I never comment here but I had to - this was my favorite Monday ever. Thanks for the smile!
Hey, this SET of all SETS was fun! When I got to the second SET I briefly wondered if I was wrong, but then by the third I was all SET! and ready to SET down the remaining ones in the grid. Complaints about this puzzle = empty SET.
@Cat Lady Margaret But at least not the SET of all SETs that do not contain themselves!
@Cat Lady Margaret I was sure that I was wrong when I had SET crossing SET. Then I realized that I already had a few SETs and I realized that a crossword rule was being broken. Fun!!
Quite a fun theme today! When the second 'set' came up I was quite puzzled, then had quite the relief when i found the third, and fourth 'set'. Quite the beginner solver here, so it was refreshing to have a puzzle i could do without google :) Also quite nice that ALL three letter words in the grid are set, and not just a select few. Great puzzle today!
When geologists watch TV, it's set in stone. (The reception rocks!)
@Mike They're very picky. Always finding faults.
@Mike .....but sedimentary activities like TV-watching are bad for one's health!
My five favorite original clues from last week (in order of appearance): 1. Challenge for an under-achiever? (5)(3) 2. ___-violence (really tearing into an Indian appetizer?) (4) 3. Legendary figure whose first name sounds like something he's known for doing (5)(4) 4. Booker's workplace (6) 5. One might get a meal wrapped up (3) LIMBO BAR NAAN ROBIN HOOD SENATE BOA
The 2023 New Year’s Eve puzzle (It’s Going Down) had 5 entries depicting a BALL drop. But I’m sure no one will be surprised to learn that this puzzle did, in fact, SET a record for the most repeats with 14. Congratulations, Kareem. …….
@Anita thanks for mentioning that puzzle. I just found it in the archives, and I'm quite proud that I did a Sunday puzzle (with a little help). Maybe now I'll go back do some more Sundays!
@Anita Yes, that’s a good observation about this puzzle setting the record for most repeats of a single entry word. But no one should forget the April Fools’ Day puzzle of 2002 which had 78 entries of which 39 were repeated. In that one the 15 letter-long vertical and horizontal spanners were of course repeats as well. — — — —
This little rebellious puzzle, for me, is a marvel: • A lovely mix of noun and verb meanings for SET, plus even an adjective in [Like hard plaster]. • The SETs are evenly divided, with seven across and seven down. • Providing shine amidst the profusion of SETS are the lovely PESKY, TIPPYTOES, SPEWED, and SNOOT. • Providing spark amidst the profusion of SETS are seven answers never before appearing in a Times puzzle before, and they’re all worthy: DOG SPA, OK GOOD, ON DISC, SMOKE FREE, TYPE UP, WRISTPADS, TIPPYTOES. Plus, the crossnerd in me loved seeing a backward PAWS share the grid with DOGSPA and the lovely theme-infused crossing PuzzPair© of SET and SAIL. Most of all, what a bonzo, entertaining, and original theme! This is Kareem’s second NYT puzzle, and his first, a Wednesday, had a theme that blew me away as well, in its cleverness and humor (12/27/23) (Hi, @Barry!). Two puzzles, two wows, Kareem, and I left your puzzle a bit buzzed, thinking you have the potential – that “it” factor – to become a hall-of-fame constructor. Thank you for today’s gem, and when I see your name again atop a grid, I’m diving in!
@Lewis Came to this post for the SET SAIL pairing, but also SET the STAGE at the top, and a LEGO SET at the bottom.
@Lewis I loved the placement of "Theater centerpiece" -- center-aligned, no less! -- just a few clues after the puzzle opener and grand entrance of the themer "Theater backdrop". I thought "aha, we have a thespian theme!", which of course was a lovely misdirect. I suppose TYPE UP and WRISTPADS are their own sort of PuzzPair©? 😁 These days I "type" more often than not with my thumbs, but a gel wristpad was enormously helpful back when I worked on a desktop computer all day...
This puzzle reminded me of one of my favorite web comics: <a href="https://www.buttersafe.com/2011/02/17/crosswords" target="_blank">https://www.buttersafe.com/2011/02/17/crosswords</a>/
@Wendy That’s good. Thanks for sharing it.
@Wendy ahahahaha, I loved that! … AAAAAAA
@Wendy Very cute! Nobody should miss using Wendy’s link today. Thanks for that… — — — — — — — — — — — —
Very cool! I still remember when learning how to use a dictionary in elementary school in the late 70s, our lovely librarian, Mrs. Silverberg, had us look up "run", telling us that IT had the most definitions of any word. By the time I got to that clue, I knew that wasn't the right answer, but it did make me think of her while doing this!
As a daily solver, I'm sure I'm not alone in feeling a bit of a cliff descent every week, shifting from the enormity of the Sunday puzzle back to the beginning of the weekly cycle. It is with great joy then, when a puzzle like today's comes along! This puzzle was so much fun! Very smooth and zippy for me -- the only "rip out" I recall was SORE for my initial 'achy' -- but never boring. And while I realized the repeat on the second SET, it didn't occur to me that *all* the 3-letter words would be the same -- which kept up the fun. I also just sort of "went" with it: I magnify the grid in such a way, filling the width of my phone, that I almost never see any theme highlights anyway, so the fill felt as much of a guess as any other Monday for me. My only regret is that the NYT team didn't see fit to give us some post-solve grid art! I would have LOVED to see all 14 theme answers highlighted to really call attention to this wonderful feat. Thanks Kareem!
@G I felt that too. I was bracing for EMUS and got genius. What a clever start to a Monday.
I was all set to say this was too tricky for a Monday... Then I figured I should just set my phone down and rest a set.
What a delightfully fun puzzle on a Monday! It added sparkle to what is sometimes a very ho-um solving experience. I imagine that Mondays are challenging to make because they need to be accessible but not boring. This one was kind of a hoot. Thanks, Kareem.
@Shari Coats Yes, we were treated today with a very special Monday puzzle. This on top of the fact that less than a month ago (5/13/2024) we had offered up the MINIGOLF puzzle on a Monday by Jeremy Newton. Hopefully it’s a sign of more early week surprises to come. — — — — — — — —
A very cute way to break the rules! (or use the exceptions). I especially liked the symmetry of the theme answers.
Despite the assertion in the write-up that this gimmick was used on a Monday because it would have been too easy for any other day, I thought that this was one of the hardest Mondays I've seen as far as I can remember. Not that I got severely stuck, but I couldn't just fly from answer to answer filling things as fast as I could read them. After I got to the second SET (that of the tennis match), I realized that there were going to be repeated words, but didn't yet know that the word was always going to be SET, or that every three-letter word was going to be part of the theme. I finished a little over a minute above my average, and I didn't have any distractions to blame. For me, that's a significant overage. It didn't help that I started with AROSE for STOOD (1D). I also had EXPEL for EXILE and CELTIC for FEUDAL. But in the end, everything was SET in its correct place.
Steve, I too was surprised by the "only on Monday" comment attributed to one of the editors. Even with the repeated SET, this was not an easy spike. But maybe the pendulum is starting to swing back, and we'll be getting tougher puzzles each day of the week. I'm game for that. N.B. The constructor's first puzzle here was a clever one too. <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/crosswords/game/daily/2023/12/27" target="_blank">https://www.nytimes.com/crosswords/game/daily/2023/12/27</a>
Loved it. Really neat to see a new kind of theme and it was a great 'aha' moment when I finally had enough of them to catch on. And... thought it was a nice touch to clue LEVEE in reference to 'American Pie,' which may have a record for some of the most variant rhymes of any song I can think of. Notably... 'more step' and 'door step' But, a bunch of others as well: him - gym shoes - blues rye - die (on our) own (rollin') stone queen - dean adjourned - returned swelter - shelter field - yield - revealed jack be quick - candlestick night - rite - delight blues - news Holy Ghost - for the coast afraid - I prayed mourn - reborn I'll shut up now. ...
@Rich in Atlanta When I was a teen in the mid-1980's, my family hosted a French exchange student -- and I decided she needed to learn American Pie to improve her English. To do so, I would provide the lyrics -- all the lyrics. To do *that*, I played the LP many, many times, carefully hand-writing all the words. A decade or so later when I tried my hand at karaoke for the very first time, I chose American Pie because I could be confident in singing it. It was an immediate lesson in what makes a song a good -- or in this case poor -- choice in that regard! I still love all the verses, regardless. Not only was LEVEE a total gimme for me today, but I am perhaps rather uniquely qualified to fully appreciate your list of variant rhymes from the lyrics. Well done, sir, and thank you!
I can hear heads exploding all over Crossword Land. But, but, but...THE RULES!
Cute and fun. A great way to start the week.
I frequently don’t notice the duplications in a crossword grid that seem to so offend some solvers; I can only remember a few times where I hesitated to enter a particular answer because it had already appeared in some form in the grid. But even I could not overlook SET the third or fourth time it showed up. Then, I offset my eagle-eyed perception by falling to notice that SET was the only three-letter word in the puzzle. I’m glad that Sam Corbin pointed it out. That was a clever spin on the rule-breaking theme. Among the few pets any of my siblings had were the series of ANGEL FISH that my younger sister kept. They were aptly named, as none survived very long. This might be my favorite Monday puzzle in some time. Thanks, Mr. Ayas!
@Eric Hougland (somewhat off topic for today's ;puzzle) Hi Eric! Thank you again your post on Saturday with the link to Fountains of Wayne's "Acela"--got me listening to more from a band which I've always liked, but don't know much about about. But that got me thinking about all the musical works which reference trains. Here's a few I came up with: From the world of "art" music: Arthur Honegger: "Pacific 231" Steve Reich: "Different Trains" and I have a collection of piano music which has a short piece by contemporary composer Meredith Monk: "Railway (Travel Music)"--<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0oAipWL7lEg" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0oAipWL7lEg</a> From the world of "popular" music: Glenn Miller: "Chattanooga Choo-Choo" Arlo Guthrie: "City of New Orleans" and of course, FoW's "Acela" Does Berlin's "The Metro" count? Any others, anyone?
At first we were very confused by this puzzle, but now we’re all set.
I NEVER comment but I had to share my love. This was a love-hate relationship. Or I should say “hate-love”. My first thought was “this is such a poorly clued puzzle, I already used ‘set’!” Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me, fool me three times…the theme is set. Wonderful cluing, fun, anything obscure was revealed by crosses. Congrats on my favorite Monday of the year!
Ha! While solving, I always try to guess what the controversy of the day will be. When I got to the second SET I thought I had it. By the third SET I figured I better keep looking. Great theme idea, Kareem, and the rest of the puzzle was clever as well.
@Nancy J. So do we. Complaint department please.
Grrr. DNF. I got stuck on that impossible Natick where 35D crosses 40A. Never heard of either of those words. Very fun idea.
Great SET up, not expecting a cheeky twist on a Monday!
I had written in the SET at 1A and given it no thought. I had forgotten all about it by the time I got to the SET at 35D:) But there was no ignoring the crossing ET at 40A. I immediately thought -- and I am so proud of myself for thinking of it! -- what if this is a feature and not a bug? Off I went to look for the revealer, and there it was. SET. So I was all SET to go writing in SET at every 3-letter answer before looking at any other clues or writing in anything else. Thumbing one's nose at tried-and-true puzzle "rules" can make for an original and delightful puzzle. This was both. A breezy and amusing Monday that I enjoyed.
Once I started, I couldn’t SET this puzzle down, yet it didn’t SET me back too much. When I saw my second SET, I thought this was going to be a weak puzzle, but it was just a SET up. Once I saw the third SET, I saw that the game was afoot, and my mindSET changed from disappointment and annoyance to admiration and pleasure. A very nice twist for a Monday.
Loved this. Not many are complaining about the “duplicate” rule violations. I guess we are all secret rule breakers! Fun puzzle.
@Alexia I'm in the minority. Didn't like it because of the reuse of an easy filler. Wasn't a crossword, just some typing excercise.
I laughed out loud the first time I crossed SET with SET! Well done to Mr. Ayas—this was a fun treat, and will be a great puzzle to point towards when one wants to show what tricks a Thursday might pull at a Monday level of difficulty.
And a Supremely Entertaining Time was had by all. Well done.
Delightful. Well done! What a nice way to end an absolutely gorgeous weekend here—warm, sunny weather, graduations, the garden in full bloom, the first farmer’s market (meaning, fresh strawberries). And with a lot of heavy lifting on major projects finally behind us, the chance to roll them out to the public this week. Life is good.
I think this was a SET up! Didn't get to the puzzle until after sunSET. It was mostly AGREEABLE, but I started out ARISEing when I should have STOOD, but then I SETtled down and SET to work. Was more perplexed than upSET when I found the second, then third, then realized that our constructor had SET up a SET of SETs. I'm glad the editors approved this SETup, as it was cute and enjoyable. SET'em up again soon, Kareem, and thanks!
I was all set to get upset but then I settled my mindset and enjoyed!
Delightful! This was the most fun Monday puzzle that I can recall. It was far from the usual rote affair. Even if one were to set aside the (good) theme, the rest of it was lively and fresh. Well done.
Fun puzzle. Now I'm set for the day.
Loved the gentle reminder that a simple word in English is never simple. Much thanks to the constructor for a proper Monday flex.
Loved it! Especially the final across clue bringing it all together
So easy it was almost hard. Perfect! I love how all of the SETs have diagonal symmetry. And how every 3 letter answer was the same. Elegant!
I felt set up. But it was a set I enjoyed terribly.
The constructor notes begin with a few repeats of another three-letter word with a very large array of meanings: key. It is high on my list of favorites just for the breadth of its many senses. Any word that takes up more than one column in the dictionary is worth exploring. Also a reminder that looking up words you know can be a fruitful effort.
Loved this puzzle! After the third SET I jumped to all the three letter words to fill them in! It was fun to read all the clues in a row!
The Monday puzzles these past few weeks have been great, and this one's no exception!
Well, if you're going to cross a red line, you might as well go all the way with it. Nicely done, Kareem. The only SET I felt was missing was the Egyptian god of chaos and disorder, which would have been most appropriate. SET a spell, take your shoes off. Y'all come back now, y'hear?
What a lovely Monday! And that was before we did the puzzle together on the day of our 35th anniversary. Like others, we both initially said, “Hmm, what’s with all the SETs”. Then quickly, “How fun!” Could have been fun if they also fit in a faux-Latin plural SETI. Perhaps clued as “Group with motto “We really hope there’s something smarter out there”?
Really neat theme that does indeed fit well for a Monday. Interestingly, I found the *rest* of the puzzle quite a bit trickier than a typical Monday. The clues felt more intermediate than easy to me. I wonder if this was intentional to offset the automatic solving of the theme (once you figure it out). Alternatively, it may have just been a confluence of little things I found to be subjectively hard.
@Pete I said last night that the puzzle seemed harder than usual on the whole for a Monday, and Barry Ancona agreed with me. It’s a rare day that Barry and I agree on anything, so it must be so.
@Pete I found it pretty typical for a Monday. But the limited number of proper nouns (with none crossing each other?) played to my strengths.
@Pete totally agree with you. But also found it very fun.
This was so much fun! The puzzle and constructor's notes were A-one
This was barrels of fun and a good flex for the constructor to come up with all those distinct clues. I was (pleasantly) surprised to see this kind of mind-freak on a Monday. It was also a nice reminder of the flexibility of the English language.
If I’ve set it once, I’ve set it a thousand times (ok, 14): “Nice Monday puzzle.”
I think the name of this puzzle should have been, “Ready, ___, Go.” Too fun! Thank you!!
I took out a small SET of SETs in the early moments, thinking I must be in error but when it kept coming up, I figured it might just be a little something-something going on so I SET out with it! Funny enough, I never realized that I filled in the sort of revealer SET at 71A until I was done. Timely puzzle too, since many people (including me) have commented here lately thinking somewhat errantly that you couldn't have the same word appear twice in one puzzle. I guess none of us asked if 14 could appear... Had a small kerfuffle by having EXpel before EXILE and muG before KEG but nothing that didn't undo itself in short order. Cute and fun!