I love a certain 5 letter word that a ton of people seem to hate on Thursdays. I’m no expert solver, but this was extremely mild even if you don’t like Thursday shenanigans.
@Andrew CRNA mild Thursday shenanigans are the only kind I can handle.
@Andrew CRNA I replied to point out that the word "theme" also has five letters. But my post was short and is apparently being chewed upon by the EMU device that the powers that be here swear up and down does not exist. As this post is somewhat longer it is likely it will appear before the original post (roughly 10 minutes preceding), making me more repetitive than usual and further debunking the official story. /emus exist
@Andrew CRNA My first completely unaided 5-letter-word solve, so I am loving it.
That gorgeous banner across the middle – EASIER SAID THAN DONE – is not only good looking, but it has never appeared in a crossword in any of the major venues before, not even on a Sunday, where it could easily fit without the rebus. That alone, IMO, is worth the price of admission, but it has a terrific supporting cast as well. Every answer, horizontal and vertical, that includes HAND has verve -- look at them! -- not to mention MURK, DEFACTO, ENNUI, and OH THAT. Then there’s the clue for IOU – [The vowels not seen in “bad debt,” ironically]. Here’s an answer that has appeared nearly 500 times in the crossword outlets, but never clued like this. And the revealer that lands perfectly, where you have to smile and nod with respect. One of the great Crosslandia moments when that happens. Plus, some lovely serendipities. That double-letter-fest in the EDDY-STEEL-DDAY final column. A five-letter semordnilap (SLEEP). And the lovely PuzzPair© of a backward ERIE crossing LAKE. Elegant and entertaining. This puzzle made me feel good through and through, and what a sweet way to enter the day. Thank you, Christopher!
@Lewis Yes, all the rebus-containing words are fun. I especially liked the rebuses in which HAND was broken up, e.g. 17A SCOT(H AND) SODA or 21A (HAN D)YNASTY. The ones where (HAND) was just a HAND were a little too easy to get.
I feel stupid revealing this, but I dread most Thursday puzzles. Most of them make me feel stupid. Not this one. Once I got the hang of it, it was fun searching out the places where the rebus fit. Thank you, Mr. Youngs. Let's see more of your work.
@NobodyTwo That makes two (and probably many more) of us - last August there was a double rebus puzzle I could not figure out for the life of me, even after reading the column. And only yesterday I encountered a similar stumper in the 2022 archive. It feels rotten to not understand the trick. Today was very easy though - perhaps too easy? I got the trick very quickly, and actually the rebus helped me deal with the revealer, not the other way round. I had to look up some stuff though, as is often the case with American trivia, especially from many decades ago.
@NobodyTwo Congratulations! Once you get used to the idea that there might be a rebus when an answer you’re sure of doesn’t fit, these puzzles get less frustrating and more fun.
I came pretty close in the “guess the revealer” game - I was thinking it would be “invisible hand” and Adam Smith might show up, But no, that would be a puzzle in which the HANDs were actually not seen at all! I imagine that one might cause some puzzlers to crasH AND burn. But this one, with the tiny hands, was just fresH AND fun.
I usually struggle with Thursdays especially rebuses. They don’t make sense to me, I never know where they go. But I was just jumping around trying to fill in easys for me knowing scotch and soda and easier said than done but not getting where the rebus was until I got red(hand)ed down and Han Dynasty across and had my Aha(nd) moment and was able to go back and fill in with the rebus correctly. Finally got a rebus with no frustration
I give this one a big HAND for all the minute HANDs it contains. A well constructed, but ultimately gentle rebus is always welcome.
Got to hand it to Christopher for a Thursday puzzle that was easier done than said. Muy bueno, paisano!
@Norwood This reversal is brilliant. Genuinely.
I was just thinking to myself, it’s been a while since we had a rebus… and there it was! This was a good one, too: not too hard to catch on to, and fun to hunt down once you did. For me, the problems were with some of the obscure answers. COATI? Never heard of one, which is why I had “koala” there until I finally realized SCADS isn’t spelled with a “k”. AETNA also hung me up for a long time, as I thought the zero preceder was “neg “. I think this puzzle was a nice companion to yesterday’s, with its playful nod to the quirks of the English language. The HANDs may be minute, but the experience was grand!
@Heidi Keep COATI on file. You'll see it again. And it's a fun Wordle starter word.
@Heidi COATI has been an answer in 111 puzzles. Pretty familiar term to me. I had to wonder about COATIMUNDI. Was surprised to see that it's never been an answer, but it is in the Xword Info word lists. ..
Like Deb, I cracked up when I got to the revealer. For me, that was where the magical touch of the puzzle was, considering the ease of the rebus and the breeziness of the fill. But this is not to say that the whole of the puzzle wasn't delicious, a real treat. Thank you, Mr. Youngs, for a lovely and well-constructed puzzle! And now, turning back the HANDs of time to the 80's, I leave you with Asia and "Only Time Will Tell" — <a href="https://youtu.be/AWs8SbT4__E?feature=shared" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/AWs8SbT4__E?feature=shared</a>
@sotto voce Love it! Thanks for that memory! And speaking of memories, I'll take you even further back... to the '70s! <a href="https://youtu.be/9h1davKgBYM" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/9h1davKgBYM</a>
@sotto voce Whoops, that first link wasn't what I meant to send. ! <a href="https://youtu.be/dO1rMeYnOmM?si=Qke38UlfP8s_CzNR" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/dO1rMeYnOmM?si=Qke38UlfP8s_CzNR</a>
Nice one. I knew it had to be DYNASTY, but how to fit that in - REDHANDED confirmed the rebus and it was off to the races. "Minute" hand - love it. And to echo the Caledonian Correspondent - an old Scottish drinking companion once commented: "It takes 12 years to get the water oot, and ye dinnae put it back in again."
"Want to help me install a digital watch on this belt?" "What a waist of time." ("But it can be hour special project.")
Oh frabsious day, calloo, callay. A rebus that leapt out at me so quickly I have a PB. On a rebus Thursday! A lovely puzzle; interesting fill, great use of the rebus leading to a reveal that gave you two for one. The only sticky point for me was 54D crossing 64A, two complete unknowns for me. Also, can someone enlighten me on 27D please? What or who is she? I have a particular interest as that’s my maiden name, long since abandoned (40 years this month).
@Helen Wright From Wikipedia: Mrs. Butterworth's is an American brand of table syrups and pancake mixes owned by Conagra Brands. The syrups come in distinctive bottles shaped as the character "Mrs. Butterworth", represented in the form of a matronly woman. The syrup was introduced in 1961.
@Helen Wright Sadly, the predominant flavor of these syrups is high fructose corn syrup. They are not delicious at all.
Hee-hee! Any day with a rebus in the NYT crossword is, for me, a good day! (I know, I know: as Deb says, your mileage may vary.) As usual, I’m in awe of the clever brains who construct these clever puzzles for my daily amusement. Thank you all. Y’all have a good day, and if you’re on the east coast of the US, take extra care with this storm.
Just when I think I have a HANDle on Thursdays… Well constructed, I’m more annoyed that I kept thinking “it’s HAN DYNASTY” and then only put in DYNASTY because, you know, that fit. I even solved the revealer - MINUTE HAND. And I thought: “gee where am I gonna get HANDS in here because I’m not seeing that…” I got to CHANDELIER, and when well “sconce” doesn’t fit there. I knew HANDSUP is the response, did I take the bait? Oh no sirreee. I even ignored the early REDHANDED, even though the answer kept glaring at me as the only possible answer. I play in the MURK - new word - yay? It’s the end of the day? Will be an ETERNE before I come to terms with solving for REBI? I think the ROOT CAUSES of my issues is I still can’t spot a rebus, even though my brain now sees the answer right in front of me. Tune in next week for the next installment of “Is it Thursday?” Starring your host, me.
@Red Carpet Patience, grasshopper, it will come. I remember getting my first rebus, terribly exciting.
@Red Carpet I followed your logic almost step by step but then at hand made me realise we had a rebus. I had thought it was meant to imply hand was there and we filled in all the other letters. I actually had reded and like you dynasty. Loved lots of the clues which were not the obvious ones but made sense once you got them like x-ray.
Somewhat disappointed that the minute HANDs didn't turn into minute 🖐s when the puzzle was solved. Cue the Doobie Brothers, emus.
So bummed about the loss of Vertex. It's the best way to pass the time when on a call that I need to kind of pay attention to, but need to not go crazy from boredom. Hey, editors! Can you at least make the archive of Vertex available? You've got them all, just put them up somewhere that we can go back and do them again?
Hi y'all I knew that this was a rebus and hand had to be it because getting caught red handed is the only way. I needed a little help, but finished the challenge handily. The rebuses were handled brilliantly by Mr. Young. Nice wordplay and lovely construction. On the one hand I find Thursday puzzles to be somewhat confusing at times, but then on the other hand they are usually more fun. I had fun tonight! Thank you Christopher Young and NYT game staff Deb Amien. Cheers from Texas. It was 102 here today. Thinking about our neighbors on the east coast and their Debbie situation. Been there. I'm so sorry. Summer's just heating up here. More storms brewing. Our biggest hits are usually in September. Teachers going back to school tomorrow, and kids next week. The kids will be wishing for a hurricane, the rest of us not so much. Turn around and don't drown. Stay safe, cool and dry.
@Bonnie Ann I’ve lived in Austin for 47 years. Last summer was the first one I remember where I would step out of my house and the heat would make me instantly want to go back inside. This summer has been a little better, but as you say, the best is yet to come. Stay cool and hydrated.
"Please hold your applause until the end?" I finished this puzzle in record time, so I'm happy to stand up and give Mr. Youngs a HAND!
An easy but very enjoyable rebus. I especially liked MINUTE being used alternately as a unite of time and as a synonym for "tiny". And the way HAND is embedded in the answers -- especially in EASIER SAID T[HAND]ONE -- is elegant.
@Nancy Someone on Diary of a Crossword Fiend observed that in the Across answers, the rebus is as you say embedded, but in the Down answers, it’s the word HAND. That’s a subtlety that I appreciate (though I missed it), even if it’s only by chance.
If anyone in the NYT puzzle department reads these, please do not discontinue Vertex. It brings me a sense of calm and structure in my hectic workday. I look forward to doing the Vertex puzzle every day. At the very least, please make sure Mr. Burgess Voshell still has a job after Vertex.
What a delight to work this puzzle. With [Bad way to get caught] the theme seemed to be almost HANDed to me, and from then on it was just the fun of all the clues. My HAND'S UP for rating this my HANDs-down favorite crossword in many a day, no JOKE. Thank you, Christopher Youngs. COTTA give you credit for a beautiful construction.
Have to hand it to you. Once I fingered the theme, I nailed it! Long live rebus puzzles!
That was the most fun I’ve had with a Thursday puzzle for ages. Nothing to add other than thanks to Christopher.
Well, there is no dedicated forum for Vertex. I have played every puzzle and will miss it. It is a pleasant, tactile diversion each morning-- and I believe that getting rid of it is a short-sighted mistake.
@JennySC I only played vertex occasionally but my wife was a daily player and is saddened by this.
@JennySC I too love Vertex. Maybe NYT can leave the old puzzles out there in an archives so we can go back and solve the old ones?
@JennySC me too! I do it every day and 9-year-old granddaughter was just getting into it (when one of her mothers would let her get her hands on their phone). Note how "their" Is clearer about whose phone it is than the "her" that the grammar police would insist on.
I knew the Wives of Henry VIII, so I was off to the races from the top instead of the bottom corner as is oft my wont. Then 5D let the (tricky-ish) cat out of the bag, and I zoomed through the puzzle until I got to the bottom, where (dash it all!) I got too clever by half, thinking "Zero preceder" would be ONE (as in a count-down)...which messed me up good and proper. Had I just counted the number of 'special squares' I'd have fared better, sooner. I'd like to thank Tim GUNN for his assistance. We're seeing SCADS (singular and plural) quite often these days. Maybe MURK will be the next out-of-the-ordinary favorite in coming puzzles...eh? Today I get to visit The Book Rack for the first time--to pick up my order of the first three of Tana French's works. They'll be next in the queue once I finish Caro's _The Power Broker_ (which, despite evidence seemingly to the contrary, won't last forEVER. .....a wonderful work!)
@Mean Old Lady Caro’s Series on LBJ is magnificent. I heartily recommend adding them to your queue.
A Caledonian correspondent writes: We say slàinte in Scotland too (52d), but with the accent the other way round. We are likely to say something blunter if you order 12a in a Scottish bar though. And you ain't doing it with my 15-year-old Highland Park! It's not compulsory to wear the 12d when playing the Great Pipes although many do – the World Piping Champions start in Glasgow next week and all sorts of outfits will be on view – Scottish piping champions are as scarce these days as French winners of the Tour de France. The 12d is worn, however, at the kind of event where the Great Pipes get played, and in general on any occasion where an American would wear a tuxedo.
Yaay, a proper Thursday rebus! HANDSUP if you enjoyed it. (No, I'm not robbing you!) Caught on fast and finished in about half my average time. Enjoy your day!
The only thing I don't like about Thursday puzzles is that they happen on Thursdays! And Thursdays happen to be the day of the work week that is absolutely hardest for me to focus on my puzzles. That is to say, I love Thursdays! But I am very late to the Thursday puzzle because it's Thursday. Now, I could ask kindly for them to move the Thursday puzzle to Tuesday, which would be a much easier day for me to handle Thursdays, but then there would be some sort of existential crisis because it would not be a Thursday puzzle anymore. SORRY NOT SORRY that I got a bit carried away there.... Anyhow, enjoyed this quite a bit! Another no helps rebus solved under my belt and I'm loving it! I think this is my third one done without help! I'm almost a year old in crossword years so I'm feeling good about it! Sounds like it's considered an easier one but I'm okay with that. I figure the more I get under my belt, the more capable I'll be with the harder ones. I was pretty sure at RED-HANDED but I waited because I didn't have the revealer yet and wasn't sure exactly how it worked at first. And then figured it out at UNHAND ME before the revealer. And that helped me get SCOTCH AND SODA and CHANDELIER. Really enjoyed the clues for GASPS, JOKE, IOU, and EVENT and of course the fun theme! Also, for the first time in probably decades, I was talking to someone today about Abbott and Costello's who's on first routine! 🤯 I hadn't yet looked at the puzzle! What are the odds!?
@HeathieJ Nope, What's on second. emus: "Huh?!" voice: "That's our shortstop!"
Pretty easy. Got the theme almost immediately, long before the "revealer" area. Return of the Rebus! ( Still not a fan. :) ) It was... fine. I'm curious as to whether others are finding it too easy for Thursday, or if perhaps I'm actually getting better at this.
@B Yeah, my word for it was gonna be “unobjectionable”. Nothing to complain about but it was easy and lacked a little zing for a Thursday
@B No judgment (“too easy”), however I did solve in 35% less time than average. I don’t like to complain about the difficulty of an individual puzzle, I accept that some will be harder than average, some will be easier than average and some will be right down the middle.
@B My stats website says this is my 9th fastest Thursday ever. I spotted the rebus more quickly than I often do. Yet I hesitate to call any puzzle “too easy.” As long as I don’t sail through the grid putting in answers with hardly any thought, there’s enough challenge to keep me interested. Keep doing the rebus puzzles. You may turn into a fan without realizing it
I was pretty proud that I solved this Thursday one without looking anything up!
Is it me or is Thursday’s grid easier than Wednesday’s? Perhaps I’ve had more coffee today, and all my synapses are properly functioning. Let’s hand it to Christopher Youngs for a fun solve. Onward!
Wow... the things I learn from doing crossword puzzles! Who knew :~}!
@Marg Yes! That keeps me doing them!! Like so little of the modern media environment, crosswords feel closer to a discussion of ideas... see Eleanor Roosevelt's quote on this topic. But also some facts and events thrown in, but, little or not talk about people in crosswords.
I like rebuses (rebi?) just fine. Better when I figure them out easily. This was fast and fun. A bit too fast for a Thursday, but that was part of the fun for me. I felt smart. Gotta HAND it to ya’.
@Johnny Frederick Rebus is already plural.
I seem to be gathering from people’s comments here that Vertex is being discontinued? If so, I am very very sad. Vertex is a uniquely relaxing puzzle and both fun and fascinating to solve. It’s my favorite reward at the end of a long day (and my daily puzzles also include, in no particular order, Wordle, Sudoku, both crosswords, and Connections). PLEASE at least make the archive available?
@Darcy V Yeah I was bummed by that it's a nice break type activity I had only wished there was more of an archive to play through when I'm bored :(
Interesting to have both a Britishism (chestnuts) and an American-centric clue (AETNA). EASIERSAIDTHANDONE to remember that COATIs aren't cats.
@AZ There were so many drugs in the 80s that the advertising slogan "Aetna, I'm glad I met ya" passed as a clever rhyme, for a whole series of commercials. <a href="https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=z6IYZVNLYFw" target="_blank">https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=z6IYZVNLYFw</a> /Emu, I'm glad I'm seein' you
Straightforward and fun. Which is a good thing for me today, as I needed the feeling of accomplishment after a long, challenging, day.
Got a grip right off at UN(hand)ME and the rest was smooth until I was stopped by the minutiae of ARE for [Equal] and NET for [Zero preceder]. Dutifully plugged in the respective E and T but came away puzzled. On the other HAND this is a fine entry level rebus exercise. Many thanks.
That was fun. Focused on working out the reveal early on and then got all the HAND rebuses from the down answers. Then had a good time working out the across theme answers with that in place. Of course I stumbled across another puzzle today. A Thursday from May 15, 2014 by John Lieb. The 'reveal' in that one was: ANIFORANEYE And some theme answers: ALLISANDEARS WANDERINGIS BETTDAVISIS LAYISON I'm done. ..
@Rich in Atlanta Just did it! I had a little trouble with the names and definitely with that toothpaste but great overall :)
I’d like to make a couple deposits at the crossword trivia bank: COATI and ETERNE. Spent my last ~10 minutes on that sector today…
@Man and 2 dogs The clue DID say 'poetic.' And if you don't know the COaTImundi, you're missing out!
I will miss Vertex. I solve it everyday. I play puzzles to engage my brain and Vertex provides a different stimuli than just doing all word games. It has been a small daily treat. Thank you Burgess and good luck for future endeavors.
@PogoC Vertex is still on the Games page in a web browser.
Thank you, Deb - your column never fails to make me laugh out loud! I am wondering if the 5-letter Crete will ever appear in a grid clued as the site of a Herculean labor (isn't that where he caught the bull?) I loved learning that EPEE and spatula have an etymological commonality!
WindowBlinds, Good question! CRETE has appeared 235 times, never once clued as the site of a Herculean labor. The minotaur has been a frequent clue, but nothing about catching that bull. ####
If the choice were mine to make I'd lose Tiles before Vertex. As others have noted, Vertex is great for when you want to be occupied with something that does not require the verbal part of your brain. I always marvel at the cleverness of the images when I'm done. Now Tiles... There are times when I've run out of puzzles but want to brain noodle while I'm on ignore on a call, etc. so I will start a Tiles session. I haven't be able to sustain interest to finish a game in a very long time. So, in short, lose the Tiles, keep the Vertex.
@LFL Yeah Tiles is boring compared to Vertex. Or even Sudoku, there's a million sudoku programs out there but only one vertex. I always loved seeing what the pun was about and the pictures were pretty
This was my first rebus puzzle that I actual solved (I think). I do this on my phone typically so I thought the “trick” was it was some about “minus and” it wasn’t till I was done that remember that rebuses (rebi?) are a thing and I should have been putting in “hand” but I gather just the h worked for this kind of puzzle. I am not typically a late week puzzler but I’m trying!
@Will Congratulations! Yes, the H probably sufficed for the rebuses, but it’s clear you understand what is going on with the puzzle. Good luck with future late-week puzzles! Before you know it, you’ll be zipping through them. Have fun!
@Will That's wonderful that you're trying! And it seems to me you're already getting good at late-week puzzles. Keep going, never get discouraged, and always count your wins. We're rooting for you!
Is it me or are Thursday's getting easier? Doing puzzles from the archives, they take longer with more misdirection. Or is it that thematically cluing is contemporaneous, the zeitgeist if you will, that breaks when you go back several years? 🤨🤔
@Warren B. Definitely not just you. I think all of the complaints about tougher puzzles have had an unfortunate effect.
@Warren B. I think people just struggle with different puzzles. This was the most difficult Thursday for me in ages, taking me six minutes longer than my Thursday average. I found a lot of the full very obscure and had an unusual amount of trial and error.
Warren B. Your thought about changing cultural touchstones is one I considered in noticing the same trend of slower times and greater perceived difficulty in the archive. However, as I work back in time I am in fact getting closer to my own cultural “sweet-spot” (when I knew the bands, the TV shows, etc.), yet still those puzzles are slower and harder. I think a graph would show a clear trend, but as for a definitive explanation of why? There’s the (rebus) rub.
First-ever comment on a crossword, and I’m afraid it’s a nerdy one. As the setting of the “Star Wars” saga is supposed to be “A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…”, I never thought of the human-appearing characters as actual “humans”. Humanoids, certainly, but not humans. Maybe some SW expert can explain how Han (Solo, not Dynasty), Luke, Amidala, Obi-Wan, Lando etc. could have been humans? I will be glad to be schooled! That nitpicky note expressed, it was still a fun puzzle.
@MoriokaBoy We can't exclude the possibility that the folks of the Star Wars galaxy settled in our galaxy later in the timeline of that universe, can we?
@MoriokaBo According to the fandom, they are all indeed human. Leia refers to Alderaan's residents as "human beings", and in some canonized fan literature there are explanations of the spread of "human" colonists throughout the Republic. So, yes, the humanoids are all apparently human, and the droids who capture C3PO are the first genuine aliens to appear on-screen, followed by the Sand People (now known as Tusken Raiders) and then the cornucopia at the Mos Eisley cantina. And yes, I am a little ashamed to know this...
Glad to see that others are saddened that the NYT is discontinuing Vertex. It is my second favorite game, right after the Crossword. Those few minutes each morning of fast and focused effort, requiring nothing from me except finger dexterity, has been a good daily touchstone and reset. I will miss the game.
@Gabby I do the puzzles on my phone and it required a finer touch than I can do with my fingers.
This time it probably shouldn’t accept just the H, because if you put in just the H, there are no minute letters….
Yey! A rebus Tuesday puzzle! More of these please, they make me feel good about myself. Thank you thank you so much Mr. Young!
Another day, another five-letter insurance company starting with A. Yesterday, I bemoaned that it wasn't the one with the emu mascot. Today, I lament that it isn't the one with the good hands people.