Forrest

I landed in the NYT crossword section in 2023, when my mind was racing with newly acquired health anxiety and I needed something meatier for it to chew on. It started as a distraction, but it’s turned into a serious (and enjoyable) pastime thanks to you, Deb. Frankly, I would’ve rage quit these puzzles long ago if it weren’t for your tips, tricks, and guidance. And of course that HOPER attitude! Ah the visceral pain of a Lego lodged into the soft padding of one’s foot— unmistakable and unforgettable. Thus, I knew the answer to 35D long before I gained the confidence and cross completion to type it in. I suppose I was too afraid of stepping on it!

Definitely felt more challenging than a typical Tuesday puzzle on two fronts: trickery and fairness. Trickery stretches my recall, association, or interpretation, like MAW for “gaping opening “ and STY for “place for wallowing”. Fairness, to me, is how closely my lexicon matches the author’s— how “obvious” are the clues once solved. BONES UP ON and JUG BAND, as examples, are phrasing that I’ve never encountered.

BRUTAL. But also, self-inflicted? It’d be great if I could strike the right keys when inputting answers. For example the ‘C’ in ‘CULKIN’ — a clue that I looked up, mind you — is very telling for the first word in its cross-clue, whereas the ‘V’ that I registered created endless, needless confusion!

And here I thought the NYT Crossword was a safe space for my socially-debilitating lack of sportball knowledge, but alas.

Musings on a Monday night: 1. Are we sure CUKE is a vegetable? I’ve never heard of it. Reads more like an expletive 2. Do not recommend Googling HEAD CHEESE. Nor reading what it’s made of (No offense to the fans, it’s just not for me) 3. Just like yesterday, I needed the editorial to fully understand the theme. Unlike yesterday, I couldn’t blame it on sportball… 4. Mr. Daly, I’m calling for a Barbie watch party. The modern Ken is building a life of his own

GOTOTRIAL? Nope. GOINTRIAL?? Nope. GO*ON*TRIAL?! Were anyone in the room with me, they would’ve been quite startled by the DIN. (Did I use that correctly? 😂)

Really enjoyed this one! Lots of clever clues and misdirections that were just fun to resolve. Special shoutout to 4D/19A— my brain REALLY wanted to bucket these two clues together. I felt quite gobsmacked when I finally cracked 19A!

Woof. I mean, this goes for every puzzle that I attempt, but I should’ve paid more attention in English.