Mr. Johnson, I'd like to start out by saying that your ode to Alexandra was a beautiful thing to read. From your words, and your modesty in giving up your space to write about her, I can tell that the light you see in her is the same that is in you. That light - and lightness - was also in your puzzle. I was taken aback by how an initially very scary-looking empty grid flowed so gently once I started. Every spanner was gettable, and every misdirect, a delight. So today there were two gifts - your words and your puzzle. Thank you.
@sotto voce Well said. I concur.
Really enjoyed this, but frankly I thought my (wrong) first-pass guesses were way more funny. "He's taken!" --> SORRYGIRLS One with sound judgment? --> PIANOTUNER
@Richard "Sorry girls" -- I would guess most people of a certain age associate that line with the Beatle's first appearance on Ed Sullivan. Fun trip back in time. <a href="https://youtube.com/watch?v=M2Kms1ekABg" target="_blank">https://youtube.com/watch?v=M2Kms1ekABg</a>
@Richard Nice! I was thinking something similar for [He's taken] (THATSMYMAN), but there weren't any quotation marks so I decided it had to be a straight definition rather than something you'd say.
Not through any fault of the puzzle, this one took me longer than usual, but I attribute that to two things: 1) I've developed a nasty cold, which is making me a bit sluggish, and 2) I had a typo near the bottom of the grid that took me a bit of time to locate. Anyway, I wanted to casually mention that I've hit a rather recursive number today; it's Day #3333 of my streak. That's slightly more than nine years. It's been a long time, but unless something happened I never heard about, David Connell is still ahead of me by about two months. To everybody struggling to put a weeklong streak together, remember that I was there at one point (although no one was keeping track of streaks then), but with enough experience, you can get to the "when, not if" (I solve the puzzle) stage of puzzle solving. At that point, you just have to make sure you don't forget to do the puzzle. Since I'm not inclined to be watching TV at 10 pm, I can usually do the puzzle as soon as it hits. But even when I can't, I still do it before going to bed. Even if that's at 2 a.m. (I find it helps relax me, as the main reason for not being able to do it earlier usually is that I was driving.) It was weird when we were in Europe, because I had to switch to solving upon waking up. Which will happen again in April, when we go to Morocco. (Not in Europe, but same time zone.) Anyway, happy solving to everyone!
@Steve L I hope you feel better soon!
@Steve L Congratulations on your amazing streak! Fun Fact - 3333 is the Postcode for Bamganie, in Victoria, Australia 🙃
@Steve L There's nothing casual about 3333 consecutive crosswords in a row! I recently passed 800 and feel a second wind coming on. 600 to 750 felt like work at times, especially on Sunday, but puzzles like today's put a smile on my face and make me look forward to Saturday.
@Steve L Your 3333 is an impressive number, and your steadfast commitment to solving the puzzles no matter where or when is also impressive. Glimpses into the lives of Comments contributors are always interesting, and of course make us curious about details. (So much driving still makes me doubt that you are a vacuum salesman or a magazine rep.) Even April in Paris sounds pretty fraught in this day and age, and Morocco seems more so. I hope everything goes smoothly and that the puzzles keep on coming. Don't forget to keep in touch. In the meantime, take your vitamin C, drink lots of water, and crash when you feel tired.
@Steve L Congratulations on your streak--very impressive! I'm a night solver, too. It's hard to sleep with an unfinished grid nagging at me. (Hence this comment at 1:33 a.m.)
@Steve L this was #1303 consecutive solves for me (1801 overall). Congratulations on 3333 - very impressive!
@Steve L -- Congratulations on your quad-three! I'm six months behind you, and hard as I try, I just can't seem to ever catch up.
@Steve L Congrats. I’ve done over 2000 puzzles and not missed a one, but not as a streak… at some point I realized that on an occasional hectic day, I value a few moments of meditation or a brief walk more than a puzzle. Also, I don’t mind skipping a Monday to double up on a Tuesday!
@Steve L Hope you're feeling better soon! I recommend a nice hot toddy! :-) And congrats on your streak! You're always an inspiration!
This was the puzzle we needed on such a somber day: comforting, engaging, and unstressful, with the extra commentary about the richness of friendship and the value of encouragement. The puzzle was not a difficult solve, but neither was it at all boring. Thank you, Adrian. Alexandria is as lucky as you are to have such a steadfast friend.
I haven't started the puzzle yet, so haven't read any comments or Wordplay. I just looked at 1D. I thought the answer might start with T and end with P, but I guess not.
@Times Rita I couldn’t agree with you more.
@Times Rita & PK Some persons are very sensitive to human feelings--their own. Although to call them "human" may be an open question.
There were lots of nice clues in this one, but my favorite is 26D ALSO. It took me a few seconds after getting the answer to realize what the clue meant. Of the answers, my favorite is 37D MAY I TRY. I'm better about not stepping in until someone asks for help than I used to be, but it's still difficult for me to watch someone struggle with something that I'm pretty sure I can handle easily. But what I most enjoyed was learning about Adrian Johnson's crossword-solving friend Alexandra. I'm lucky enough to have made a similar friend through this comment section. Thanks, Mr. Johnson, for an entertaining puzzle.
@Eric Hougland Beautiful post. And I wish I'd written that first paragraph. I had the exact same feeling about and experience with ALSO. You said it so much better than I ever could have.
@Eric Hougland Aha! Now I get 37D. Thank you! I was persistently hearing it from the attempter's voice. Now I can see it as [Request following some(one's) failed attempts]. I was thinking, jeez, you've already been unsuccessful! Hahaha.
Great puzzle! Did anyone else lose several minutes thinking it was DATED instead of DOZED?
@Fabiano Yes! Well, that and I had TAKE instead of TAPS for 14A, so was left with SKIN_ACTOR for pr rep. Very freaked out for a minute.
Adrian, your puzzle made my brain smile, and then I came here and read your notes, filled with love and wisdom, which made my heart smile warmly and deeply. And here I sit in a puddle of feel-good. Thank you!
For much of the puzzle I felt like I had taken a raft of SMART PILLS, but in the SW, I was reduced to chipping away – slowing my breath and waiting for revelation. It came, in dribs, and that’s just the kind of work my brain hungers for. So, in the box today, the joy of “Whee!” mixed with the love of labor. Sweet. Along the way, gifts. A terrific misdirecting clue – [It’s followed by an extra point] for ALSO – an answer that has appeared hundreds of times In Crosslandia, but never clued like this. Also, the spark from freshness – there are four stacks, totaling 12 answers, and 11 of them have appeared in the Times puzzle but four times or less. Wow! My two favorite answers are debuts: A BET IS A BET and EMPTY STARE. And afterward, a scan showing hardly a whiff of junk in this low-word-count puzzle (68), evidence of Adrian’s skill and persistence. Joy, respect, and a host of goodies all rolled into one box. Thank you for this gem, Adrian!
Lewis, You, a MARRIED MAN, had trouble in the SW? I DONT BUY IT.
@Lewis a gastroenterologist, might have answered, " capsule endoscopy", for that clue.
Haven’t done the puzzle. Haven’t read the column. Haven’t felt much like Games are even the right thing to be doing right now. Don’t know what is. Let’s not pretend all this is ok, because it’s not.
@Justin As somebody who survived 8 years of populist authoritarianism between 2015 and 2023, I get you. What helped me was not following national news and playing lots of video games. Escapism FTW.
@Andrzej I shall endeavor to do as you suggest. I may need to be wanded out of here soon though.
@Justin You and I feel pretty much the same. Aching for what this country once was.
@Justin I feel sad and worried for my many family members and friends in the states. I have made it clear that our house over here can accommodate several people and that is a sincere offer. That my family members and friends’ existence is reduced to a propaganda point in a fascist ideology is horrifying. I wish I could teleport them across the ocean. If you’ve read The Parable of the Sowers and the Parable of the Talents by Octavia Butler, you get an idea of where this is likely going and going fast. 😨
@Justin And yet, there are still masses of people willing to risk their lives to be a part of this land of opportunity. Perhaps my head has been in the sand, but I'm not aware of even the slightest bit of a post election exodus. Loved today's puzzle.
@Justin It's important to find a way to help one of the many affected groups. Find organizations in your area and become active in them. It truly lessens the despair. Also important, is doing things that make you happy. If you don't, the despair will win and you won't be able to be of use to anyone.
@Justin I know what you mean. I’ve never been so disgusted by so many people. Naive me, I guess. This is who they want to be, apparently.
@Justin I’ve learned there’s little if anything in this world I can control. But my attitude is 100% mine.
@Justin You mentioned not having read the column. If that is still the case, please scroll down to the Constructor's Notes for a reminder of the good in people: it's one of the most heartwarming notes I've read from a constructor, and yet does not succumb to being saccharine... Something someone said to me last weekend has become a bit of a mantra: "Community is everything, especially now." This from someone I had just met that night! We all have many communities; many in this NYTXD one have your back!
@Justin I get it completely. It's overwhelming. Still, we have to take care of ourselves, including doing things we enjoy, in order to help anyone else. The day after the election, I took off work. I stayed in my PJs. I did nothing. I watched too much news, cried a lot, ate comfort food, and kept demanding my husband explain how this happened... as if he possibly could. I needed that day, but I can't live there. None of us can. Someone told me to not read all the things, not try to help everything but to sit with yourself for a bit and decide what are your top issues of concern in this seemingly out of control dumpster fire we're in. Focus on what you can control and how you can help with those one or two issues. To help others, we need to take care of ourselves as best we can. If puzzles provide some peace and sanity in an insane world, allow yourself that time to rejuvenate yourself. You are not alone, in any case!
@nash.mark “CARE TO ELABORATE” ?
Lovely tribute to your friend Alexandra. Terrific puzzle—nice way to end an insane day. Thank you.
Crossword Revolution D10: “All of our lights inevitably go out, so act on the time you have with integrity, humor and humility.” (See Constructor Note). Plus, HUMOR/MARRIED MAN A Word to Husbands (Ogden Nash) To keep your marriage brimming With love in the loving cup, Whenever you’re wrong, admit it; Whenever you’re right, shut up. A Crosswords Saved the Day ™ production. TGIF!
I agree with Deb when she writes: "I found many ways into Mr. Johnson’s puzzle and think it would be a good transition for those who want to push forward from the midweek puzzles."
@Barry Ancona I agree completely. The hard-core solvers ask for difficult puzzles, but those who are still growing in their skills need gentler stuff sometimes so they don't get discouraged.
Wednesday is not named after the Norse god Odin but his Anglo-Saxon analogue, Woden. That's why "Wednesday" begins with W not O. The seven-day week with named days originated in the eastern Mediterranean, was adopted by the Romans, and then spread northward through Germania. It is documented in Rome in the first century, in England in the early 8th century, and is not documented in Scandinavia until ca. 1200 AD. Pagan Scandinavians had a five-day week whose only named day was the fifth (Bath Day, the name for Saturday in all modern Scandinavian languages). The seven-day week followed the Catholic church to Scandinavia.
@Fact Boy I agree with your point, but neither Woden nor Wotan have 4 letters thus: Odin. Not too hard to work out. (Not arguing with you, just explaining how I figured it out and wasn’t bothered by the details. The clue led me to the answer which is the point. ) Also I don’t see how what is being scanned is the scan, but I got MICE from the crosses so it’s all good.
@Fact Boy Thanks for your fascinating posts providing extra info on the always incomplete and often somewhat misleading crossword clues. I, along with, I suspect, many others, appreciate those “TIL’s”. (All without bestirring our lazy selves to do independent research!)
@Fact Boy I thought Woden was just the Anglo-Saxon name for Odin, so it is the same god and not an “analogue”? So Wednesday is named for Odin, but via his Anglo-Saxon name? In Scandinavian languages Wednesday is “onsdag”, so directly from the Old Norse name Oðinn.
We’ve been doing NYT crosswords every day together for the last few years. Today we hit a streak of 1000! Thanks to the setter for a great crossword.
@Chris and Pauline congrats. There are always a few days in long streaks where you feel beaten…and then survive.
Fun fact: A Berliner is a German doughnut or pastry that's made from sweet yeast dough and fried. It's typically filled with jam or vanilla cream and covered in powdered sugar, icing, or granulated sugar. How embarrassing for Kennedy. Not quite the embarrassment that his brother's son has brought to the family and the nation.
Here I thought I was getting much better at Friday puzzles, only to find out everyone thought it was an easy one! Oh, well. I still got the confidence boost that Deb alluded to, and that’s nothing to SNEEZE at. What a lovely tribute to Alexandra. I’m sure it made her heart soar, because it definitely touched mine.
Man I flew through 2/3rds of this one and had an entirely blank SW corner. I can’t even say what opened it up for me. I truly had to peck my way through it lol. At one point I even tried LIAMNEESON for [He’s Taken] even though I had some crosses I was confident in already that made that not make sense lol!!!
@Joya Nice one! That's definitely thinking outside the box, which is a survival skill around here.
@Joya Liam Neeson! I love that!!
@Joya I was absolutely thinking Liam Neeson at one point as well. Would have been a great answer, but cause so many issues in the moment section!
First; my thoughts are with all affected by the horrific accident yesterday. Not helped by ridiculous comments from certain people. A nice breezy puzzle, slightly chewy in the bottom left corner for me that needed a second coffee to push through. I find the idea of ingesting 18A quite scary in these troubled times, or is that just me? What a lovely ode to Adrian’s mentor. She must be very proud of you. How lucky you are to have such a guiding light in your life. @Steve L. Thanks for your ONEON explanation yesterday. The time difference means I often pick up responses the next morning. The game is still clear as mud to me, but thanks for trying.
That was quite fun, with a lot of witty clues. The one I did not like was "Cat's scan? MICE" - I see what the constructor or editor was trying to do, but IMO it's too much of a stretch (rather than fun wordplay). Over here most job fair attendees are first year students: last (third or fifth) year students probably attend, too, sometimes (I doubt there are *many* of them there, though), but since they've been working for several years already and have careers and some INS, their job searches are usually more sophisticated. Most students study for free here - the right to free education including university level is enshrined in the Constitution. However, the best universities are located in big cities where the cost of living is high, so most students simply need to work to afford accomodation and food. The schools offer student housing at cost, but the number of spots is limited, and most students rent rooms on the market. Fee rent whole apartments as that is simply too expensive.
@Andrzej Completely agree about mice. I thought that might be the answer, but didn’t get it. Frankly I still don’t. Too much of a stretch. Otherwise very smooth sailing for me. More like a Wednesday difficulty, I thought .
@Andrzej I remember when university education was free here too. Sadly those days are long gone. Our kids were fortunate that we could help with the financial burden, many parents can’t.
@Andrzej Yeah, MICE. That was another SW problem for me. My reluctance to believe it was going to be MICE.
@Andrzej MICE? I DON'T BUY IT. SO THERE! ...and I had SO sue me for that one. (8D)
What made me smile was the proximity of amo to amo-ebas. Ya just gotta love those one-celled critters. Shades of biology class and loads of special memories are what make these puzzles and community so very special. I can disappear into a world of humor, cleverness, shared experiences and eliminate the awful din outside. Thanks to all who make that happen. Happy Puzzling - :>)
Breezed through until the SW corner. I didn’t know MAIER and I forgot about ADAM DeVine. I wanted to put pubGAMES instead of BARGAMES but the clue lacked any Briticism (a recently learned term). Peaceful puzzle that was a balm for my current state of agitation.
@Pani Korunova Oh no. I'm assured it's always BRITISHISM, and I've merely been hallucinating BRITICISM all my life.
@Pani Korunova I didn't know DeVine and couldn't remember if The Herminator was Mauer until I finally got MAIER! 😂
@Pani Korunova In a pub, the game would be billiards, not pool. That would have made the clue British.
My first choice for 1D was our current pres....
An enjoyable Friday puzzle. Not all that easy for me, of course, and had to cheat a bit in a couple of places, but just had a good time working things out. More than a few really clever clues. I'm not going to summarize my puzzle finds any more. I'll just provide a link for anyone who cares to go take a look. Today's was a Thursday from February 20, 2014 by Zhouquin Burnikel and Don Gagliardo. Here's the link: <a href="https://xwordinfo.com/Crossword?date=2/20/2014&g=11&d=D" target="_blank">https://xwordinfo.com/Crossword?date=2/20/2014&g=11&d=D</a> I'm done. ...
@Rich in Atlanta I enjoy reading your puzzle-find summaries! And shall miss them. I'm always impressed with the effort it must take to read through multiple search results and choose a few to post. The extra time and energy to then explain them in a way the rest of us can share in your excitement of discovery is very appreciated! At least by me. :)
@Rich in Atlanta Sorry to hear it. I appreciated your finds and summaries, even if I rarely go back to view the original. It has felt like listening in on an interesting ongoing conversation about discoveries and history, even though one-sided. I hope you continue to enjoy them in any case... Thanks! ____________________ Jesse Goldberg 8/28/2024 for Puzzle of the Decade (emu filler)
@Rich in Atlanta I'm with G. It must take so much effort to go through and find and parse out interesting puzzles for the rest of us to enjoy. I look for your comments every day and always do the puzzles you discuss! (except when they're too old to be found in the NYT archive) Thank you!!
Very nice puzzle! Not a total ROMP but a nice brisk stroll around the block. It went smoothly for me except the SW corner. I'm not sure how I eked that area out when for the longest time I only had AMOEBAS and GARNET, oh, and CANTWE. Suddenly, MAYITRY came to me and I chipped away at the rest. Very enjoyable with loads of clever clues. WANDERS! Ha! I also appreciate hearing about Alexandra and the sage advice offered. These are trying times and we need to see our guiding lights, and hopefully, become guiding lights to others. Cheers and peace to you all!
It took me a bit to puzzle out the NE and the SW. I was pleased to get the clue about the skier right as I know very little about skiing. My self congratulations were a tad hasty, however, as I misspelled his name (Mayer instead of MAIER). To further complicate matters I put in rout instead of ROMP, which was only half wrong. Figuring out MYRA magically unlocked the section, and helped me see the error of my ways. I’ve known several Miras, but the only MYRA of my acquaintance is Breckinridge. This puzzle seemed challenging despite taking less than my Friday average, so that’s a winner in my book.
@Marshall Walthew My skiing buddies were following pro skiing before I started skiing again in 2004 (after having done it as a kid in the 1960s). I've heard them talk about Hermann MAIER; they were watching the 1998 Olympics when he had a terrible-looking crash. (A few days later, he went on to win two gold medals.) I should've gotten that one immediately, but even with the M from 44A MAOISTS, I couldn't remember if it was MAHER or MAIER.
@Eric Hougland So many different ways to spell that name! I was only guessing at it, and I started with Meyer. Several tries later, Maier became clear.
Delightful and engaging crossword with a truly beautiful sentiment behind it. Bravo !
One of those that seemed impossible at first and then with continual effort was solved before I knew it. Really enjoyed this one.
I was all set to put NONE. But then Algeria saved me. Now to think what the other eight are…
@Cat Lady Margaret So I’m not the only one to feel compelled to go down that rabbit hole? 😉 Um… Argentina, Aruba, Angola—does Arabia count without the Saudi?— Armenia….
@Cat Lady Margaret Apia? No, that's the capital of Samoa. Does Aruba count? (Wikipedia calls it a "constituent country," whatever that means. I'm drawing blanks, too.
@Darcey O’D Albania, Andorra, Antigua ? , What’s next - no googling
@Cat Lady Margaret At the time, I could only think of Armenia, Angola, Argentina, Austria and Australia. I'm glad I didn't rush to fill in "five" and waited for the crosses. Now to Google I go.
@Cat Lady Margaret Albania 🇦🇱 , Austria 🇦🇹 , Algeria 🇩🇿 , Armenia 🇦🇲 , Aruba 🇦🇼, Angola 🇦🇴, Argentina 🇦🇷, Australia 🇦🇺, Andorra 🇦🇩, and (though it doesn’t count for this puzzle’s purposes) Antigua and Barbuda 🇦🇬
This went so smoothly at first that I felt like one of the cool kid solvers, but the SW got me stuck for a while. Not dAreWE, not ROut, too many blanks … but then trying ROMP opened it up, and still gave a new personal best at just over half my average time. Hooray!
@Mike very similar experience. Puzzle was mostly completed but SW was almost completely blank, and opaque to me. I reread the clues several times, and finally walked away for a while. When I came back the scales fell from my eyes and I ended up finishing nine minutes faster than my average. Go figure.
ROut instead of ROMP gave me fits for a long time. The last letter that I entered was the final "P" of THATS A WRAP, so I was smiling when the music played.
Just came in to praise Wanders Around a Terminal. If we're stuck with both the agency itself and its TLA long term residency in crosswordese, this was by far the cleverest way to present it. The whole puzzle was well constructed and fun. Maybe too easy for Friday. Great job. ____________________ Jesse Goldberg 8/28/2024 for Puzzle of the Decade (emu filler)
@B The TSA clue is a good one, but it’s not original. <a href="https://xwordinfo.com/Crossword?date=2/23/2023&g=40&d=D" target="_blank">https://xwordinfo.com/Crossword?date=2/23/2023&g=40&d=D</a>
Solid but very gentle Friday puzzle. Solved it in unaided in fifteen minutes, which is about half my typical Friday solve time. Another example of the "Long stacks make puzzles *easier* to solve" phenomenon. Time to see if others agree.
@Xword Junkie -- Totally agree! I'd've had it in ten if it hadn't been for the SW corner.
@Xword Junkie Same here. Bit of a breeze.
@Xword Junkie Same here. Took less than 50% of my running average. Only took that long because I got fixated on ROut instead of ROMP in the SW. Yesterday's also took less than 50%, although that was not due to stacks.
@Xword Junkie same for me too. Solved in less than half my Friday average. [Wanders around an airport] was my favorite clue.
Started this on Thursday evening and got through all but the SW. Completely stumped. Decided to put it aside and then came back to it this morning, and finished that section in less than 2 minutes. The “come back to it later” tactic works pretty much every time for me! Amazing. My time was under my average but that’s nothing to boast about. Fun puzzle, no lookups, and got the music on first attempt.
It’s fascinating to see the variance in people’s responses to puzzles. Sometime I get crushed by a puzzle, am convinced it was unfair and impossible due to some variety of naticks, only to come here and see people talking about what a breeze it was, record times, etc. I usually keep quiet in those situations. 😂 Today, on the other hand, I arrive to see many people discussing how chewy and difficult it was. Since I’m commenting you can imagine my experience. More or less tied my record Friday time and was 70% below my average. Funny how the accumulation of our life experience and knowledge, along with perhaps our cognitive and emotional state at the time, translates to such different experiences. And nice to get a little confidence boost today.
Aaron. It may depend on where you look in the comments. Most of the earlier posters found this one an easier than usual Friday (as Deb suggested in the column). Later in the day, today and on most days, there are more posters reporting difficulty.
@Barry Ancona That makes sense. Sometimes I actually read through all the comments. This time, being late in the comment cycle with many accumulated, I only read the later ones.
Not far off my fastest Friday ever.
@Wendy Laubach same just got a little snagged on NW otherwise would have beat it
I was somehow on the same wavelength as the constructor and solved it within 20minutes! Got all the long ones almost immediately, what a satisfying solve! Was stuck for a while as I thought it was a clever play for tAOISTS to be on the PATH.... to somewhere I guess, but on a second check I realised MAIER makes more phonetic sense as a last name and MAOISTS were far more likely to lead a revolution
Was quite approachable until I got stuck in the SW for several minutes. A very nice and enjoyable challenge.
Ugh! ODIN is incorrect! "Monday's Child" Monday's child is fair of face, Tuesday's child is full of grace. Wednesday's child is full of woe, Thursday's child has far to go. Friday's child is loving and giving, Saturday's child works hard for a living. But the child that is born on Sabbath day, Is bonny and blithe, good and gay. And that is how Wednesday Addams got her name. Apologies if Fact Boy already pointed this out.
@ad absurdum as a Thursday child I always found this nostrum to be too on the mark. I’m still at it!
@ad absurdum If Tuesday Weld had married Frederic March II, would she have been Tuesday, March II?
@ad absurdum I think you misconstrued the clue. It is asking how the day of the week, Wednesday, got its name, not how the fictitious character got her name. I assume “Wednesday” started out as “Odinsday” in Norse.
A fun puzzle, not too difficult for a Friday. I solved in 6 minutes under my average. Today was one of those days where I happened to recognize many of the more obscure crosses at first glance, and I'm thankful that the constructor kept proper nouns and pop trivia to a minimum, those are my downfall usually.
Had a decent time, but SW was brutal. Here's my complaint: you have three name clues going down across a big stack and an excessively coy cat clue. That is some Naticking, if you ask me. A Pitch Perfect actor (never saw it), Herman Maier (a FORMER Austrian skier?) and the elusive Mary/Myra trick. Brutal.
APNerd, If you solved in any time, much less in decent time, you may have been puzzled in the SW, but you were not Naticked. You knew, or were eventually able to infer, all of the crossing letters. No Naticks.
@APNerd I also got stuck in the SW corner after breezing through the rest of the puzzle. If not for the SW corner it would not have been a Friday level puzzle, at least for me (and it sounds like many people found it on the easier side for a Friday).
@APNerd I see all the yellow tape. Thank god The Natick Police arrived!
ohhhhhh... Wand-ers! lovely friday puzzle :)
For "Animal resting place", I had SEMETARY at first which I think is more clever than BARNYARD to be honest.
@MFSTEVE The opposite really. It was the old switcheroo. ____________________ Jesse Goldberg 8/28/2024 for Puzzle of the Decade (emu filler)
@MFSTEVE and I had put BONEYARD. Lots of good options there!
As someone who has participated in rap battles. I approved of this puzzle. *mic drop*
Voting ends at 11:59 pm Friday, January 31, for the final round of the 2024 Puzzle of the Year awards, a/k/a the Griddies. We (me, John Ezra and Cat Lady Margaret) plan to announce the winners on Sunday, February 2. You can find the ballot at <a href="https://form.jotform.com/250186385916162" target="_blank">https://form.jotform.com/250186385916162</a>. Again, puzzles are divided into four categories: Early Week (Monday–Wednesday), Thursday, Themeless (Friday and Saturday) and Sunday. There are five finalists in each category and you may vote for one puzzle in each category. Thanks to everyone who's voted so far.
That feeling of panic... when only AMO, LEO and EIN were on my grid. (Rule of thumb: start with lowest hanging fruit, right?) I did love NINE, having tried a few times--in "A my name is Anna and I sell Apples..."--to come up with "A" countries, NOT continents, unable to get past four or five but knew it was surely more; so it had to be nine. (Antigua, Andorra, Angola, sadly fallen beneath my radar.) Ultimately when the letters started to fall in place, though, it was like the end of a game of online solitaire, faster and faster. Was that too easy? Not until the critical mass was reached, for me anyway. Phew. "Ich bin frei" ... for Saturday!
@Suzzzanne That was one of our favorite road trip games! "X my name is Xerxes, my wife's name is Xena, we live in Xenia, and we sell xylophones."
First day this week that I came in well below average. And I took a couple breaks but didn’t even consume any snacks. The center squares were the last to fall for me. But my hairstyle knowledge helped me get through that little rough patch.
With both RATS and MICE, this puzzle needed PEST control. Also DEER, if you have a garden. They're always munching on mom's hydrangeas.
@Grant And yet we were given a BARNYARD. (And BAR GAMES!) I DON'T BUY IT! Lol.
Fun puzzle, if a bit on the breezy side. I’m mostly here to comment about Mr Johnson’s lovely tribute to his friend Alexandra. What a touching story about friendship and human connection.