Brucefi

@john ezra Again, the joy of these puzzles - you can get a solution without getting all the nuances of the clues - but then when the light bulb goes on, there’s a moment of ‘why didn’t I see that’ but also ‘Wow, that’s really cool’.

@Francis I loved all the theme answers. Witty, but all totally relevant to the genius behind them. Who was James Audubon, if not the BIRD BRAIN of his generation. Puzzle was great - challenging but never boring. Finished right on my average - right where I like to be.

@Francis Same generation here. Same recollections and why I love NYT Sunday Xwords. Every puzzle brings back memories like coming alive to politics and public affairs (remember Adlai Stevenson in UN during televised Cuban Missile debate in 1962?) but also providing a smorgasbord of ancient and contemporary knowledge every week to constantly expand horizons. It doesn’t get more rewarding than a good puzzle.

@Craig Nevill-Manning I like to think the constructors do this on purpose to increase solving difficulty. If so, kudos for truly creative clueing! If not, then chalk it up to the amazing world of coincidences. In either case, it’s what makes NYT puzzles so interesting but also tend to keep my average Sunday solving time from appreciably improving over many years.

@Barry Ancona I concur that it started real easy, but got a fair bit tougher as one progressed. Finished it 20% faster than my normal Sunday. Started this response primarily out of curiosity as to what the M in Your Mxxx May Vary meant but got it before I finished opening sentence (DOH) - I’m slower than most normal human beings, but get to the end eventually! Thanks for all your great insights every week.

@Francis I quickly figured out the hill piece of the solve for each of the featured clues but, not being at all familiar with ski signage, I wasn’t thinking slopes and spent an inordinate amount of time trying to fit the back end of the solution into the up and down spaces adjoining the symbol. Finally decided to give up on that approach and just work out the rest of the puzzle which filled in rather easily. I completely spaced the circled squares (doh) until near the end. Still finished about 20% quicker than my average. All in all it was a fun effort even when I didn’t get the trick until the end. The part I like about NYT puzzles is that you can almost always solve them even if you don’t get the gimmick - it may take a little longer (or a lot for some rebus solves ) - but there is still a path to solve. If stymied, just keep trying.

@HeathieJ Just like a pleasant drive through Richfield between St Paul and Edina (NYT’s favorite MN suburb answer). This was a very fun and well constructed Sunday puzzle. A little harder than recent Sunday outings, but definitely solvable. Just remember to always traverse the roundabout in a counterclockwise direction, and you’ll be fine. Still waiting for a constructor to give us a two lane roundabout puzzle. Now that will be a challenge!