While everyone notes their fast solving times (sometimes with implied disapproval of the "too easy" Friday crossword), I'm going to mention my streak: 1461, which I believe is exactly four years. (365 x 4 + one Leap Day). And like many commenters, I solved it well below my average Friday time, but I enjoyed it a lot. Nice set of entries!
@DYT Wow! I'm impressed. Did you ever miss a day and have to catch up? Were there grids that almost pushed you into a lookup? Congratulations.
"I might get a rear-mounted device on my car." "Hey, no spoilers!" ("But my racer's the torque of the town!")
@Mike When you get up to speed, you've got to stay grounded, but at a good price—find the wind in your sales.
@Mike You were the first person I thought of when I solved PUNSTERS Death, taxes, and Mike - who shows up everyday to make us laugh and forget about the first two. Thanks, buddy!
@Mike Even at the best of times we can’t keep up with your turbo-charged pun machine!
@Mike I hope you can a Ford it. It will be a Kia asset for your driving.
Pumping my arms with excitement! Sixteen minutes faster than my average Friday. I’m a genius. Don’t take that away from me people. Big smile over here.
I just replied to another post about how I don't like people who feel a need to inform me how long it took to solve the puzzle, and I noted that you asked that no one rain on your parade, as they say. Your uncurbed enthusiasm is most welcome! What I hate is a statistic. Wait a minute while I ERADICATE the thick crust of sarcasm which usually accompanies my use of the word I want to say. Ok, done. Congratulations!
I don’t know if the mob will say this was easy or hard, but it was such a delight. I’ll read commentary later, but the entries were so refreshing and fun (to me). Coupled with really fun, thoughtful cluing. THE MUNCHIES? PUNSTERS? SPOILER ALERT? COLD TAKES? LOCK AND LOAD? this is was inspired. I feel fortunate to have been given this puzzle. Thank you Rena. This was an OPUS.
@Weak On behalf of the mob: too easy. Glad you enjoyed it so much, though!
@all Yeah. I finished in under 50% of my average. Whatever average means given the clock starts the first time you ever attempt a Friday. But I savored every second. I didn’t rush. Yes it was ‘quick’. But ride was so satisfying. As other have said Weintraub-esque. Smooth like melted butter. I’ll take fast and smooth, to slow and incongruent. Every. Single. Time.
1A has nothing to do with canal locks. The C-shaped swiveling fixtures on the gunwales of a rowboat, which hold the oars in position, are called "oar locks".
@VN The clue did not say “canal locks”. It said “sticks in locks.”
@VN. Here they are row locks, but still the same comment
@VN The Times has noted your comment and made a correction.
Straight from the hip Out West: Armadillos are some tough critters. They can run fast, scramble and make a mess outta your back yard. If it were not for the spray, I'd rather run into a skunk that creep up on an armadillo. They'll hiss and scream sooner than run, and who wants to see them jump three feet in the air on a dark night! And don't get me started about them running around like little armored trucks under my back deck! I thank them for helping themselves to all the grubs and bugs they care to snuffle, but they can vamoose from my veg patch! PS - Happy Weekend y'all.
@Whoa Nellie PSS - Great puzzle! Thanks, Rena Cohen.
@Whoa Nellie I seem to remember a time in the 1990s when there was a scare about armadillos carrying leprosy. Was that a false alarm? Tandem Computers used armadillos in some of their marketing materials and were concerned that some potential customers might react.
@Whoa Nellie One of my favorite random factoids is that armadillos almost always give birth to identical quadruplets!
Random thoughts: • PUNSTERS crossing ART. There are puns that make you roll your eyes and want to run away, and there are others that make you shake your head at how good they are. To produce the latter is indeed an art. (Hi, @Mike!) • Amazing that THE MUNCHIES has never appeared before not only in the Times puzzle, but in all the major outlets. • Impressive how junk-scarce this low 68-word, low 30 black square puzzle is. CAPABLE indeed. Truly – try making one of these sometimes. • SONOROUS is gorgeous and ARMADILLO is sonorous. • Don’t ask me why, but MILLET made Edna St. Vincent Millay pop into my head, prompted me to look her up, resulting in a terrific TIL, that she was the first woman to win a Pulitzer in poetry. • ON A LOG was a lovely reminder of Monday’s ANTS ON A LOG. • LOOFA crossing a backward TOOFA! Your puzzle, Rena, was a box full of lovely. Thank you for making it!
@Lewis Totally agree about junk-scarce. Not a single OH I SEE or I HOPE NOT. I hope this is a trend. I also really wanted PUNSTERS to somehow be a word for crossword puzzle creators.
@Lewis If MILLET reminds you of Millay, you may be the kind of consumer who shops at "Tar-zhay". On the other hand, any excuse to do a deep dive into a wonderful poet is a good one.
@Lewis I hope we're all familiar with The Armadillo Song by Flanders & Swann. If not, go listen to it right now. I can confidently state that it is the only appearance of 'theodolite' in a popular song. For that alone I would love it. "Listen to my armadillo roundelay..."
Nice puzzle but not for a Friday. I’m sure I’m like many who look forward to Fridays and Saturdays, when I can settle in, enjoy the challenge and take it slow. I look forward to, first, that moment after the first pass through when I’m staring at empty squares and think I have no chance of solving the puzzle and, then, that moment when things start to click. This puzzle provided neither of those moments, as nice as it is. I don’t want my Friday solve to be over in 15 minutes.
@Dave Rosenbaum That's exactly the way a Friday should be, one that ultimately provides a sense of accomplishment. For the first three-quarters of this one, it felt like a Monday. The SE stuck me for about half a minute, but then it didn't. Filling in the blanks like an automaton doesn't do it, not for a Friday. It would have been a delight early in the week.
What a lovely puzzle! It had me feeling like I was in the flow, in the zone, and in zen, from the moment I got a toehold. Lovely as it was, I must agree with @Barry Ancona that it would have been better situated as a Wednesday, if only Wednesday would become a "swing" day, as he calls it. Whether themeless or gimmicky, easier puzzles would fit nicely in an all-encompassing Wednesday. That said I just loved the misdirects in this puzzle and the way they showcase Ms. Cohen's talent for construction and cluing. [Plant overseas, perhaps] for CIA AGENTS was brilliant, but in my heart of hearts I really wanted the answer to be Robert... Here he is, with Alison Krauss, in a phase of his that has nothing to do with Led Zep, but is just as great: <a href="https://youtu.be/L3Xi5gvZ7Kk?si=w9KADpf_NDHkOTRQ" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/L3Xi5gvZ7Kk?si=w9KADpf_NDHkOTRQ</a> Thank you Ms. Cohen! It was a great solving ride indeed!
@sotto voce I never usually click on links shared in the comments, but when you mentioned Plant & Krauss I hoped it would be that song, so I clicked and it was! Beautiful one, haven't listened to it in years - thanks!
@sotto voce I have this album, it's wonderful.
@sotto voce Love the Plant/Krauss collaborations. Though I must admit I find watching videos of live performances more interesting. Can't believe the first album came out in 2007. Seems like yesterday. This post reminded that the Times Magazine did a survey of musicians and others to come up with a list of what they are calling "the 30 greatest living American songwriters," which you and others might find interesting. Fun, interesting, some outrage. Anyway here's a free link. <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2026/magazine/greatest-american-songwriters-alive.html?unlocked_article_code=1.fFA.C2Cq.y8jNNmSTsol9&smid=url-share" target="_blank">https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2026/magazine/greatest-american-songwriters-alive.html?unlocked_article_code=1.fFA.C2Cq.y8jNNmSTsol9&smid=url-share</a> There are also interviews with some of the people on the list. If you do a search for songwriter in the websites index, they should come up. I'm still working on digesting it all.
@sotto voce Fantastic song. You gave my already-lovely morning a soundtrack! I appreciate you!
@Alex You're so welcome! @MB My pleasure! @Jane W I have the album, too, and I agree it's wonderful. As Robert Plant himself tells it, Alison Krauss had to teach him how to control his voice and sing, haha. @Vaer Yes, I agree that live performance videos are better, and I apologize that I only searched for one just now. Here it is: <a href="https://youtu.be/Fr4v-bq87Yo?si=mVk0-VY0VdUmDa9H" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/Fr4v-bq87Yo?si=mVk0-VY0VdUmDa9H</a> Eric H told me about the article, so I've read it, thank you. I might have to read it again – it really is a lot to take in. Narrowing the list down to 30, imo, makes it a bit unfair. Most certainly there would be 100 living songwriters worthy of mention, right? But it's definitely a fun read. Thanks for posting it!
@sotto voce Many of the many comments were interesting. Among the missing living, commenters were most upset about Billy Joel not being on the list. I think I agree. And until I refocused on the American part, I was getting really steamed that Joni was not there.
@sotto voce Forgot to include this Glastonbury performance of When the Levee Breaks. <a href="https://youtu.be/vNkXoS3zutw?si=W97MAotrfXg_aj6v" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/vNkXoS3zutw?si=W97MAotrfXg_aj6v</a>
The metal brackets that hold oars in place in a row boat are called, “oarlocks.”
@Nancy Niemczyk Not to be confused with warlocks.
@Nancy Niemczyk Or 'rollocks' (rowlocks), not to be confused with boll**ks!
@Nancy Niemczyk Funny, in British English they’re called “rowlocks”, which very usefully rhymes with “bollocks”. The latter is quite rude in English (referring to a pendulous pairing in the male anatomy) but is not part of the American lexicon (AFAIK) - hence i dare to write it here.
Too easy or not, this makes my first-ever six day streak. If I can solve tomorrow's puzzle I can die a happy man.
@Phil Please provide an update tomorrow! Best of luck!
@Phil You can, but please don't. There's plenty to aim for beyond an immaculate week.
The NYT Crossword drops at 7:30 AM for me (8:30 AM when Daylight Savings Time either began or ended, I don't understand it at all) and I like to first read the puzzle introduction in the Gameplay Column, then begin solving and revisit if I'm stuck at a tricky clue. I remember reading Mr Shortz' introduction to Rena's Sunday debut in January which talked about her originally hearing Mr Shortz speak at an event and sending him her first crossword submission at age 9. Today's introduction, like that one, is very heartening. I'm rooting for Rena!
@Aradhana For Daylight Savings Time, I always have to revisit the refrain "Spring forward, Fall back". It's a very helpful memory device, even though I've been turning clocks forward and back my whole life!
I basically had to guess my way out of several sections of the puzzle, and yet I finished it in Wednesday time. Weird. Apparently, paradoxically, the grid was bith too easy and too hard for me. I have never vibed with Rena Cohen, and today was no different. She seems to have a penchant for relying on idioms, words and meanings of words I don't know. The "not knowing" part is on me, of course, but the fact remains it makes for personally unpleasant solves. The column should really have specified that baguettes are gem *cuts* rather than gems, as such. I refused to believe there was a gemstone I've never heard of, and sure enough, a quick online search confirmed it's the name of a gem *cut*. "Gem" is not a synonym of a "gem cut", is it? Even if "gems" may denote cut gemstones, specifically. One thing I still don't get: how are MISSES a section of a dress shop?
@Andrzej I am by no means the expert on women's clothing stores, but I believe the MISSES department is for young women, i.e., the unmarried "Miss". I think this is usually tweens and young teens.
@Andrzej Agree with you about gem vs gem cut. MISSES (perhaps a little outdated these days) is the section that sells clothing for young women—as if anyone cares these days.
Thanks. The 1950s called? But why in a puzzle by a woman much younger than me? My wife and I usually shop for clothes together. I've never seen age as section division criteria in a dress shop. A section for kids in a huge clothing shop? Sure. A section for young ladies in a dress shop, specifically? Never.
@Andrzej When I was a teenager and wore dresses, you had three main categories of sizes: junior, miss, and women. If I remember correctly, juniors were sized as odd numbers (11, 13, etc.) and misses were even numbers (12, 14, etc.), and I think misses were sized for taller girls, though I might be wrong about that because there was a subset, junior petite, for us shorties. The women's clothes were sized for the 'mature' figure. Sewing patterns followed the same convention.
@Andrzej My "retirement" job was in a clothing store, so I can answer this: there are three categories for adult clothing: Petites for women 5'4" and under, Women's are the plus sizes, and Misses are the mainstream sizes 0 - 16. They can often be the same style, like a shirt, but cut differently. Juniors are the odd sizes 1-11 for teens and young women. They are completely separate styles from the adult items.
@Andrzej. The Juniors section of a department store contains clothes mostly for teenage girls, after they have outgrown the children's department. Misses sections are usually the largest in a department store, with scores of designer collections to account for. This sizing caters to mature women with developed figures and more curves than those of Juniors. Garments in Women's sizing are made for those with a larger, taller build and a desire for clothing that is comfortable and loose as to not restrict movement. This is all US lingo.
@Andrzej MISSES are what they used to call the standard even numbered sizes. Juniors are the younger cuts in the odd number sizes. They were (are?) cut slimmer in the hips. I don’t know if they still exist.
I like to think I can obtain a meta-level while working on a puzzle. That is, I'm analyzing how I'm going about doing the puzzle. And I saw something tonight which seems to be happening a lot more. I looked at [Home of Swansea and Wrexham] and immediately thought WALES. But then somehow I dismissed it and put in essEx. Then a cross eliminated that, but I never went back and really re-evaluated. I finally had _ALES and it *still* took me a several seconds to come up *with my original guess*. It's a good thing my brain and I go way back together. I can't stay mad.
Absolutely charming themeless that is to me a perfect example of why Wednesday should be a swing day, sometimes with a simple theme, sometimes with a less than tricky trick, and sometimes with a gentle themeless. Thanks for the fun, Rena.
I know it's early, but... Global Stats Difficulty Very Easy Median Solve Time 6:40 Median Solver 39% faster ⚡100% of users solved faster than their Friday average. 86% solved much faster (>20%) than their Friday average. 🐢0% of users solved slower than their Friday average. 0% solved much slower (>20%) than their Friday average.
@Barry Ancona What a great idea! I completely agree that this lovely puzzle would shine as a Wednesday themeless.
@Barry Ancona I guess, after all of these years, I’m not the solver that I think I am. I think that I’m really speeding right through these puzzles and I’m not, going by the statistics. I will have to cogitate on this.
@Barry Ancona Agree ! This would have been a very sweet Wednesday
Far, far too easy for a Friday. This is getting seriously annoying. It's like I signed up for a marathon, but when I got there they only made me run a block. There is zero sense of accomplishment. Look, the clue about ARMADILLOS was fun and all, but this was not a Friday-level puzzle. The occasional fun or tricky clue does not make up for a whole puzzle full of gimmes. No offense is meant to Rena Cohen. There was a lot to like about this puzzle. But the editors are obviously making a conscious choice to dumb down the crossword, and I do not appreciate it. We have the Easy Mode clues for Fridays, isn't that enough? Where are the puzzles for people who want a challenge?
Katie, I wonder if an AI is currently scouring the archive for too-tricky clues and rewriting them - to make the historical collection future-friendly with more ma$$ appeal?
Hi! Regular reader, new commentator. This puzzle was breezy. So fun! Turtle rabbit at 17 across and the 32 across clues made my week. Thanks for a great puzzle! And thanks to all you regulars for helping me with my last sticky entries! I strive to be like you!
@ED Well done! And lovely that you decided to chime in! Welcome to the chat. We’re a mixed bag, which only makes new recruits that much more valuable!
@ED I loved turtle rabbit! it made me sad to live in a place that will provide so few opportunities to casually drop it into conversation. It’ll have to wait until my next visit to see the fam in Texas. “Oh look,” I’ll say, “a turtle rabbit.”
Well that’s one of the easiest Fridays in a while, but I’m not complaining. It was super fun!
@Selective Walrus I agree, this was a fun puzzle. I'm not complaining that I didn't need the 'easy mode' clues. I managed it without cheats! And yet it built upon itself slowly and smoothly, as each word gotten enabled me to get another. Thank you, Rena Cohen!
I had GAMS for baguettes, not knowing about the gems. It makes a kind of sense when you think about it, and are as old as I am. They are long and slender after all.
@Infidel - I was also stuck on GAMS for the same reason until I saw your comment
@Infidel I tried gams first, too. It was my last square.
Very chewy Friday puzzle. One where nothing is hitting at the beginning but slow, incremental progress eventually led to a satisfying success. Perfect level for a Friday IMO.
@Allison Glad you enjoyed the puzzle! I enjoyed parts of it, as well. However, the difficulty level struck me as Tuesday-Wednesday level, and the broader crowd’s solving experience seems to reflect that: <a href="https://xwstats.com/puzzles/2026-05-01" target="_blank">https://xwstats.com/puzzles/2026-05-01</a>
What are they going to do for the Easy Mode Friday puzzle😭
Easy peasy…. The Wales clue was straightforward as I’m doing the puzzle in a cafe in Cardiff!
I probably won't be the first to say that locks are also the wishbone-shaped things on the edges of boats that you can stick your oars in. I probably won't be the first to say that I got a Friday personal best, either. The trivia just might've been on my wavelength thought; the only clue that seemed notably too easy to me was [Dorm buddy]. An enjoyable puzzle, at any rate!
Kimble, Actually, you were the first to "offer an alternative" to our columnist's suggestion that [locks] for OARS are part of a canal. <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/oarlock" target="_blank">https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/oarlock</a>
@Kimble And I think that's what the constructor was actually referring to. You need oarlocks on a rowboat, but you don't necessarily need a canal.
Steve, Actually, you don't need oarlocks, but that's a thole other story.
A Weintraubian Wednesday. I don't care how fresh and breezy it is; Fridays shouldn't take me 11 minutes.
@Matt How Weintraubian? Robyn would never let slide such pedestrian clueing.
@Matt I've always found Rena Cohen puzzles to be Ezerskian rather than anything else 🤷🏽♂️
@Matt Embarrassingly easy. A PR for me, slightly slower than my Monday average. If the editors want us to go elsewhere for a satisfying challenge, please just say so. Let’s not pretend they’re not dumbing the puzzle down dramatically and really just destroying a decades-long legacy.
About 24 years ago, I defended my PhD dissertation related to myosin and ACTIN. What a surprise to see this in a NYT puzzle. A nice flashback to a different era. And even further back in time: how about THEMUNCHIES while playing ATARI!
We asked for an uptick in difficulty, and you delivered! Once I gave up on the CIA *AGENT* things were simpler... Some very nice vocabulary in this puzzle. I had a hard time with the actors, device, sports items (as usual) and COLD FACTS slowed me down. It has been so very long since I watched Project Runway that NINA Garcia was almost declared MiA.... My fave clue was for 17A...having seen some ARMADILLOS up close and personal, I agree with the Aztecs. (These mammals are really quite cute.) So we think Mike from Munster recognized himself at 33D?
Seems most would disagree about the putative 'uptick'. Friday PB for me, e.g.
@Mean Old Lady The CIA does not have agents, they have case officers, who develop and manage ASSETs. If anyone ever tells you they were a CIA agent, they were probably a clerk.
Way too easy for a Friday. Not a PB but close . . .
Fridays should offer resistance. This offered very little. Agree with Barry, good puzzle for a Wednesday.
@Nick close to a PB while not particularly focused (simultaneously eating my dinner leisurely).
This was a kind of frustrating puzzle. A few clues I really appreciated like THE MUNCHIES, SPOILER ALERTS, CIA ASSET, ARMADILLOS, etc. But also a LOT of obscure trivia type of answers and proper nouns. Stuff like OLIN, MASA, AEROBE, BOER. Words that if you don't have specific knowledge they aren't guessable or even figureoutable letter sequences. It made top left especially tough cause I originally had IN ROAD instead of ON A LOG for the bump and COMEDY instead of ROMCOM for Crazy Rich Asians. So though LOCK AND LOAD and OBES were more reasonable clues they were tough to spot. I'd call this puzzle equal parts fun and frustrating.
@Chris I think that's why I loved it so much!
@Chris I guessed BOER. I figured there must be a reason we could be expected to get it, so what "farmer" might a Dutch person be that would possibly be known internationally...? I'd never remotely heard of BUMP ON A LOG either, which did make the NW corner tricky. Looking it up it's quite a nice idiom though - someone who's quiet & unengaged, just sitting there like a bump on a log... I might try and remember to use it!
@Chris At least, this "ON A LOG" didn't include ants.
@Chris I'm curious how long you've been doing the crossword. All of your observations are legit, so no shade. But Lena OLIN shows up all the time. Not sure how often we see MASA in a grid, but it's right there in the supermarket next to the other flours. I don't think I've ever bought it, but it was an early gimme. I needed some crosses for AEROBE, but I found it inferable after I had a few. As for Dutch farmer, I wondered if "edam" might be the answer; I believe it's a town, but it could also mean farmer. However the crosses nixed it, and as @Alex pointed out, they probably were talking about a Dutch word we would likely recognize. I can see how you might have thought of "in road" for 1D, but without "the" it's not really in the language, nor is it idiomatic. "comedy" was a good guess for 3D, but if it isn't helping on crosses then it's time to ruthlessly rip it out. [I thought of ROMCOM on first pass but waited for a few crosses before entering it.] I feel like I'm sounding pedantic so I'll stop. I just want you to know that there's a whole learning curve here, and there are a lot of things you can only learn through repeated exposure. And each editor (or editing team) has its own voice, so NYT feels different from other publications. Sorry it was frustrating for you, and I hope you'll go to the archives and find your groove there. And please keep commenting.
@Chris - I'm surprised that neither you nor the responders are familiar with South African history and the major role of the Boers and the Boer War (although surely Steve L. is, but didn't mention it.)
Has anyone already pointed out the error in the column concerning oars and locks? In this case, “locks” does not refer to chambers of a canal, but to oarlocks, the Y-shaped pieces of iron alloy that connect the oars to the gunwales.
@Brad I don’t see why this is a mistake. Oar locks can be referred to as just “locks”—allowing the clue to throw us off—locks could mean hair (people use hair sticks in updos) or canal locks or door locks (which was my first thought).
Brad, Yes, many hours ago, and several times since then. Or was your question rhetorical?
Not to pile on, but I will add my voice to the chorus saying it was a pretty swell puzzle but too easy for a Friday. This is especially frustrating since Friday is the day the NYT publishes an easy version of the clues for those who are still learning and/or want less of a challenge. Please give us something to sink our teeth into at the end of the week.
I just realized that PUNSTER rhymes with Munster, Mike.
@Joe P And thanks to your post I just realized I've been thinking of Mike's Munster as if it were the German Münster, and pronouncing it accordingly (in my head).
SPOILERALERT: I thought this was a fine puzzle, although not quite the chewy Friday I long for. DOOLEY was a flat out gimme for me. My father, despite not having an ounce of musical ability himself, loved music, primarily classical, and especially opera. But he also had a weakness for the folk music of the fifties and early sixties. Thanks to him, I was weaned on music from The Kingston Trio, The Weavers, Pete Seeger, Joan Baez, Odetta, The Clancy Brothers, and Judy Collins. As I got older I developed a taste for many other kinds of music that he had no interest in, but to this day, I never lost my love of those early influences and I’m most apt to listen to folky, singer/songwritery types.
@Marshall Walthew How about Phil Ochs? We need him now. For my money, Springsteen's anthem doesn't measure up. YMMV.
What a beautiful grid! Lots of long answers -- and all of them are chewy and colorful and unusual. From COLD TAKES to SPOILER ALERTS to COUPLES ONLY to MAKE BELIEVE to LOCK AND LOAD to CIA ASSET to THE MUNCHIES -- why you could practically write a novel based on these phrases and it would be a really, really, really interesting novel. You wouldn't even need to take a fiction-writing class; these phrases practically write the novel for you. The wonderful thing about SONOROUS is that it's such a sonorous word. It's my second favorite word after SERENDIPITY -- also a sonorous word. For me to truly love a word, it has to have a lovely sound as well as a lovely meaning. To those constructors who LOCK AND LOAD their grids with pop names and other crosswordese, study what Rena has done with hers. It's a beauty!
Agreed: SONOROUS is woody. Not at all tinny.
@Nancy Lovely words. My personal favorites are petrichor and susseration.
Years ago, when I was still into my guitar-playing and Latin America folk and altiplano music, my then mother-in-law was about to embark on a trip to South America. I begged her to bring be back a charango, a typical Andean instrument made from the back of an armadillo. And she did. I was able to find an instruction book called Método de Charango, and tried to teach myself to play it. I didn't put a lot of effort into it, and life got in the way. I still have the charango, sitting on my coffee table. But I just learned from a post made hours ago here that armadillos can transmit leprosy. Yikes! These days, charangos are made solely from wood, maybe for that reason. On my own trip to Peru and Bolivia about 10 years ago, I never came across one made from an armadillo.
@Times Rita I'm betting you couldn't get a charango like that through Customs these days. On the other hand, if you had learned to play "Tom DOOLEY" on the charango, I'd bet Peter Seeger would've brought you on-stage for the sing-along.
A fine Friday puzzle, IMHO. Perhaps a bit too breezy, but the fill was so fresh that I find it hard to complain. LOCK AND LOAD, THE MUNCHIES, SONOROUS, PUNSTERS, FREE PR. All welcome inclusions. And some lovely cluing: "Plant overseas", "Announcements before giveaways?", and "Aztec name that translates to 'turtle-rabbit'" to name a few. My one nit: "Dorm buddy" is way to easy a clue for a Friday spanner. I slapped in COLLEGE ROOMMATE with just one or two crossings. Thanks for a nice Friday, Rena Cohen!
@The X-Phile Funny, but to me "turtle-rabbit" could only be one animal, so that clue was a complete gimme. Like way, way too many others on a Friday. Happy you enjoyed it, and the grid itself was fine.
@Xword Junkie "Turtle-rabbit" wasn't a gimme for me, but even if it had been, it would still be a clever, amusing clue.
Statement. I didn't do very well on this puzzle. That's an understatement. Anyway - puzzle find today - a Sunday from October 30, 2011 by Andrea Carla Michaels and Patrick Blindauer with the title: "Hollywood from left to right." Will just list a few theme answers: ANGELMANAGEMENT THELIGHTSTUFF PILATESOFTHECARIBBEAN FANTASTICFOUL TAXIDRIVEL WEDDINGCLASHERS Here's that link: <a href="https://www.xwordinfo.com/Crossword?date=10/30/2011&g=23&d=A" target="_blank">https://www.xwordinfo.com/Crossword?date=10/30/2011&g=23&d=A</a> See you tomorrow. ....
@Rich in Atlanta Did anyone ever do the companion piece, From Right to Left? Asking for an Israeli friend.
I love this puzzle. Thanks to Rena Cohen for a satisfying solve. It was pleasing in all areas-composition, cluing, delightful misdirection, and multiple layers. She's now on my favorite constructors list!
A pretty quick solve to a dead end, as I thought that “gams” was a clever answer to “baguettes”, which is idiomatic in French for legs.
@Gerry also, I did consider that "baguettes" are a cut, not gems themselves. But, I don't need to pick that nit.
Well, that was fun! I don’t remember the last time I solved a Friday without lookups, but today I scored my best Friday ever at 23:57, a full 19:13 better than my average! Got really stuck in the SW corner, but eventually remembered SONOROUS (32D) and the rest finally came together! Whoo-hoo! 🎉
Especially sparkling puzzle AND column 😊 I thought I'd need to look up something to get the southeast corner unstuck but in the end, the crosses solved it. Think I'll go look up something anyhow so I can learn some new back story about the clues I didn't know - one of the side joys of puzzling! Happy Friday, everyone!
For everyone complaining about the difficulty level of the puzzles, keep in mind that they can only use the puzzles they receive. If you want a more difficult puzzle, construct one and submit it.
The editors routinely change many of the clues in every puzzle, and have always done so. Constructors submit a grid of answers and their proposed clues. Nobody is saying the answers are too easy ... and the constructors may well have submitted harder clues; in some cases, they have said so.
@jennie How do you know that’s not the case? They turn down dozens of puzzles all the time for lots of reasons, which can include difficulty. Moreover, please understand that the main issue with difficulty has to do with clueing which is in the editors’ hands. We don’t know which clues are the constructors’ and which the editors’, but they can and do ratchet the difficulty up and down as they see fit. I have nothing against this grid. I just get mad when I see a ton of gimme clues or easy crosses that really don’t present much of a challenge to solvers with even moderate experience.
jennie — I can assure you that the editors have a virtually limitless supply of hard puzzles that they can use if they want to.
A "heat" is not really part of a race. It's a race in itself.
@jimUnless maybe "race" is taken to mean a race event -- a day of racing -- rather than a single contest. Maybe?
@jim When the competition (track race) has more entrants than lanes I believe that they have several “heats”. Winners from each heat then compete in the final “heat” which determines the winner. Just my observation.
@jim <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/heat" target="_blank">https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/heat</a> Noun def. 3a
@jim, it is definitely a race, but it's a race WITHIN a race. "Heat" denotes that's it's part of a bigger race. The top times from all heats combined move on. Winning a heat doesn't guarantee advancement if someone in another heat beats your time.
Late puzzle find. One of the most amazing I've ever seen. A Sunday from February 29(!), 2004 by Patrick Merrell with the title: LEAPDAY There was a solid black bar across the middle of the puzzle, and four down theme answers that jumped over that bar. Those answers: HOPSACROSS_THEBORDER JUMPSFROM_SIDETOSIDE SKIPDOWNTO_THEBOTTOM ATTEMPTTO_PASSTHEBAR Thought that was just amazing. Here's the link: <a href="https://www.xwordinfo.com/Crossword?date=2/29/2004" target="_blank">https://www.xwordinfo.com/Crossword?date=2/29/2004</a> ...
COLLEGEROOMMATE was not the gimme for me as it was for some of you... my first roommate hated me for no reason I have ever been able to fathom. It was from the get-go, so I don't know what the problem was... it's always bothered me a bit. Literally, the only time she ever spoke to me was to accuse me of something I didn't do. Alas, my high hopes for a fun roomie situation were quickly dashed. Fear not, I made a lot of other buddies, and remain close to some of them to this day. As for the puzzle, fun, fast, and fresh!
@HeathieJ I had a college roommate from hell in my sophomore year at Yale. We had three girls and only two bedrooms so we rotated every 1/3 of the year. The first 1/3 she was in the upper bunk and I was in the lower. She was only 16 - a legacy - and I was 19 (we shared a birthday). Come to find when I flipped my mattress (a thick piece of styrofoam with no mattress cover other than my sheets) that she had spent upwards of three months picking her nose in bed and wiping the snotlets on my mattress. I pointend this out to her. I guess I was laughing in absolute astonishment because a couple of weeks later the snotlets were still there and when I protested she said . That time I made it clear she needed to remove them. She wore knee high leather boots all the time. She got athletes foot. Everybody in the entryway, some 15 rooms stacked in four stories, could smell her coming and going for weeks. Nobody said anything, but it was ghastly. We definitely did not like each other *at all* so imagine my surprise decades later when the Alumni Fund had apparently selected *her* to write me a friendly letter asking for a contribution. She is a good writer, she tried to create affinity in the letter but really, she didnt have a lot to work with - athletes foot and snotlets were my only real memories of her aside from her leaving notes not to enter the bedroom when she was expecting male company.
A personal best at 13:43. Love the long crosses - somehow they jump out at me with only a letter or two. Today was day 362 of my streak. I have promised myself that I will quit at 365, except to do Thursday through an occasional Sunday, and with no pressure to complete the on release day. Happy for a personal best on the last Friday of what will be my longest streak ever.
Rena Cohen's crosswords go down so smoothly to me, without awkward crossword-ese. I like to see real phrases that people actually use, like THEMUNCHIES and LOCKANDLOAD. (Though ever since I watched the Inside No. 9 episode about cryptic crosswords, I can't see NINA without wanting to look for a nina.)
@Katie Inside No. 9 was (is?) such a great show! I think S2 E2 is my all-time fav, but unfortunately I never watched beyond S3. I watched back when I still used a DVD delivery service; now I don't own a device that can play a disc of any kind, and it isn't on Netflix.
A bump on a log isn’t very antsy, so no peanut butter or Cheezwiz needed. A “storybook” Friday? I can hardly make myself believe this is where we have come to.
@JohnWM LOL I thought about the ANTS ON A LOG, too. I suspect that was behind the appearance of this puzzle right on the heels of that other puzzle....
And because I have a two-year-old granddaughter (as an excuse): There’s an AEROBE on the SNAKE on the NAPE of the WAG with their hand on the stick in the lock as they search for the CIA agent who is now missing AFOOT and basically just a bump on a log in a hole in the bottom of the seeeea. There’s an aerobe on the snake on the nape (everyone! …… … ..
33 minutes faster than average for the Gold Star, so not complaining. Had Cilantro for overseas plant for a bit. Funny.