You need a thick skin to post a puzzle. Don’t let the “I solved it so quickly” contingent wear you down. Lots of new clues, updated entries and smart wordplay. Thanks.
@bhack The point isn't about the easiness per se, the point is that this is FRIDAY. The caption at the top of the Wordplay column says "a challenging Friday puzzle to start the weekend." False advertising. That's what it's SUPPOSED to be. And clearly just isn't. Run this one on a Wednesday and no one would be complaining.
Are the puzzles getting easier? Absolutely. For two reasons: A. The more puzzles you do, the more you come to recognize certain patterns. Tonight’s “canine” clue didn’t fool me for a second, because I’ve seen that misdirection before. I know that cookie references almost always mean Oreos, and certain actresses with short, vowel-heavy names will always have a career here. Question marks tell me to look for double meanings, and a little knowledge of French (or tennis) goes a long way. The more you do, the better and faster you get. Compounded daily. B. Of COURSE the editors are trying to attract and retain new customers. Can you blame them? Games subscriptions are a key revenue driver for the company. To some extent, they’re helping to keep the news division afloat. Attracting and retaining those all-important subscribers means keeping them happy, which requires a certain editorial balance. Make the puzzles too hard and people will get frustrated and stop playing. Make them too easy and no one will bother. But with the balance of subscribers tilting towards newbies, the difficulty level will trend in their direction. It is what it is, people. Complain about it all you want, but it’s not going to change. And if solving a Friday puzzle 10 minutes faster than usual is the price I have to pay to keep great journalism alive, I’m happy to do it. As long as the puzzles are fun and the interactions here are enjoyable, I think I’m definitely getting my money’s worth.
@Heidi I totally agree with you, but, with all the complaints about how the puzzles are getting too easy, the interactions here are getting less enjoyable.
@Heidi I’ve been doing these for decades. I’m not suddenly getting better in my impending old age. They’re easier. Like many others, I don’t like that. This paper generally gives me less and less reason to read it, but I’ve been holding on to the puzzles. I’d hate to stop, but…
@Heidi BUT THEY SEND OUT AN EMAIL EVERY FRIDAY FOR “EASY MODE”!!! Sorry for the rant, but it’s frustrating. Why do that and then make the Friday puzzle too easy?
@Heidi This makes perfect sense, Heidi. I hadn't thought of the subscriber angle at all. But what a sad statement about our society if, instead of trying to challenge oneself with three tough puzzles a week (Thursday through Saturday), people instead just throw up their hands in despair and walk away.
@Heidi agree with everything you’ve said. With more and more people it becomes very difficult to keep everyone happy. I personally LOVE Friday puzzles. A few years ago when I started doing the NYT crosswords I would skip Friday and Saturday. I would go back and do the archives and also skip Friday and Saturday. Eventually I gave in and went back to do all the Friday and Saturdays that I had skipped. The amount of learning that I got just by doing this was crazy. Now I wish I could just do Friday puzzles. :)
@HeidiWhat you write makes perfect sense, but let's not forget that there are 7 crosswords every week to cater to a full spectrum of subscribers. It would make sense to have the Friday and Saturdays do the work of keeping the longtime solvers happy (and subscribed), the Mondays and Tuesdays to attract newer solvers, with the Weds, Thursday, and Sun as populist attractors for all. This would distribute the frustration more evenly between the noobs who may find the end-of-week puzzles too challenging, and the longtime subscribers, like me, who only do the Mon Tues puzzles out of habit, and get no real pleasure from them (now that I think of it, it really is a kind of addict mentality) Basically, it's my contention that keeping Friday and Saturday old-school challenging would cater to a broader spectrum of their subscriber base That's my proposal, thank you for your time, and I hope I get the job Mr Shortz
@Heidi you nailed it. The games section is to the NYT what real estate is to Starbucks. There’s not even a separate subscription now.
@Heidi your option A is not really a factor, as anyone who regularly works through the archives can attest.
@Heidi this was my first Friday and I found it quite difficult! Which is why I’m still here, showering the comment section for clues 45 minutes in
@Heidi I agree. I enjoy reading most of the comments but I need a button to hide all the "It was too easy" posts.
Out of ~850 puzzles completed this was my first Friday solve. Read into that what you will but I'll take it thank you very much.
@Your Fired congratulations on the accomplishment!
@Your Fired Congrats bro (gender neutral term). Actually, I guess I should say, mate. I’m stoked for you. Make it a Saturday solve tomorrow! @SteveL. Go ahead. You do you…
@Your Fired Oi-oi-oi! Great job and the first of many, I hope.
I got a big smile from 14D Top guns? Nice one.
@Cindy Yes, very clever and another clue in this puzzle that took me way too long to get. :(
The plural hasn't appeared here before... Sun Oct 10, 2021 50 A Top Gun TSHIRTCANNON The concept was here a few weeks ago... Wed Feb 26, 2025 6D "Ammo" for a modern-day cannon TSHIRT
I liked this puzzle a lot. Not a ton of gimmes, even spacing of hard and easy parts. TSHIRT CANNON made me laugh, especially because it took me a while to get. Since you asked, 33:49, which is 8 minutes faster than my average. I do not solve for speed, on the contrary. I enjoy coming here to read interesting posts, like word history or unimportant (but fun) trivia. Overall, it's an interesting and intelligent community. Seems like no matter what the weird topics is, someone here is an expert on it. I love that. I hope we can move past the whining about puzzle difficulty. Let's just not replace that with excessively-PC hectoring or whining about the software, price, whatever.
First, congratulations to Rachel on her puzzle debut. I love that she introduced James to crossword construction and helped him get published in the Times, and that now she holds that honor as well. Ain’t karma grand? Second, this is an exceptional grid build. An uber-low 64-worder so cleanly, spotlessly filled. Where are the initialisms? Nowhere. Colorful and interesting answers inhabit the box, such as ONE-HORSE TOWN, FEINTS, POETS CORNER, CAN YOU NOT, NO FILTER, SLAP BASS. Those last two, by the way, are among the six NYT answer debuts. From the I-love-our-quirky-language dept.: • The anagram of “danger” being the first six letters of GRENADE. Mwah! • LORRE, a common last name becomes a common first name when read backward. Much pleasure and fun for me in the box today, and I left it with a bounce to my step. Thank you, James and Rachel!
BTW, [Top guns?] for TSHIRT CANNON is one fantastic clue – and credit where credit is due, Brandon Koppy came up with it five years ago.
@Lewis Wonderfully put. GRENADE is sure to blast into the top of your weekly list!
I found lots of fresh entries in this one, especially the long centrals, both across and downs. I do, however, continue to hope for more challenging late week exercises. I did enjoy the mini real estate theme in the SW corner with ESTATE and REALTY both clued as if they were amounts, and PARK AVE (site of some pricey property).
An interesting, graceful puzzle, a pleasure from start to finish, with clues that were slanted, but not punishingly so. The constructors seem to have complemented one another in their choices of long fills—just right after they dropped in, but not immediately obvious without a few crosses. A visit to the dentist may have been the inspiration for ORAL and ENAMEL, which I was happy to see confirmed my early dog guess, which I'd ditched as not possible. There were a couple of fills I had to go to Dr. Google to confirm (KESHA? SLAPBASS?), but otherwise it all flowed perfectly. Thank you James and Rachel. Keep up the good work!
Operation DESERT SPOON wherein international disputes are settled while cuddling.
@ad absurdum Led by General Spoonin' Susan.
Nice Friday puzzle. Typical long workout for me, but ended up being an enjoyable solve. And... ...spent a fair amount of time in HUEYs during my time in Vietnam. And... my weapon there was a GRENADE launcher. But at least we didn't have any TSHIRTCANNONS. And... I'll put my puzzle find today in a reply. ...
@Rich in Atlanta As threatened: A Thursday from September 12, 2013 by Ian Livengood. One answer, straightforwardly clued was: 18a - JACKSPARROW And then... a following answer was clued as: "Remark about the end of 18-across" ITSABIRD And the other similarly clued pairs of answers: BUBBLEJET ITSAPLANE JEFFKENT ITSSUPERMAN Thought that was pretty clever. Here's the link: <a href="https://www.xwordinfo.com/Crossword?date=9/12/2013&g=18&d=A" target="_blank">https://www.xwordinfo.com/Crossword?date=9/12/2013&g=18&d=A</a> ....
I thought this was hard enough for a Friday. I guess I’m pretty slow compared to many, but I also suspect I’m faster than many, and probably most mortals couldn’t solve this without lookups, which I didn’t need. So hang in there those who couldn’t solve it or took longer. TIL KESHA.
@Bill. By the way, took me 67 minutes.
SLAPBASS is not a percussive technique guitarists use. It's a percussion technique bass players use. Signed - a bass player who took way too long on this clue because slap bass didn't even come to mind as something a guitarist might ever try.
@Alex Agreed! Even if one were to argue it pertains to a bass guitar, it’s a technique used by bassists for both bass guitar and stand up bass, so that doesn’t hold water either
@Alex I had HAMMERON for a long time, even thiugh it's not really 'percussive'.
Alex, But with BASS in the answer, "bass" can't be in the clue, a bass guitar is a bass, and clues/answers don't have to encompass all cases. Clues and answers like this often trip up people who are closest to the subject.
@Alex - I'm an amateur bass player and while I see where you're coming from, a bass guitar is a type of guitar, so the clue is not wrong by crossword standards.
@Pax Ahimsa Gethen although a stand up bass is not a type of guitar
I had “stoned” before “phoned” for the clue: Gave a buzz. That and the pseudo-windmill grid added some friction, but I still finished in half my average Friday time. For me, a willingness to give up an answer that I think is right when I reach an impasse has really upped my game!
Yes, it was too easy for a Friday, Yes, there were too many gimmes for a Friday, Yes, many of the long answers were eminently guessable with a cross or two, But I still liked this puzzle. There was enough fresh cluing to hold my interest and then some. My favorite: "Top guns?" I was sure this was going to be biceps-related, and even when I got the TSH---, I thought it was going to be some kind of sleeveless T-SHIRT. So, please, puzzle editors, give us more difficult puzzles, but, if you can't, please keep them fresh. And, Sam, please don't encourage people to give their times. You yourself note that those numbers are (and should be) irrelevant to the enjoyment of the solve.
This was only two minutes off my best time. I was wondering whether this was more being on the same wavelength as the constructor, because it seems that there were multiple attempts at misdirection that somehow didn’t quite misdirect me, like “canine’s coat” and “folksy” and “quite a lot” which were clever but didn’t fool me long—maybe because the crosses were pretty straightforward. I will say I loved the “top guns” clue which did fool me and the TIL clue for Rutherford B HAYES. And I briefly had ____PARROT before JACKSPARROW which sounded plausible and oddly had 5 letters in common. But CORGI and POETSCORNER and DESSERTSPOON were gimmes and nothing else put up much of a fight. And an anagram clue for GRENADE seem particular out of place for a Friday. So a moderately enjoyable diversion but I have to agree with Steve L on this. What did the rest of you think?
@SP I found it a lot harder than youse guise, especially the upper right. I had to circle back to it. I had Horse instead of Corgi for a long time. I got Hayes and Jack S. fairly quickly but took a while to navigate from dog fur to plaque and finally enamel. I had fewer gimmes than usual. The mileage, it varies.
@SP Hey, that must mean you're getting good at not getting got! Congrats!
@SP I was just one minute under my Friday average. Spent a lot of time staring at the top half across clues avoiding those that could have multiple answers. POETSCORNER was the breakthrough and then I worked from the bottom up.
@SP I was with you all the way on yesterday's puzzle, but I found this one clever and challenging. Plenty of blank space on the first pass, and misdirects that required correction. Satisfaction.
My water clock is not precise, but there were no posts in the comments when I finished solving and I didn't have anything positive to say about this Friday offering, so I didn't post. I did add a reply on Steve's thread this morning with a link to the xwstats.com results for today's puzzle to demonstrate that it wasn't just "the old guard" that found it easy. <a href="https://xwstats.com/puzzles/2026-03-13" target="_blank">https://xwstats.com/puzzles/2026-03-13</a>
@SP “What did the rest of you think?” New PB. Two days in a row. 🤷♂️
@SP I solved this about 8 minutes faster than my average. I liked the clue for TSHIRT CANNONS, but that seemed like it was the only tricky clue today. I only started my subscription to the Times in 2020, so I’m not part of “the old guard”. I felt this was a little too easy, breezy for a Friday.
Cruci-vibed the heckfire outta this one. So fresh, frolicking and (unlike me) free of flabby fill! Cannot *imagine* constructing or solving with my hubby. Yesterday, I turned my screen to explain why I thought ANGELA was ANGEL and his eyes rolled backward into his skull, until finally just falling out of his face altogether in order to be spared another *millisecond* of enduring the sight of a filled grid. This is why I need Y'ALL. Hope your Friday is flippin' fabulous.
Good morning! I like to think that it's not the puzzles getting easier, but frequent solvers getting better. Don't disillusion me - I like my illusions! (I do hit the archives, but I think the puzzles are harder because the stuff that was current then was trivial enough to have leeched out of my brain.)
@Amy There there, dear. All is well and you are right, of course.
I enjoyed this puzzle; suitably crunchy for a Friday. Re solving times (as mentioned in the column): I prefer not to share mine because I feel a. they are not very informative without knowing about a person's background, both with crossword solving and life in general, and b. we're really competing only against ourselves here. I realize we're all (probably) adults here, but I would hate for a beginner or slower solver to get discouraged by seeing times much faster than they think they could accomplish. I do happily share when I've gotten a PR. I just don't share my specific times. Note the use of "I" language here; I'm not saying what anyone else should or shouldn't do.
I'm really not liking the new behavior of the column opening within the games app instead of switching over to the NYT app. For one, it's blinding, because I keep everything on dark mode but when the column opens in the games app it's bright white. It's also frustrating because sometimes when I'm struggling I like to flip over to the column for a quick hint, or even a quick read through the day's comments, before flipping back to the games app to continue working the puzzle. This new behavior makes that more difficult because I have to back out of the comments and/or column (losing my spot) to get back to the puzzle. I'm sure others may disagree, but at the very least, can you at least give us the choice to open the column in the regular app or even just a browser window?
@Violet Mine still opens in the NYT app. iPad, likely up to date. I agree, that would be a bummer for the reasons you lay out.
@Violet I agree. The original behavior let.me skip back and forth reading about clues as I encounter them. The need to keep resetting the puzzle.and the column is pretty annoying and I can't see any obvious advantage. Multiwindows is pretty common behavior.
@Violet totally agree, I came here to see if anyone else was annoyed or if it was just me! It's really poor UX. The ability to flick between the two is key. I'm on Android and whilst it opened in-app before I at least had the ability to choose to open in Chrome from the column once loaded in-app. This new behaviour is really annoying.
@Violet me too - I really hope this is a temporary and unplanned glitch that can be fixed quickly. Otherwise, we can't refer back to answers referenced by clue number in the column. Kinda takes the fun out of reading the column 😥. (NYT Games app devs, if helpfulI'm using Android 16 on a Pixel 9a, and can no longer open the crossword column in the NYT app - it automatically shifts over to the NYT Games app. Sad trombone!)
Congratulations on your collaboration debut, Rachel and James! I loved the clues and really enjoyed solving. Looks like some found it too easy, but it was a perfect workout for me and TSHIRTCANNONS gave me a much needed laugh once I figured it out. Looking forward to your next one.
It's crazy: finished in 11:04 and ONLY because i read the start to your column and decided to go back and retry it on my own. Had opened wordplay when it felt there was no 'in'. Thanks for the encouragement! Your pep talk led to a challenge and an enjoyable morning diversion before work. Fun to discover i could solve it without any hints. Lots of attempts at misdirection, but felt like i got the constructors wavelength after a bit. 😃💪🕺
I found today’s puzzle very approachable and included some witty wordplay. Too easy for some, maybe, but it is what it is, as the NYT continues to reinvent itself. I think the continued controversy is a tempest in a teapot. Although the current inhabitant of the WH likes to refer to the paper as the”failing” NYT, the powers that be at the paper see games as a revenue source to keep the news division afloat. If that means making the puzzles have a lower degree of difficulty to attract more subscribers, it is something we must live with.
@Ken S “It’s happening. Therefore, we must live with it, and complaints about it are a tempest in a teapot.” I’d be curious to know how broadly you apply that mindset to other events/circumstances…
Got it! The Cruciverbalist Gods have provided another fun solve. They don't have to crack your brain like a peanut to be fun. Goodness knows we need SOMETHING to smile about . . . Thank you Sam Corbin for reminding me that crossword puzzles are about the solve, and the fun of losing oneself in a edifying and enlightening diversion. Fun fact: The t-shirt cannon was invented by my favorite varmint, the San Antonio Spur's Coyote, or Tim Derk, as many fans know the OG mascot. If you really want a smile - just look up the Spurs Coyote up on the INTERNET! <a href="https://youtu.be/_IHqjIAtTfU?si=Kpyvpkt-5LdMJCvE" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/_IHqjIAtTfU?si=Kpyvpkt-5LdMJCvE</a>
I love love the long entries. T shirt cannons One horse town Bent the knee Dessert spoon These are inspired. Amazing grid. But once again, like yesterday, but less so. Cluing should be harder. But I will say for me. I spent a lot of time trying to find my error. coRERS gives a cross of CoNES (definitely can be on a Christmas tree). and cERT sends like a legit word. I assume this will be viewed as too easy. But again, I feel like the editors are not doing justice to these great grids. Just my opinion.
@Weak Just read the constructor notes. Awesome. The only Easter egg I can find related to love is “Tied the [29 down]”.
Sadly, I didn't like this much. I can see why so many thought it was easy, although I found it hard. I liked the canine clue, there was a bit of wordplay. Looking through the clues though, nearly all of if was general knowledge or straightforward definitions. A know it/don't know it situation. I didn't know most of it. Before the "but it's an American crossword" plaints, surely more clues should be solvable through knowledge of words, (I'm not counting reign man and INTERNET as decent wordplay) not from knowing slang, lines from a film, names of authors, film stars, singers, streets, helicopters (!) and seas. I don't mind learning Oreo, RBIs, WAWA and so on. I know that a bit of what you call 'fill' is needed for this type of crossword. I'm even slowly remembering the American definition of LOT and LOTS. I don't want to finish in 6 minutes. I want a tussle, to use my brain to tease out the multiple connotations of the English language.
@Jane Wheelaghan How does American and British use of LOT(S) differ? Is it the meaning of abundance, or that of a parcel of land? (We also use it to mean one's destiny, or the drawing of straws.) And what do you use instead?
This felt tough but got solved pretty quickly. A fun solve! Yet I was thrown by the clue telling us that oranges are ORBs but apples aren't. Y'mean those little indentations at the top and bottom of an apple are disqualifying??? That seems hardly far to apples. And hey, oranges have those little antipodal nubbins that distort its sphericity as well. Why aren't *they* disqualifying?
@Dan if you announce that you’re going to draw some fruit, then draw a circle and color it orange, most people will go, “yeah, that’s an orange.” If you draw a circle and color it red or green, approximately zero people will say “oh look, you drew an apple.”
Speed is not a factor in the big puzzle. My daughter and I do race with the mini though.I like it when a puzzle teaches me something makes my brain grow even when I groan.
If I can solve a Friday in less than 10 minutes, it's way too easy, imo. And this one was WAY too easy.
If you wanna try a good, challenging puzzle from the archive, I just finished Saturday, April 15, 1995 by Bob Klahn. I had to pause and return to it many times. Many entries I didn't know but crosses were fair (but tough). I find many of the mid-90s late-week puzzles impenetrable, but this one finally yielded. <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/crosswords/game/daily/1995/04/15" target="_blank">https://www.nytimes.com/crosswords/game/daily/1995/04/15</a>
@Bill in Yokohama, thank you! That was tough! Some of the trivia was unknown to me from its recent eras (and therefore, probably known to 1995 solvers). But there was a lot that made it a difficult Saturday puzzle besides that time-specific trivia: literature, culture, geography, politics, foreign languages and currencies, music, and even some math… wow. The solve required a very broad and well educated knowledge base. What a great illustration of what a Saturday puzzle should be. Interestingly, it took me about my current Saturday average. But I resorted to a few trivia lookups (the Falcon Crest star, e.g.) and that would have otherwise padded my time quite a bit.
@Bill in Yokohama Thank you! Just finished it, too. I did manage to pull a lot of trivia out of my brain after I'd gotten enough crosses, although there was some that was new to me. I never read War and Peace (and still resist doing so) and don't think I've ever heard of the word "champleve." (Apparently today's Comments spellcheck has never heard of it, either.) These 1990s puzzles usually take me more like 2 1/2 hours, but as with Jill, I managed to finish this one in about my current Saturday average. I thought the Falcon Crest star was going to be impossible, but once I got the J, I suddenly remembered the name from his earlier expose of the evangelism business in the US, which he'd been pulled into as a child preacher.
Anyone else have an issue with 5D? If you're going to be picky about it, neither oranges nor apples are ORBS; if you're not, then both of them are.
I don't (and won't) buy into tracking my solve time. But since the column specifically invited us to post our times, I went back and had a look. I still refuse to post my time, but I will say that it comes up as 4 minutes less than half of my average Friday.
@Grumpy I'm with you, Grumpy. I solve with pencil on paper, in part because that's what I've always done, but in part becaue I don't want to find myself thinking/worrying about how long it's taking me. I'd rather spend more time enjoying the puzzle.
What a delightful story of our constructors finding love through the NYTXW, and now constructing together to create a fine Friday. Interesting how mileage varies for commenters. Solved this about 30% faster than my average. Great wordplay that didn’t slow me down. Looking forward to seeing more from these two!
Solved and then glanced the headlines and read about: New Brexit Defeat Plunges U.K.’s Theresa May Into Crisis and Mueller Report Has Washington Spinning (and It’s Not Even Filed) and Actresses, Business Leaders and Other Wealthy Parents Charged in U.S. College Entry Fraud "What's going on?" I cried. Then I'd realized I'd traveled through time whilst asleep and had awoken to Wednesday, March 13 2019! Seriously, though, solve that Wednesday's puzzle, as I did, and tell me which was more challenging: today's Friday or that Wednesday? I know it's tiresome to read complaints about the remedialization of the puzzle, but if the very obvious phenomenon is not frequently called out there is even less of a chance the trend will change.
A fun solve. I'm slow and steady, not a particularly speedy solver so am very glad that I was within 2 seconds of the time you shared, Sam. I was trying to find a word that worked for Canine's coat, but was thinking of furry words until I got some of the crossings. NW corner was the last thing to fall in place, even after the intersecting stair steps in the middle, which were challenging. Many thanks to James and Rachel, long may they collaborate!
Wow !! Great Friday. No look ups. NE corner last and definitely thought I wouldn’t get it but…. Yay me !! Thanks for the fun !!
This wasn't much of a challenge. I guess the editors have to worry about people's streaks and best times since so many people are obsessed with their stats judging from the alternate whining and bragging that take place in these comments. This is partly the NYT's fault for adding these features. I'll keep doing the puzzles, but I'd love to find another source (I have an xwordinfo subscription).
@sleepwalker I agree. I thought the puzzle itself was fine, but I felt that the clueing could have been much more challenging. The puns were punny, though!
Wait, what day is it? Wednesday? I'm just going to add to the pile-on here because if enough of us comment on how ridiculously easy the NYT puzzles have become maybe you'll realize some of us actually like being challenged a little. Thursday-Friday used to be a rigorous hill climb. Now I feel like I'm just going for a participation award. Not that the puzzle itself was bad, just not Friday caliber by a long shot.
Had a little trouble finding a toehold but once I found it I thought I might be on my way to a PB…until I got bogged down in the west. Still, I finished more than 50% under my Friday average. Enjoyed quite a few clues: 14D, “Top guns,” for T SHIRT CANNONS; 36D, “Toppers that twinkle,” for TIARAS; the juxtaposition of 44A (“Quite a lot” for ESTATE), and 47A (“Lots, e.g.,” for REALTY)… A personal note: I was delighted to learn that one of QE2’s CORGIS was named “Monty,” which is the name of our dog (a mixed-breed rescue, not pedigreed, but nonetheless delightful). We took his name from Monty Don, host of BBC’s Gardeners’ World, which returns today...a comforting show in our mad, mad world.
Great puzzle that was just the right difficulty for me. I looked up one or two trivia clues, but got most of the "tricky" clues on my own. Only got stumped in the NE corner trying to decorate my Christmas tree with CONES and use CORERS on my potatoes to end up with a time of 27:32. Solve it your way, have fun, and enjoy the weekend!
FIE! Not on the puzzle, it was a delightful puzzle, but I think FIE deserves a comeback, it's so appropriate to our times. Implement for mousse or pudding put me in mind of "spoon theory". It's a useful metaphor for energy and emotional capacity though not a very tight analogy. Oh, that we should only need DESSERT SPOONs. But we sometimes need sharp, serrated grapefruit spoons. And runcible spoons. Has anyone posted some musical links to exemplify SLAP BASS technique?
Longer solve time because I began in the wee morning hours as part of my “insomnia theater”…25 minutes. Enjoyed the solve and went slowly so the answers would come to me after being up much of the night with my older cat who is not feeling great. Great clues…loved the anagram and canines. Visited the poets corner in my youth and that made me smile at the memory. Have a great weekend.
Today’s poem is about my mother‘s impressions on scene California for the first time after immigrating from postwar England…. <br> arriving to the shoreline of a different sea <br> <br> a/ i see a field of gold <br> i see the silver d/ water <br> and a tree, a tree of oranges <br> the oranges hang upon the tree! <br> a/ i’m here <br> <br>
Well, for the first time ever, I did the Friday puzzle on Thursday night because of an unusually busy morning tomorrow, so I guess that it’s helpful overall to have completed it way under my Friday average . I hope, however, on my future leisurely Friday mornings, that the puzzles pose more of a challenge.
This was fun, feeble fill free, and fast. The upper right really gave me a beating but I got through it. I'd place this on the lower level of Hard. Let's see what XWStats users say: hmm, "Easy", with 89% faster than average. If you say so, guys. 🤷♂️ While I always prefer themed puzzles and am not crazy about this grid design, this was a good puzzle. And it was nice to see the meet-cute constructors couple as I skimmed past the column. Congrats.
First time in months I had to give up -- just because of one square. I just couldn't figure out what CANBOUNOT meant...because obviously the other word was BALL ("a Southern collective"...you know, belle of the ball and all that.) Nope, that was Y'ALL.
Great Friday puzzle. Challenging, but doable. Well done to the creator(s)!
Fun and a Nice level of challenge for me. Enjoyed the middle stacks, across and down. And who doesn't like to have Johnnie Depp's Jack Sparrow conjured up. And 45 across made wonder what I might read here today.