Dawn

@Cat Lady Margaret Yes. Connections did this recently.

@Mike Only if it’s holding back Schitt’s Creek!

@NotMyRealName The point was that people who believe in these creatures want to see something that isn’t there. The cryptid names embedded in another clue are almost there, but not quite, to reflect this. I did like the previous poster’s idea of changing “cryptozoologist” to “crtypozoologist” though!

@Andrzej The concept of birthstones was a marketing ploy developed in the early 1900s by the jewelry companies in America. I would wager that Americans of a certain age know them well. There is still a lot of jewelry marketed that way today though. I remember it was a big thing when I was a kid to get your ears pierced with studs of your birthstone (since you had to wear them for a long time before changing them out for the first time). As a mother of three young boys, I don’t know if that’s still a thing anymore. I do see ads for necklaces, etc strung with the birthstones of one’s children. Did you know there are also flowers associated with each month??

@NH This might be one of those “depends on who you ask” answers, but I would say schmear is any type of cream cheese (so many flavors!). Butter is not a schmear IMO. Shout out to Bagels on Park in Weehawken! Best bagel and schmear shop ever!!

@Jim Agreed. I eventually gave up on that corner. Two movie references crossed with a proper name - a bit much for a Wednesday.

@Francis That’s a very cynical view of High School sports. At my Alma mater, which my teenager currently attends, the football team is consistently nationally ranked and I think one of the reasons is that they spend a lot of time with the JV players getting them ready for varsity.

@Nancy J. I remember that commercial! It aired during the Super Bowl. I think it’s simultaneously one of the best and one of the worse commercials ever made. Best because a decade later I still remember it because it was so funny, but worst because I couldn’t have told you what it was a commercial for if my life depended on it. Could you imaging what it took to make. Some of those shots are not CGI.

@HeathieJ We love love love this sketch and quote it all the time in our house! “How do you spell such and such?” “Impossible!”

@Johnathan Many fox hunts today do not include actual foxes but rather just the scent of a fox. It’s a way to still enjoy the fast paced chase without the grisly end.

@Reagan Agreed! I had IRATE instead of ANGRY for much longer in that space than I care to admit.

@Min Here is a good explanation as to why there are so many spelling variants: <a href="https://www.antidote.info/en/blog/reports/why-are-there-so-many-ways-spell-hanukkah-or-it-chanukah#:~:text=A" target="_blank">https://www.antidote.info/en/blog/reports/why-are-there-so-many-ways-spell-hanukkah-or-it-chanukah#:~:text=A</a>%20large%20number%20of%20variants,%2C%20phonetically%20speaking%2C%20is%20h.

@Alex The son of a friend did the Semester at Sea program many years ago. It’s the only time I’ve ever heard of it. Sounds awesome, though not particularly well advertised? Maybe it’s just a really well kept secret. If you know, you know.

@Paul Took me a hot minute, but if you combine each of the top three answers with each of the bottom three answers, you get a classic [spangram]. I had head of this concept before but that didn’t help me find any of the answers. It’s a clever theme, but definitely out there.

@Steve L That’s funny. I’ve always heard these called “husband pillows” or “boyfriend pillows”. Never heard it called a “bed seat”.

@Andrzej I thought this puzzle was difficult too, but I got stuck in the northwest corner. Fts is short for Forts. The Friars Club is a comedy club in New York City that I had vaguely heard of and sort of recognized the name of, but once again, the NYT assumes that everyone is intimate familiar with all things New York City.

@Andrzej I don’t think anyone actually says troth outside of a Shakespeare play anymore.

@Jane Wheelaghan If you’re eating dry, hard chocolate chip cookies, the person making them doesn’t know what they’re doing! I’m not typically a fan of Subway sandwich shops, but at least in my area, they have the absolute best chocolate chip cookies. They’re almost underbaked so they are soft and gooey. Even better if slightly warmed. Yum! Sadly, I’m not indulging in anything like that right now as I’ve just discovered I have a miserably large gallstone. I have had to drastically change my diet in a probably vane attempt to keep my gallbladder from being removed.

@Steve Yup. My dad says this all the time. Though we use it differently than what the column suggested. To us, someone who is plotzing is worrying about things.

@CCNY You’re not. 😉

@Tom Too right. Thanks for mentioning this.

@Tom To be fair, the clue does say co-discovered. That is true.

@Brad I was fine with all the theme answers except Nancy Drew. The words to denote a female are not meant to be taken literally. Obviously, Dorothy is not an actual queen in the story, but “queen” here is just meant to suggest a female character. I still don’t get the Nancy Drew clue, though. If it is that she is simply on the cover of her books, that a pretty weak clue. If it’s that she covers stories, goes undercover, or uncovers the truth, is anyone’s guess. It seems even Sam wasn’t sure what to make of that one.

@DR In my part of the world, HOORAY is definitely more common. I actually thought HOORAH was more of a British English thing. Am I wrong?

@Al in Pittsburgh LOVE P.D.Q. Bach!!!!

@Jane Wheelaghan And I would say the same for different regions within the US. I live in the SE and would be surprised to hear someone from this area say it, but my co-worker from Ohio/West Virginia says wee occasionally.

@Francis Look for Nate Burgatze’s Christmas sketch. It’s in the same format and just as funny.

@bayonetta Slushpile is definitely jargon not well-known outside the journalism world. NYT has a tendency to do that.

@Steve L Not sure it’s a “sample of one” when there are plenty of comments here who agree with me.

@Francis Mine would be 35-85. It never freezes and never gets into the 90s. Perfect. Unfortunately, I get to have that kind of weather for about 3 days a year here in Florida. It’s only getting worse.

@david dell Oh come on. It’s a totally made up abbreviation that I challenge anyone to prove ever existed in regular use, even in the crossword or scrabble worlds.

@Kris H Paul Hollywood is smiling in a tent somewhere.

@Vaer Agreed. I wrote a lengthy feedback to the editors about today’s STRANDS. I got through it, but barely. I don’t feel like this is reasonably common knowledge to even the learned unless you are a language scholar. Some like me with a more science-y background was quite stumped at my second find, which is the name of an artery of the heart,but that had nothing to do with this puzzle. Strands #276 “I now pronounce you ...” 🔵🔵🔵 🔵🔵🔵 🟡

@Brendan That’s funny, we do the opposite and melt the wax out with a hair dryer! Never tried the freezer approach before.

@BJ Agreed. Thought all the clues were great except these. Still quite impressed with the young constructor though!

@David Sent was the last word I filled in. Terrible clue for a Tuesday. This is not a widely used definition of the word despite the example people have stirred up.

@Andrzej What a great memory!

@Stephen Agree this is an example of a Natick, but it was one I happened to know fairly easily. The SW corner for me….that was another story. Two movie references crossed with a proper name - also a Natick.