I completely missed the theme and solved faster than usual for a Thursday. I feel a little dirty.
@Marshall Walthew Yup, broke a record and missed the theme all at once
@Marshall Walthew I had a similar experience, but I feel cheated rather than dirty.
@Marshall Walthew SAME - set a new Thursday speed record and totally missed the theme. and I loved the theme - what nice construction! bummed that I was racing through so quickly that it didn't hit me.
@Marshall Walthew I kind of wish the solve wouldn’t be accepted without the full rebus entry. It was disappointing to solve so quickly and miss the trick.
@Marshall Walthew Same here ~ and it appears we're in good (?) company. I was so proud to sail through a Thursday puzzle in 20 minutes. Had no idea it involved rebuses & even after they were revealed I had to come here to figure out the theme. Doh!
@Marshall Walthew Same here but oh what an AHA I had on the reveal!!
This puzzle has given me an out- of-body experience. I'm sitting down and seemingly calm, but my soul is jumping up and down, in a frenzy, yelling "Bravo! Bravo!" and I can't make it stop. The solve itself was breezy, with no look-ups. Only when I was done did the awesomeness of the puzzle begin, as I unraveled the Schrödinger-ness of it. My jaw dropped. My joy went through the roof. You see, I don't just find satisfaction in a successful solving experience; I derive immense joy from a constructor's genius and creativity. I can't explain it, but I simply love the feeling of being awed by another human being. And awed I was by you, Mr. Grinberg. Thank you for the joy with which you and your puzzle have filled me! (And for a little extra joy, a bit of music, of course... <a href="https://youtu.be/xuZA6qiJVfU?si=S67iVur2OnAGJTZ5" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/xuZA6qiJVfU?si=S67iVur2OnAGJTZ5</a>)
"Which of these implements should I use on the kayak?" "Either oar." (I can't think of another pun. Canoe?)
@Mike Water you talking about?? That one is great all by itself!
@Mike Crafty. ____________________ Jesse Goldberg 8/28/2024 for Puzzle of the Decade (emu filler)
@Mike I’m gunwale leave this here.
@Mike Out of ORder! Jury is instructed to disregard that pun!
@Mike I'm glad you dugout this one today. Umiak-ouple of others would make a good crew. I can just hear the crowd rowers.
Well, this is a feat par excellence. First, sure, it’s easy to come up with pairs of words that have only a one letter difference. But to Schrödingerize them, you have to come up with a clue that naturally works for both, that doesn’t sound strained. Here, try coming up with a clue that works with FISH and FIST, and sounds natural for both. Take a moment, give it a stab. It can be a challenge, no? (Here’s how constructor Andrew Reynolds clued them in a puzzle a year ago: “It may be landed with a hook”.) Trust me, the Times team are sticklers about this. If it sounds strained, they will not publish it. And today, Daniel passed that bar eight times. That is impressive enough, but other difficult elements – such as the layer involving the “_or_” words (like HORA) and the requirements of symmetry – made this puzzle’s build a very tall hill to climb. Truly, a beauteous bow-down-to feat. I wish I had solved this on paper. The Schrödinger answer popped in the grid as soon as I typed in the last letter, and I didn’t get a chance to crack the theme on my own and experience the huge OMG rush I know would have followed. But when I did see the solution, I was so staggered by what you did, Daniel, so enveloped in wow, that the payoff was more than sufficient. Thank you for that and for all you put into this. I’ll remember this one for a long time!
@Lewis What is a HORT?
@Lewis I share your lament about not getting a chance to figure out the theme. For a number of reasons, I'd like to have a Submit button that I'd have to click before any assessment of my filled grid occurs.
Lewis, It *was* fun on my stone tablet.
@Lewis Gordon Ramsay pounds it on the table. ____________________ Jesse Goldberg 8/28/2024 for Puzzle of the Decade (emu filler)
@Lewis Having 50A in there was a lovely touch, as the circles demanded it. (For those of us who are fans of "High Fidelity", at least.)
By my estimation, at least 50% of commenters so far finished the puzzle without understanding it. (I am in that group.) This feels wrong. What is the point of having a Thursday-level trick if it can be bypassed so easily? I am not sure who to blame for this. The puzzle creator, for not making it harder? The editors, for not placing this on a day where tricks are optional? The tech team, for not making rebus entry mandatory? Or me and my fellow solvers for just not getting it? I don’t know, but I am feeling a different kind of Schrödinger effect right now: simultaneously impressed AND disappointed.
@Heidi All the errors recently seem to me to be on the editor. Had this run on a Wednesday, or maybe even a Tuesday (that is what my solve time indicates the level of difficulty was), it would have been fine. The trick would be there for those who enjoy understanding tricks, and others would enjoy an essentially theme less puzzle. Voila.
@Heidi All of the _OR_ entries’ clues included the words “and a clue to the circled square in this row”, which was a pretty big indicator to me that I needed to stop and think hard about what that meant. Just because you _can_ solve a puzzle without understanding the theme doesn’t mean you should! For those who solved without understanding: Did you ignore that part of the clues or did you give it a go and still not get it? (Genuinely curious; not trying to be inflammatory!!)
@Heidi OMG! Why are people so fussy? The puzzle SEEMED easy because the filling was easy. But we were tricked, good and proper, because of the multileveling constructed into the puzzle. It was a Thursday trick, so tricky that many people didn't even realize it. It sailed over our heads. Here I was thinking, "wow, I solved a Thursday puzzle." Then I read the commentary and realized I'd been had--delightfully so. Please more puzzles like this one. I loved it!
@Heidi I would blame the tech team. If you were able to "solve" the puzzle without entering a rebus, then you didn't actually solve it. Entering the rebus should be a requirement for finishing, as it's essential to the theme of the puzzle.
@Katie Well no, I think it’s a Schrödinger puzzle (with rebuses allowed), not a true rebus puzzle
@Heidi Of the various points made above, I am most comfortable with the comment of Alexis’, “this is a Schrödinger puzzle that allows rebuses”. On the other hand, what is or is not a “true rebus puzzle”? @The X-Phile suggests that it might be one which *requires* the use of the rebus button to get the star. Well, we know that is not the case as many rebus puzzles simply required the entry of some number or symbol rather than a letter or letters….no rebus button involved. And with the common policy of allowing just the first letter of a rebus to be entered to get the win, that’s a lot of likely “true rebus puzzles” that need no use of the rebus button. Curious, are there recent rebus puzzles that absolutely required the rebus button to get the star?
@Heidi “I’m not sure who to blame for this”. Maybe nobody needs to be blamed for anything? You completed a crossword that wasn’t your favorite. That’s all.
Like (I imagine) the vast majority of solvers I finished without understanding the theme. Maybe I came a little close because I hesitated between JOAN and JOHN CUSACK but didn’t realize the sister was in those movies, and raised an eyebrow at the generic “hero” instead of “heroine” for SHEHULK. But still didn’t notice the ambiguous crosses. But even if you can solve this as a themeless, you have to tip your hat to an amazing construction. I have no idea how the constructor came up with these entries but color me amazed.
Is it me, or has there been a huge amount of negative comments in here lately? I can't believe so many people disliked this puzzle. I thought it was amazing. I think most of the puzzles are amazing. I think Will Shortz is amazing, and Daniel Grinberg is amazing, and anyone who's ever actually constructed a crossword puzzle is amazing. Have a nice day.
@Katie - Amen, sister! I feel like making that comment nearly every day …
@Katie I would say this is probably the nicest space on the Internet. Think of the other forums you are part of / read. I sincerely do think that lack of edit function makes things worse. That said. I just lost it two minutes ago reading some of the comments. And posted an “I’m outraged” comment. And who knows. Maybe after a decade of solving, you will become salty too! I’m on year 4? Of my journey.
@Katie I do think people are more negative these days. Steve L made a joke about it the other day and a bunch of people were mad about THAT. It’s just a game, people. (A game that takes some kind of genius to construct!)
Was it too easy? Maybe. Was it brilliant. 100%. To come up with that solution set. Just [chef’s kiss]. Daniel. If you made the clues harder. I think this woulda been POY candidate. I really really appreciated the work it took for your come to with this.
@Weak I appreciated that this was a rare easily solvable Thursday. So I like the clues just the way they are. It's nice that those of us in the 'slow lane' get a break once in a while. Fasten your belt, for I'm sure Friday's puzzle will be full of bumps to delight you (and distress me!)
Most of the comments by the time I’m posting are from people saying they didn’t get it while solving and didn’t need to have gotten it in order to have obtained the star. Here’s the thing: In order for that to be true, you would have to have ignored the second half of four lengthy clues (16, 27, 44, 57 Across), failed to even consider that the extra verbiage was there for a reason, failed to address why there were circles in the grid at all, and failed to ask questions such as “Mets? Nets? Jets?” or “John? Joan?” Deepen your game, friends. Really solving is much more rewarding than accidentally (even quickly) finishing. There’s a t-shirt shop at the exit of every museum, but it’s good to go to a museum for the rest of the stuff before that.
@David Connell I got that it was a bit ambiguous, but that is often the case with clues. You fill in your best guess and move on. I figured I was missing something but all the sudden I was done. Then I read the column and saw the elegance of the puzzle. If I had to figure out the theme on my own it might have taken me all day, but that was unnecessary to get credit for a solve
@David Connell right on! I'm with you. Well-put, and the t-shirt bit wrapped a smart bow around all of your points.
@David Connell Nice analogy about museum shop but I can't help bringing up a marginally related counter-example: when taking a young child to a musem, visit the shop first and have them peruse the postcards and pick a few that strike their fancy. then structure part of the visit around finding those works. (Promising ice cream afterwards also helps and here Italy with its tiny one-scoop cones is so helpful.)
@David Connell - Brilliant assessment. It makes more sense to me to be awed by these remarkable constructors than to be annoyed. Love the museum store analogy ☺️
@David Connell I have to take issue with your admonation to those who (like me) were surprised to be shown the congratulatory screen. It's not our fault that the puzzle was presented in such a way that it's possible. If you want to complain about the fact that entering both letters as a rebus wasn't required by the app, that's fair game. But don't tell me it's *my* fault that the puzzle is easily solvable before having to think about, or even noticing, the theme.
@David Connell Wish I had read your comment before I just posted my screed. It’s sad your post only has 21 recs as of this post
@David Connell an alternative (but disappointing) possibility for the second half of the clue is that it could have just been the initial letter (the H in JOHN CUSACK for HORA).
@Rrose Selavy scratch what I just said. You’d have to read the clue backwards to do it that way. Which I apparently managed to contort myself into doing.
Good news/bad news. The idea was terrific. Daniel Grinberg pulled off a remarkable feat. Unfortunately it was marred by a puzzle that offered no challenge. It's a shame, because a toughened up version could have made this one that would be remembered for years. It feels like a missed opportunity to come this close to greatness, only to have it miss the mark. A similar idea was used in David Kwong's "A Star is Born" puzzle, but that one put up a worthy Thursday fight. It's been a really long time since we've had a truly tricky Thursday. Maybe I'm just grumpy about that.
@Nancy J. My thought exactly. While I can appreciate how difficult it must have been to come up with those pairs of words and fitting clues, that was all on the puzzle constructor. The puzzle solvers (us) only had to fill in the blanks, which wasn't very difficult.
Wow. Never commented on one of these before but I was thinking this puzzle was pretty straightforward until I got stuck and read this article and my mind is blown. So clever and so well done. Thanks Daniel Grinberg!
For those who missed the trick (as I did), it’s like watching The Sixth Sense or Memento, where everything that happened before makes sense in an entirely new way once you have the new information. It was good before. Now it’s “Oh, WOW.”
Huh. Never noticed the rebus/Schroedinger circles. Also, "sort" as a word processor function? Did y'all mean spreadsheet?
@Mike SORT is a function in MS Word, although only in the desktop version. Yes, it’s more integral to a spreadsheet program, but not wrong with a word processing program.
@Mike Nah, WP programs sort as well, for mailing labels, or just alphabetizing, for instance.
@Mike That's the one that bugged me the most. It's a "technically correct the best kind of correct" situation for sure. ____________________ Jesse Goldberg 8/28/2024 for Puzzle of the Decade (emu filler)
@Mike most word processors allow for tables, and tables (which are related to spreadsheets) can be sorted. Spreadsheet would have been more straightforward, but WP works and seems like a fitting misdirection for what otherwise felt like a pretty easy Thursday.
I bow to greatness. Well done Mr. Grinberg!!!
Wow. That's an impressive construction. OTOH, I'm not sure I should congratulate myself on a PB Thursday time, or be irritated with myself that I understood none of the theme until I read Wordplay.
Amazing puzzle, to do the Schrodinger thing working in both directions and also clue the two letters with an OR word, just amazeballs! Genius City. Wish it hadn't taken so little time to do. It was over in a flash and as others have said, could be completed without recognizing how many things the puzzle is doing. But... I don't mind quick solving here taking hardly any time filling IPA for kind of beer dab those nips with iodine I see the Latin roots in your hair Hot sake and a knish I was well aware I don't mind your puzzle here It took hardly any time I guess this is just what I needed (just what I needed) Schrodinger's kitty on LSD I guess this is just what I needed (just what I needed) needed mental elasticity This puzzle's just what I needed (just what I needed)
Daniel Grinberg, that was an incredibly impressive construction feat, especially because it was so smooth that a lot of solvers didn't even realize what you were doing, despite how hard this puzzle must have been to construct. Four of the puzzle's 15 rows are completely taken up by the theme, but there was very little compromising that had to be done to accommodate this. Bravo!
Schrödinger - the best FORM for a puzzle: It can both BEFUDDLE and BEMUDDLE us. This was a good one! Fortunately I reread the clue for 1D - I was all set to gripe here that “nth” does not mean “infinite”. Whew, a close escape.
Ha! As I worked through the puzzle, the theme felt kind of half-baked - but that was only because I didn't fully understand it. Then it occurred to me, you know, that could be either JOHN or JOAN, couldn't it? Suddenly, HORA made sense, and I laughed out loud. Thanks for the fun!
It’s funny. There are complaints about rebuses, there are complaints about the wrong kinds of rebuses, and now complaints about rebuses you don’t realize are rebuses. I liked the solve, also wondered why it wasn’t trickier, then came here for the reveal. I missed it. But it gives me no less pleasure to find out after the fact. Like a magic trick where you know what’s happening but are still giddy from the skill in execution. And anyway, God willing: There will be more Thursdays!
I appreciated the appearance of Schrödinger's KITTY in the grid. I tumbled to the gimmick early on, with 17A...why is the H circled? Could it be? Sho'nuff!
@Grant wow! Didn’t get the extra dollop of the KITTY shout out till your comment!!!! You just made reading thru 300 comments worth it! Thank you
This was my fastest Thursday ever and I didnt get it till I was done. Interestingly, I first had Joan and changed it to John Cusack. Pretty ingenious. Thanks!
Fantastic puzzle! Comments like this are hilarious: 'It was too easy. Solved quickly. But now I see how the Schrodinger puzzle part worked, I like it a bit better.' If you didn't solve the Schrodinger puzzle, you didn't solve the puzzle! The _ or _ mechanic is key to the puzzle. If you filled in the letters then thought 'huh too easy' without figuring out the _ or _ , then that's no problem, whatever works for you... but then don't jump in the comments and complain that it was too easy or boring. For those who did figure out the inner workings of this puzzle but still thought it was too easy, I'd still suggest to give the constructor a bit of slack. No small feat to make this work. It took me 7 minutes to finish filling in, then another 2 minutes to figure out the __ or ___. Then enjoyed playing around with the letter options another few minutes. Time well spent!
@CB Obviously you're doing the puzzle by writing on dead tree pulp, because those of us in the digital world aren't given the option of "... another 2 minutes to figure out..." or "... playing around with the letter options...". As soon as the grid has a correct letter - *any* correct letter - in every box, we're told we completed ("solved") it, and that's it. You're done. Thanks for playing. Please move along now. My approach has always been to go through all the across clues once, then all the down clues once, and a third pass on the acrosses that aren't complete. Only after that 3rd pass do I expect to have to do any serious thinking, including worriyng about themes, circled letters, self-referential hinting clues, etc. But I never got to that point with this puzzle. Filled in a bunch of easy acrosses, a bunch of easy downs, then used the crosses to fill in the across words that I didn't get the first time, and *POOF* - its all over now. So *that's* what the complaint is. It's so easily solved that it's over before we're even given a chance to figure out - and admire - the theme.
My simple intellect did not grasp the theme, but understanding it was not needed to complete the puzzle, so... Was it a worthy Thursday? I understand Thursdays in the NYT Crossword as the day when the grid's trick should not only be interesting (as ultimately this one was, as I realized once I read about what it in fact was, in the column), but understanding it should have a bearing on the solve. I don't enjoy Thursdays on which I fail because I was too dim to understand the theme, but in a way *those* are proper Thursdays. This one on the other hand solved like a Tuesday, or a Wednesday, at best. I aced it, but being able to do so without having to consider the trick was a let down, to be honest... I haven't read the comments yet, so I may be surprised yet, but the fact that people who do not enjoy gimmicks probably did not suffer today was a plus, maybe? I wonder what the rest of the diem has in store for me.
After finishing today's puzzle, I came to the comments in anticipation of other excited solvers enjoying this delightful and/or puzzle. It is NOT a rebus, to be clear. And I arrive instead to find a sea of crusty solvers with a range of complaints. Can we not simply enjoy the excellent construction here? The interplay of the Across and/ors, the corresponding Down and/ors, and the revealers, each of which is in itself a sufficient clue and answer? Sure it may have run through at the speed of a Wednesday but I just adored this.
I understood the theme AND solved the puzzle in new personal best Thursday time. I'm choosing to interpret this turn of events as "I'm getting smarter" rather than "this puzzle was somehow defective." Sometimes a Thursday puzzle will defeat you, sometimes you will defeat a Thursday puzzle. I say: take the win, folks! P.S. What a brilliant puzzle! Like a flower that reveals its beauty over time. The more you gaze at it, the lovelier it seems. Thank you!
I’m a new solver, and have learned that Thursday puzzles are not straightforward. While I filled the grid with relative ease for me, I did not get the gold star when I finished, and I was well aware that I had not earned it because I was clueless, so to speak, about the squares with circled letters. Try as I might, I couldn’t see the logic. I read Deb’s explanation, and was dazzled by the ability of Mr. Grinberg. I have no complaints about this puzzle, and am filled with admiration. I expect to be challenged in this way on Thursdays. Bravo, Mr. Grinberg.
Hello KITTY!!!!!! Didn’t notice the Shrödinger shout out till Grant pointed it out in the comments!!!! WOW, this puzzle just keeps on giving!!! If you solve on paper (as I do) you could solve quickly and wouldn’t even necessarily know you missed the brilliant theme unless you intentionally go back and search for it. It’s the stab I get in the heart when someone does one of my Monday puzzles super fast and then says “oh, was there a theme?”(?!?)! (Not comparing my constructions with this brilliant one! Just giving a constructor/solver’s point of view!)
@Andrea Carla Michaels -- Hi Andrea! So good to see you here!
Hi Andrea, We haven't seen you since December! I don't do any crosswords super fast -- and I certainly wouldn't want to race through an ACME puzzle on any day of the week. This one was terrific savored on paper.
@Andrea Carla Michaels There were a lot of complaints today that this “rebus” puzzle (well, a Schrödinger puzzle that *allowed* rebuses) was much too easy for a Thursday. I think some of our readers would be interested to know that you are in the very rare position of having constructed both a Thursday rebus puzzle (on 7/7/2016 ) as well as the very unusual Monday rebus (on 8/6/2018). I think there have only been five Monday rebuses since the first in 1955! Wonder what you might think of the day of the week the editors chose to run this one….
Sadly. So many comments read the same sentiment. “ What is the point of having a Thursday-level trick if it can be bypassed so easily? I am not sure who to blame for this.” Blame??? No one is to blame. If you FINISHED the puzzle without trying to SOLVE the puzzle. That’s on you. You should blame yourself for not trying to figure out the Thursday trick (brilliance in this case). Blame yourself people. For being so obsessed with trying to stop the timer, versus actually trying to figure out what was going on. It was Thursday, you should have known something was amiss. The only person that cheated you was…you.
@Weak Please note. I ain’t mad at anyone that didn’t get. I’m just directing my disdain at people that need a reason why they couldn’t see the trick. It was everyone else’s fault. Yeeesh. Yes. I’m overreacting. It’s the internet. It’s what we do.
Well... yep - a bit on the quick side for a Thursday and... will confess that I didn't entirely catch on to the trick until after I was done and went back and pondered for a while. Not a complaint - nice to have something different. And... the more I look over it, the more I realize that it is a pretty amazing feat of construction. What's particularly amazing is that one alternative fits with the clue, but both alternatives are valid answers. Can't even imagine how difficult it must have been to come up with that. Thumbs up for this one. ....
Fun!! Best Thursday time yet and it was so fun :). I really appreciate the simplicity and/or difficulty of this puzzle. And sometimes puzzles are timely as I’ve been pondering the quantum dual world for the past few weeks. Are we here and don’t know it until we are measured? Hmmm? Thank you for 17min 42sec of pure bliss 👏🏼
That was a very pleasant Thursday for which I didn't really appreciate the twist until I had finished. Very nice.
This is the first time I have worked a rebus puzzle that didn't require figuring out the rebuses to finish it. A very quick puzzle, more a work of art than a crossword, and very likely more exciting to construct than to solve. Thank you, Mr. Grinberg, and to be honest, it was a relief to have an easy one in these difficult times. There is enough in the rest of the paper to make our hair stand on end.
@dutchiris Thank you. I've written a few critical notes on this one, but I suppose I can choose to accept it merely as a work of art rather than as a crossword "puzzle". ____________________ Jesse Goldberg 8/28/2024 for Puzzle of the Decade (emu filler)
The subtlety of this puzzle's theme is right up my alley. Unfortunately, I completely missed the turn for my alley, yet made it to my destination in good time nonetheless.
AHA/AHH so perfectly describes a Schrödinger puzzle. The AHA realization that changing one letter makes a new word in each direction, and the AHH appreciation of how one clue perfectly describes each answer. It never fails to amaze me. Thinking back to the CLINTON/BOB DOLE puzzle, in the days before electronic solving and the Wordplay column existed. The impact was extraordinary. I would love to see the Reagan/Carter puzzle. Thanks, Daniel, for a G/Treat.
A bit of a lesson to be learned here. There might be more to something than is apparent.
@J lawrence g Yes, maybe "speed solvers" whizzed right by it. I was aware of the tricky theme when I saw HORA and realized that it was also saying "H or A"
can someone explain how "gate" solves to RECEIPTS?
@Pax the "gate" is what they call the money taken in (receipts) at a concert or sporting event.
@Pax When you go through the door and pay for something at an event, that's called "the gate." So, for instance, at a concert, the gate is how much money was made at "the gate."
@Pax I think at events like concerts, plays, and professional sports games, the “gate” is synonymous with the gross $ of ticket sales… aka, the RECEIPTS. Took me a while to make that connection, lurked somewhere deep on my neurons.
Very clever—and quite different from the usual Thursday tricks! Yeah, I had a quick solve too, but mostly I just enjoyed the ingenuity of the gimmick.
The construction to me is mind-blowingly good but would have appreciated the clues being a tad harder. But again, wowza on construction!
I'm loving the superposition of states this grid has induced in the Comments. Is it a rebus puzzle, or is it NOT A REBUS PUZZLE? It could be either, until you make a decision and open the box!
@Oikofuge Either way, just not feline it. :( ____________________ Jessew Goldberg 8/28/2024 for Puzzle of the Decade (emu filler)
I was a complete NAIF, not getting the theme, and filled in only one letter in each circle. Thanks to the software for giving me the solve! 😊 Great puzzle! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Fastest Thursday in a long time
Wildly easy. No idea of the theme. Did it as theme less. Didn't know the ric dude of the cars, but got it from the crosses. He s usually clued for his first name.
@Robco Big Cars fan, so happy to see him here, even though he was really mean to Paulina in the end, which was quite sad.
@Robco I knew the name, just couldn’t remember how it was spelled: OKASEC, OKASEK, OCASEK, OCASEC? Luckily the crosses were not too hard. 🤓
Brilliant thought process, but one did not need to understand what was going on (I didn’t) to finish the puzzle. I guess when you are constructing something like this, certain sacrifices must be made, resulting in a level of clues that felt more like Monday or Tuesday. Consequently I finished the puzzle in 30% of my average time.
Thursday puzzles are generally moderately challenging. Why is this convention not being followed?
@Laura Stratton Because the editing has been poor these past few months.
Laura, "The convention" has always included some easier solving but wildly intricate Thursdays like this one.
@Laura Stratton so you are on the alert for some sort of trick in the construction of the puzzle.
Delightful solve on so many levels. I didn't see the Rebus but got the whole puzzle anyway. Reading the commentary brought me into the other levels. Well-done, well done. A perfect Thursday for thirsty puzzlers.