Kate Ruby

@SP Examples: ¿De dónde eres tu? Soy de España. I’m from Spain. Permanent. ¿Dónde estás? Estoy en España con mi familia. I’m in Spain with my family. Temporary. Hope that helps.

No worries. I live in California, had great teachers and it’s my second language. French and Turkish (Peace Corps the year after JFK died) also work so perhaps I can pass for a Geezer Grandma, blue dog Democrat and cat lady rolled into one. Cheers!

@Marshall Walthew I still play Segovia. Well said.

@Remy Must we: day after day, every news article, every opinion piece: may we just once enjoy a crossword puzzle in peace. Some must, it seems yet to others, perhaps self-indulgent preaching to the choir. And to @Francis, likewise. Canvass, donate, food bank. Sigh.

@Francis Hello from a Minnesota native with 80 plus turns around the sun, and just as old fashioned but getting over it. There are puzzles where more than half the grid is a combination of Gonna, wanna, gotta. Genres and sub genres. Clues followed by, in modern lingo or in slang. We are so very toast. The parents are gonna have a fit. But, I’d rather solve than fight.

@Jodie Octogenarian here: agreed, but I can often piece it together with other clues and that’s part of the fun. The crosswords are my favorite, but I’m scratching my head going over the grid to find what I did wrong, usually spelling. Enjoy, all.

@Barry Ancona I seldom read comments on a crossword, but these are an excellent reason not to. Some say splitting hairs but the French say into fourths: couper les cheveux en quatre. I’ll check in after I find a place in France. This poor puzzle.

@Lynn It’s not meta, it’s a Sunday Ezersky. To your point though, sometimes the hardest for me can be Thursday, Friday or Saturday, which is part of the fun. Sunday puzzles are delightful in many obscure ways, but the hardest recently fall on a Thursday, Friday or Saturday. I love them all. It’s a bit sad when comments evoke a WWII debate: let’s leave that to Spelling Bee, where the Games Team request not to discuss politics went up in flames. Thanks for listening.

@SebastianIt’s slang for buddy and has been the crosswords forever.

@dutchiris As gently put as possible, does each remark require a response. I too learned of the plosive today but learned from others not to ever say much about a given word in any game. Spelling Bee is a trap for the unwary, crosswords seemed sedate. Apologies if inaccurate.

@jf Perfectly valid comment. Proceed with caution, duck and cover. The easily upset are upset. Best ignore such.

@Francis Enjoy the puzzle. With Tiger Woods in there and a clever theme, Robinson is fine, For fun though, some want to get rid of master or replace it with primary. Primary gardener here, or jack of all trades but primary of none. Just sayin’.

@Margaret So did I, and whoever went on about flawed hero can exit stage left.

@Roberta Thank you but Gen X was born between 1965 and 1980. The current occupant of the Oval Office, the White House, for whose service I remain grateful, and I were were born in 1942. Perspectives differ, perhaps between those aged forty four through fifty nine and those in their early eighties who survived a pandemic.

@Tom S. So did I. The first solve.

@Hugh Back in the day some were called gas lamps or gaslights, in the Victorian era.

@The Winter Solve Truly, if not clear the President Biden and I are both in our eighties, the humor and irony and deluge responses to one comment offered with humor and irony, what is left but to Exit, stage left, followed by the bear. Shakespeare: The Winter’s Tale Touché.

@Steve L Sam’s composure is fine and not every turn of phrase requires a response.

@James We don’t have to solve them, but spot on.

@Barry Ancona Puzzles not pugilism please. I didn’t like the puzzle, didn’t get the puzzle, bailed, even when our wise interpreters explained it. It wasn’t fun: to me. I rarely enjoy an Ezersky Sunday. Most do. Mr. Exzersky’s composure is fine. He may even enjoy some of us saying this was a real mess. Altogether different from asking someone, say, to give two examples of what they found tough, only to be told they’re mistaken by someone else. Make puzzles, not war.

@George Most difficult has become unpredictable and I’ve been solving for a long time.

Tiger Woods and Jackie Robinson are real people but the theme was suits of cards, and quite clever.

@Jan Her given name was (the clue) Cynthia Annette and she was Countess Mountbatten. High level Brits often have multiple first names. There was never a Julia.

@Andrzej Agreed and unlike some, recognize the question as rhetorical.

@Roberta Otherwise occupied. Canvassing. Let it Be: The Beatles.

@Roberta Respectfully, why.

@TMD And elsewhere in The Times, an apostrophe.

@AJ I got on someone from Trump World’s mailing list before the election and they all started My Friends, let’s do . . . Sorry but it triggers, or c’mon team keep at it. I’m going to take a walk and bake something. I’m being much too sensitive, know it and apologize.

@Bruce There are a few here who relish being snide. Best move on, as they’re unlikely to.

@bayonetta In humor, does out of one’s lexicon across the Pond equate to broaden one’s mind on vocabulary here. This poor soul, education level to remain under wraps, looked it up and will try harder in future.

@SP What rules please: asking for a friend.

@Eddie Wait for Friday and Saturday.

@Jon No one need solve but there’s a contact for the games team somewhere. Given the world not my hill to stand on.

@Darcey O’D So should many: the remarks on this poor puzzle suggest many should find something else to complain about that matters.

@Margaret I hope with four score and more turns around the sun. I’ve learned that getting upset about what some perceive about a complaint in a game is pretty much up to me. I would hate to see the crossword puzzle become like the comment section in spelling bee simply because it wasn’t themed on the day itself, but earlier in the week. NYT puzzles seldom are. When people start calling each other haters, or tell them to go watch Fox News on our nation’s 250th birthday, some hard looking in the mirror seems in order. It’s a really good way not to read the room.

@Crevecoeur I wonder how many care about streaks.

@Francis I had it completely wrong, thinking of (real word follows) a friary, then figured it was me time and it worked. Enjoy. I needed help with the center but git one word and the rest fell into place.

@Doog Thanks but speaking only for myself find input on the puzzle itself, which I found very tough, more useful than how quickly one solves. Congrats on yours: mine is well over an hour so far. The star and the streak do make me feel good. No Dis intended.

@Rahul Dog runs after runs after cat, who runs up a tree. Same with hyenas in Africa. Predator and prey. Widely used.

@Barry Ancona The last real tough one for me was Saturday. Sundays though are a jipy.

@jennie So are anent and aril and mist associate Jackie Robinson with Brooklyn. The archive goes back to the 1990’s.

@Aaron Dogs have chased up trees since I was a youngster and treed was definitely a verb.

@Francis Your late namesake with who am I to judge would be turning over in his grave. It’s a crossword puzzle and you’re here ad nauseam. Let it go.

@Francis Congress is Puritan for sex. Aside from that, today was real tough for me.