The preponderance of “LSD” in recent crosswords does raise questions…
@Dean literally- like every week there acid or LSD at least 2-3 puzzles...
@Dean questions such as… what? Why are people so genuinely afraid of totally misunderstood and beneficial substances. Yet bars on every corner are entirely acceptable.
@Dean as others have put it, “free and easy access” of LSD would do more to change our entire planet than just about any other shift in our collective consciousness.
@Dean It's just crosswordese. Very common, but not as common as ATE, ERA, ETA, EST, IRA, ALE, ELI, ODE, ALA, TSA, ART, EMO, END, or TRI, if we go by the 2025 stats. Admittedly, it seems to be trending up a bit over the last few years.
Guys, can we *please* give it a rest with the lsd clues? We get it, you did acid once. It’s better than seeing strained references to Yoko Ono every day but it’s becoming its own cringey cliche.
@Jess Maybe you could use a nice OREO?
@Jess or maybe play an OBOE
@Jess I gave you a recommend, because I’m tired of it too. But the fact is it’s just a useful word for crosswords. It just seems like the clues always seem to be promoting it in a sideways sort of way but that’s just because the “trip” angle is a useful misdirect (even if it isn’t fooling anyone at this point). My limit was reached last year when I complained about a quote from Steve Jobs basically suggesting it was the reason for his success and I got roundly beaten down for it. So I’ve learned to just give it a rest. But I hear you.
@Jess Or maybe have someone read your ORA? {I'll see myself out, thanks.}
@Jess Or you could take a trip to Mauna ??a.
@Jess quit being such a NENE sayer!
@Jess visit the ARAL sea…or the URAL mountains!
@Jess MDA, PCP, DMT, and THC are feeling very slighted.
@Jess Here are some ideas for future constructors: - Recently dissolved HK liberal party (League of Social Democrats) - Tail end of a number, for short (Least significant digit) - Dead programming dialect derived from PL/I (Language for Systems Development) - Positraction gear train type: abbr. (Limited-slip differentcial) - Type of NiMH battery that can store charge for longer (Low self-discharge) - Cattle cutaneous condition letters (Lumpy skin disease) I know, too obscure. I wouldn't guess any of them myself. Just found them on Wikipedia. :-)
@Jess while I agree, we should first get ISSA and ENO to weigh in on the matter.
@Jess This is much ADO about nothing
@Jess Just remember if you're ever in Chicago and take LSD -- you're on Lake Shore Drive!
@Jess Time to blow up this thread with some TNT
Here it comes…my usual game: (Hi Barry!) Someday a solution will be found to balance the people with OODLES of wealth with those who are FOODLESS. An OMANI felt included when he had to relocate to ROMANIA. IF AT ALL possible, work on your FATAL flaws in therapy. The girl scout troop had to create a new rank, EMERITA, for scouts who had earned every single MERIT badge and had nothing more to aim for. Fans of Mel TORME STORMED the stage to experience the Velvet Fog up close.
@Cat Lady Margaret Nice! We left OFF(the)SIDES and you gave us icing on the crossword cake!
@Cat Lady Margaret nicely done!
Cat Lady Margaret, Thank you!
As one who was trained by many years of solving Times puzzles to expect on Thursdays a decent battle to fill in the grid – and to look forward to it – I was disappointed by an overabundance of gimmes today. This is not the first time in recent months. I know John is capable of tough cluing from past puzzles of his, so I’m voicing my dismay to the editors. Maya Angelou said, “If you don’t like something, change it; if you can’t change it, change your attitude.” I’m trying to change my attitude toward the easification of the Times Puzzle, trying very hard, editors, but I just haven’t got there yet. I’m hoping this is temporary, a tactic to bring in more solvers, and that once they’ve been hooked by the joy of solving, the difficulty will gradually return. Surely, that’s what you’re doing, editor, right? Please?
@Lewis Wow! When you say it, someone should sit up and take notice. If the ever-positive Lewis isn't happy, it's time to fix this! I always enjoy your comments and frequently find new things to appreciate about the puzzle. You notice every little detail and make connections that I didn't pick up on.
@Lewis Wow, this may be more shocking than when Munster Mike decloaks or when Andrzej pretends to like smilies and rainbows. As Nancy says, surely this can get through to the NYT Editors that their new policy is turning away devoted (and unflinchingly positive) crossword fans? The puzzle was well crafted but the cluing was too easy. It's become more the rule lately than the exception. Though there have been some challenging ones recently that still give me hope.
@Lewis I was wondering how you could accent the positive on this one. I've stopped commenting daily because there is mostly not much to compliment and I don't want to be negative.
@Lewis Thank you for this. Lewis expressing criticism - this should be the NYT's wake up call.
@Lewis What Nancy J. said. I can't say it any better.
@Lewis You said it so much more tactfully than I could have. It's especially frustrating as the price of my subscription keeps going up and up. They're charging me more for an inferior product, and it does not feel good.
@Lewis 👏 Insert something about Nixon and China here…
@Lewis I came back to say, "Et tu, Lewis?" And above I found the usual ray of sunshine amid the disparaging comments. Phew.
@Lewis Wondering if Andrzej hacked Lewis’s screen name like he did last week? But no Andrzej would never have been that tactful ; )
@SP I hope you were not being serious - I'm not sure if the emoji at the end there applies to the whole post or just the second setence. I would never stoop to identity theft. Also, I know how to be tactful. I just very rarely choose to be. I have no idea what event from last week you are talking about. I only ever engaged in nickname trickery with @ad absurdum, many moons ago, and always making it clear I was an impostor.
@Lewis If I'm noticing it, I can only imagine how much you, and others at your level, are noticing it. Thank you for bringing it up and, as always, in a kind and respectful way.
@Lewis, NYT: “Stop the presses!!!”
I was supposed to eat the entrée first, but then I got side tracked. (Of course.)
@Mike Server Error. Clear cache and reconnect.
@Mike Don't worry, it's slaw in the game.
@Mike Ah, another amuse-bouche, non ? Court mais bon !
@Mike Did you have cider with your meal?
@Mike i was going to order something meaty off the “Menu Chasseur” but then i realized they didn’t have a steak in the game
! Anybody else getting acid reflux? Maybe I need to take a little trip and relax, no? *wink* *wink* *nudge* *nudge*
The entries in this puzzle were fine, but it needed tougher clues. I’m a bit disappointed for a Thursday
@Marshall Walthew Man, whatta a bunch of geniuses here. Know so much trivia. Gee whiz. Must have all indulged in LSD. Not me.
@Marshall Walthew I wonder what the solve would have been like without the shading and circles; keep the revealer but merely indicate it applies to five of the solutions.
The first riddle was to figure out that lopping off the sides of the theme answers produced the correct answers to their clues. But that didn’t explain why some squares were shaded and others were circled. That was riddle number two. Then, to jump from there and try to figure out the revealer created yet another riddle. So, three riddles for the price of one box – that part very much pleased my brain. As did the beauty of the skill that went behind the build of this puzzle – that the theme didn’t create gibberish answers, that theme answers were found to accommodate the FRIES and SALAD, and how the theme created the sweet double meaning of SIDES in the revealer. All this with a side of serendipity, the dance that starts row eight (NAY-NEE) and the rare-in-crosswords five-letter semordnilap (TESSA). That is, plenty to warm my soul at the start of the day, for which I’m most grateful, John. I have to add that I love the enthusiasm that radiates through your notes, themes, and cluing. Thank you!
@Lewis No! The first riddle was where to put the answers to the clues--between the pillars, so to speak. But I'm so used to the "spelling out" bit that I fluffed it. I imagine I am a disappointment to Herr Kugelman.
@Lewis I always appreciate your knack for finding the good in every puzzle. So many show up here just to pick nits, which I understand since we're paying for these puzzles, but it gets a little tedious after a while. Keep up the positivity – it's a good counterpoint.
Cute. Okay. Too fast. The trick was too easy. I want to be clear: I’m not ripping on the constructor(s). It takes skill to put this together. On the other hand, the NYT is settling for this. It was still enjoyable nonetheless, more like an appetizer, though, instead of an entrée.
@Jake G This comment is so funny to me because in the rest of the English speaking world (and French, where the word is from), entrée literally means the dish served before the main. So to non-Americans, it essentially reads as “this was an entrée, I wanted an entrée” lol.
LOOK I GET IT that this puzzle was not for everyone. But I still enjoyed it. Fun solve.
@Kevin I don't understand. How is it an offense to you if others didn't get it? Isn't this a comment section for discussion of all aspects of the puzzle? Did I miss a memo that no critique is welcome, only praise? Glad you enjoyed it. I didn't. I'll let you be glad if you'll let me not be.
Fun marine biology factoid* (relevant to the MINI, 4D) for the day: This pink sands, famous at Harbour Island (Bahamas) and all the south shore beaches of Bermuda, among other places: Next time you're at one of these beaches, take a magnifying glass with you. Scoop up a small handful of sand and check it out with the magnifier. It's almost entirely composed of pure white coralline sand, just like most white beaches on coral islands around the world. But a few of the grains will be deep, intense red. It is these deep red grains that make the sand appear pink. The red grains are the pulverized exoskeletons (we actually call them "tests") of a single-celled protist, a member of a widespread group called foraminiferans -- "forams" for short. Members of this group either secrete a calcareous test or they aggregate materials from their environment to form the test. The one responsible for Bermuda's pink beaches is Homotrema rubrum -- the specific epithet referring to the intense red color of the secreted test. H. rubrum is colonial, and you can find it coating coral rubble, often forming large encrustations. Scarlet, of course. *Sadly, I must now include a disclaimer for the pedants who feel the need to 'splain what I suspect most of us already know: a factoid is not really a fact. At least according to its etymology. I suspect such people also think the word "decimate" can refer ONLY to the specific situation where you are killing 10% of the soldiers in an army.
@Captain Quahog I wonder if flamingos turn pink from the same supply.
@Captain Quahog I haven't been to Bermuda since I was a kid, and I definitely remember the pink beaches, but I thought it was from coral. Huh. @lucky13 Where my family vacates, Sanibel Island, the dominant waterfowl is the roseate spoonbill, which is also bright pink from eating brine shrimp.
I’m sorry but despite many years of instruction in German, I am sad to admit that the first thing that comes to my mind now when “DIE” appears in the crossword is Sideshow Bob’s explanation to the parole board for his “DIE BART, DIE” chest tattoo as the more innocent “No, that’s German for THE BART, THE”. Parole granted.
@Gregory Melahn YES! I'm glad I'm not the only one! This is exactly how I got this answer!
Today - after a decade of crossword solving - I learned that NEE is homophone of NAY and not KNEE.
@Kevin Do you pronounce Renee re-knee?
@Kevin Anyone else try NAe for either clue? Changing that second appearance to NEE was my last move.
@Kevin You're not alone. I'm surprised at how many people didn't know how to pronounce it. I also have no idea where I heard it but I feel like I've always known the proper pronunciation. I must have looked it up the first time I encountered it.
Somebody warn Andrzej!
@Barry Ancona I had to read a few of his posts to understand this. I guess it's a well known grudge I missed. I don't remember many constructor names myself...
"If it [Tickles] the court" Wouldn't that lighten the mood?
@Nancy J. Tickle tickle me like I tickle you
Really liked this one! I appreciate a theme that only partially reveals itself until the puzzle is entirely filled in (for me, at least). To everyone complaining about how easy the puzzle is every day - enough already, sheesh. And it's especially annoying to continually hear complaints that double as brags.
@Lee Kellogg The outrage, right? People should know better! When you identify a persistent problem: for example, the quality of something - a country's leading crossword puzzle, say - deteriorating, you should keep quiet about it. That will surely solve the problem! Or, if it won't, at least it will placate those who do not see the problem in the first place, which should be everybody's prime consideration.
@Lee Kellogg So when street gangs take over Somerville, instead of calling the cops, you'll stay quiet, because no one likes a complainer?
@Lee Kellogg <a href="https://tenor.com/q724NMdhx1U.gif" target="_blank">https://tenor.com/q724NMdhx1U.gif</a>
@Lee Kellogg It’s fascinating to see how many people continue to interpret complaints about the puzzles being too easy as “bragging”. From the perspective of someone who completely agrees with such complaints, it couldn’t be more clear that this is a total misread (and probably a matter of projection and/or frustration, coming from people who found a puzzle sufficiently challenging to suit their own skill level and taste). For one thing, who do you see as the target audience for such boasts? And for another, have you noticed that such complaints tend to align very neatly with puzzles that are especially easy, e.g. as reflected in xwstats solve times? Please understand: the complainers genuinely *want* to be challenged by these puzzles, especially Thursday-Saturday. But such challenges have become increasingly rare over the last couple years — and it hasn’t been a remotely subtle transition, if you’re someone who knows what you’re looking at.
Hate to be negative, but was not fan of this one. A bit too "cute" in several instances and a convoluted "theme" gimmick. Something new - I had not heard of DDay referenced as Operation Neptune (only Operation Overlord), despite have read many accounts of the action.
I had heard it, but I have no idea when, where or why. Neptune was (obvi) the naval component of Overlord.
1) It was too easy 2) the words with the sides included have no significance or relationship to anything. Why bother even making them words.
@Andrew Give some consideration to the possibility that you missed something. Read the column.
Steve L, I don't believe he missed anything, and there's nothing in his comment suggesting he missed a trick. Just because the shaded and circled letters spell, once they're completed, FRIES and SALAD doesn't make the entries their letters complete any more meaningful. Romania still has nothing to do with anything.
Steve, Cat Lady Margaret was kind enough to provide in the comments the connection Andrew was seeking in the puzzle.
I learned two things today: 1. Many supposedly educated people don’t know how to pronounce NÉE. 2. Many people are bothered by references to LSD. Both these discoveries astound me.
@SL Maybe because they were Born That Way?
@Steve L I'd strike "supposedly" from the comment, but yes I was surprised. As I said elsewhere, I don't even know how I know the proper pronunciation, it's been so long in my head.
@Steve L I'm not bothered by the references to LSD, but I did notice there were a few. I haven't experienced a reference to LSD in person since precisely 1976!
@Steve L It's not a good look to (appear to) judge anyones level of education. I guess you didn't learn when your "newbies" comment and thread got taken down several days ago.
@Steve L It's a little odd that LSD is an answer so often.
@Steve L what part of a formal education would ever teach the pronunciation of a word almost no one ever says out loud and is mostly found on Wikipedia pages these days? Maybe French but that's not the only language people learn, nor the most useful for people in this country. Pardon those people who learned Spanish or Mandarin. I know how it's pronounced, I have no idea why, but I took basically every AP class that existed in high school, got a STEM bachelor's from a well respected liberal arts college and a law degree from an Ivy League law school, and while I learned a great deal at all stages of my education, how to pronounce random semi-archaic words wasn't in any curriculum so I don't know why you'd expect education to matter here. What an odd comment. Signed, an objectively highly educated person.
I don't understand how the response to "A resident of Muscat" is "Romania." Or "Crooner Mel" leads to "Stormed." That makes no sense at all. Not only do the answers make no sense, they aren't even in the right part of speech. I know, I know, it has something to do with the "offsides" gimmick. But what it has to do, I can't figure out. And here's the kicker: it's not worth the effort to find out. My critique is not solely or specifically of this puzzle . It's the NYT and its constructors moving in the past decade to prioritizing the gimmick over the integrity of the puzzle. It's fantastic if there's a clever gimmick. I love that. But when the finished puzzle looks like nonsense and I -- a 40 year solver -- have to read the comments section to find out what tedious logic led to this illogic, I think we've lost the plot. I like NYT puzzles. I like playful clues and themes. But contorting the whole puzzle into some forced gimmick that gives no satisfaction once solved is counterproductive. I'm supposed to feel good, satisfied, a bit proud of myself when completing the grid. Instead, on days like today, I feel disinterested and annoyed, as is no doubt evident in my tone. I get that. I love starting off the day with the NYT crossword puzzle. So please -- just provide crossword puzzles worthy of the name, and not some peculiar idiosyncratic logic that just makes it less fun.
Asher, The puzzle had a very straightforward revealer: 64A.
@Asher B. - It's OK if you couldn't figure out today's puzzle. Maybe you'll get next Thursday's.
@Asher B. I understand completely what you mean and fully agree. I've mentioned here a few times about how convoluted themed puzzles can be (like today's). Imo if there's a double answer, the second answer should have something to do with something: the clue, the theme, the reveal... anything. Instead, most times they're just nonsense that are either random meaningless words or even just random letters. When I've raised my (polite) voice here, I'm told I have unrealistic expectations of the crossword creator, don't understand how themed puzzles work (I do), I'm not having fun, it's Thursday get over it, etc etc etc. So, I'm sorry to say that our shared opinion is in the minority here and generally not welcomed haha. I've settled for turning my gripe into an eyeroll and move on with my commute. Hope tomorrow and Sat are more thatisfyingly themeless for us (get it...) 😆
@Asher B., just ignore the shaded and circled letters and you will see the answers to the clues.
About the pronunciation of NÉE: don’t mock someone for mispronouncing a word, it means they learned it from reading. And who the heck has used NÉE in conversation? Well, me, but only in French, never in English. I remember quite well when my whole family laughed at me for a comment about Persephone, who I had just read about. I was pretty young, and of course I pronounced it purr-seh-phone, accent on the final syllable.
@Nora I've used it. Not that I'm entirely sure the listeners understood it. :) To me it's not pure crosswordese, though it's close.
@Nora Thank you for your graciousness! I do not think I have ever heard it spoken, so I have definitely always mispronounced it in my head as knee.
B, It's pure Society Page (way back when there was one).
@Nora (lol) Sometimes you can mis-learn something by speed-reading. I remember being in college before ever using the word 'conspicuous' myself, and discovering to my chagrin that it didn't sound like 'conspishuss'
@Nora When I first read Harry Potter, I pronounced Hermione Her-me-own in my head. Then I saw the movies...
Just Curious Out West: Has anyone tried this new game, from the inventor of Wordle? <a href="https://www.parseword.com" target="_blank">https://www.parseword.com</a>/ It is a humdinger of a game, and once past all the how-to jargon, it provides a twisty kick to wordplay. NYT's writer Melissa Kirsch debuts THE GOOD LIST today, and includes the above game link and more good stuff. Melissa describes this weekly installment as a place "where, each week, you’ll find, ideas, inspiration, artifacts, rituals and provocations that are, well, good." Don't know about all my crossword solving pals, but I need more good times like a biscuit needs butter! Nothing like reading about good thoughts to encourage good acts! Thank you Melissa and co. (PS - not getting paid, just want to share the fun and help expand minds without hallucinogenics)
@Whoa Nellie Hallucinogenics like 5D, maybe?
@Whoa Nellie I was very disappointed. If you already do cryptics, it is beyond tedious. Each 'puzzle' consists of a single cryptic clue and you have to 'show your work' as if you were in grade school, not just enter the solution. I suppose it reflects his poor estimation of NoAm puzzlers' abilities. Grab an issue of Games World of Puzzles, Harpers, the _real_ Times, or the National Post and tackle a genuine cryptic crossword. Much better than this unfortunate attempt.
@Whoa Nellie As SBK says, it's basically a tutorial for cryptic puzzles. A while back, I tackled a few cryptic puzzles just to see if I could do them. I could. I did not enjoy them. I haven't done another since. Hard pass on this game.
As soon as I saw the constructor's name, I was sure I wasn't going to like the puzzle. One reason was because I figured it would be hard. The other is because I don't think I've ever liked one of his puzzles. But this one was ridiculously easy for a Thursday. The centers of the theme clues just filled themselves in. Singer Mel? Maybe if you're 35 you've never heard of him, but if you've been doing these puzzles for a while, he's almost crosswordese. So the themes were mostly gimmes, and some of the fill was plain awful. FOODLESS? And who would ever say CROSSEST? (Yes, I know it's probably legitimate, ridiculous as it is). I thought GODTIER had to be wrong, but I'm not a gamer, so boo to that one, too. (That one was probably in there to placate Andrezej, so that he wouldn't think we're 100% simpático crossword-wise 😁) Okay, so I finished the puzzle in record Thursday time, even with a revealer that I've never heard of, since I'm not only not into sports, I'm almost anti-sport. And I saw those sides without any trouble. Please, can we stop with all these dumbed-down puzzles?
Solved this without help in about twenty minutes, but found myself wondering if I had missed some aspect of the theme. Only then did I see that FRIES and SALAD were the "sides" being "offed"! Much more interesting theme that I had first realized. GODTIER was an unknown to me, but nothing else made sense there. WOMACK, ARMIE and TESSA were also unknowns, but easy enough to get. "Decidedly not" struck me as odd for NAY, since to me the word doesn't carry that connotation of certainty. All in all, a nice puzzle, but more a Wednesday than a Thursday to me.
@Xword Junkie NAY was so far from front of mind for me that I spent an embarrassingly long time trying to figure out what a GAh ANTHEM could be. Facepalm.
@Xword Junkie I also thought NAY wasn’t quite right until I just read your comment. Now I think the “decidedly” points to decision-making. Think Congressional yays and nays (and maybe avoid thinking how these are currently arrived at).
@Xword Junkie -- Interestingly the VAMC here in Durham has links to WOMACK ARMy Hospital in FayettevilleNC, so that had familiarity to help me, though I had to scrape to recall exactly how A. Hammer misspells his name.
TIL the pronunciation of nee. Always thought it rhymed with "knee". Saw it in print only. This tidbit was my highlight. Salad and fries? Meh
Whoa. Totally missed the meanings of tge shaded & unshaded letters.
Sam, what kind of Canadian only knows offside from soccer, eh? 2 minutes in the penalty box for lack of hockey knowledge for you!
@DIVAS IVLIVS I heard that Mark Twain (or someone) famously said: "The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco." Not so foggy today, huh?
Fine I guess. Pretty easy overall and I'm sure I've seen versions of this theme technique many times before. It was clear really fast what was going on. Perhaps leading with oodles wasn't the best choice. A little busy with the circles and shading and not all that much payoff, but well executed (and formed) for what it is. For difficulty I'd rate Easy and, more importantly for Thursday worthiness I'd say somewhat below average. And... The XWStats hive agrees, currently Easy with 88% solving faster than average. Oh well.
@B I'm curious if you read the column. Did you see the FRIES and the SALAD? I did not.
Easy but fun solve. TIL it's ARMIE Hammer and not Arnie. And the clue for SAMOA made me smile :)
@Rahul he was one of the Bachelors on the ABC show back in the 2000s which is how I knew him.
@Rahul he also played the Lone Ranger in one of the most underrated movies in the history of cinema. If you didn’t see it because the reviews almost universally panned it, view it sometime. Rip-roaring fun.
Not until I was suddenly enlightened and IGOTIT was I able to figure out what was going on. The revealer solved the mystery of FOODLESS boatloads and everything fell into place. Clues were clear enough for all the non-theme fills and the result was an easy/hard puzzle—boatloads of fun to solve. Thank you, John. Nice to see you again.
I prefer Mac and cheese with a side of Mac and cheese, personally. I loved the Jean Valjean clue!
@Ash I kept on thinking it would be some way he got out of prison, but the actual answer made me smile.
I was at an airport a long time ago with an acquaintance whose new-fangled rolling suitcase had a bad wheel. As he was pulling it, every turn the wheel got more and more off center, quickly tearing itself to pieces. In no time it was completely unwheelable. That's what I feel is happening to this forum. I would say the level of invective here is as great as it's been in the last three years, and it's quite sad. Almost every puzzle makes it worse. The wheels are coming off. Just keep repeating the Serenity Prayer, Francis.
@Francis Your analysis is well-articulated. I chose to modify my approach on this forum, having encountered many a situation where my right-leaning comments proved ineffective. I hope that others can draw valuable insights from your observation. And... unwheelable... very nice!
@Francis Or Serenity Stormed by Mal Das Mer, nay (nee) Extreme Dysfunction. Weak and oinkless, this mezzle
@Francis "Almost every puzzle makes it worse." Hmm, if only we could identify a root cause for the downturn in discourse. :)
I was gonna complain about the pluralization of OFFSIDES, but the clue is plural so it counts. But, for those of you who shout, "OFFSIDES!" while watching sports, the infraction itself is singular. Offside. A friendly reminder from your neighborhood pedant.
@Scott And it can be hard to tell whether they were or not(offside or onside)!
It's never too late to learn something new. While I was expecting more crunch when I saw John Kugelman's name, I still learned two things: 1) I'm not ashamed to admit that I, like many of you, have been mispronouncing the word NEE. Truly, I have never heard this spoken before, nor have I had a reason to say it out loud. Now I know! 2) I don't believe I've ever heard of Operation Neptune as DDAY before. Easy enough to get, of course, but that was a new one to me. I liked the Jean Valjean clue a lot! Whatever else I think is NUNya business!
I think I'm done with these. Couldn't finish it. Come in here and every other comment is about how easy it was. Apparently I'm catastrophically stupid.
@P how long have you been doing them? It takes time, don't get discouraged!
@P You'll never find happiness by constantly rank ordering yourself among the solvers here. Here you'll find some of the finest minds in the crossword world. It would be like trying to compete in the olympics as an ordinary person. So you're not catastrophically stupid, or else we both are. Either way, it's all the same. Some of us are great at some things, and so-so at others, and god-awful at others. It's called "life".
You’re not stupid. The more experience you get, the better you’ll be able to recognize the tricks and solve the puzzle.
@P Don't give up! It definitely doesn't make you stupid to struggle with a puzzle that others find easy and if you're pretty new to the crossword, Thursdays can be especially hard. I quit my first Thursday puzzle in a rage and didn't try again for months. You'll get there!
@P It was easy. But I've also solved almost 1200 puzzles. You can't come in here a newbie and expect to do them all, just like you can't strap on skates and expect to play in the NHL (sorry, watching a hockey game). Like anything, it takes practice. When I started, I was very generous in letting myself look up anything I did not now. It was actually more fun that way because you'd learn new factoids or find a new musician you'd like, or a movie or tv show to watch. I practiced doing only Mondays, and once I got comfortable doing those, Tuesdays and so on. And I didn't mind coming to the column to learn that which I did not know. So don't get discouraged, just keep at it!
I guess the puzzle was run through the Clue Relaxer™ software. The puzzle was fine, but way too straightforward.
Puzzle find today - a Monday from August 3, 1998 by Nancy Salomon. Four theme answers in that one. THINKAGAIN JUSTFORGETIT INYOURDREAMS NOTACHANCE Here's that link: <a href="https://www.xwordinfo.com/Crossword?date=8/3/1998&g=27&d=A" target="_blank">https://www.xwordinfo.com/Crossword?date=8/3/1998&g=27&d=A</a> See you tomorrow. ...
This puzzle was Easy* for most people in terms of filling in the letters. It would be interesting to know how long it would have taken the median solver if completion included demonstrating understanding of the full meaning of OFFSIDES in the revealer. That is, fully "solving" the puzzle. *<a href="https://xwstats.com/puzzles/2026-03-19" target="_blank">https://xwstats.com/puzzles/2026-03-19</a>
@Barry Ancona That took me an extra 30 seconds after finishing…unless there’s more to it than “fries and salads are side dishes, spelled out by pairs of letters that are off to the sides of the theme answers”, in which case I guess my “fully solved” timer is still running.
@Barry Ancona without the Wordplay explanation I would be in the "never" category
@Barry Ancona I noticed salad and fires while I was solving the puzzle. So it only took about 10 seconds to rearrange it to fries and totally get it, after finishing it.
Now, since the constructor didn't do it, we need CLM to make a story out of the "full length" theme answers.
I don’t really understand the theme and haven’t read the write up yet, but inordinately quick solve for me. Honestly a bit of a cakewalk, especially following yesterday’s (imo) very tough Wednesday puzzle.
@Logan solved but I don't get it either fries and salad. how is that offsides?
Interesting to see all the complaints about LSD clues. I thought I was just out of touch and people were dropping acid like aspirin. Back in the 1960's I met people who had done a lot of tripping, but it wasn't my kind of thing and I was never tempted to try it. Now it's as convenient as an oreo or an Ono to fill in the blanks, and I agree–even though it seems like a recent arrival. it's already time to give it a rest.
@dutchiris when I worked at Raging Waters,in the 80’s, there was a guy on LSD that climbed the side of one of the rides and fell down two stories. He somehow survived and seemed to haha e superhuman strength when security was trying to hold him down while the police were on the way. It was o e of those defining moments in my life that reinforced never wanting to do drugs
@dutchiris I noticed that we've had LSD in almost every puzzle in the past week (or so it seemed.) Weird. I really thought LSD had been surpassed for other drugs, since we never seem to hear of dealers selling it, or stings in which LSD is confiscated....
I enjoyed this puzzle very much! I was very pleased to not need any cheats, but did appreciate the Wordplay explanation of the sides. (Yes, if I had studied the squares and circles I might have deciphered them on my own.) I hope for more like this one!