Thursday, May 15, 2025

579
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0.198
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215
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Cat Lady MargaretMaineMay 15, 2025, 2:45 AMpositive72%

At last! The proof that when various commenters say NO NO! to rebuses, they are actually saying YES!

201 recommendations3 replies
RobertIn The GhettoMay 15, 2025, 5:30 PMnegative90%

@Cat Lady Margaret not me! Hated it!

0 recommendations
Cal GalLakeportMay 15, 2025, 6:44 PMpositive64%

@Cat Lady Margaret I like rebuses (rebusi?) once I figure out that it is a rebus puzzle. I got that pretty quick, but not until the last fill (17A) did I realize that two "nos" are a yes.

1 recommendations
DaveNVMay 15, 2025, 9:01 PMneutral48%

@Cat Lady Margaret I have no problem with a rebus, but if you do the puzzle in a browser and enter the wrong letter(s), you can't go back and correct!!

0 recommendations
PeabodyChicagolandMay 15, 2025, 3:28 AMneutral78%

I forget the source of this, but it’s relevant today: An MIT linguistics professor was lecturing his class the other day. "In English," he said, "a double negative forms a positive. However, in some languages, such as Russian, a double negative remains a negative. But there isn't a single language, not one, in which a double positive can express a negative." A voice from the back of the room piped up, "Yeah, right." Cheers!

179 recommendations10 replies
AndrzejWarsaw, PolandMay 15, 2025, 4:09 AMnegative59%

@Peabody This joke is so old it still uses a fax machine 🤣 Btw, Polish is one of the languages where a double negative stays negative. It made learning English harder for me. "Nie widzę nikogo" - "I don't see no one" - is how we say things. It's not slang, either. I could style that sentence the English way, too: "Nie widzę kogokolwiek" - "I can't see anybody" - but even though it's 100% understandable, nobody would ever say or write that: it *feels* and sounds wrong. Actually, these days, when virtually all young people speak English over here, I notice more and more of them no longer using all double negatives the Polish way. Isn't it interesting how languages interact?

59 recommendations
ΙασωνMunichMay 15, 2025, 7:52 AMneutral90%

@Peabody carTalk on NPR is where i heard it first.

10 recommendations
The X-PhileLexington, KYMay 15, 2025, 12:51 PMpositive61%

@Peabody Your reminiscence made me look for -- and find! -- the first time I heard this joke. It was in the hallowed pages of the New York Times Magazine (Aug. 14, 1977), and it was presented as a true story(!). The punch line was said to be uttered by the philosopher Sidney Morgenbesser, but the article was a profile of the (then young) philosopher, Saul Kripke. Here's the passage: "At a rarefied seminar in England, a philosopher of language once presented a formal lecture in which he announced that a double negative is known to mean a negative in some languages and a positive in others but that no natural language had yet been discovered in which a double positive means a negative. Whereupon professor Sidney Morgenbesser is said to have piped up from the back of the room with an instant, sarcastic, 'Yeah, yeah.'"

6 recommendations
AndrzejWarsaw, PolandMay 15, 2025, 4:12 PMneutral61%

@The-X Ogóle Yeah, triple negatives occur in Polish, too. "Nigdzie nikogo nie widzę" - I don't see nobody nowhere - is fine literary Polish. I can't think of a quadruple negative... I'm not good at linguistics, Soni can't describe this professionally, but another difference between Polish and English seems to be that in Polish you generally negate verbs rather than nouns, while both options appear to work in English. "There was no beer at the store" would only work as "There was not beer at the store" in Polish: Nie było piwa w sklepie. The former English way of saying it looks nonsensical in Polish: Było nie-piwo w sklepie. Whaaaaat? Thanks, @Mike R 🙂

3 recommendations
Desert DwellerAZMay 15, 2025, 10:10 PMneutral72%

@Peabody hope, not in English. In algebra.

0 recommendations
PcravesNycMay 15, 2025, 2:46 AMpositive97%

Unpopular opinion it would seem, but Thursdays are by far my favorite solve of the week. Love the little extra puzzle within the puzzle (when it makes sense and helps me finish like today!)

165 recommendations4 replies
AndrzejWarsaw, PolandMay 15, 2025, 4:33 AMpositive84%

@Pcraves Why unpopular? Most regulars seem to enjoy most Thursdays. Hell, even I've learned to like them, generally.

7 recommendations
Whoa NellieOut WestMay 15, 2025, 5:47 AMpositive86%

@Pcraves Ditto! Variety is the spice of life. Reckon that makes a rebus . . . an acquired taste? 😉

11 recommendations
The X-PhileLexington, KYMay 15, 2025, 12:38 PMpositive66%

@Pcraves You are not alone. I'm tempted to say that all "true" crossword lovers love Thursday best, but that might be a hasty generalization of my own experience.

11 recommendations
KatieMinnesotaMay 15, 2025, 2:10 PMpositive89%

@Pcraves You're not alone! I love rebuses.

6 recommendations
SPCincinnatiMay 15, 2025, 6:57 AMneutral46%

I’m just grateful the answer to to “Des Moines domain” wasn’t CORNBELT again!

116 recommendations1 replies
JohnWMNB CanadaMay 15, 2025, 11:33 AMneutral89%

SP, The double vegetative means that the Hawk “ayes” have it.

4 recommendations
MikeWRhode IslandMay 15, 2025, 2:25 AMpositive89%

Clever and fun Thursday gimmick but I'm here for "Call for delivery" (what a great clue) crossed with "Baby carriers".

99 recommendations3 replies
HansonPAMay 15, 2025, 1:04 PMneutral68%

@MikeW So a baby is not a person, no?

0 recommendations
dutchirisberkeleyMay 15, 2025, 10:42 PMneutral61%

@MikeW I got what kind of delivery it was going to be and my first four letter word was h-e-l-p !

0 recommendations
AABBNJMay 15, 2025, 11:28 PMpositive55%

@MikeW What a clever clue, I thought PUSH just related to calling for delivery of an an elevator

0 recommendations
SpacebabeAustraliaMay 15, 2025, 2:52 AMpositive99%

I adore rebuses as a rule and this one had the added little bonus of the wordplay. Loved it!!

74 recommendations
MikeMunsterMay 15, 2025, 2:26 AMneutral70%

"Hey, Mr. Ed, you want to go for a ride?" "I vote neigh." (When he was younger, he was foal of himself.)

70 recommendations4 replies
EdHalifax, Nova ScotiaMay 15, 2025, 3:16 AMnegative53%

@MikeWhat behooved you to say that?

30 recommendations
Al in PittsburghCairo,NYMay 15, 2025, 3:38 AMneutral63%

@Mike Trying to stirrup something? It's aboot time. We need a bit of rain, but it won't last furlong. There's an opera about a filly Mignon.

18 recommendations
EsmereldaMontréalMay 15, 2025, 6:42 PMnegative45%

Folks, I'd tell you to rein it in, but these puns are the stable of my day.

8 recommendations
dutchirisberkeleyMay 15, 2025, 9:34 PMnegative71%

@Mike Saddley, I stalled too long, now all the horse bits are too far down the rode for me to find a pun.

6 recommendations
HeidiDallasMay 15, 2025, 9:30 AMpositive93%

What’s more fun than a rebus? Two rebuses with a twist! There will always be naysayers, but today I think it’s safe to say the aNONO have it.

65 recommendations1 replies
ZedNow DaytonMay 16, 2025, 4:16 AMpositive84%

@Heidi Perfect

0 recommendations
LewisAsheville, NCMay 15, 2025, 11:44 AMneutral63%

BTW, I have a puzzle tomorrow in the Washington Post / LA Times -- a themed Friday -- should you be so inclined after finishing your Times puzzle.

61 recommendations9 replies
The X-PhileLexington, KYMay 15, 2025, 12:31 PMpositive97%

@Lewis Congratulations, Lewis!

5 recommendations
CCNYNYMay 15, 2025, 12:50 PMpositive98%

@Lewis Can’t wait!

4 recommendations
KathleenSyracuse, NYMay 15, 2025, 3:42 PMpositive93%

@Lewis Bravo, Lewis!!

3 recommendations
Whoa NellieOut WestMay 15, 2025, 5:21 PMpositive97%

@Lewis Looking forward to your puzzle!

2 recommendations
Niki BBoston, MAMay 15, 2025, 5:30 PMpositive99%

@Lewis yay Lewis!!! Can't wait to give it a try!

2 recommendations
CindyIndianapolisMay 15, 2025, 8:09 PMpositive97%

@Lewis Yippee!!! 😁

1 recommendations
FrancisGrand Marais, MNMay 15, 2025, 8:28 PMpositive84%

@Lewis Two thumbs way up!

2 recommendations
Desert DwellerAZMay 15, 2025, 10:11 PMpositive64%

@Lewis kudos. I guess we will find out whether you have a last name now 🤔

2 recommendations
replayKCMay 15, 2025, 11:07 PMpositive91%

@Lewis Thanks for cluing us in Mr. Rothlein! So, that would be at midnight Eastern Standard Time when it drops and they're free, correct? Two puzzles tonight! YAY

2 recommendations
neilDallasMay 15, 2025, 3:04 AMpositive97%

GREAT PUZZLE!! I used the nodule on my noodle to put all the pieces together.

59 recommendations
EdHalifax, Nova ScotiaMay 15, 2025, 3:19 AMneutral45%

i don't know how to break it to you folks but Lola was a man. I'd bet my cherry cola on that.

56 recommendations3 replies
VaerBrooklynMay 15, 2025, 3:24 AMneutral73%

@Ed Yes, but LOLA is a woman's name.

7 recommendations
FrancisGrand Marais, MNMay 15, 2025, 3:24 AMneutral75%

@Ed True. But it's a woman's name.

5 recommendations
KylaBrooklyn, NYMay 15, 2025, 4:04 AMpositive97%

Love love loved this one! So clever. I liked the across rebus slowly dawning on me. Rebus Hive, stand up!

49 recommendations2 replies
BrianSanta FeMay 15, 2025, 4:33 AMpositive99%

@Kyla 🫡 reporting for duty! loved it too 😁

6 recommendations
JohnLondonMay 15, 2025, 5:34 AMpositive97%

@Kyla Totally agree! Very good and clever puzzle.

6 recommendations
DaveWYMay 15, 2025, 4:38 PMneutral37%

Wow, a real stumper of a theme - I'd figured out it was some form of rebus involving YES and NO but couldn't come up with anything consistent, and the regular clues were tricky enough that I didn't have much to go on for the revealer, so I almost gave in and looked at the column. But I'm glad I didn't, the rush I got when I finally puzzled it out was worth the struggle!

46 recommendations1 replies
Deb AmlenWordplay, the road tourMay 15, 2025, 4:39 PMpositive98%

Way to go, @Dave!

10 recommendations
Nobody’s FoolSomewhereMay 15, 2025, 2:09 AMnegative95%

Annoying. Second puzzle in two weeks that is too frustrating to enjoy.

41 recommendations6 replies
DardanusWestchesterMay 15, 2025, 2:43 AMpositive66%

@Nobody’s Fool I usually would agree with you, but this one came together pretty quickly for me. And rebuses (rebi?) usually slow me down.

12 recommendations
AndrzejWarsaw, PolandMay 15, 2025, 4:47 AMneutral87%

@Dardanus Rebuae*

10 recommendations
BillDetroitMay 15, 2025, 12:32 PMpositive98%

Oh, @Andrzej, you're a gem:)!

5 recommendations
GBKMay 15, 2025, 2:10 PMneutral59%

@Nobody’s Fool "Second puzzle in two weeks" Would those two puzzles both have been on Thursday? That is the day of the week designated for "tricky" puzzles at the NYT. If you truly find them too frustrating to enjoy, perhaps just skip that day of the week (or exit early). I did exactly that for at least a year when I first started solving regularly!

8 recommendations
DrewEarthMay 15, 2025, 4:34 PMnegative51%

@G there's a world of difference between "tricky" and "forced". One of the biggest differences being enjoyment, of which this puzzle was severely lacking

1 recommendations
Dave SOttawaMay 15, 2025, 2:26 AMnegative65%

Got the theme fairly quickly, but I entered SNOTTILY and spent an annoying amount of time finding that. It should have been easier, as I had TOTT, which makes no sense, but I'm tired. Cool puzzle. Love me some rebuses.

41 recommendations8 replies
Dave K.New York, NYMay 15, 2025, 2:34 AMnegative77%

@Dave S Exactly where I got stuck, and gave up after doing a full check. Forfeited my gold star streak because of SNOTTILY.

9 recommendations
Dave SOttawaMay 15, 2025, 11:05 AMneutral69%

@Alexis We know it when we see it

3 recommendations
ErkNYMay 15, 2025, 11:14 AMpositive65%

@Dave S. Same here. With bad allergies (or a cold - who knows these days), snottily fit just fine.

5 recommendations
EricHomewood, ALMay 15, 2025, 11:18 AMnegative87%

@Dave S SNOtTILY tripped me up too. TOTt was obviously wrong, but it still took a minute for TOTO to come to mind.

4 recommendations
SunnyShore, USAMay 15, 2025, 12:41 PMnegative55%

@Dave S I did that briefly as well. I got stuck because I didn’t know Capo. I had Cabo and Bee for BBQ (bar-be-cue). I smacked my head when I saw it

2 recommendations
BethGreenbeltMay 15, 2025, 1:10 PMnegative49%

@Dave S I got hung up briefly in exactly the same spot for the same reason. I'd never heard of a dog called TOTt, but why not?

4 recommendations
DianaCaliforniaMay 15, 2025, 4:38 PMnegative86%

@Dave S Maybe it’s just been a long week but I couldn’t do this puzzle. Got stuck here and three other places. I understood the theme, I knew how to enter the rebuses, but I just kept getting lost and tripped up and not in a fun way - like missing your exit on the freeway over and over. Not a knock on the constructor, I think I just need a vacation.

2 recommendations
Mr DaveSoCalMay 15, 2025, 5:39 AMneutral66%

I didn't didn't do this puzz.

41 recommendations2 replies
AndrzejWarsaw, PolandMay 15, 2025, 5:43 AMneutral72%

@Mr Dave I didn't done didn't done did, maybe? 🤣

4 recommendations
ΙασωνMunichMay 15, 2025, 6:01 AMpositive86%

@Mr Dave yeah sure 😀

4 recommendations
LordBottletopCarrboro, NCMay 15, 2025, 2:32 PMpositive70%

Great to see a shout-out to Eugene T. Maleska. An old college roommate and I submitted a puzzle to the Times in 1977 when he was the editor. We devised a patriotic theme, as we'd calculated that the Sunday paper on July 3rd would carry a diagramless. Mr. Maleska wrote us back, suggesting some changes, and we re-submitted, but were ultimately rejected. I didn't feel so bad when I read an interview in which he said that he'd submitted something like eight or nine puzzles to the NYT before one was accepted. Years later, I'd heard he could be a little harsh, but his rejection letter to us was supportive and encouraging, telling us that as novice constructors, he thought we showed talent. I still have the typewritten correspondence, and the puzzle as we'd constructed it.

39 recommendations
Vincent and JanetSydney, AustraliaMay 15, 2025, 9:11 AMpositive99%

Loved today's puzzle this was our first rebus!

34 recommendations2 replies
AlexisPerth, AustraliaMay 15, 2025, 9:29 AMpositive86%

@Vincent and Janet Welcome!

8 recommendations
Nancy J.NHMay 15, 2025, 9:49 AMpositive96%

@Vincent and Janet Yay! Two more for Team Rebus!

8 recommendations
LprNashvilleMay 15, 2025, 2:16 AMpositive98%

That was fun! A gentle easy rebuild. I enjoyed it.

32 recommendations3 replies
LprNashvilleMay 15, 2025, 2:18 AMneutral51%

@Lpr Rebus! Lol autocorrect was insistent on that one

7 recommendations
AndrzejWarsaw, PolandMay 15, 2025, 4:41 AMnegative75%

@Lpr Autocorrect... Is it not amazing how it can get things wrong? I'm using Google autocorrect, which is generally very good: certainly better than what I experience on the iPad I use occasionally. Still, it keeps making the same mistakes over and over, even though I keep correcting them, trying to teach the algorythm something. For example, in Polish "and" is "i". "My wife and I" would be "moja żona i ja" in Polish. We generally never start a sentence with "i", so a capital "i" is really not a thing in Polish. However, for some reason google will randomly "correct" my "i" in the middle of a sentence in Polish to an "I"... It's been going on for years. Also, even though google autocorrect takes context into account, it keeps mixing up "ze" (with) with "że" (that). So annoying...

8 recommendations
LprNashvilleMay 15, 2025, 1:57 PMneutral54%

@Andrzej Yes and for some reason the NYT has its own more aggressive auto correct!

1 recommendations
The X-PhileLexington, KYMay 15, 2025, 12:28 PMpositive86%

I didn't dislike this puzzle. In fact, I didn't dislike it very much! "NO NO!" I shout, "Let's not have less of puzzles like this one!" Thanks for the mental exercise, Simeon Seigel!

32 recommendations
AndrzejWarsaw, PolandMay 15, 2025, 3:54 AMpositive59%

I failed to solve bits of the puzzle but I'm still (over)proud of my performance. How could that be? Well, I figured out the theme, even though I knew none of the themed across entries 🤣. I have no idea what lye soap is, I've never heard of the Hawkeye state or rye seed oil. I got those answers with crosses once I understood the theme. Sadly, the first themed entry eluded me. Believe it or not, a Polish law professor does not know the Latin for a gecko's foot bristles. Shocking, right? I have not heard of a tie dye shirt, either. Thus the crossing of the two defeated me - I revealed it. Then I looked up tie-dye. Ok, you tie the shirt to get patterns while dyeing. I don't think the process has a name in Polish. I seem to remember my cousin experimented with it in the late 80s or early 90s. There were so many unknowns in the puzzle for me, in general! HART, ALOU and CAPO I had to look up to get crosses going for other entries. I've seen ALOU here before, but the clue meant nothing to me, and the few crosses I had there were not enough for me to recall it today. CUD and EVES DIARY were enigmas but crosses revealed them. ISIAH dawned on me with a few crosses - I know him from these puzzles only as I've never seen a single full basketball game. TOTO came to me, too, even though I'm not really familiar with him. Is it an Oz thing? It is, isn't it? I saw the movie once, I think, 40 years ago, and didn't like it so never rewatched it. There were more such realizations for me.

30 recommendations13 replies
AmandaIllinoisMay 15, 2025, 4:03 AMpositive78%

@Andrzej No comment other than to say I am so impressed with the people I see in the comments doing NYT crossword puzzles when English is not their first language or if they don’t live in the US. Disregarding the fact that I only speak high school level German, even if I was more fluent I would never in a million years know names of their sports players, nicknames of their states, acronyms for their government agencies, brands of deodorant, etc. Very impressed.

65 recommendations
AndrzejWarsaw, PolandMay 15, 2025, 4:20 AMpositive48%

@Amanda (Oh, right, I looked up the deodorant brand, too) Thank you for the kind words. I like to think my English is pretty good and I enjoy putting it to the test. Learning something about American culture is a bonus. I don't pretend I remember everything I see here, of course. And some of the entries actually annoy me: there are few things I care less about than brands, for example, and I pride myself on *not* knowing them: take *that* late stage capitalist dystopia! I will never be able to get my head around so much stuff: all the school and sport team names (especially given how many ways to clue them there are: by city, state, nickname, mascot, etc.), the musical titles and roles, names from old Hollywood, cable channels, birthstones, regional politicians, the countless abbreviations (the exams! The legislation! The American penchant for abbreviating literally *anything*!), names of birds and fish, etc., etc. Still, solving these puzzles is good fun, most of the time.

50 recommendations
AndrzejWarsaw, PolandMay 15, 2025, 5:12 AMnegative81%

@Vaer Your reply is hidden by the time stamp bug. No, I did not finish the horrific grid from hell that was last Sunday's puzzle, trivia and obscurity galore. Also, I was not exaggerating above: I really try to not remember brands. If I do remember, it happens against my will 🤣

7 recommendations
AndrzejWarsaw, PolandMay 15, 2025, 11:07 AMneutral63%

@Jim I started learning English almost 40 years ago, and even though I've never lived in an English-speaking country, for the past 35 years I've probably read and watched more stuff in English than Polish. It would be strange if after all that I wouldn't be close to native-speaker language proficiency. My wife has had a similar experience with her English, and she also solves American crosswords, albeit not NYT ones. In fact, when I'm stuck here, she almost always finishes what I started.

6 recommendations
AndrzejWarsaw, PolandMay 15, 2025, 1:41 PMneutral62%

@David Connell Is it though? I confess I did not know what batik meant in Polish, so I looked it up. The description is not the same as what I found for tie-dyeing. According to wikipedia, batik (which is a Javanese term, apparently, used in many languages around the world, including Polish and English) is about using wax to prevent parts of the cloth from accepting the dye. On the other hand, tie-dyeing involves tying fabric and letting its crumpled state influence how the dye works on it. I'm trying to google a good Polish term for tie-dyeing but I'm not really getting results. Most Polish websites just use the English term, and some provide the direct translation of "farbowanie skręcaniem." The sad thing is, I will most likely forget all of the above within weeks... I seem to have lost the ability to retain knowledge about new things, especially ones that are essentially alien to me.

8 recommendations
Bay Area NativeAlbany, CAMay 15, 2025, 2:42 PMneutral51%

And yes, @Andrzej, Toto was Dorothy's dog in the Wizard of Oz. His name lives on in the expression, "Toto, I've a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore," for times when things have suddenly and unexpectedly changed. #4 in AFI's top 100 movie quotes, I read.

4 recommendations
LewisAsheville, NCMay 15, 2025, 11:40 AMpositive96%

Simeon loves to make tricky Thursdays. Of his 17 NYT puzzles, 12 fall on that day. He also loves wordplay, which his clues abound in. I share those loves, so when I see his name atop a Thursday, I’m giddy and favorably disposed before filling in the first square. What an elegant theme! Never done before anywhere. It’s hard enough to come up with a tricky puzzle theme (try it sometime!), but to come up with one that has a fresh angle is most noteworthy. Simeon has a talent for this. Regarding terrific wordplay in his clues: BFF, IMPALA, TEAR, ARSON, UTERI, PUSH, and AREA. The clue [Close one, for short] for BFF misdirected me for the longest time, and those are the sweetest clues because they bring the most powerful ahas when cracked. Serendipitous bonus: A rare-in-crossword five-letter semordnilap (SPINS). I came into the blank grid giddy, Simeon, and left it satisfied. These are hallmarks of your puzzles for me, for which I’m extremely grateful!

27 recommendations
ZézitoAlexandriaMay 15, 2025, 2:40 AMpositive76%

This theme has me guessing for a while. When I finally got it, I let out a groan. That's a good groan, as in "why didn't I see that sooner. Great clueing throughout and hardly any pop culture trivia. I think ALOU and ISIAH are pretty standard crossword fill. This was a great puzzle all around.

26 recommendations
GeorgeCharleston, SCMay 15, 2025, 12:44 PMneutral67%

Do the puzzle while enjoying breakfast. Got the “nono” rebus fairly early, but had no idea of how they went with the across clues. Stared at the “colorful apparel” clue and then I kid you not, looked down and saw the “tie dye shirt” I wore to bed last night. YES!!!

26 recommendations2 replies
mjmWater Winter WonderlandMay 15, 2025, 2:10 PMpositive66%

@George Me too!

3 recommendations
CindyIndianapolisMay 15, 2025, 8:14 PMpositive71%

@George I solved it while wearing a tie dye "Grateful Bled" shirt I got as swag for donating blood!

0 recommendations
EarnestQuebecMay 15, 2025, 4:16 AMnegative73%

thumbs down for today crossword

25 recommendations
BrianPhiladelphiaMay 15, 2025, 1:46 PMpositive91%

Did I like this puzzle? Initially - heck NO Halfway through - still NO By the end - definitely YES A hallmark ride of a clever fun puzzle (for me at least)

25 recommendations
MaggieQueenslandMay 15, 2025, 3:43 PMnegative90%

I had no idea what was happening, as I'm fairly new to the NYT crossword. It annoyed me greatly, even when I finally worked out (kind of) what was happening. I'll be skipping these in future.

23 recommendations7 replies
Barry AnconaNew York NYMay 15, 2025, 4:19 PMneutral52%

Maggie, Maybe try a few more of them before giving up on them? As you will see from reading today's posts, for many people rebuses were an acquired taste.

13 recommendations
Deb AmlenWordplay, the road tourMay 15, 2025, 4:44 PMpositive80%

Hi @Maggie, Welcome to Wordplay! May I suggest that you start with the early week puzzles until you’re ready for more of a cruciverbal adventure? They tend to be more straightforward and you can practice some of the skills you’ll need for the trickier ones. Also, please scroll down and click on the free guide to solving the New York Times Crossword. It discusses the types of puzzles and clues you can expect to find here, and there are mini crosswords you can do for practice. Good luck!

25 recommendations
AmandaDCMay 15, 2025, 6:05 PMpositive92%

@Maggie I used to HATE the Thursday puzzles and now they’re my favorite! I love trying to figure out what the twist is. Keep at it!

15 recommendations
WarkAlberta, CanadaMay 15, 2025, 7:03 PMpositive68%

@Maggieim fairly new as well and there’s nothing wrong with using auto check for the end of week puzzles. Also great practice going to the archives where you can pick which day of the week you want to do. I did today’s with auto check about half way through and no lookups.

11 recommendations
R.J. SmithAustin, TXMay 15, 2025, 7:28 PMnegative73%

@Maggie: They are called rebus puzzles. You are right to skip them, they are abominations. Don't let anyone convince you otherwise --- and DON'T listen to any cheerful apologist.

5 recommendations
KevinArlington, VAMay 15, 2025, 10:26 PMneutral50%

@Maggie NYT the thing to know is that most of these puzzles are published on Thursdays. Thursdays *always* have some kind of twist to them. It isn't a rebus every time, but you should always come into Thursday expecting some kind of puzzle-within-a-puzzle. I love the challenge and the mystery, so Thursdays are my favorite. But if they end up not being your thing... skip em! You do you. Rebus themes will come up a few Sundays per year, and very sparingly on other days.

3 recommendations
DOHMay 16, 2025, 12:09 AMnegative94%

@Maggie Unfortunately these horrible puzzles show up weekly and ruin the week. My advice is just skip them.

1 recommendations
CBNYMay 15, 2025, 8:55 AMpositive70%

Great puzzle! Loved the double negative theme, and lots of nice clues too (impala!) I saw a couple of comments asking that spoilers on how to enter the thematic rebus be included with the puzzle itself. Counterpoint: heck no! The revealer 'double negative' is earned by filling in the grid. Applying a bit of energy, hmmm double negative... might this be a clue? Looks like there are 2 rebuses in each relevant answer... and looks like 'no' would fit for each... and writing 'no' twice would fit the double negative theme. Done. Works. Puzzle completed with that cheerful jingle. It's all part of the puzzle. Let's keep it that way.

22 recommendations2 replies
JerryAthens, GaMay 15, 2025, 1:26 PMnegative82%

@CB I couldn't come up with a horned animal with 'gorge' in the name, but I cringed equally at the thought of Vlad the Impaler's reign of terror. What a mind, huh?

3 recommendations
CBNYMay 15, 2025, 2:57 PMneutral45%

@Jerry Yeah that's quite the word association! As an antidote try thinking of a Chevrolet Impala... dang it after writing that, my own mind conjured up Vlad driving a Chevrolet Impala. 🤣

2 recommendations
Marshall WalthewArdmoreMay 15, 2025, 2:41 AMpositive89%

NONO I liked this puzzle. I went through it at a reasonable pace helped by my love of classic rock, which gave me LOLA and BYRD. I get the yes no rebus aspect fairly quickly. However, it took me way too long to figure out how to enter the rebus, which should have been easier given the revealer. Finally the light bulb went on: NONO = yes.

21 recommendations1 replies
MtmetzPacific NWMay 16, 2025, 5:52 AMneutral65%

@Marshall Walthew The downs gave me the NO NO rebus, but in my overthinking mind, instead of two NOs making a YES, I figured two NOs as a double negative could make AYES, which phonetically fit the phrases of the themers. YES is a much cleaner fit, but either way I got the gold star (after I changed the tense of FAXES to FAXED!)

0 recommendations
MNCanadaMay 15, 2025, 3:31 AMnegative76%

I wish you would put a notice when a puzzle is a rebus so I can avoid it.

21 recommendations5 replies
Jamie BOregonMay 15, 2025, 5:58 AMneutral84%

@MN typically, on Thursday I start it, then if something seems off, I'll head to the blog to see if it's a rebus. If it is, then I try and figure it out, but ultimately, I'm not too proud to peek at the gimmick. So you can always head here first on Thursdays and see it's almost if not always before they give anything away.

5 recommendations
Nora(American in) FranceMay 15, 2025, 9:42 AMnegative71%

@MN That would ruin the puzzle for me. Just pointing out the other perspective.

11 recommendations
Steve LChestnut Ridge, NYMay 15, 2025, 11:50 AMneutral84%

@MN Your calendar is the notice that it may be a rebus. Thursday and Sunday are the most likely rebus days. Other days may be rebus days, too. Then you just find out when a gimme is too long to fit. Most people don’t want any kind of spoiler.

9 recommendations
BethGreenbeltMay 15, 2025, 1:17 PMneutral63%

@MN Those of us who enjoy tricky Thursdays don't want to know if a rebus is involved because that removes part of the fun of solving. But you are welcome to check the column on Thursdays to see if there's a rebus.

5 recommendations
GraphicGiraffeMay 15, 2025, 3:18 PMnegative65%

@MN That would be a spoiler.

2 recommendations
Patrick J.Sydney Aus.May 15, 2025, 4:53 AMneutral85%

A hint for all those who wanted some form of “yes” in the across themers. The revealer contains the term [interpreted] as applying to them. This is almost always a signal that what is to be entered will not readable directly as the solution, but, as noted, interpreted. In this case. NO NO is entered but read (interpreted) as “yes”. Not the first time we’ve had this situation.

21 recommendations1 replies
Whoa NellieOut WestMay 15, 2025, 5:44 AMpositive83%

@Patrick J. Great tip! Hope your post helps them that wants to holler 'calf rope' and skeedaddle.

4 recommendations
suejeanHarrogate, North YorkshireMay 15, 2025, 10:30 AMpositive98%

I’m really pleased that more solvers are enjoying a rebus puzzle. This was quite a tricky one for me, but very satisfying to solve. Thanks , Simeon.

21 recommendations
CCNYNYMay 15, 2025, 11:14 AMnegative70%

I didn’t not love this puzzle. Simeon never doesn’t impress. Thursday POY candidate..? I’m not saying nope. Made it through both flights, one so delayed the next had to wait for us, so we walked allll the way to row 18, apologizing to the other 3,359 passengers. That flight flew through *two* thunderstorms and, as we were descending, suddenly hit the gas and stuck its nose up to go much higher, very quickly, to avoid “another aircraft that apparently was too close for comfort,” per the captain. But we made it! Palm trees. My boy. Graduation day! Have a lovely Thursday all!

20 recommendations4 replies
BethGreenbeltMay 15, 2025, 1:44 PMnegative51%

@CCNY Terrifying. By any chance were you flying in to Newark?

1 recommendations
NYC TravelerNow In Boulder, COMay 15, 2025, 3:56 PMpositive96%

@CCNY, Yay!!! Glad to hear you made it! Thanks for letting us know. Quite a harrowing experience for you. We had fingers crossed that you could make the graduation and the wedding🤞🏻. You did it!

1 recommendations
FrancisGrand Marais, MNMay 15, 2025, 8:30 PMneutral75%

@CCNY Flying in the age of you-know-who.

1 recommendations
LoopyWherenowMay 15, 2025, 4:07 PMpositive93%

I really liked this puzzle and I generally dislike rebuses. I knew it was DOUBLEsomething and when it clicked with the SW corner I then went hunting for the rest. Lots of fun for my birthday solve with no lookups! Thank you very much!

20 recommendations4 replies
Deb AmlenWordplay, the road tourMay 15, 2025, 4:40 PMpositive98%

Happy birthday, @Loopy!

6 recommendations
CindyIndianapolisMay 15, 2025, 5:03 PMpositive98%

@Loopy Happy birthday!!!

3 recommendations
Michael ThorsonMadison, WIMay 16, 2025, 5:58 AMpositive99%

@Loopy Happy Birthday! I always love my birthday puzzles and glad yours was a doozy!

0 recommendations
Jacqui JRedondo Beach, CAMay 15, 2025, 4:48 AMpositive98%

NONO! My favorite kind of puzzle! The revealer definitely helped with the solved in this case. I figured out L NO NO OAP first which led me to DOUBLE NEGATIVES. That helped me figure out the other themers. Loved PUSH crossing UTERI and laughed at LOOT crossing the opposing OWES 😆 This puzzle was TOPS for me. Thank you, Simeon!

19 recommendations
KevinVAMay 15, 2025, 2:22 PMnegative82%

this crossword reminded me of my 7th grade math test where I cried

18 recommendations1 replies
KelpPortland, ORMay 15, 2025, 9:12 PMnegative92%

@Kevin Awwww! Life can be so cruel.

1 recommendations
RigelCaliforniaMay 15, 2025, 4:03 PMpositive81%

don't know why so many people didn't like this one, i had fun! even when i was new to crosswords and couldn't crack any puzzle with a rebus, i would cheat and look at the theme and go "huh, cute" and it would motivate me to do more crosswords so i could solve rebuses

18 recommendations
Wendy LaubachTexasMay 15, 2025, 2:25 AMpositive57%

Clever.

17 recommendations
replayKCMay 15, 2025, 3:31 AMneutral76%

The rebus doth protest too much, methinks.

17 recommendations
Whoa NellieOut WestMay 15, 2025, 5:37 AMneutral50%

Grid, your rebus got me now You got me so I don't know what I'm doin' Oh grid, your rebus got me now You got me so I can't solve at night! (Oof. Turn record over. Sorry) Dirty old rebus, must you keep rolling Uplate into the night? YESNO it spins me, make me feel dizzy Snootily blows my time But I know a happy end As long as I gaze on Simeon Seigel sets A rebus paradise! Every day, I pokes out the words from my noodle But tricky, tricky is the Thursday time Simeon Seigel's just fine (Simeon Seigel's just fine) Solvers need lyesoap Curse Will Shortz station A Thursday fight But I am not crazy, don't want to squander Doublenegative night And I don't feel afraid As long as I gaze on Simeon Seigel sets A rebus paradise! Every day, I steers out the clues from my nodule But tricky, tricky is the Thursday time Simeon Seigel sets (Simeon Seigel's just fine) Millions of solvers swearing a subfor rebus days would please this crowd But don't dis it cruelly, this grid delivers And you can feel overproud! Subscriptions won't need to end As long as you gaze on Simeon Seigel sets A rebus paradise Simeon Seigel sets (Simeon Seigel's just fine) Simeon Seigel sets!

17 recommendations4 replies
Jacqui JRedondo Beach, CAMay 15, 2025, 5:41 AMpositive98%

@Whoa Nellie brilliant! You really got me with this one 😆

7 recommendations
JerryAthens, GaMay 15, 2025, 1:37 PMpositive94%

@Whoa Nellie Ms Whoa... your lyrical prowess is amazing! Hep a brotha out... I couldn't resolve past the first part. Even after playing the B-Side. Which song did you parody? -Your most humble fan-

1 recommendations
RockyNYCMay 15, 2025, 11:04 AMpositive99%

Let out an audible “OHHH” when I finally understood the entirety of the rebus. Such a clever and fun Thursday!

17 recommendations
HubGrubberMay 15, 2025, 11:25 AMpositive76%

This puzzle reminded me that it’s possible to go, seemingly instantly, from absolute revulsion and irritation to awe, amazement, and adoration on ‘getting’ the trick of the theme. This puzzle absolutely murdered me but I can’t think of a rebus theme I’ve admired more in recent memory. Worth sticking with through all the tricky (for me) fill!

17 recommendations
ad absurdumchicagoMay 15, 2025, 1:49 PMpositive79%

You say, "Yes", I say, "No no" ... I absolutely loved this! Am I the only one who had a PEE right in the middle of the puzzle?

17 recommendations4 replies
BillDetroitMay 15, 2025, 2:15 PMnegative86%

@ad absurdum Forgot to close the laptop. Totally screwed up my time stats.

2 recommendations
Whoa NellieOut WestMay 15, 2025, 3:44 PMpositive52%

@ad absurdum "I absolutely loved this!" (but no pee here) A few say goodbye, and I say hello Yes no yes no I don't know why a rebus leaves them all so cold

3 recommendations
kilaueabartOakland CAMay 15, 2025, 4:26 PMnegative73%

@ad absurdum I resolved that potential natick with PEA. NYTXWs only use nice words. But TAAR for 43A just seemed wrong.

2 recommendations
ad absurdumchicagoMay 15, 2025, 6:23 PMnegative58%

@Bill Bummer. Is your keyboard okay?

0 recommendations
MomerlynPAMay 15, 2025, 3:36 PMpositive56%

I went into this puzzle telling myself, "It's Thursday. Beware." I smiled when I realized where the rebus came into play, realized it was NO NO, finished the puzzle with a smile...and no happy music. Carefully, I peeled away the layers; each clue one by one, read the column, went through some comments. Opened up the finished puzzle, and compared answers one at a time. Nope, nothing wrong. Aarrgghhh! Finally, last resort: I opened the "check puzzle" and agreed that the streak could go by the wayside. And there it was. Instead of NO in one of the answers, I had N0. A zero instead of a letter. I think I need a vacation. But I'll settle for lunch, and a manicure. See you later! (after I solve Eugene's puzzle, which I did originally in ink on my way to work in NYC.)

17 recommendations1 replies
FrancisGrand Marais, MNMay 15, 2025, 9:42 PMnegative89%

@Momerlyn That is one of *the* most difficult errors to find.

1 recommendations
First Time CallerUSAMay 15, 2025, 3:04 AMneutral62%

Wouldn’t a puzzle from 5/15/49 be 76 years ago, not 66? I remember Eugene Maleska as editor. Also fond memories of Merl Reagle as a great puzzle constructor.

16 recommendations2 replies
VaerBrooklynMay 15, 2025, 3:17 AMneutral51%

@First Time Caller Deb was promised there would be no math.

33 recommendations
SuePalo Alto, CalifMay 16, 2025, 3:50 AMpositive85%

@First Time Caller Definitely 76. I had my 76th birthday last week, and I'm born in 1949!

0 recommendations
JayForest Hills, NYMay 15, 2025, 7:23 AMneutral49%

Sometimes I get tripped up on what to enter in the rebus but this one was clear once I got DOUBLE NEGATIVES. My favorite clue was for IMPALA.

15 recommendations
Rich in AtlantaAustell, GeorgiaMay 15, 2025, 11:07 AMpositive95%

Whew. And Wow! Typical tough Friday workout for me, but having a double trick was such a great thing. Tumbled to the NO rebus fairly early, and then was still completely puzzled by the crossing answers until it finally dawned on me with HAWKEYESTATE. Then went back and pondered all the other ones and they all came to me eventually. Don't recall seeing another like this - Just can't imagine what a workout it must have been to create a puzzle with the crossing rebus answers for all of those answers. Just amazing. Puzzle finds today of course - I'll put those in replies. ...

15 recommendations3 replies
Rich in AtlantaAustell, GeorgiaMay 15, 2025, 12:05 PMpositive55%

@Rich in Atlanta Well... actually think I might have mentioned this one before, but, whatever. Still an all-time favorite. A Sunday from September 13, 1998 by the great Cathy Millhauser with the title "Getting A-Long." Some theme clues and answers: "Food for thought?" BRAINMUFFIN "Pain killer?" ACHESMURDERER "Where they tell off-color prayers before meals?" BLUEGRACESTATE "Bad photo of a shoelace problem?" GRAINYKNOT "What one used to do in Kremlin heat?" BAKEINTHEUSSR And there were a few more. Here's the Xword Info link: <a href="https://www.xwordinfo.com/Crossword?date=9/13/1998&g=116&d=A" target="_blank">https://www.xwordinfo.com/Crossword?date=9/13/1998&g=116&d=A</a> ....

4 recommendations
KFUSAMay 15, 2025, 2:03 PMneutral85%

@Rich in Atlanta Friday? Made me pull up a calendar…

4 recommendations
GBKMay 15, 2025, 2:57 PMpositive94%

@Rich in Atlanta Thanks for the recommendation of the Cathy Millhauser puzzle! Occasionally I'll pull up a suggested puzzle in the archive and fill in an answer or two to "bookmark" the game for later. Today I almost filled in the whole grid before I realized it. I was having so much fun!

4 recommendations
Marcia FidlerIndianapolisMay 15, 2025, 12:09 PMpositive98%

Took me an hour, but I loved it! I am in awe of people who can create such masterpieces.

15 recommendations
Mr OchieFart Flats, NVMay 15, 2025, 3:36 PMpositive90%

Cute Thursday spin around the ol' cranium.

15 recommendations
NorwoodRICHMOND VAMay 15, 2025, 3:39 PMpositive98%

YES! But what is even better than finishing this delightful Thursday challenge? Finding out my oldest brother was the new Pope's roomate freshman and sophomore year in high school at St. Augustine's, where I myself went to sumer camp in my grade school years. A double positive!! (no kiddiing!)

15 recommendations