Deb, interesting that you read 46D to mean “STRIP off one’s clothes” - I just assumed it meant STRIP the threads from a screw. Nice double meaning for that clue!
@Coriander I went straight to the clothing, too, but I must acknowledge that STRIPping the threads on a screw is right up there with other domestic challenges/frustrations.
@Coriander I don't think stripping the threads of a screw is very common, compared to stripping the head.
Spark in answer, spark in clue. With 18 longs, I look for glue Yet hardly a whiff of junk in sight But rather pings of sheer delight Highlights: • The NYT debut answers today: ACCENT WALL, EARLY SIGN, I’M SO CONFUSED, POWER USERS, and even that goofy SMELLERS, which made me smile. • The grid design, which made space for that unusually high number of long answers (eight letters or more). • The skill of quilting this many long answers together without creating an overflow of detritus. • Sweet cluing, highlighted by those never-used-before clues for NAVEL and WEREWOLF. • Enough bite to satisfy my brain’s work ethic; enough give to enable the thrill of several answer splashes. And all this, Jesse, on your NYT debut, which felt more like it came from the hand of a seasoned constructor than from one who’s been at it for a bit more than two years. What you showed was that you’ve got that secret sauce in you, the ability to craft top-notch puzzles. Please, Jesse, keep at it, and thank you for a sublime outing today!
I would sing higher notes, but then I'd get into treble. (Just pitch this one.)
@Mike I hit that low pitch for tubases. Maybe it was two basses. A double play.
@Mike You could gain a Medieval title if you did: "Tenor is the Knight"—so romentic!
I really enjoyed this one. Lots of entertaining and clever clues and not a lot of obscure or archaic trivia. The "moonshine" clue was excellent fun, as was the "negative impression" clue. "Evidence of a past, personal connection" also made me giggle. Just the right level of challenge and fun for a Friday puzzle!
This one was so hard for me that every time I filled in a corner I expected a knock on the door by a Nobel Committee rep ready to hand me a gold star and a fistful of dollars. The only thing that saved it was that it was so much fun to solve, with so many unexpected quirky clues. "Evidence of a past personal connection?" It doesn't get any better than that. Jesse Cohn, you may have had some first class help, but in end the puzzle was all yours. Without your resourcefulness and persistence if would never have happened. Congratulations on your debut and thank you! (Now how about an encore?)
Without taking any high praise away from Jesse Cohn's FIRST puzzle, let's also give some kudos to Joel Fagliano for the editing. A great team effort and a delightful puzzle to solve. There's no crossword I enjoy more than one that feels impossible at first, and then opens up as I continue trying, all the while making me smile at the way my brain runs with its first answer to a clue while missing the possibility of other meanings.
@Holly Nicely said! Every time I read a comment that complains that the puzzle editing has declined since Joel Fagliano stepped in, I have to wonder if the commenter solved a different puzzle than I did. Yes, there have been a few changes, but overall, I don’t see a huge difference in the editing.
7 down - best clue in a while.
@Big Mike It is, maybe even better than yesterday's "always ready to order" = bossy. For this one I was thinking "revenuers" for a hot minute. The puzzles have been a lot better the last few days.
Debut-iful. Mr. Cohn gets it. NE slowed me down for a minute, but it was a fluid, top-to-bottom, read the spanners, get a couple crosses, spanners “appeared”, and I got to dance along all the way to the SE. Sometimes a puzzle makes me think, if I was having coffee with the constructor, we would be finishing each others’ sentences. When a constructor makes so many people feel that way, well, that’s just skill. Happy Friday all!
I loved loved loved this crossword!!! A fine example of what I imagine a grandmaster of puzzle construction aims for in each outing. Its a reminder of how Crosswords should be — not filled with 3-letter fillers or tricks like rebus and the like (although I quite enjoy the latter). Jesse you are definitely a natural at this and now you have set the bar very high for your sophomore effort. I cannot wait for your next puzzle. It can't come too soon. I will be heartbroken should you not modify your bucket list to include a Sunday NYT crossword.
@Judith Fairview so agree Had a few lookups but trivia kept at minimum. Great word play. First Fri in ages I enjoyed.
My wife and I found these clues delightful, tricky but not impossibly deceitful. We hope Jesse produces many more.
@Ken What a nice way to say it! You might have put your finger on the sweet spot for those who sometimes complain about the difficulty level. (I happen to like impossibly deceitful, but that’s just me.) Thanks for the apt description!
Speaking of signs of Spring, the one I most eagerly await is the return of the bluebirds to my nesting box. I'm happy to report that eggs hatched earlier this week, and Mr and Mrs B have been tirelessly bringing juicy tidbits to their youngsters.
Tough, but fair in the end. Upper right and lower left gave me some trouble. I never would have guessed it was a first time effort. Nice work.
@B I was a big fan of upper right. It was the last part that I solved (went back and forth between PEAT and malt until it all came together). The part that confused me the most was snow drops being an EARLYSIGN of spring, but it makes sense, even though New York hasn't had enough snow to thaw in early spring for a while now.
“I’M SO CONFUSED”: this handy phrase has really proven useful. Years ago, I was whining to my partner about something at work - some scenario where others were stubbornly refusing to accept my obviously correct view of something, heh. He told me what he uses in those situations is “I’m confused”. It allows you to air your thoughts and maybe avoid the tripwire of defensiveness in your listener. Example: “I’m confused. Your email last week said we were encouraged to pick up overtime.” Or: “I’m confused. Rebus puzzles have been appearing in the NYT since 1955.”
@Cat Lady Margaret When I was 22, I refused to even *consider* dating a co-worker who asked me out repeatedly. He was a cocky football player with a swagger and I wanted a poet who painted in a messy loft studio. His ability to make me laugh, however, got me to go with him to shows, museums… One night, we went to see a movie at the artsiest theater in town. The place was packed full of art snobs ( myself included), soaking up the odd film, nodding like one does staring at a painting that is entirely black… After a particularly odd image of a burning barn, falling from the sky, landing on a quiet road, the theater was silent. All were at least pretending to understand the symbolism. He leans over and - in a whisper that was louder than an air horn - says “I’m SO confused.” At least 20 people in that theater laughed out loud. And one voice from many rows away, said “Ha! We all are, man.” I’ve been married to him for almost 30 years.
Lots of personality. Tickled the mind. Stuff I got a kick out of: - Etta without James. Finally! - the ironic crossings of Street Smarts with I've Been Had! & I'm So Confused with Safe Bets. Good life hacks, in other words: those who think they're wise in the ways of the world are more naive than they think; those who are confused can still make wise choices. - The Italian trio of Roma, Trieste and the aforementioned Etta. - Speaking of which, can I take BART to go OVER TRAIN to the North Beach for the bruschETTA at Tosca Café? I heard it's all the rage. If I was a power user of the internet I'd know the answer. - Accent Wall - Waste Paper. Same difference as they say! - Werewolf - Snapchat. You might say any conversation with a werewolf will result in a snap chat; they're not so much snapping at you as snapping on you. In fact the movie "Ginger Snaps" is about two teenaged female werewolves. - Also liked that werewolf was neutrally gendered in the clue. I do tend to think of them as male, but am informed by power users that there are plenty of films with lycanthropic females, including Rob Zombie's Werewolf Women of the SS, Wolves, Cursed, Blood & Chocolate, and the list goes on... - Loved Ahab's quote for its misdirect. He's so confused! Does he think he's going OVER TRAIN to catch the whale? Dude's on a BOAT! - And if I was an ET and wasn't yet street smart, I'd also call noses "smellers" until someone clued me in. - ABOVE ALL I like to fill in END before I fill BEGIN.
@john ezra "- Etta without James. Finally!" Don't you mean, at last? But almost exactly one year ago, the clue was "__ Candy, best friend of Wonder Woman". Other previous clues have referred to ETTA Kett, an old comic strip and ETTA Place, Butch and Sundance's companion, and a few others. But definitely, Ms. James is the queen of crossword ETTAS, for sure.
Congratulations on your NYT Deb, Mr. Cohn! I enjoyed many of the clues, especially the ones for WEREWOLF and NAVEL. I hope we’ll see you back here soon.
"Curses, it was a ruse!" "And I would have gotten away with it if it weren't for you meddling kids!!" "Scooby Dooby Dooooo!" What a super fun puzzle!! As usual for Friday, very little on my first and second go around but then things just started filing and left and right! Not enough Os in smooth! Loved it!! Delightful clues! Favorite is "One who can't handle their moonshine well" for WEREWOLF. Also loved the clues for STRIP (Deb's definition was mine, as well) and DENT... But really, pretty much all of them! Loved all the long ones very much! Delightful all around! "So hot right now" was right on the SMELLER for me here in Honduras! Even the year round locals can't stop talking how hot it is this week. You might say that talking about how hot it is is ALL THE RAGE right now! Only hangups were kick for *Punt, e.g." - which I held onto for too long - (didn't know it was a boat) and rather stupidly going from free wifi for "Coffee shop amenity" to ethERNET. Ethernet! What!? (Can I blame heat!? 🫣) Super fun with no lookups or helps!!
@HeathieJ I for some reason also went for ethERNET at first and it's not even hot in Chicago! I then peered at it and said "Wut?" and corrected it to INTERNET. Must be something in the Ether.
@HeathieJ Lord Peter (Wimsey) was always PUNTing on the Cam (or some other river)... propelling the PUNT with a long pole in manly fashion...
A good friend of mine once claimed that the last stand of the Cat People--AKA the ERIE--against the Iroquois took place at a particular bend of the Cuyahoga River, in Ohio's CVNP, just north of the village of Peninsula, OH; although where he got his information I have no idea. But anyone who thinks that genocide in the pursuit of *Lebensraum* is anything new, or exclusively European, should read up on the Iroquois Wars. OK, I have to confess that I find this recording--of a familiar ditty by J. S. Bach--a little creepy, but it does feature a LEGATO line for the TREBLEs, and it's been transposed into F major, so it features plenty of FAS, in both Fixed-Do and Moveable-Do solfege systems: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ocbEpDEXPU" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ocbEpDEXPU</a> A Friday puzzle just the way I like them: tricky but not too, with lots of long, multi-word, conversational entries, and very little Crosswordese fill--NTH and FAS are the only two which seemed a little clunky. Congratulations on a fine debut, Mr. Cohn!
So good! I love it when the long answers are some of the more gettable ones and can serve as anchors for tricky fill. These were totally dialed in!
Lots of fun! I enjoyed WEREWOLF and NAVEL.
Good fun puzzle. NAVEL for "evidence of a past personal connection" gave me a nice chuckle.
What's scarier than a WEREWOLF? A right there wolf!
I'm not sure what this says about me, but I thought 46D, "Lose the threads?" meant to STRIP the threads on a bolt, not to take off one's clothes. I did the puzzle late Thursday night, so my imagination might have gone to sleep early, Otherwise, a fun puzzle.
@Michael Ha, I never considered that threads might mean clothes! I thought it was to strip a screw.
I am in Hawaii for a week. Today I saw a nene and an emu at the Hilo Zoo. No oreos..... I also saw a kinkajou. Doesn't that look like a word that belongs in a crossword, too?
I liked this one and it was also my record time for solving a Friday!
I doubted HOW all the way to the finish line. My time was average but would have been a lot faster if it hadn’t taken so long to track down my error: ROMe instead of ROMA. Rookie mistake. The cluing was exceptional. Great debut puzzle!
Great puzzle, Jesse. I loved it. I finished in a little over 7 hours, having fallen asleep after a couple entries. At least I didn't hit any buttons like "check word" that would have broken my streak. My favorite clue/answer is 7D.
Cue WEREWOLVES of London: He was very, very hairy. Count us in on the morning howls of joy over this puzzle. Thank you Jesse
I thought this was a pretty easy puzzle, until I had to deal with the southeast corner. TIL: that CAP is slang for "lie" and is most commonly used in the phrase "no CAP" to emphasize that one is giving their honest opinion. That was the easy part of that corner, since it allowed me to put in SCORES for the "level best." But putting in the (obvious?) SELeNA for VP Meyer's first name, and the (obvious?) wOW for "expression of shock", left me with weGHSCORES for "level best". I'M SO CONFUSED! Well, not SO confused. A minute or two and I was able to get my AHA-moment.
I really enjoyed this puzzle. It rewarded those who stuck with it and figured out the numerous misdirections and examples of clever wordplay. Clues for WEREWOLF, NAVEL, BARNS were among my favorites, but there were many others. Great job Jesse. Keep them coming.
Everyone's brains works a bit differently, but this puzzle was great fun since it seemed to be made just for me. I amazed myself by seeing the long and/or creative answers with only a couple of crosses. So I filled in some words I had no idea about. Wonderful! Very clever, off the beaten path cluing was a joy.
What a fantastic Friday grid. One of my all time favourites. It was hard enough to make me ponder, but not impossible. As the long answers fell one by one I felt a ‘wow’. Of the shorter entries, NAVEL had me chuckling aloud. I could have done without being reminded of just how many Tory PM’s we’ve had to endure, but hey, it can’t be Cider with Rosie all the way. I saw in some of the early comments that there was a little confusion over snowdrops. It would seem it’s not a native flower across the US. What a treat you miss; tiny, fragile white bells that emerge from the dark and cold, or frankly in recent years, more like the wet, in February, finally heralding the onset of Spring. I’m so impressed that this is a debut. Hats off to you Mr Cohn. That was a real delight.
@Helen Wright - it is a precious native flower here; it seems that a lot of our commenters just live where dirt gave way to concrete long years ago, or paying attention to growing things isn’t on their agenda.
Joining the chorus of praise here -- that was great fun!
This was probably my very favourite Friday ever. All the long entries seemed intuitive to me and I found myself chucking many times while solving. Overall, a hoot! Hoping to see more from Mr Cohn in the future!
Memorable debut. Typical slow start for me, but some guesses and working the crosses and then just lots of nice 'oh of course!' moments when something finally dawned on me. Somehow ended up well below my Friday average time. Looking forward to more from Mr. Cohn. Had a quite remarkable puzzle find today. I'll put that in a reply. ..
@Rich in Atlanta As threatened: A Sunday puzzle from September 25, 2011 by Paul Hunsberger with the title "Entwisted." A couple of sample theme clues/answers: "Scraping kitchen gadget with nothing in it?" EMPTYZESTER "Pale yellow-shelled sea creature? :" MAIZELOBSTER And some other theme answers: FRASIERCRAZE SEEJUSTICEDOZE HIGHLIGHTERPEZ EMPERORZERO KIDZAPPER Will confess that I had to ponder for a few seconds before the meaning of the title dawned on me. N twisted. Here's the Xword Info link: <a href="https://www.xwordinfo.com/Crossword?date=9/25/2011&g=27&d=D" target="_blank">https://www.xwordinfo.com/Crossword?date=9/25/2011&g=27&d=D</a> ..
This puzzle made me howl in broad daylight. No "moonshine" required. Too many blanks for me after the 1st pass but then Lon Chaney appeared out of the mist and 39 minutes later I had screamed my way to the finish. Thank you Mr. Cohn and please come back soon. I'll bring the garlic!
Fun and fresh Friday that flowed freely for me! Added a Friday PB to my Monday and Wednesday this week, but wouldn't say it was "too easy" - just felt like it all clicked beautifully in my brain. Loved the cluing for WEREWOLF and I love when I can use GenZ slang like CAP for things other than eliciting derisive stares from my teenager. Congrats on a great debut!
After a few minutes of a fresh and engaging solve, I double checked the title page because I thought maybe it was a "Robyn Weintraub Friday". Which I am sure Jesse will take as a huge compliment! Awesome debut!
Joining others who really enjoyed this one; not because it was easy, but because of that satisfying experience of getting almost nothing at first, thinking it's impossible, getting a few, and then the rest coming in with a *woosh.* I solved up from the Southeast corner; Captain Picard, FTW!
Now that's exactly what I expect out of a Friday puzzle. A lot of tough and non obvious clues, but they all made sense after solving. Took a while to grind it out, but it was steady grind. 30 minutes, no mistakes
What a smooth and rewarding fill that was
I can't believe how many more newer puzzlers found this a quick solve. This experienced solver found it an absolute beast! First pass yielded just one measly answer: OPAH, which some others here found obscure. I learned it many moonfishes ago from the crosswords! But I soldiered on and finally, gratefully finished in the SE corner. Had no idea about HIGHSCORES or slang for Lie, and surely should have remembered Bill Withers' song title, but ultimately finished with a few good guesses and without any lookups! Unlike others, I didn't find this to be a "fun" puzzle while I was slaving over it, except for "Evidence of a past personal connection?" But after all was said and done, this was one that I contemplated after the fact with great appreciation for a masterful debut! Thank you, Jesse.
@Times Rita Thanks for mentioning CAP. I struggled a little bit with the SE corner, in part because I had forgotten “No CAP” as slang for “No lie,” which I sort of learned from another puzzle a few months ago. Maybe this time it’ll stick.
A tricky puzzle full of clever clues! At first pass it seemed too daunting, but eventually thing came together smoothly. I confess I looked up TRIESTE to make sure it was correct, along with the spelling of SELINA, but otherwise no hints. I was particularly amused by the clue for 7D WEREWOLF, and the double meaning of the clue for 46D STRIP.
So.....THIS is a debut?? Jesse is going to cross off constructing crosswords now? Thank goodness for small mercies... Apparently I don't know the latest term for LIE, which is too bad, since there is quite a bit of that going around. Some of this came easily despite the trickiness of the clues, but then remembering Ms. May's first name was difficult, not to mention the "Scale fourths" (going to keep rubbing that in, are we?)... The 'dawn chorus' usually includes spring peepers (FROG?) and all manner of bird life--so that was quite a challenge. Aaaand "The North Shore"..... In the Fifties, we called it 'The Nort Point,' and it was undeveloped, unpaved, and sparsely visited. You could look at the tide pools, watch the waves, have a picnic, and lose your fishing tackle... There was even rusted barbed wire about--part of the defenses in case of an invasion. I suppose development was inevitable... but world fame?
@Mean Old Lady I believe the North Shore’s world fame is due to the giant waves for surfing found there. Long Island has a North Shore, too, emus, but that didn't fit.
Please quit your day job and come back soon!!!!
Big fan of this one. Sticky in places but gettable fill and great clues. Congrats on a stellar debut!
Good thing to have in the city: I was thinking, WHAT THE HEY, HOW about a penthouse, looming ABOVE ALL, with views far and wide, and INTERNET of course, but more importantly, an ACCENT WALL that's ALL THE RAGE. Okay, back to earth. Congratulations on a beautiful debut, Mr. Cohn! It was clever and fun, with smart misdirects. A joy to solve! One more thing – now that you've crossed this off your bucket list, don't forget to add a replacement. If you keep a running list, you'll always need more time 'round these parts, ultimately giving you a very, very long life! ;-)
Pardon me, while I plug in my Clavinet . . . A debut, (AHEM) Feels like LEGATO beauties. ONEATATIME these clues they tell me, This fill is fresh and new for me. Ah-huh, but my answer (Ah-huh) Yeah to all that clue me stuff I, I, I, I Yes, I wanna spread the news IT's an EARLYSIGN with his great debut Oh, Jesse keep on cluing' please Until your grid fills up Until your grid fills up My STREETSMARTS Don't LYE and they talk to me. They told me ABOVEALL, this grid wins a top AWARD from me. And I'm sure he meant well Yeah, but when his grid was through I, I, I said Jesse if you only knew Most Thursday's folk say IMSOCONFUSED Jesse keep on cluin' me Until your grid fills up Until your grid fills up
@Whoa Nellie You're the best! You just keep on amusing me until you amuse me up until you amuse me up... emus me!
Absolutely loved the fill. It was hard for me but the answers were well worth it. Friday and Saturday puzzles are a struggle for me but it’s a delight when they can be fun even without a theme.
At eight 'cheats', this crossword was easier for me than Thursday's. And there were so many answers that made me smile! Awesome debut! I hope to see many more from Jesse Cohn!
The "moonshine" clue took me a while, but once I figured it out, I was delighted! This was a fun puzzle.
@GG I got hung up on illegal liquor for way too long, because I watch that 'reality' show. Best aha moment of the morning when I got it.