/until you figure it out. This definitely was that. So I'm left saying: "Be careful what you wish for!" Just kidding, Sam. An excellent Thursday that gave me a really big and much-needed AHA moment.
Some people have been defending the naysayers, saying they have the right to express their opinions. They do, but if you have a negative opinion, you should make sure that it's the fault of the puzzle... If you think a clue is lame, and everyone else is praising it, maybe you should consider that there might be some aspect of it you don't understand. Maybe you're missing the A-HA moment. If you think this puzzle is "more gimmicky nonsense," maybe you're not getting the logic of the more complicated puzzles (not just this one, because you said "more"). Nothing about this puzzle was nonsense, and rather than calling it "gimmicky", I'd say that it had more layers of cleverness than one might first notice. If you call a puzzle "nonsensical and exclusionary", all you're telling us is that you haven't yet reached the point where you can crack the code and appreciate the complexity of the puzzle. The fact that you are in a distinct minority should tell you that maybe it's not the puzzle. If, on the other hand, you can give negative criticism based on solid evidence, with careful critical analysis, you certainly should. Not every puzzle is puzzle of the year. But before you do, just consider for just a little while that it might not be the fault of the puzzle.
@Steve L Why should only some negative opinions be allowed? Now that would be exclusionary indeed! Can't somebody just not like gimmicky puzzles? I don't, particularly, and I'm not ashamed of it. Should I keep that opinion to myself? That's like saying I should keep quiet about disliking vodka because so many people seem to like it, making it wellmtakes a lot of effort, and there is nothing chemically and technically wrong with it. The argument about these comments being mostly praise is not worth much, because - unless there are technical issues on the iPad app - almost all commments are always positive, and no wonder, since critical voices are subject to replies such as yours here, Steve L - civil but with an undeniable undercurrent of unpleasantness. I understand the complexity of gimmicky puzzles, but I don't like them, just like, say, I understand the complexity of automated drones, but not in all of their uses.
@Steve L Perhaps You should consider that it is not your place to gatekeep comments. If I don't like a puzzle for whatever reason, emotional or logical, based on thorough analysis or off-the-cuff reaction, it is my place to decide whether to comment, not yours.
I will be in awe of the clue for AHA for sometime to come. Not as complex as some Thursday twists have been, but it was fun, and some great clues.
@Kris T That clue was honestly kind of lame. I disagree.
Really impressive how smooth the fill was for how much structure the gimmick demanded. Terrific!
Great Thursday! ALTHO I'd misread the revealer and thought it applied to four entries (rather than four *pairs*), I loved the theme once I got it. Also slowing me down? I really, really wanted Leer's madness to storm on the moors instead of the HEATH. I just love thinking about stormy moors, but I guess that's more Bronte than Shakespeare. Here's a bit of Leer's fury on the heath, though, should y'all enjoy it as much as me: You sulphurous and thought-executing fires, Vaunt-couriers to oak-cleaving thunderbolts, Singe my white head! And thou, all-shaking thunder, Smite flat the thick rotundity o' the world! Crack nature's moulds, an germens spill at once, That make ingrateful man! (Act III, not ACTIV, but still)
I misread that too. Started to get very confused once I got more than four reversed answers
I finished the puzzle without quite understanding the theme. I knew the words were reversed but I didn’t get the connection between the different answers on the same line. Very clever puzzle!
@WR the end of the first word and beginning of the second are opposites. OVER/UNDER, IN/OUT, OFF/ON, DOWN/UP
Whew. I guess I shouldn't be too surprised that everyone else found this one easy. For me? - might be the longest time I ever spent on a Thursday puzzle. Just took me a while to catch on to the trick, but then there's really no indication of exactly where the pairs of theme answers are and so I was appropriately puzzled for a while even after that. At least they were placed synchronously, so that did help in the end. And... wasn't until after I was done that I managed to notice the implied pairs of words on the inner side of the theme answers. THAT was a really nice touch. Really clever puzzle - the struggle is all on me. First puzzle find today should be obvious. There was another OPPOSITESATTRACT theme just last year - A Tuesday from March 27, 2023. In that one, it was just pairs of words at the beginning of the theme answers: OFFONALARK BIGLITTLELIES LEFTRIGHTWAY OUTINFRONT I'll put a couple more puzzle finds in a reply. ..
@Rich in Atlanta As threatened: I do a ton of answer history searches but I don't recall ever coming across anything quite like this before. Two puzzles - both Mondays - one from July 1, 1996, and the other from June 29, 2009. Three 15 letter theme answers in both of them and those theme answers in exactly the same rows in both of them. In the 1996 puzzle: GOODFORNOTHING BETTERMOUSETRAP BESTFOODFORWARD And... in the 2009 puzzle: GOODNIGHTSSLEEP BETTERMOUSETRAP BESTKEPTSECRETS Xword Info links to those puzzles: <a href="https://www.xwordinfo.com/Crossword?date=7/1/1996&g=38&d=A" target="_blank">https://www.xwordinfo.com/Crossword?date=7/1/1996&g=38&d=A</a> <a href="https://www.xwordinfo.com/Crossword?date=6/29/2009&g=35&d=A" target="_blank">https://www.xwordinfo.com/Crossword?date=6/29/2009&g=35&d=A</a> ..
@Rich in Atlanta There was actually a good one a couple days ago: RUBS OFF ON. .
My moment of pure delight, when I realizes the opposites were literally pulled from one side of the theme answers to the other like magnets (so they could be together, awwww). This wasn't a really difficult Thursday (I was 11 minutes under my average) but that didn't make it less enjoyable. :)
I was struggling to make sense of of some of my entries, so concentrated on getting the reveal, and it all began to make sense. Very clever, and I can see why it was so difficult to construct. Well done , Samuel.
Got the theme early on, but the NW corner had me scratching my head for the longest time. Austin Powers' catchphrase was obviously YEAH BABY, which of course didn't jibe with COP, AHA, PBS or HAVE I. I don't recall OH BEHAVE, but there are so many things I don't recall these days. . .
@Anna E AP also said "Oh, bite me!" which first entered, but which I couldn't make work. I came ultimately to "Oh behave" from down entries, and come to check Google, it too was an AP catchphrase. Very clever misdierection by the constructor!
@Anna E for the life of me I could not remember his catch phrase. Then I solved HAVEI which visually jarred my memory.
Despite already getting the reveal I managed to skate over each of the themers, thanks to gentle crosses, until I came to a screeching halt in the SW and had to go back and figure out just exactly what game was afoot. That's when I finally got it DOWN PAT. Clever and fun, IN that ORDER! Many thanks.
First of all, if I were a robot (which I'm totally not), I would absolutely be programmed to check the "I am not a robot" box to fool you silly humans. I would also know how to select stop lights and motorcycles and whatnot in pictures, just like you humans do... Second of all, I know that AHA shows up in puzzles a fair amount but the clue for it at 2D today was pure delight!! Love it!! I also loved seeing my childhood (and continuing with very old friends) nickname, HEATH, in here! I don't find it mundane at all! ;-) Loads of really clever clues added up to a very nice puzzle! Oh, where trailers wind up had me quite flummoxed... I kept trying to think of the word for that hitch thing you attach a trailer or boat to... Finally, to my husband, "Bae, what is that hitch thingy called? " He's like, "Bae, it's called a hitch!" Harrumph! I really liked the actual answer though—very cute! Because I'm too proud not to say this: for the record, I'm totally kidding about the Bae word. I always roll my eyes when I eventually get it in a puzzle after trying hon or hun for too long first, and I'm glad it wasn't in here! :-)
@HeathieJ I hate the motorcycle CAPTCHAs. Are you supposed to include the panels that show only part of the motorcyclist?
I always do…but it seems to work only sometimes so I’m not sure if it’s what they’re looking for or not
Nice. Pretty easy concept to pick up (so to speak), if you go in cold.
So clever and so fun! A very bright and merry Thursday. Well done!
I really enjoyed working through the theme of this puzzle, Samuel. And there were a number of fun clues. Nicely done.
Brilliant puzzle, one that should satisfy the Thursday lovers like me — as well as solvers totally opposed to a rebus.
"Take on an empty stomach with a full glass of water one hour before a meal." Words of Doom. I much prefer, "Take with food." On a normal day, I barely make it from meal to meal. 'Fasting Labs' are the bane of annual physical day. SMH So I have this new Rx and I followed the instructions and now I am nauseated. It is not Samuel A. Donaldson's fault.....but I will say that a slightly tougher puzzle would have been a welcome distraction. Ho ho ho. Slightly scrambled entries, magnetic attraction (apparently), and a somewhat timely entry at 18A... really a nice puzzle. I need to be excused...
Interestingly enough, I was standing on line for ice cream one day, probably about 20 years ago, on Martha's Vineyard, and Sam Donaldson was on line a few people ahead of me. The newsman Sam Donaldson, that is. I didn't talk to him, because that might have meant mentioning that I was a loyal NBC News viewer...still am. Of course, it was years before I knew that Sam Donaldson the crossword constructor...er, the future crossword constructor...existed.
(Second attempt. The first one may show up later, or even at the same time, so apologies in advance.) Some moments of my solve: Got PASSOVER not long after starting, mostly because of the crosses, and said to myself, I've never heard that word used for highway crossings, just a Jewish holiday. But at that point, I didn't connect it with OVERPASS, thus not picking up on the idea that the words had to be turned around. It took me longer than it should have to get the next section, particularly because I had --NEA-- in 17A and decided that "Family tree" had to be GENEALOGY, and therefore we were dealing with a typical Thursday rebus. Of course, that was not the case, and I moved on with the area incomplete. I got the revealer, 40A, but that simply got me to realize that PASSOVER was just a reversal of OVERPASS. I was probably going too fast to realize that these answers had to be the opposites of the adjacent words to fulfill the revealer. But the information that I had to put in eight compound words or eight phrases with the words reversed got me through UNDERGO, ORDER IN, OUTLAYS, and so on. It was only when I reached the end and reread the revealer clue, that I noticed that OVER was paired with UNDER, IN with OUT, etc. A major 2D moment! A brilliant concept and a brilliant execution.
The only challenge today was figuring out - or rather looking up - the (too) many trivia clues, and that's not a challenge I particularly enjoy. The theme - elegantly thought out and well incorporated into the puzzle - was surprisingly tame by Thursday standards. That's fine with me, as I'm not a huge fan of crossword gimmicks, but many people must have been disappointed. . . . . Are emus good at pub quizzes?
@Andrzej I always look for your comments, because your command of English is so incredible! . . . Emus have been deleting all my comments for several days. Hope this one makes the cut.
Loved this one. "Getting" the theme was my key to solving.
Oh - I just thought this was delicious! Great fill, fantastic cluing; I will be giggling about 2-down all day. This was a joyous start to the day; thank you, thank you, thank you! 💛
Loved this puzzle but now Take On Me will live in my head all day. BTW, if you've never seen the video, it was groundbreaking at the time and won all of the awards. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=djV11Xbc914" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=djV11Xbc914</a>
@Allen Thank you so much, I had never seen this and what I would have missed.
First, I should say that this was absolutely clever and fun to do. I loved discovering (AHA!) that I needed to reverse all my first entries (well, the ones I got on the first pass anyway). But…I’ve been having such a disorganized week that I had convinced myself that today was Wednesday, so when I opened the puzzle and saw Thursday, it gave me a huge, nerdy grin—and an internal Thursday happy dance—but then I finished in Wednesday time and felt a little robbed of my Thursday fix. I’ll end my fascinating post (insert wryly sarcastic emoji here) by summarizing that this puzzle would have been an outstanding Wednesday-level offering. Are you nodding off, emus?
@Kate - It was a lovely Wednesday puzzle indeed. sigh
Like "Sam Donaldson"... I had the same reaction when I first saw puzzles by David Steinberg. I wondered if that was the same David Steinberg who appeared on Johnny Carson's show 100+ times. (Spoiler alert: nope.)
@Michael Weiland Maybe Gary Larson should change his name to Gerald Alabaster Larson III, esq. Might clear up some confusion in the comments 2-3 times a year
@Michael Weiland On Feb. 23, 2014, the puzzle was a tribute to the director Victor Fleming, on the 125fh anniversary of his birth. All the theme answers were films he directed, starting with THE WIZARD OF OZ and including eight movies all together, including GONE WITH THE WIND. The constructor was listed as "A Namesake of 119-Across", which was the revealer that gave the director's name. So Victor Fleming the constructor (who has created 47 puzzles for the NYT) created a tribute puzzle to Victor Fleming the director. (Incidentally, constructor Gary Larson is not cartoonist Gary Larson, either, and newcomer from last week Nathan Hale isn't...well, you know.) PS Here's a list of actual celebrities who have constructed (actually, co-constructed with more traditional constructors) NYT crosswords: <a href="https://www.xwordinfo.com/Celebrities" target="_blank">https://www.xwordinfo.com/Celebrities</a>
@Michael Weiland Booga-booga!
Nice - went back after finishing to enjoy the construction. As usual, I completed the puzzle before getting the full import of the theme. I went through with "Oh - okay the phrases are reversed, and they have meanings both ways. Cool." Love what you did with the opposites there! Thanks Mr. Donaldson.
Once I got this, it made me tingle with delight. Absolutely brilliant, than you Mr. Donaldson.
Clever puzzle as has been noted. Remain adamant (aka pig headed) that the little tricks are not my cuppa. During my brief tenure as a therapist, opposites often repel in time. Thank you Sam
I think it's fair to say that CrossWorld's Sam Donaldson has got his constructing chops DOWNPAT as he is able to so entertainingly CHARGEUP his expectant audience: us! I'm so glad you are the creating crosswords Sam. Politics make my head hurt. You make my heart sing.
Really appreciated the clueing today. “Now I remember the song…” “Road runners” “Dog on a cat” “Start to fix” Clever but clear. And a t magnetic theme? Spicy! OHBEHAVE!
Great puzzle. Once again, I solved the Thursday without fully understanding the gimmick. Thanks Deb for explaining. Leggo my froffle!
In Deb Amlen’s intro text, this sentence is repeated: “Also, it may be the reason that he now uses Samuel A. Donaldson for his byline.” Editors, get editing.
@Ron The laxness of the poorly/non-edited, DIY internet content creation culture is leaking into our mainstream institutions!
@Ron et al., Since such goofs are atypical here, I'm guessing RSV (aka "a bad cold") is to blame. 🤒🤧😮💨😓 Hopefully all will be better soon.
@Ron I was wondering if it was a joke that went over my head, but I considered it might be lack of editing. First comment, so no need to emu, but I'll do so anyway.
On my first pass, for 62A, "rehearsed to perfection," I confidently entered: by heart — which does not match any of the letters for today's theme fill.