Paula

I guess I'm in the minority today. My initial optimism turned to frustration as I sputtered my way through the last 1/4 fill- especially the south-west corner- with too many obscure words (to me) to feel fun. Nice to hear so many others enjoyed it though.

Echoing a few other sentiments here- I too am very grateful to have taken the leap to try NYT crosswords this year and to have found this forum to share our delights and woes. Appreciating all involved. Wishing everyone the best for 2026!

Solved it once I clued into the hint (currency), but I didn't get the 'all' part until reading the write-up- wow, that takes it to a whole other level, and explains why the answers kind of worked, but not quite... thanks for the fun Thursday wordplay.

Wow!! I think I just enjoyed reading the write-up even more than the puzzle itself, which I was already so impressed by. I counted at least 4 main 'special clues', but to realize that the shape of the ship was also part of it, as was the 'beaming up' an indication of the reverse reading of the characters... just wow! I was never a Trekkie myself, but as I was filling in this puzzle today, I made a note to self to finally check it out, appreciating exactly what the constructor (Newton- also so apt!) mentioned- that it can provide a comforting escape "to a future when the human race proudly embraces compassion, cultural diversity and scientific curiosity". Yes, please- beam me up!

As a Canadian who closely watched the last couple US elections, I was pulling on my memory wrt which states were considered swing and what their abbreviations might be to fit the rebuses (which I admittedly delight in). It was fun to find out after the fact that the 'swing' was in the design. So clever! An enjoyable way to spend one of our first snowy Sundays here this season.

Well that was fun! By the time I got to completing the NE corner and the final special clue, I had a good chuckle with how clever "that" one was in particular. Learned some new words (ken), slang (obvs) and trivia along the way too. Not sure I'd ever get used to saying, "Dr. Zoice", but it'll be amusing to try, and likely annoyingly nerdy to others when I do.

I love the experience of thinking I know some answers, then realizing I don't then- full circle towards the end- feeling grateful to be reminded that there are indeed other ways of looking at things, often much lighter and refreshing than I initially thought or would have come up with on my own. It's refreshing to Switch Gears and Open Doors to new perspectives. Thanks for this reminder!

What fun! I always enjoy the visual clues, even if I don't quite get them at first. Huge 'aha's' when reading Sam's column- which I adore by the way, clever and familiarly quirky (like me, the latter part)- they often make me giggle >:-) Heir, Air, ERR was delightful, as did that it almost crossed SPARE... made me contemplate and empathize with the challenge and bizarre psychology of growing under those contrasting labels. Crown and PATE eluded me, even after looking it up- is it a person's name, or a brand of paté?

So enjoyable! Definitely brought back memories of high school, tapping the shoulder of the person sitting in front of me to secretly share a coded message via my upside down calculator. Lol! As I read the write up for this puzzle, it made sense to me why it might've appealed to me so- being a videographer and visual artist as well. Thanks for the good start to my Sunday fun day!

That was a tough one for me. I also got the revealer clue right away- I played this a lot as a child with my parents while awaiting restaurant orders- and caught on to the rebus, but the surrounding tricky clues and words left me feeling defeated today. Still, love a fun rebus puzzle.

Thought it was just me and a Saturday puzzle. A little relieving to see that it was a bit of a doozy for others too. Lots of new vocabulary to look up later. For now, I need meno mosso for my mind.

I share your "Harrumph!", Sam... otherwise, a fun Tuesday puzzle.

I anticipated rebi... second time in a week I had to use autocheck at the end to find out the entry was amiss. I wrote the whole words (yes, aye, amen) in the across circles and figured there was something I couldn't wrap my head around with regard to lopping off the first letter for the down words, then adding them to the diagonal to write out the words again... oh, my brain... possibly from anticipating uber-complexity, probably from being a tad overtired.

What a fun surprise to enter a row of just 'G's! Puzzles like these make me wonder what the comment section from my fellow solvers might look like- often the higher # of comments indicating there was a strong reaction of some sort. Seems we share a refreshing balance of both amused and confused. Congratulations on your debut Kit! Inspiring to hear you kept at it till one made it through, to us here today.

Adorable, nostalgic and a nod to those who came before me (my parents!) who had the courage and cleverness to fill in the letters with pencils and pens without the luxury of automated nudges to let you know something is amiss. Nice, light way to start this new month.

I loved this! Having lived in Japan long ago helped to tip off the first two rebi/rebuses. At first I thought there were going to be some that were 'kit' and others that were 'kat'. So fun to find out they both fit as one. I got stumped on the last two words "Arcana" and "Oberon" for some reason, despite feeling drawn and attuned to esoterics and fae. Grateful for the hidden reminders :)

Cool puzzle! I learned some new words (in different languages) and was impressed to find out- after the fact- that the English translations were anagrams for their language of origin. Wow! The rest of the puzzle felt like navigating several stumbling blocks for me, but this is the way it goes sometimes.

Ugh! A fun fill at first, even getting the 'double crossers', but the last (over) half was a slog... many words that just never came to me or that I've never heard of before. Ate up much more of my Sunday afternoon than I'd allotted... off to make up for it now.

G-spot and mooning- surprisingly and delightfully risqué for a crossword! :)

I like the word zhuzh and that there's a whole NYT article about it! Also enjoyed the write-up and the connection to our beloved game and editor. Not being familiar with Katz deli, I got stuck with one letter off thinking "I lose" also worked for a cry of defeat. Thanks for the fun puzzle!

I loved this puzzle!! From the initial visual to the relative ease of filling most of it, to the trickiness and cleverness of the rebuses... only disappointment was that- out of all the possible combinations that could've worked- my choice of 'PHI/O' was not one of them. Had to use the grid check at the end, but I/O made more sense, and it was fun to see the symbols appear :)

I definitely needed some assistance with this one, but it was a still fun fill, especially with FBOMB, ARTSY FARTSY and PITSTAINS :) I wasn't aware of egg creams before until I looked it up- reminded me of a quirky concoction I made a few christmases ago of egg nog and sprite, which was surprisingly delicious! Funny to see FACEPALMS and read about Caitlin thinking it was Fake Palms at first, because I did the same (but opposite?) a couple days ago with Face Plants when it was supposed to be FAKEPLANTS.

Enjoyable Sunday puzzle, until the end... TEC for a P.I. did me in. Also had NUEEN for a while, till I realized... thought thumbs might be the appendage in question, but didn't fit the letters- interesting bit of trivia. Loved the creepy/mysterious image used in today's column and factoid about it! Is anyone else getting covered in snow out there? Stay warm and safe!

This was fun. I like unusual tricks like this 'IT' one, revealing themselves as other clues are solved. That said, I found several of the other clues quite challenging. Is "Drop Trou" seriously a phrase, or just made to fit this puzzle? Aerospace engineer behind this one... adds up :) Congrats on your debut!

Wow! Amazing! It was my first time seeing an asymmetrical crossword grid. Realizing part way through that it was art and a fun and clever nostalgic theme made it even more awesome. Thanks for a great way to start a Sunday!

Pope Mobile made me giggle :) Spoils = Loot tricked me and made me think of the upcoming season, the French version of Alp was a refreshing change... overall a very enjoyable Thursday fill... I love being reminded of the benefits of daydreaming and using our imagination.

Curious what diagonal symmetry is referring to?

When I saw the visual of the lock in the centre, I got excited to embark on this clever treasure hunt. I'm grateful that most of the surrounding clues were doable, leaving the deeper sleuthing until the end. Even though it may hurt my brain a bit to figure out tricky clues, it is always a cool feeling of admiration and delight to figure them out. This one I just could not- I guessed the 'key' word, but didn't get how it came together. That said, I still enjoyed the challenge and admired the complexity of thought, creativity and teamwork behind it.

I missed doing yesterday's puzzle, so I squeezed it in just before bed last night. I thought the interesting patterns were unique for a random weekday (M-W,F) but enjoyed solving it all the same. When I got up this morning, I was looking forward to having a Thursday puzzle to solve- only to realize that I'd already completed it unknowingly last night! Is time getting weirder for anyone else? Speaking of getting turned around... Fun puzzle, congrats on your debut, I enjoyed reading about the visual that inspired the theme, and congrats also to Deb for making that big decision for yourself- thank you for guiding us along all this time.

I had I-O-U-S at first, then took it out thinking, "that'd be too obv-ious..." I actually went back and forth a few times with it until I finally filled that corner. COIFS and FATHOM tripped me up a bit, as did OBOE for something by Yamaha- my mind went to right away to motorcycles and wouldn't let go... I liked CUPS though, it's my sign :)

Ooooh, refreshingly risqué!! Loved it! ORGASMS, DAMNDEST, OH CRUD, NOSEHAIRS... and YOU LOOK FAB crossing with FRIEND OF DOROTHY was superb. Also loved the kelpie clue and the photo of the amazing sculptures of them in Scotland. Invigorating way to start a Saturday. Thanks Kameron, looking forward to more. Happy weekend all!

Fun and tricky all wrapped up into one. I had an aura without pain 2 weeks ago and it terrified me. The write-up and linked article about them spooked me even more with the description of it being when "neurons stop firing and go quiet". I've felt like I've been missing a few brain cells since... grateful for these puzzles to try to revive them and keep them going.

I had some housework to do, but I thought I'd take a 'quick' break and enjoy the Sunday puzzle... it's ~1hour later now, and I regret letting the time slip away with something that, for me, felt more frustrating than satisfying- and I still have the chores to do! It was cute-(ical), but not my cup of tea (egg).

Definitely a nice way to ease into the week. I too started off with a confident IOTA, until spotting ANGLO and TORAH. Very cute theme, even for this (mostly) vegan too ;) I also liked the nudge to share more joy with the special people in our lives- a beautiful reminder.

Fun fill! Year o four lord helped clue me in for the rest of the delightful rebuses. Inspiring perspective to "see the math in everything". Happy Thanksgiving, neighbours to our south!

My brain must be mush today- I couldn't pick up on the theme at all, which made it a bit of a slog to see through to the end. Very clever though, and congrats on the young constructer's debut!

Gentle start to this new year... may it continue. Happy 2026 all!!

Great to see you here for our Friday column, Sam! I enjoyed the 3-stacked words in 4 directions. They sometimes look intimidating at first, but often reveal doable and fun words. This said, it took a while for me to get or 'see' deodorant and I had 'face plants' for a moment before realizing the error of my ways... Hadn't heard of jink without the 's' before. And coincidentally, just before sitting down to do today's puzzle, I felt nudged to do some cleaning this afternoon. Even more so now, off to get to it... Happy Friday all!

Always fun figuring out a Thursday rebus puzzle. First time (for me) to fill them in differently (not using the special box). I was anticipating the squares to flash red and green at the end. Sam, thanks for the laugh re: VSOP! ;) Learned something new with URANO meaning Heavens. Glad I didn't waste too much time attempting to figure out how 'Palin' would work as a rebus for the 'Lead-in to -drome' clue.

Indeed, a good crossword with fellow cruciverbalists is a great way to relax into the weekend. Coincidentally, earlier this evening, I heard Moira Rose use OENOPHILIA in Schitt's Creek wrt Herb Ertlinger and his Fruit Wines. As a balm after the very sad news last week, I've been rewatching the show and other gems with the incomparable Catherine O'Hara. What a light... PLOP ART is a new and amusing term for me. As is echidna, particularly ones blowing bubbles :)

Loved it! : ) Happy day-of-love everyone!

Oof, that was a slog... I was excited when I saw the little images, and happened to get "animal magnetism" early on, but even with that, it was tough until the very end.

I too felt slightly intimidated when I saw not one, not three, but six full span entries! However, as suggested, I just whittled away with the smaller answers and easier clues and was delighted when the longer ones were revealed- a reminder that sometimes things are more doable than they first appear. Special thanks to Alex for reminding me about Nuvole Bianche and how beautiful and calming it is. I'm definitely listening to it on repeat today. I used to listen to it almost every morning with my beloved white cat who embodied the peace of this piece, and has since passed on.

Anything with Yoda I love :)

Really enjoyed the wordplay in this puzzle! All the best in your next adventures Deb, thank you for everything!!

I thought I enjoyed the themed puzzles more, and the fun, unexpected surprises inside them, but I do quite enjoy a good themeless puzzle as well it turns out. Nice to hear Will Shortz' voice directly to us in the Word Play column, and encouraging to hear that getting the 'zees' for Jazz Coda is a sign that I'm able to handle Friday crosswords! :) I only started trying NYT crosswords last fall after braving the intimidation doing so- it's now one of my new favourite daily things to do. Goes to show, you never know what's possible until you try!