Well, I finally finished the Saturday in 4 hours 01 minute and 23 seconds. Or about 30 hours in real time. Man, that was a tough puzzle for me. I went back to it at halftime. I went back to it at the end of the football match. Many matches in fact! I slept on it. Finally got it. YEA me! Katie Hoody, my new idol.
@Roberto Nothing about Sunday? I remain traumatized.
"I thought we were going to skip rope!" "Stop jumping to conclusions!" (Puns are a part of an extra-sighs regimen.)
@Mike Your posts make me extremely hoppy.
@Mike Skipping rope was my downfall in the playground. I never got over it.
@Mike I'm glad you were able to get it to workout.
My five favorite original clues from last week (in order of appearance): 1. Field trip? (3)(3)(4) 2. Rate of passage (4) 3. Be prepared to take a weight off of someone's shoulders? (4) 4. Bulb that becomes translucent when heated (5) 5. Sound made when something snaps into place? (3) HOME RUN TROT TOLL SPOT ONION AHA
My favorite encore clues from last week: [Certain canine] (4) [Moment of high spirits?] (5] TUSK TOAST
@Lewis I was expecting to see [ Saw getting turned on, maybe?] for POWERTOOL.
@Lewis I'm glad you added "in order of appearance". ONION is the best clue I've seen in years!
Sure, there’s sweet wordplay in this theme, but it’s sweeter still when you look at its four answers, all interesting and colorful – ARAB SPRNG, HOMEWARD BOUND, DOOMSDAY VAULT, and TRIPLE JUMP. Icing on the cake is that all four answers have never appeared before in the 80+ years of the Times puzzle. Outside of the theme there is more beauty: RAMPANT, SHREWD, OBLIGE, SHORT FUSE. Beauty and interest make a puzzle more an experience than simply a fill-in. Victoria, your last puzzle – your Times debut – had this same quality. Both made me go “Mwah!” after I filled in the last square. Thank you for this, and more soon, please!
@Lewis Very interesting debuts. SPRING and VAULT are not surprising, as both are real-time developments. But I'm quite surprised that neither BOUND nor JUMP have previously appeared. Both are phrases with long histories – one in literature and music, the other in sports. James Fenimore Cooper wrote a novel called "Homeward Bound" 150 years ago and the phrase must have been well known long before. And the triple jump can be tracked (hah!) to ancient Greece. So why so neglected?
@SBK in TO -- I'm continually amazed at debut answers/phrases that are so commonly used. Just yesterday there were five (!) -- BEAR WITNESS, FACT CHECK, COFFEE RUN, COMES EASY, and LEVEL WITH ME. I love debut answers because not only do they often add zing to the box, but so do their clues, which are new as well.
Not much to say about this one, though it was a good thing for me that Occupy Wall Street didn't fit where ARAB SPRING went and upon review the clue didn't really point to OWS. I'm mainly here to post this version of HOMEWARD BOUND performed by Paul Simon and George Harrison. <a href="https://youtu.be/4yEOqjFsIAI?si=CnObLMdLXr-4lvLN" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/4yEOqjFsIAI?si=CnObLMdLXr-4lvLN</a>
@Vaer Don't know what happened, but ignore the link in my original post and watch this one if you're so inclined. <a href="https://youtu.be/gGZLELC9RCs?si=i5Zn9oUetaMZmFF9" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/gGZLELC9RCs?si=i5Zn9oUetaMZmFF9</a>
@Vaer As I was typing the answer the song was running through my mind and I knew someone would post it here. Or if, not, I'd do the honors. Many have written and performed songs about being on the road as a travelling musician (Jackson Browne, Bob Seger, et. al.) but this one is the simplest, most honest and most beautiful. And here, the one-man-band Simon sits next to a man known mostly for his role in the most famous four-man-band ever, but handles the stool-sitting, acoustic gig with ease and style. Great video.
Happy Father’s Day everyone. I’m happy to say this was a relatively easy solve. I had Sect instead of SORT for group but I figured it out quickly. My first Father’s Day since my dad died
Re the golf club clue: What has happened to the 1-iron and the 2-iron, I asked myself? Surely irons aren't only "numbered 3 to 9". Maybe no one carries them anymore -- or even manufactures them anymore -- because they're so notoriously hard to hit? Well that's OK, I guess, for the 2-iron. But golfers are always advised to carry a 1-iron in the event of a sudden thunderstorm. Why? Because if there's lightning and there's no time to get back to the clubhouse, you'll be safe out on the golf course. And that's because not even God can hit a 1-iron. It's an old golf joke.
@Nancy Wow. You're not a dad, are you? (I don't want to make assumptions based on your name.)
@Nancy You inspired me to go find out what golf clubs are in a set and what makes the 1 iron joke a joke. Thanks for promoting me to learn something new! Previously everything I knew about golf was learned watching Happy Gilmore.
@Nancy Hah! You beat me to the old golf joke. I had to check my golf bag to confirm that there's neither a 1 nor a 2.
@Nancy That 1-iron joke is one of my favorites. But yeah; once hybrid clubs took off, those long irons were pretty much out of most bags. I played for a long time, and could never hit a 1 iron. A local pro even told me, "I keep that club in my basement where it won't hurt anyone."
51A [Repository of seeds from all corners of the globe, informally] DOOMSDAYVAULT <a href="https://www.pbs.org/video/doomsday-vault-1680643128" target="_blank">https://www.pbs.org/video/doomsday-vault-1680643128</a>/ Seed Savers Exchange is a type of DOOMSDAYVAULT you can contribute seeds to and receive "heirloom" seeds from: "We’re a community of gardeners and seed stewards, sharing and swapping unique varieties you might not find anywhere else. The Exchange works to keep biodiversity strong and garden traditions thriving. We’re glad you’re here!" <a href="https://exchange.seedsavers.org/home" target="_blank">https://exchange.seedsavers.org/home</a>
Fun and enjoyable wee Monday puzz. Cleansing after getting roundly beaten on Friday and Saturday. And Ms Corbin, solving here feels like solving with many, many friends! I often find myself thinking, 'Oof, I bet so-and-so will have something to say about that one!' Is there a collective name for the community here, like the "Jackals" on Seth Meyers' YouTube channel? Thanks Victoria and all!
@Alex word nerds? clue crew? fill mill? pedants?
@Alex @Alex Inexplicably emued. I’ll try in Greek. ωοrδ ηεrδs? fiιι miιι? cιυε crεω? ρυzzιε βυzzαrδs? ρεδαητs?
@Alex CrossLandia is sometimes seen, as is CrossWorld... but I prefer Friends
How about the Crickets? We're always chirping here with our thoughts, but most importantly, crickets are a favorite food of emus.
How about Cats? Because getting us to agree on anything would be like herding ____. For the record, I like Steve L's Commentariat, which has been in use, but not formalized. And as a cat, I'm not really for formalizing.
@Alex What's in a name? A rose by any other name would smell as sweet. Maybe Owls or Word Owls--because I wake up at night to do the puzzle at 10 or the Wordle at midnight. Darn.
You thought army ants were invasive, spreading unchecked? The ramp ant takes it to the next level. (And if there’s no ramp, they go ahead and jump.)
@JohnWM Don't laugh. In a flood, fire ANTs will form a MAT and float ATOP the raging waters. Actually, I did laugh at your clever entry, but ANTs have been in every puzzle lately, and it does give me the willies to some degree. (So far, no trips to the ER this year! Yay....but eternal vigilance!)
I leapt with joy when I finished this puzzle. Fun.
I always understood the "S" in NSFW to be "suitable." I've never heard it as the answer you have.
@Jeff P. I've seen both, but prefer Suitable.
@Jeff P. I've only every heard Not SAFE For Work. But then again, I haven't actually worked in an office since 2020, so maybe things have moved on since then?
@Jeff P. Interesting! I've only ever heard safe! What a world!! That sounds like I'm being slightly sarcastic... but I'm actually not, the puzzle commentary section is so fascinating to me for the similarities and differences we all experience. I'll be I've never heard that and I've only ever said this is. As long as we appreciate the differences, instead of being kind of jerky, it's pretty cool!
@Jeff P. I've never heard suitable, only safe. The opposite of NSFW is "worksafe."
My tendency to shoot from the hip on Monday's puzzle caught up with me this morning. I was multi-tasking: sipping coffee, spooning up fruit and Cheerios, filling in the grid from the bottom up, and upon reaching the heights, for 16A I whipped in IBID. That brought the speed-writing to a halt while I read a few Down clues. I committed the same crime when I returned to the lower SE, where JUMP/ASIA/BETS were already in place. HOPSKIPJUMP, right? Except I missed the fact that there was no room for the P in SKIP! I didn't notice that until the United Arab (i...???) alerted me to the wee little glitch. Oh, duh. However, if the Olympic Committee is open to new ideas, the new HOP SKI JUMP could be all the rage at the next Winter Games. Off to quilt guild. ADIEU, mes amis!
Not sure why but I really dislike those “playground retort” clues.
@Louise You probably dislike them because they are ambiguous, trite and a bit overused, same as me. And probably no self/respecting kid uses them anymore (a more accurate playground retort today would not be printable by the emus). Nonetheless, alas, sometimes they are the only thing that will fill the grid, and I expect if the constructor had a way to avoid it they would have.
@Louise Because they're annoying? I certainly find them so.
@Louise Right there with you. Also not a fan of “ouchie” and other sounds attributed to small children.
Interesting tidbit: Nowhere in the Bible does it specify that the fruit in the Garden of Eden was an apple.
@Zed You mean men could have been sporting Adam’s Pomegranates all these years? Adam’s Dragonfruit? Ugli??
@Zed Quite right. O Popular candidates include dates, figs, pomegranates.
After such a challenging end-of-week, it feels weird to zip through this puzzle. Very nice, very Monday, zero wordplay that I noticed. See y'all tomorrow.
Standard Monday theme, but above average Monday grid IMHO
Bragging time: I finished it in 15:29 using only the Across clues (i didn’t look at the Downs at all). Yay me! In my book this makes it a bona fide excellent Monday puzzle — no tricks, no funny business, no fuss, no trouble. Great clueing, great puzzle!
@Petrol I'm impressed. I solved in the same fashion, but took me almost three times as long. Bravo!
@Petrol That's pretty darn good. I don't recall ever not needing crosses so always have to do acrosses and downs.
@Petrol I started out doing that, but got stuck at IDEM, and had to look at down clues.
@Petrol Impressive! I did it downs-only and it took me 13:23. But I have yet to do one acrosses-only! Personally, I find that tricker than downs-only in many cases, because it usually has longer spans.
The fill today seemed to be a cut above for a Monday puzzle. Surprisingly, all four themers were debuts, and each one shone. Nice work, Victoria!
I once tried to TRIPLEJUMP but ended up face-planting in the sand....
Nice job Victoria. As a high school, college sprinter, many years ago, triple jump was easy to parse out.
The photo and caption at the top of the column are PERFECT!
An ORTHO and a gyno walk into a bar...
@Nancy J. Did they not BOUND or SPRING into the bar? Show a little enthusiasm, docs!
@Nancy J. ..and the GYNO says "Hey, why so down in the mouth?" I will not report what the ORTHO says.
@Nancy J. And the bartender says to the ORTHO, how do you want your drink? “Straight up!” And then the GYNO says “I’ll have a martini”. “Shaken?” “No, stirrup a bit.”
28D [Group whose "Gold: Greatest Hits" is the second-best-selling album in U.K. history] ABBA In my opinion, one of the prettiest scenes from any movie. Do you know that Meryl Streep trained as an opera singer when she was young? From the ABBA movie, Mamma Mia--The Winner Takes It All: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UMjLG_lPbdw" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UMjLG_lPbdw</a>
@lucky13 I have looked at Meryl Streep differently since seeing the clip of her jumping out of her seat to applaud Roman Polanski winning the Oscar for Best Director.
Good fun, totally suitable. And the themers and reveal were each a debut! Nicely done.
If you're up for more of a challenge today, try this one: <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/puzzles-and-games-dept/crossword/2026/06/22" target="_blank">https://www.newyorker.com/puzzles-and-games-dept/crossword/2026/06/22</a>
@Barry Ancona Good challenging, no gimmicks, crossword.
@Barry Ancona 1A is a great little wordplay clue.
@Barry Ancona Good, tough puzzle. Several words, name, phrases that I didn't know, and one name that I didn't even recognize as a name! But still gettable with the crosses.
@Barry Ancona I enjoyed it, first time doing a New Yorker puzzle, but the interface was maddening on my phone, probably should have done a screen lock at least. Very smooth grid, more variance in clue difficulty than I would expect or hope for in a NYT themeless (maybe not lately though) but a lot of stumping clues that gave me pause. SPOILER Thought it was funny that AROOJ crossed JETLAG, I kept thinking AROOM which is something else travelers get.
@Barry Ancona Among many things I enjoy there are the small drawings of the constructors. It's delightful to put a face to the name.
@Barry Ancona Bring us this Brooke Husic!
@The X-Phile I've heard that 44D leads the league in rebounds because she misses so many lay-ups. Also leads the league in trash talking.
Matt, She's been here! Brooke Husic Total Debut Latest Collabs 22 8/8/2020 11/9/2025 18
Really struggled with this one. Solved it without any assistance, but took more than forty minutes. Only used the Across clues. Never tried this before. Without having access to their clues, DEETS, AFIRST, TVAPPS and IMMAD were especially puzzling. Still trying to guess how AFIRST might have been clued, which is a nice follow-up puzzle in its own right. The first two thematic entries were easy for me, but DOOMSDAYVAULT and the revealer TRIPLEJUMP took longer. Actually, JUMP came easily, but it took some time before I recalled TRIPLE.
Today's poem made from words found in today’s puzzle<br> a/ i invite the early light to pierce your d/ brilliant garden and flow out-spreading the unchecked a/ fog to ask, to ask in spring
Nice Monday offering, good theme. Though I wondered aloud why long JUMP didn’t fit. Is it Long here and TRIPLE elsewhere? It was the only sport I was any good at in school as it didn’t require hand/eye coordination. Can’t recall if there were different categories. I certainly remember the three steps required. 🤷♀️ As I face another scorching hot, humid day here as another heatwave advances, I smiled wryly at the implication that a FAN is low tech. I mean it is, but it’s all we’ve got here as a/c isn’t so much a thing this side of the Pond (with no KOI). Currently in Canterbury to visit the cathedral. Lovely hotel, but the 16th Century building not suitable for modern cooling systems. Scorchio.
@Helen Wright Different jump events. High, long, and triple.
@Helen Wright It's distressing me to no end to hear that the British Isles are getting scorching, humid days. There may be no escape from this Venus-in-training planet. "Earth's Twin", indeed. I guess we'll have to go to Mars. Thank God the oligarchs are making sure that they will save *the entire* human race when the climate becomes unsuitable for human life, rather than just themselves.
Global climate change is like a fan that sits atop the doomsday vault, earth's outer crust potentially truly warming, not only a first for the modern world, but a brutal thought indeed. I hope that this warming will ebb, but then, all bets are off. The rampant shifts may feel like minor deets, but I don't think it's a jump to say that future generations may have to find a way to make that safe of seeds safer yet.
This was lots of fun, and a welcome relief from Sunday's puzzle--which was excellent but tough for me, and only finished late in the day. I did love the artwork of Sunday's though. I've been away from comments quite awhile because I had family visiting for a couple of weeks. Just getting back on track but still have a bunch of unfinished ones in the Archives. I loved the Midi today and wanted to second the motion someone made earlier about have a column about the Midi's.
Hi Sam, Re: 9D MetLife Stadium is also the home field for the New York Jets, so you need an ARAB SPRING to get NYG.
I'm relieved to see today's revealer clue 62A mention a [sandpit] after the ado over yesterday's CORNPIT.
I believe the world is ready for a professional flyspecker consultant. If there's already one out there, where's your APP? My puzzle is perfect, checked, rechecked and roundly cursed. I have spent as much time looking for the error or typo as it took to solve the crossword. (Muffled screams)
@dutchiris Free at last. Puzzles should come with a "Read the Clues" reminder
@dutchiris. I use the icon that looks like 3 horizontal lines starting with dots. It let's you look at each clue outside the grid format. I've caught many an error this way. Does anyone know if this icon has a name?
Good Monday puzzle. On the slow side for me, but was able to work things out from the crosses - just made for an enjoyable workout. First puzzle find today - a Tuesday from April 25, 2006 by Kevan Choset. First - the theme answers, each clued as "Well-known line of... "Literature and film", or "Film" or "TV and film." ELEMENTARY MYDEARWATSON PLAYITAGAINSAM BEAMMEUPSCOTTY And then the 'reveal' (two connected answers): "None of them is" "A real quote." Here's that link: <a href="https://www.xwordinfo.com/Crossword?date=4/25/2006&h=33a" target="_blank">https://www.xwordinfo.com/Crossword?date=4/25/2006&h=33a</a> ....
@Rich in Atlanta And... a Thursday from September 6, 2018 by Jeff Chen. This one's hard to describe. The 'reveal' in that one was: "Hidden trouble indicator... or what you'll need to finish this crossword?" TIPOFTHEICEBERG And then there were seven down answers, each starting at the top of the puzzle. And none of theme were the correct answer unless you added a letter above the outside of the block. Some examples: (I) (C) (E) (B) (E) (R) (G) S O M A A E U L V E R S N N A E R E T I I M R G S E M T And there were more below some of those. The implied answers: (I)SLAM (C)OVERCHARGES (E)MERGES (B)ARES (E)ASTERN (R)ENUNCIATION (G)UNIT Whew. Here's that link: <a href="https://www.xwordinfo.com/Crossword?date=9/6/2018&h=62a" target="_blank">https://www.xwordinfo.com/Crossword?date=9/6/2018&h=62a</a> .....
A really fun, and somewhat challenging, Monday puzzle! Bravo, great work here!
Jumping Jehoshaphat, that was easy!
Because @SP has dropped the ball (JK...he never accepted the ball, really) and because I just finished an archive Thursday mindbender which really floated my boat, I invite one and all who never encountered it aboard the way-back machine to: <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/crosswords/game/daily/2019/01/17" target="_blank">https://www.nytimes.com/crosswords/game/daily/2019/01/17</a> It's fun reading all the gaspy and dumbstruck comments from that day, too.
@Matt Thanks for the recommendation. Fun and tricky!
@Matt It was tough, but I don't see any comments. I did it on my PC.
Times Rita, Below the puzzle is a link to the Wordplay column: <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/16/crosswords/daily-puzzle-2019-01-17.html" target="_blank">https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/16/crosswords/daily-puzzle-2019-01-17.html</a>
@Matt Ah yes, I remember it well. Quite a Thursday. SPOILER I wonder how he did that with his software? If it were me I would have done the first half and the middle, then reversed it and done the second half normal as if it were the left.
@Matt Coincidentally, working backwards through the archives, just yesterday, I did Fri/2019/01/18, and Wed/2019/01/16. Why did I skip Thursday? Probably because I was solving on my phone, and didn't want to bothered were there to be rebuses, etc. So tonight I did that one--despite trying to squeeze [DU]PLI[CATE]RUN into a rebus, came off unscathed. Nice construction, with all those palindromes down the center. FWIW, I thought Fri/2019/01/18 was tougher.
Sorry for the rookie question, but what exactly are "puzzle finds"? They're posted with such enthusiasm, but I've failed to see how they related to the day's puzzle. Thanks!
@Christina It's when someone is playing a puzzle from the archives that they enjoyed and want to share. They don't relate to the days puzzle, but they're a fun way to jump into another puzzle if you want!
@Christina I do note that Rich often seems to pick puzzles that tangentially may refer to a similar theme or maybe a clue or entry that is related to the current puzzle. When I posted mine the other day, and I assume Matt also, it was just one we did recently from the archives that we were excited about.
Sometimes Rich's connections are close at hand, sometimes they're Hue out there.
To continue with my World Cup theme, I was surprised to learn that the majority of the Qatari squad (55D, UAE) were naturalized citizens. Maybe not so surprising when you consider that their general population is the same way, including expats. Interesting business model, that. I've also noted the upswing in the recruitment of "diaspora" players, mostly by African teams, where the parents or even grandparents immigrated to Europe for work. Again, an interesting business model.
Grant, My daughters joke about being able to play for the Cyprus National Women's Team.
I cannot find the email address for help with tech issues. Anyone? Thanks.
Ron, Isn't this right above where you typed your comment? For help with a technical issue, please send an email to our customer care team at <a href="mailto:NYTGames@nytimes.com">NYTGames@nytimes.com</a>.
@Ron but if you're reporting a true tech problem it's better to go through the app or website, depending on where you're solving. Where are you solving? browser? app? what platform?
Fine Monday, not particularly interesting or worth remembering.
@essay I don't think I've ever remembered a Monday puzzle past a few days. In fact, I'd say 99.9% of all the puzzles I do don't make it to long term storage. The few I do remember are some of the more unusual constructions (the traffic light puzzle) or ones with clue/answers that sparked a lot of outrage in the comments (hello, Irish car bomb).
HUH, just watched a news story where NJ shelled out a ton of money refurbishing MetLife Stadium for the World Cup, but NYC is getting all the tourist money from the event. Seems totally sus.
Grant, It's New Jersey's stadium (and land). They take in the money as well as shell it out. <a href="https://www.njsea.com/sports-complex" target="_blank">https://www.njsea.com/sports-complex</a>/ (And quite a few fans are staying in New Jersey.)
@Barry I detected a whiff of bias - the interviewee was a NJ restaurateur (and taxpayer.)
This puzzle and today’s Midi weren’t quite identical, but in the new-fangled Archive they’ll be like two P’s in a doomsday vault.
@JohnWM Since you brought up the Midi, how do we get the M in M##s? Also, NYT, would be nice to get a comment section for Midis. They have enough meat on their bone to warrant the occasional discussion.
That clue for APPLE is just so vague. How am I supposed to know that it's using the relatively modern depiction as opposed to a more traditional 13th century one like a mushroom or banana?
@Robert F 😂😂 Seriously, though, I've lost count of all the times my thought process progresses from "How am I supposed to know..." to "Holy smokes, I'm obviously uncultured and know nothing at all..." when I tackle a late-week puzzle. As I fill in the entries and finish the solve, my last thought is always of gratitude: "Phew, thank goodness for crossers and reasoning and deduction and language pattern!"
One more puzzle find - I'll re-post this tomorrow. A Thursday from May 20, 2004 by Greg Staples. No 'reveal' in this one and no identification of anything as a theme answer, though there were four grid-spanning answers. Here those are (each of them straightforwardly clued): JUNEAUOILTANKER ONOMATOPOEIAUSE ADIEUOAHUISLAND SEQUOIAEMPLOYEE Actually pretty amazing. Take a look and think about it. Here's that link: <a href="https://www.xwordinfo.com/Crossword?date=5/20/2004&h=43a" target="_blank">https://www.xwordinfo.com/Crossword?date=5/20/2004&h=43a</a> ....
Fine Monday. Was the track & field event always officially called the TRIPLEJUMP? When I was a kid it was always referred to as the 'hop-skip-and-a-jump' As I recall.
@Charles Peterson not sure how old you are; I'm an early 60s female and at track meets the event was definitely called TRIPLEJUMP, but we talked about it as "a hop, a skip, and a jump".
@Charles Peterson - Yes, it was called "hop skip and a jump" when I was a kid, too. Could be a regional thing. I grew up in New England, mostly.
@Charles Peterson I seem to remember that "hop, skip and a jump" was also in the language as meaning "a short distance". "The beach is only a hop, skip, and a jump from here."
All 50 comments loaded