I raise my glass to this one - elegant, fun and innovative.
@Steven Golus I am in awe of this puzzle, and loved it. just about average difficulty for me, but lots of long answers along with the very clever theme made for a fun solve.
Alas, poor Reykjavik. Always excluded from themes like this!
Six prior appearances, but with a 50 year gap! 4 results for REYKJAVIK from Modern Era puzzles: Sat Nov 13, 2021 18A Capital whose name means "smoky bay," referencing the steam from its hot springs Adam Aaronson Shortz Thu Sep 28, 2006 33D Northern capital Richard Chisholm Shortz Sat Jan 29, 2000 20A 1972 Fischer-Spassky match site Rich Norris Shortz Fri Apr 14, 1995 32A Where the Althing sits Manny Nosowsky Shortz 2 results for REYKJAVIK from pre-Shortz puzzles: Sun Oct 21, 1945 24A Capital of Iceland. Charles Cross Farrar Sun May 10, 1942 33A Capital of Iceland. Louis Shields Farrar
john ezra, Of course CLM was referring to use in a theme! I was noting that even without a theme, that capital isn't here much.
@Cat Lady Margaret Perhaps they should have thought about that before they chose their capital... Har! 😏
@Cat Lady Margaret For the record I did come up with a (quite torturous) phrase with REYKJAVIK backwards. Despite numerous tries, some Greek letters, and no offensive content, the emus just I won’t let it through. Maybe it will post later; or maybe (rightly) the emus have had it with my sense of humor.
@Cat Lady Margaret also respect to Sri Jayawardenapurakotte, Sri Lanka
@Cat Lady Margaret That’s why many crossword singers know the capital of Yemen is SANAA and APIA, Samoa. But probably can’t find either in a map. I think the hardest grid I’ve ever done had the capital of Chad. N'Djamena As It’s 1 across.
Oh, very impressive grid build. First, it’s a pretty tight theme. There aren’t many world capitals that work in this scheme. Those capitals have to be embedded in a worthy common phrase, and they have to be preceded and followed by at least two letters. Michael actually preceded and followed them by at least three. But here’s the kicker – given these challenges, which were impressively overcome, Michael placed the six zig-zaggy theme answers SYMMETRICALLY in the box! Are you kidding me? Making those letter-counts match? Amazing. Those zig-zaggy answers, by the way, greatly restrict the answers that surround them, and yet Michael produced a remarkably clean grid. Oh, I had fun, Michael, guessing the theme answers with as few crosses as possible, once I cracked the gimmick, and then my appreciation swelled at seeing the impressive skill it took to make this. This was one big wow for me, sir – thank you!
@Lewis, And then he snuck in a SNAKE with the clue calling out the theme.
@Lewis I am not a constructor and I’ve only been solving for a couple of years. I really appreciate the insight you provide when you post. It helps me respect constructors’ efforts in much greater depth
Elegant. Classy. Fine Sunday Crossword fare. And thanks to [what I consider] Monday-level fill clues for at least the top half of the puzzle, newer solvers should be able to back into the theme answers if they don't immediately grasp the theme. Nice one, Michael Lieberman. Capital idea.
@Barry Ancona I wonder if you ever cannot finish a puzzle and if not do you ever not finish within the earliest time of posting. Quite amazingly
@Robco Barry has mentioned this himself, so I don't think I'm giving away a big secret. Barry gets home delivery of the Times, and on Saturday mornings along with the Saturday paper you get what I like to call the good stuff for Sunday's paper, Arts and Leisure, Travel, Real Estate and the Magazine (where the puzzle is). You used to get a stand alone book review section, but I'm not sure if they publish that anymore. I stopped getting the hard copy of the paper quite a while ago.
No secret, Vaer, but I've suspended paper delivery for July, so I didn't see this Sunday crossword in print until I downloaded it after the England-France match ended.
Fun puzzle, and a great way to cap off my 2 year gold streak! I know everyone says these are getting easier, but for the moment I’m choosing to believe I’m simply getting better — I used to dread the Saturday/Sunday solves that could go on for hours, and now they’re just a little pocket of joy in my weekend.
@Stephen You're getting better. This is a very tough puzzle, which is why so many are loving it. I was, on the other hand, merely relieved that after thirty five minutes and thirteen cheats I was finally done. Too clever for me!
Stephen, You are undoubtedly getting better at solving, and it's great that you're enjoying weekend solves in reasonable times. It seems this was not a hard Sunday puzzle, but it wasn't easy either. <a href="https://xwstats.com/puzzles/2026-07-19" target="_blank">https://xwstats.com/puzzles/2026-07-19</a>
Oh my! What a beaut!! I wish this one was double the Sunday size, it was that much fun!! I figured out the theme fairly quickly once I stopped trying to mistakenly figure out how the rebus would work at 25 across for THANKS_____. I figured it out with BERN once I gave up on trying to make the discount MAILed something. I switched it to IN instead, and instantly, all my little gray cells started firing, pew, pew, pew... my cells and I saw it was to be BERN, who is also my favorite mittens wearing senator by the way.... I'm still bursting with delight!! OHO! Huzzah and hip hip-huramba!!! It was so fun to try to figure out which capital was going to fill each entry and use it to try to solve the triple entries. The fill seemed really nice and fresh to me too. I especially enjoyed the little traffic JAM joke down in the lower left. If I ask nicely, might Mr Lieberman construct me an entire puzzle with every single world capital included? I'm sure it wouldn't take up that much of his time... Har!! I enjoy doing most of the puzzles out here, but some, like this, just big time raise the bar, if not the capital, in my book. I love the feeling when a really smart theme like this crackles into place and I just can't wait to figure out the next one and the next one ANDONANDON. Finished up faster than average, unfortunately for me. It just all clicked. So fun!! And you know what they say, HeathieJs just want to have fun! That's all they ever really waaaant! 😏
@HeathieJ Pretty sure capitals like Bandar Seri Begawan, Brazzaville, and Ouagadougou will make your all-capitals suggestion a challenge ;)
[Range north of Tucson] MOUNTAINS A N I L CATA [What some call the youngest daughter of the Nicholas II of Russia] STASIA A N A TSARINA These look OK in preview as far as alignment goes, but I bet when I hit submit they're going to appear to you a little more jumbled. Anyway, having come up with only two not very good examples of what Mr. Lieberman did so often and so well, I'm now even more bowled over by this puzzle. Totally agree with SP's long comment about this.
@john ezra What cats do to torment small dogs? CL(AWATTO)YS
@john ezra Argentina soccer star’s exultant musical celebration Mes(SIRAP)song
@john ezra Haughty refusal to respond? S(NOB SIL)ENCE
@john ezra 70s Sitcom action figure? T(OY KOT)TER I can do this all day, folks , someone please stop me!
@john ezra Take home leftovers? GET (A TOGO B)OX
@john ezra One more for the road: Unfortunate event in the last decade of the 20th century? Nineti(ES OJ NAS)tiness
@john ezra @SP You guys amaze me.
@john ezra Sorry to be that guy, but the tsarina was the tsar’s wife. Anastasia and her sisters were grand duchesses.
This was like unwrapping a gift, first the paper, then a nondescript box, thinking it's going to be one thing, only to then find it's something else and even better. I quickly caught on to the trick of the themers going up, but A MILLION misled me into thinking it would all be amounts of money. But then it wasn't. So I kept going, ON AND ON, and then suddenly CAIRO jumped at me and I knew what the real gift was. Fabulous! I got a chuckle out of [You're doing it every day.] A_ING Hm... AcING at life? Yeah, right. Ok, then... AwING someone? Ha! I wish. Oh – I'm AGING! Wah-wah... I'll forgive you the bit of needling, Mr. Lieberman, but only because you're otherwise brilliant and the puzzle was so outstanding. Thank you so much for it! And now, back to the 80s we go, with The Psychedelic Furs and what New Wave was all about: <a href="https://youtu.be/4G_CAYf-itw?is=mgVv0vrzct2YB_Hw" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/4G_CAYf-itw?is=mgVv0vrzct2YB_Hw</a>
@sotto voce Oops, sorry! I linked to the same song after doing a search on "heaven" and coming up empty. Usually I read the comments first, but I had a busy morning. I should have looked for "Furs" also.
@sotto voce I was led astray as well, thinking the theme was about money. My first theme solve was THANKSAMILLION, and I was sure I was on the right track, but then I got to MAILINREBATE. It's kind of related to money, hmmm... It wasn't until VICTORIACROSS that it dawned on me, world capitals! Duh! I enjoy a twisty solve like this one, so clever! 😊
Not a fan. It needed too much explanation.
I did not like the theme clues where the one of the (across) words is not a real word. LLION? RRIER? DROO? RTGAGE? RLWANTS? Isn't there a rule that answers in crossword puzzles need to be actual words? Or am I being too rigid?
@NathanB Short answer, yes you are being too rigid (in my opinion). Long answer—think of it as long entries which are alll valid, but spread out over essentially three entries. Basically it’s justified if you accept the premise of the theme. As I mentioned below, there are PURISTS (see yesterday’s word) who will never accept a puzzle with incomplete or nonsense entries whatever the theme; and if that’s your opinion that’s fine. But yes, NYT certainly allows this when there is an appropriate theme or gimmick.
Short long answer: The "non-words" are clearly clued as continuations of answers, and thus need not have standalone meaning.
WHAT A GIRL WANTS is more puzzles like this one. Puzzles inside puzzles! First a regular crossword puzzle, wrapped around a word ladder puzzle, containing a world capital quiz! Not to mention the misdirect of MILLION that made me think we were looking for a different kind of capital. Tricky! 3x the puzzle, 3x the fun. Loved it. (I’d never heard 103D before, but it made me smile. And I love that this one was a mom joke, not a dad joke. Go, Mom!)
@Heidi, perfectly expressed! I heartily concur!
I dunno. This felt more like putting together Legos than solving a crossword. Oh well...
I look so forward to the Sunday crossword. I didn’t care for this one.
“RRIER”? “ LLION?” No tthhaannkkss. I solved the northwest first and assumed thought “capital” vaguely referred to money (MILLION), and somehow finished despite that assumption. But congrats to the curmudgeon crowd who view this as a “Sunday-worthy” puzzle.
@Mark P You are 100% entitled to your opinion and I have no arguments with it, but I can't not confess that after reading your very curmudgeonly comment, I just had to laugh.... Ummmm, who exactly is being the curmudgeon here!? 🤣 I am genuinely sorry you did not enjoy it though. As I went through it, I knew there was going to be some very mixed reactions. Better luck next Sunday!
@Mark P - Sorry that you didn't catch the tricks to this puzzle. That happens sometimes. This puzzle was a good Sunday puzzle.
@Mark P As a member of the "curmudgeon crowd", I have this to say: Thank you very much for the nice compliment. I enjoy being a curmudgeon. Before that, I had no personality at all
This theme stumped me for a while because the clues for the themed entries are not starred (e.g., 25A). Plus I interpreted "capital" in the monetary sense because of the word "raise." So I just solved the puzzle what I could of the themed entries with the crosses. Then a stroke a luck. With money still on my brain, I spotted MILLION and my reaction was--appropriately--THANKS A MILLION! And that's when I spotted the first capital in Peru. It came together quickly after that.
I didn't even understand the wordplay explanation so how on earth does one figure out the theme or uber gimmick? Must say set ups like this are impenetrable and exclusionary meaning the puzzle is only enjoyable for the few who get it.
@Your Fired On Sundays and Thursdays, you need to watch if there's some kind of trick. The way I figured this out was that I could tell something was amiss when no version of extreme thankfulness would fit in at 25A. I initially assumed it was some sort of rebus puzzle, but I reserved a judgment. I noticed the repeated clues of see title and the dash. The title was Raising Capital. At first I thought it meant money, but I just kept bopping around to see what I could fill in. In the upper right corner, nothing fit in for a discount after purchase or whatever it said, but I knew it had to be some sort of mailed rebate. Then mail in came to me. And suddenly the word rebate and the word capital came to me... Raising capital... So I thought I would see what happened if I would try to raise the word rebate. Backwards, it turned into bern, which I knew is a world capital. The nickel dropped, and I figured that all the repeated clues were a world capital, being raised. And the dash was the continuation of that word or phrase. I'm not sure how long you've been doing this, but when something that you're certain isn't right happens, you should expect either a rebus or some kind of trick. The title really helped me glam on to it. Each one had a raised capital. I hope this is helpful! The first time I encountered tricks, I was baffled I needed help from this comment section, but now I just think theyre so much fun! It's so exciting when that nickel drops!
@Your Fired I can definitely understand the frustration. To be honest, unless you get enough fill surrounding the theme area, it’s going to be a long solve. I think the editors made the NW and N very easy for that reason. I had a lot of fill completed, so it became very easy to see the trick. Very early. On sunday and Thursday. I always try to complete sections of the grid versus doing all the across, then all the downs, like I do on other days. It helps me identify where the wonkiness is going to happen.
@Your Fired Even after many years (decades) of devotion to the NYT crossword, I am sometimes confused and even irritated by these "gimmick" puzzles. But usually I find that the best approach is to ignore the puzzling clues (such as "-" in this one) and just focus on completing the answers that make sense to me around them. Eventually one or two of the trickier answers start to take on some form that helps my brain to realize that it needs to work a little harder to suss out what's going on. For instance, in this puzzle, I was immediately annoyed by the "-" clues I kept seeing. But I forged on with the others. In the lower section of the puzzle, I suspected that the Victoria Cross was a likely answer for the clue about a British Military award, but obviously that didn't fit. But when I saw that the letters V-C-T were popping up from the "down" answers it helped make me feel more confident that something about the Victoria Cross was probably the correct answer. That jogged my brain to look around more creatively to parse out the answer. Eventually the, having figured out ONE of the "gimmicky" answers, I was then more easily able to work on the other ones I'd skipped over. Once you find the right groove, having that AHA (or today, OHO) moment is, at least for me, a big part of the fun.
@Your Fired Every time a puzzle has a “-“ as a clue I read frustration in the comments. I was that way too until some kind solver explained to me that the “-“ meant the answer was connected to a cross. That changed everything for me on this gimmick.
Your Fired, Speaking of not getting a gimmick: were you once my employee, before I gave you the axe? Because otherwise, I don’te get it. ;)
@Your Fired I didn't understand the editor's explanation either; in fact, I often don't, but I don't let that get in my way. Still did the puzzle in my usual time for a Sunday while watching the Cubs beat the Twins. A very enjoyable afternoon in all.
I'm a purist I guess. Not a fan of gimmicks, rebuses and the like. Using "-" is cheating in my opinion, now if those were actual clues that fit the theme then that would be a gimmick worthy of the effort and a serious flex by the creator. Even after solving it felt like being involuntarily subjected to someone else's gratuitous crossword fantasy. I'm sure it took a lot of work to concoct that contraption but it certainly gave me no pleasure. Sorry.
@DP I wouldn't call you a purist; you're just someone who likes one particular type of crossword puzzle. Unfortunately for you the NYTimes doesn't publish that type exclusively.
@DP I'm a big fan of gimmicks and rebuses. They almost always show me a kind of creativity in puzzle construction that amazes me. I guess it takes all kinds in this world.
@DPagr I agree I hate these puzzles it’s not even a crossword
Wayyyy to convoluted. If it requires an owner’s manual to explain, then it’s just an showy indulgence on the part of the creator.
Greg, I know I'm not the only one who understood the puzzle from the puzzle itself. It was a nice showy puzzle, and I was happy to indulge in it while solving. Sorry it was too puzzling for you.
@Greg Phinney Congratulations, you got the form letter response above. @____ Many of us had no problem with _____. Sorry you couldn't get it.
This is a real winner for me. I started out filling a lot of the clues towards the top very effortlessly, which initially made me think, here we go again; but I rapidly found the puzzle getting quite challenging (hit a roadblock in the middle, even, for a while). And in any case I think some easier clues are warranted in this puzzle, because you have three entries which are unclued or only partially clued, so I think it’s fair to give the solver a bit more help. A very elegant theme in my opinion. I was looking for money at first, as well. Then maybe a rebus when THANKS had a missing letter at the end (ALOT?) and MAILIN could have stood alone as short for mail in rebate, I suppose; so it took me a good while to suss out this theme. Once I did it was great fun and it even helped the solved because I did start looking for OSLO and RIGA to help me. And this was very adroitly accomplished. Considering the amount of theme material and the crossings I didn’t think there was a lot of glue, and some great non theme material and clues (Plastic Cap? was a highlight.) For all you rebus haters, does this assuage your sensibilities? Because essentially it’s just like a rebus but the letters are spread out vertically, so if you just like to keep to the rules about one letter per box it’s doing so. My guess is not, and there will be others who just never want to see nonsensical partial entries like the end of the theme clues even if they are signaled by a hyphen. (to be continued…)
@SP Continued… Anyway, I personally thought this was a fresh take and a fun solve, and will go on my POY list if only because it was so masterfully and seamlessly accomplished.
SP, It's not a rebus of any ilk.
@SP Yeah, I was really impressed with it as well. I know there's a faction that dislikes any non-word word (like LLION) in a column or row segment. And I can see that point. I can also see the point that in a theme like this one must recognize that we can't just assume edges or blanks spaces are word boundaries. Things like this are, to me, like whether or not a sculpture or a painting or a crossword puzzle is "beautiful" or not. Most of the time I have absolutely no opinion on the "beauty" or "elegance" of a piece of art. My wife and I often cross on whether or not wild landscapes are "uglier" than carefully manicures landscapes.
@SP Before I GLOMmed onto the theme, I had entered VICTORI and wondered if it was completed by its being ACROSS. Has anyone tried this? Ideally you would solves that did not use ACROSS or DOWN to mean itself. Other entries could be LAN(Down)ER
@SP Phnoo! Hit SUBMIT too early. ...entries could be LAN*ER or L*ESTICK.
I don't like gimmicky puzzles. As soon as I saw the hyphens, I just felt irritated. Finished about half of it, then got fed up.
@Sara completely agree, i found this just very annoying, and not enjoyable at all.
@Sara I love a good gimmick. But I understand that not everyone is like me. [DEEP SIGH]
@Sara So, is your complaint is about your patience level or about the construction of a puzzle?
@Sara If you don't like "gimmicks," this is not the hobby for you. Try the sudoku.
This grid left me on an emotional roller-coaster. Friends call me Whiskers 'cause I'm curious like a cat - there's questions for you if you can bear to read this to the end. First off, I have immense respect for puzzles constructors. After trying to put a few together I know how brutal it is to build even a rudimentary grid. Crossword software provides constructors with many options, but I am put off by the race to dazzle with "fresh" fill. I've learned top constructors slavishly tool curated word lists to boost their puzzle's "freshness rating"—stripping out dated words or crosswordese. But sometimes, they use "green paint." As I understand it, these are multi-word phrases that are grammatically correct in conversation, but too gratuitous to stand on their own as a cohesive concept. There's also the 'roll your own' (RYO) word, where a prefix, suffix or inflection is added to a root word to make it fit the grid. Add color, animations and shape-shifting grids and you've got a whole new critter to wrassle. I wonder: Is there a line between constructor vanity and solver satisfaction? How much freshness is too much? Maybe I've lost the test of wits to a generational litmus. Do these newfangled grids do to you like they do to me? ERECTABARRIER that COLLIDES that OHO moment with a DEEP SIGH! For both veterans and the newbies: do you feel NYT crosswords are hitting this balance? Thank you and Happy Sunday!
@Whoa Nellie Better to call you that for your curiosity rather than your chin hairs. I say that as a woman of a certain age, of course.
@Whoa Nellie How do you determine “constructor vanity”?
@Whoa Nellie I made this point earlier but I will make it again—I think any good entertainer also has vanity, in the sense that they like to show off their skills while they are entertaining—the more entertaining I am, hopefully the more skillful I am. But it’s based on your audience. So, if the “ideal” crossword audience is one that appreciates trickiness, unusual themes, challenge and maybe to be stumped occasionally, then those goals coincide. If the audience just wants a straightforward puzzle that they can quickly solve and move on, then perhaps not. Have we achieved the right balance? Who can say? I would say we are shifting a bit more toward the more casual audience, today’s puzzle notwithstanding (and while this was tricky it was by no means anywhere near the most esoteric). I will say that some of the archived puzzles I’ve done seem to be geared more to the showier, technically dazzling puzzle that may not have appealed to a wider audience today. I can also say with confidence that I have submitted puzzles that have been rejected mainly because the theme was too untraditional or mindbending (even when they may have been accepted in the past). The editors explicitly said so. At a minimum, though, I can confidently say that editors are aware of the issue and are striving to find the balance. That balance point may be shifting for a lot of reasons, some demographic and out of their control. But still I think it’s not bad, and is certainly the best game in town.
Per 103 down: Sometimes dad jokes are mom jokes. I had to become a dad to understand why dads tell dad jokes. Here's the process: You discover, when you have preschool-aged kids, that really corny jokes will crack them up, but you fail to take into account how quickly your kids develop...within a few months they aren't laughing so much, and shortly thereafter you catch them rolling their eyes. Of course, if you enjoy making them roll their eyes, you can continue right on into their teens.
Oh, and speaking of OBEDIENT sheep, I'd be remiss to not suggest that you all watch the Sheep Detectives movie. That too was an absolute delight!! I laughed, I cried, it became a part of me.... Har! But the sentiment is absolutely true. It might sound kind of crazy and weird for a movie, but both of us really really enjoyed it. And I have got to tell you, my husband was very skeptical at first. ☺️ Oh, and imagine my surprise and delight when I found out that Sir Patrick Stewart had a role in it!
@HeathieJ. Loved that movie too. I second the recommendation.
@HeathieJ One of the things amateur (and I mean *very* amateur) actors like myself amuse ourselves, in our obscurity, with the actors with whom we've shared rolls. Patrick Stewart and I are related in that we both played "Claudius" in "Hamlet". He for a major motion picture, me for a small community theater. But I was saying the same lines he said, and I'm kind of proud of that. Also related to William H. Macy, Danny DeVito, Alan Alda, Raymond Massey, and Beth Broderick. There's something of a story about the last one.
@HeathieJ Yes I love Sheep Detectives! It has lots of names I know/recognize, not just Sir Patrick, and is just delightful.
@HeathieJ Speaking of Patrick Stewart, my greatest theater experience was seeing Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen together in “Waiting for Godot”. Unbelievable.
@HeathieJ Speaking of Patrick Stewart, my greatest theater experience was seeing Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen together in “Waiting for Godot”. Unbelievable.
Reddit is "the front page of the internet", not "the heart of the internet". I don't know if this has been commented upon already; I tried to do a search but that is either hard to do or I am in my usual morning fog. I've been a Reddit subscriber for 19 years, and when I saw the clue "the heart of the internet" I thought, well, it can't be Reddit, I wonder what it is? Got it with crosses, obviously, but the cluse is just plain wrong.
Don H, Nobody had mentioned it, but I just looked and this is what Reddit says today: Join the most real place on the internet. So maybe at some point it said what the clue said? Is there a sub-reddit(?) where this is discussed regularly?
@Don H Check out there about section on their website. <a href="https://redditinc.com" target="_blank">https://redditinc.com</a>/
@Don H Check out there about section on their website. <a href="https://redditinc.com" target="_blank">https://redditinc.com</a>/
@Don H i think you can blame this one on fog. What Makes Up The “Heart Of The Internet”? | by Arnav Patel Medium 8 months ago One of the networks, nicknamed “the heart of the Internet”, is Reddit. Within Reddit, there can be a variety of smaller communities called ...
Well that's 365 days on my streak. That means a year ago today was the last time I failed to solve a puzzle. I remember it vividly. I was walking around the Schonbrunn Zoo in Vienna trying to resolve it. I had a Natick and a square that was confidently incorrect. A very bad combination, since I was so sure that the clue "Went" was SLID. It was actually SAID, which I still don't understand. And the L looked better than an A would have with the crossing anyway. A year later, I'm back in Europe, just finishing up at a cigar lounge in Tallinn. I was in RIGA this morning, which was ironically the last of the capitals from the puzzle that I visited
@Steven M. Just one question about your streak. Did you solve every puzzle with no lookups of any kind, including dictionaries, electronic sources, and asking people?
Steven M. — You know how people will say "And he went ..." to describe what someone said? I bet that's it.
Steven M., [Went] can mean SAID exactly as Dan went.
@Steven M. Sorry you lost your streak. At least you missed the smoke! 😉
@Steven M., Congratulations! Nice to go an entire year. That’s some dedication. Well done! 🎉
There have probably been some exceptions to this, but in general I am not a fan of puzzles that have to use “-“ as clues. This puzzle feels like the constructor’s goal was to show off rather than entertain.
@Andrew Please do not assume motivations to the constructor and then criticize them for those motivations.
@Andrew In truth, most constructors, like most entertainers, want to be a little bit of both. They certainly want to entertain (I was by this puzzle) but they also want to impress people by our skills (which I also was). It’s like a magic trick— they want you to have fun but also say wow, how did they do that? Obviously you didn’t have fun, and as a constructor I would feel I let you down—but I’d also recognize you can’t please everyone.
Andrew, (1) You are generally not a fan of these types of puzzles. Got it. (2) What does *you* not being entertained by such puzzles have to do with any particular constructor or their motivation?
@Andrew I was entertained. Sorry you weren’t. I was also made to think. That, to me, is a feature, not a flaw.
I loved loved loved this. I caught onto the gimmick not too early and not too late, and it guided me through the rest. That’s the best kind of solving. Great fun!
AAARRRRRRGH! I just spent an HOUR I can't spare on your puzzle, Michael! And I don't care about how cute you are, how endearing your photo with baby is on XwordInfo, or your delightful mother's joke... I'm updating the Dart Board! AND I got your puzzle, to cure my oozing wound from yesterday's Fail. Yes, I'm adding that to the bill. I'll be back once I calm down. Well, maybe just one more note: 105D...There is NEVER just one.
@Mean Old Lady Took me over an hour too. It’s been a while since I had to work so hard at a puzzle, but I don’t begrudge it. And yes to 105D having just dealt with a massive invasion. Thank goodness for bait stations.
@Mean Old Lady if I couldn’t spare much time then I wouldn’t even attempt a Sunday crossword :-) This puzzle has been fun.
I managed to solve this without having any idea about the theme - whenever there was a clue with a - I just skipped it. And then there were other entries that just made no sense, and I ignored them too. Now after reading this commentary, I still haven’t bothered to go back over it in detail, and I don’t see why I should - it seems arbitrary and tricky. It reminds me of my unfavorite puzzle of all time, where some of the structure was based upon moves you’d make playing chess. I see that a lot of you serious puzzle solvers love this, but I don’t see the point at all. How about a pattern where the third letter of every other word spells out the names of the planets in order? It’s like playing a game where no one tells you the rules. If you like that, great, but maybe this type of puzzle should come with a warning label for those of us who just want to do a little crossword and not get stuck in an alternative universe. Or just do this weird stuff on Thursday.
@Canard You say you don't see the point. Speaking as one who did love this, I think the point is to be puzzled. Really puzzled. To figure it out, to get that big aha moment. Once that happens, it doesn't feel at all arbitrary. I honestly don't mean this snarkily, but it's called a puzzle for a reason--and this is the first definition of puzzle in the Merriam-Webster's dictionary: 1. to offer or represent to (someone) a problem difficult to solve or a situation difficult to resolve : challenge mentally also : to exert (oneself, one's mind, etc.) over such a problem or situation That mental challenge, that exertion is a big part of the fun. When it's missing, it's just less fun. As for labeling the puzzles, the problem with that is that it would be a bit of a spoiler to those of us who love the discovery. It's a conundrum, because I do feel for those who don't enjoy it. But as I understand it in my just few years of doing the puzzles, Thursdays, one should always expect some kind of trick... And Sundays, one should often expect some kind of trick. You should be safe from tricks most other days. So that is a labeling of sorts. Also your a planet puzzle idea sounds pretty great!! 😏
@Canard "This weird stuff" is likely on Thursday or Sunday, and possible any day of the week. There have been rebuses on Mondays.
jeez I'm glad I missed this guy today.
This wasn’t even a crossword. It was some kind of a puzzle with words. I tried to like it but it was too tough for me.
It's not a crossword? It's some kind of a puzzle with words? that...cross?
Oh. My. Goodness. Now that’s what I call a Sunday puzzle. I hated it; what’s with the -? What does the title even mean? I’m never going to get this. Oh wait, 69A is definitely the VICTORIA CROSS, but how do I? Where do I put? Oooh. Eureka. The rest of the puzzle followed pretty much the same pattern, DEEP SIGHs followed by squeals of delight as I worked out another word ladder. Love being the other side of hate, I flipped that coin several times before happily settling on love. The hardest was that south east (? I have no sense of direction). I had no clue to Ms Xtina’s tune, 95 and 100D clues read like gobbledygook. That took some doing. Then, bonus! Parsing the grid for an error (ADdIT) revealed all the capitals. Totally missed that while I was struggling with the main theme. Bravo. Final thought on the World Cup. Great game last night; that’s how football should be played, with spirit and competition, without resorting to un-gentlemanly tactics. Will not be watching the final, particularly as they are being allowed to display that banner in the stadium. I have no words that would pass the emu test to convey how many of us feel about that. We are all Spanish tonight. Viva Espana.
@Helen Wright Did you really squeal, though? Far as sounds go I've whooped, groaned, YESed and AWWed gazillions of times these past 18 months. Don't believe I've ever squealed, though.
Matt, Of course you haven't. Squealing is tref.
@Helen Wright They probably put VICTORIA CROSS in there for you and Jane and possibly Peter of “Blighty.”
@Helen Wright What banner?
@Helen Wright Rest assured, not only the English are Spanish today! Brazilians en masse. All. No exceptions. And lest the world be surprised, Latin American countries are also rooting against Argentina, even if it means rooting for their once colonizer Spain! Congrats on the amazing comeback to earn the bronze! Alas, a gazillion of us were hoping that yesterday's game might have been the one against Argentina and that we'd be seeing a final between you and Spain. Still, well done for England!
I am not a skilled puzzler and I loved today’s challenge. When I am in sync with the clues, it gives me great joy. In all of the smoke of the Great Lakes region today, this was an hour of clarity.
@Mary M I agree. When the smoke cleared briefly yesterday morning, I went out and got some white painters, tape and sealed my front door to eliminate those gaps. Never have I ever… stay safe!
@Mary M Not sure where you are, but I had to retreat to the Twin Cities from the Minnesota North Shore. The Air Quality numbers for us on the 500 point scale were sometimes over 1000. (300 is the highest level, Hazardous). There were some thunderstorms Friday, and while I hate driving in thunderstorms it was a chance to sneak back to the Twin Cities with relatively good air (i.e., only "Very Unhealthy").
Not fun for me at all. Sorry. I’m not even going to try to finish it even after having read the “tips”.
Nice to see the Psychedelic Furs get some love. Been a fan for years. Saw them live a few times in the 80s.
That was fun! Thank you for the brilliant theme.
People are not going to be happy. But I loved it.
@Hugh Me too! Such a clever puzzle!
@Hugh It'll be polarizing, but I think a lot of people, me included, will be happy. But there will be a fair share of unhappiness... To be sure!
Thanks to the dashes in the Across clues, I knew fairly quickly that the themers would have two parts. It took considerably longer (a good thing!) to recognize that the themers would have three parts. My first themed answer was THANKS A MILLION, and I have to confess that I didn't see LIMA hiding in the middle. Instead I (falsely) inferred that the "Capital" of the title would have to do with sums of money (like A MILLION). Again, I regard my difficulty with understanding the theme as a feature, not a bug -- puzzling matters are what makes for a good puzzle, for me -- but I'm sympathetic to others who don't see it that way. I got the theme with MAIL-IN REBATE, seeing BERN there, and enjoyed looking for the other capitals. RABAT was especially satisfying. A fine Sunday puzzle, I'd say. Thanks, Michael Lieberman.
I wanted to note with gratitude the number of excellent non-theme entries: CREDIT LIMIT, GUESSTIMATE, PLEADS OUT, ELEKTRA, UNEARNED RUN, OBEDIENT, LOATHES. All quite good and fresh, and they cancel out the awkwardness of STEEPENS. TIL the name of the strangely popular hair-cut the EDGAR. (Unsurprisingly, I'm continually amazed as what passes as stylish among the younger folk.) Also, I am happy to see the Slow LORIS in today's puzzle. A while back we had the cute and strange TARSIER in the puzzle, and I thought, "I've never heard that word before, but I'm pretty sure I've seen that little creature." Now I realize that it was the LORIS I was thinking about, and TIL that, although they look quite similar, they occupy very different branches of the evolutionary tree. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iw29AdEwjuo&list=PL-QAZNnAJBAZBGcZshDrpacm5ZtX0KjYf" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iw29AdEwjuo&list=PL-QAZNnAJBAZBGcZshDrpacm5ZtX0KjYf</a>
Michael Lieberman cites his favorite EDNA St. Vincent Millay poem, "Figs from Thistles: First Fig". Regular readers of The Times remember, I hope, A.O. Scott's challenge to memorize Millay's "Recuerdo". It begins: We were very tired, we were very merry— We had gone back and forth all night on the ferry. For those interested in taking the challenge -- or to refresh their memories -- the challenge begins here: <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2025/books/edna-st-vincent-millay-recuerdo-poem-challenge.html" target="_blank">https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2025/books/edna-st-vincent-millay-recuerdo-poem-challenge.html</a>
And, as I dive deeper into Millay's poetry, I learned her "Second Fig": Safe upon the solid rock the ugly houses stand: Come and see my shining palace built upon the sand!
Once you got the hang of it, it wasn't so hard to wrap up, right? Then all that was left was the rest of the puzzle. A difficult construction, beautifully executed. Thank you Michael. No idea how you got this capital idea, but it was the opposite of esprit d'escalier.
@dutchiris Even though I had it enlarged, it was difficult for me to keep the zig-zag straight. I wished I had a hi-lite pen. (The eye pressure drops give me blurred vision in the a.m --some days worse than others.) It did make things harder.
First time commenting, but this one was a roller coaster! The first 28 minutes involved a lot of sighing and I was very concerned I would be hitting the net for US state capitals. Then suddenly the trick clicked and the rest was a lot of fun. For me, half the enjoyment is deleting the wrong answers and putting in the correct ones so I love when the clues are vague enough to permit that. (my least favourite is "only one possible correct answer and it's a sports person I've never heard of) So yeah, all in all an enjoyable Sunday solve, thanks !
I don't understand all the hate toward the "-" clues. NYT crosswords have certain conventions, and one of them, which I've noticed after only about a year of solving puzzles, is that "-" usually means "this slot is a continuation of another slot". (It could also be a clue for DASH or the like, but that's not likely when it appears multiple times.) My initial assumption today was wrong in that, for example, I thought 6A would be a continuation of 1A (a horizontal continuation), but when that didn't work, it didn't take long to see that 6A was connected to 6D, given that 6D was clearly part of the them because of its reference to the title of the puzzle and its repeated appearance. So today's gimmick had to be of the "bendy" sort.
I concur with those who enjoyed this puzzle. Nice challenge with the pieces falling into place over time in a satisfying chain of discovery.
Sam Eliot's role in Big Lebowski was actually The Stranger
@Ashley Camoosa and the role played by the character with that monicker?
Well, this one started out all sorts of fun. Too bad the theme had to come in and ruin it.
"If you start at 28-Across, then, and turn two corners by reading across, upward and across" Oh no no You all have fun
@Moira Crosswords are the most fun you can have with your clothes on.