Joe

just a yay me, moment. I've solved the last four Fridays in decent times with no cheating. Maybe I'm finally getting the hang of this.

DISTROS /EROICA was a difficult crossing because I don't know nothing about birthing no software packages. Otherwise, I liked the puzzle.

First, Congrats on retirement tomorrow Deb Amlen. As a recently retired person, I highly recommend it. Second, this has to have been the easiest Thursday in the history of the NYT Crossword. Breezed through it, even with the rebuses (rebi?) and when I typed TAB, I thought, "I know where this is going." Happy New Year all, or as we say in Lisboa, "Feliz Ano!"

The first Thursday that I have ever completed without any "cheats." Didn't know the composer of Over the Rainbow or the French port, but finally my brain thought Gift of Gab, and the gold star appeared.

I was very concerned about what those female llamas might be doing for a few minutes. I wonder if Emus do it too?

Took a while, but great puzzle

Well, I was all like "I finally smashed a Thursday puzzle!" until I read that others found it easy. I didn't find it easy, but it wasn't nearly as impossible as Thursdays can sometimes seem. PS. I prefer to solve the puzzle on my desktop, so I didn't have the technical issues many had.

I know that this isn't a forum for Strands, but how is that wonderful fried pork strip that we eat a number?

Here I was thinking "this is a really easy Thursday puzzle" until the music went off and it said congratulations on Wednesday's puzzle. In my defense, my sinuses are more stopped up than an ogre's toilet, so my brain really wasn't processing the day of the week. I do hope this comment ELICITS laughs from the Emus

Am I the only sap who tried to put the six letters into a rebus (knowing that two (or four) of those letters were in the circles above. Once i completed the puzzle without music, and searched exhaustively for errors, I finally it autocheck which told me my rebuses (rebi) were evidence that I CANTSEESTRAIGHT. Oh well, I'm happy to have completed a Thursday with a reasonable time and no lookups.

Going to have to get better reading glasses. I thought the clue to 48A was "....changed to 'Y." Ran the alphabet to get the right letter, then read Deb's column - "changed to R" makes much more sense. I had been on Merriam-Webster trying to figure out how BAN and BAY were synonyms.

late to the puzzle today, but a easy, breezy one. I really came here to say that CANDYCORN is not a treat of any kind. Even for Emus

Even when finished I had to look twice (or three or four times) before my brain finally parsed AUNATUREL. Kept wondering what in the world an AUNA TUREL was. Other than the SE Corner, a relatively easy Saturday. I must be getting better.

Maybe I should be embarrassed that I don't follow professional basketball (and even moreso, women's professional basketball.) Once WNBAFINALS fell, the center of the puzzle filled right in. The corners had been done for some time.

I have something that's not Covid and not the Flu. The puzzle is done but the brain fog seemed to make many of the clues/answers not fit quite right. Oh well, hopefully I'll live to fight another emu.

I've read the comments and understand now, but I spent 25 minutes googling SHORTI to see if we was some language that I'd never heard of. Maybe emus speak SHORTI

AMITOOLATE to post this? FIRST(MATE) and foremost, I confused alacritous with acrimonious. That kept the northwest a desert for some time. I finally gave and looked the word up in the dictionary; then SPEEDilY finished the puzzle. The rest seemed awfully easy for a Thursday.

i thought a cold bAth would be unappreciated and that A fit awfully well, so the NE took some time. Fun puzzle.

If only I could have gotten my head to think YAP instead of YAk. But once it was there, it was there. I ponder what a LIk might have to do with kissing and telling before a [forehead palm smack} DOH. and dropped in the P to a golden puzzle but no music. (I keep my computer on mute so as not to awaken the EMUs.) Quite a fun puzzle, being an old dad who tells old dad jokes.

Busy morning so didn't get here until afternoon. Is TYRE and alternate spelling for TiRE. I thought RYANGOSLING spelled his name with a Y but I changed it early on to an i, then I had to go back looking for my error after forgetting that I had doubted myself. I also left the puzzle up while I took a 45 minute call, so my time REALLY doesn't look good today. Say la vie. "La Vie"

if only i could have spelled an Ivy League city surrounded by waterfalls.

I suppose some Wednesdays are easier than others, but this one seemed to be a breeze. Except, of course, the clown's name should be BOZO

Fastest time ever on a Friday with no lookups and at 3:30 am. Maybe I should have insomnia more often.

Am I the only person who has/had an issue with MOCKUMENTARY? Not the answer itself, but it didn't fit the other theme answers at all. Everything else ended up being two words (well, three for COMINGOFAGE) that were split smartly between the Across and the Down. I'm not aware that MOCKUMEN is a word nor is NTARY, at least I think not. I'm old and forgetful, and sometimes persnickety.

I don't find Ray Kroc that obscure considering he was the founder of McDonalds. I did have a small setback with ibid instead of IDEM. Generally, IDEM gets abbreviated to id, but Brookes and Bunn really didn't make sense unless it was some new coffee making invention.

took a minute, but fun, that NE corner though..

two cute by half, i would say.

Can we have some standard on how UIES is going to be spelled? Emus prefer to spell UMES.

I immediately knew the theme, but the meaning of each had to be done with the crosses since i know absolutely no sign language. Well, maybe a few vulgar gestures for people that cut in front of me when I'm driving, but somehow, I don't think those count.

TIL DOULA. and btw, PLOtS are also cunning plans even though RtE isn't an alternative to white or wheat. But my brain wouldn't get to RYE. Old brain......I hope the EMUs aren't hungry.

Re today's column, I'm fairly certain that STP is a brand of motor oil additive and not motor oil. Today's puzzle was a fun little Monday, although, LACUNA made me look twice at all of the crosses. TIL an unfilled space is a LACUNA.

Seemed an unusually easy Thursday, even if I didn't get the trick until Deb explained it.

Not a complaint, per se, but much easier than a normal Saturday.