CCH

@MikeM Is it possible you clicked the pencil icon at some point? That will cause your fill to be gray ink instead of black

@Gretchen F Or if we allow for cube roots, there's that classic Beatles hit... Two Days a Week

@Sandip No, you are correct. My only complaint about this otherwise delightful puzzle was the incorrect cluing for TRAIPSE. I even hopped onto Merriam Webster's website to confirm! (While it's possible that traipsing about could cause weariness at some point, being weary is not required or even implied by TRAIPSE itself.)

@Rachel That cat is my spirit animal. And I'm going to show my boss the caption* if I get any questions about what I've gotten accomplished today. Hey, if the NYT says it, it MUST be so. I don't make the rules here, people. * "If solving the Crossword is the extent of your productivity today, you'll have done plenty."

@Sam I'm with you, Sam. And Merriam Webster's definition does not mention emotions at all, so I feel like the weariness is a British-English gloss. I think it possible that one person could TRAIPSE blithely about without feeling any weariness whatsoever (we should all be so blessed with energy and fleetness of foot!), just as another (me) could become weary by traipsing all over town in search of an elusive grocery item. But I personally feel like the use of TRAIPSE on its own doesn't require or even imply weariness.

@Nora Love your example sentence, Nora! Traipsing about is always worth it to find the right (cute, especially if also comfortable) pair of shoes!

@Jane Same, same!

@SBK Welcome to Dark Academia 101: The Dark Arts meet the Ivory Tower aka an impromptu primer Off the top of my head, take a peek at the following: Wednesday for a TV show. The Scholomance novel series by Naomi Novik. Ninth House novel series by Leigh Bardugo. The Magicians by Lev Grossman for both a book and TV series. Harry Potter for dark academia lite (pun intended). These happen to all be fantasy, which is a common theme, but not required to qualify as dark academia. For further reading on the subject, including an exploration of origins and visual examples of aesthetic representation in fashion and home decor, please register for Dark Academia 201 at the New York Times article linked here: <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/30/style/dark-academia-tiktok.html" target="_blank">https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/30/style/dark-academia-tiktok.html</a>

@Al in Pittsburgh Tater tots are tasty! They won't ever replace French fries for me, but can be a fun alternative on occasion. Think marshmallow-shaped latkes: finger food easily dipped into any variety of savory sauce. (My preferred dipping sauce being a paprika aioli.)

@Francis The "ski cap" threw me, since these days we all wear helmets. And in the carefree helmet-less days of yore, we would just call them "ski hats." Caps vs. hats must be a regional difference.

@Francis KAYO was my sticky wicket today -- I was wholly dependent on the crosses when I couldn't get TKO to fit. The Y was the last to fall in the whole puzzle, thanks to the spelling of TREY, which I always want to spell as TREs, à la zee French. I guess I get KAYO, but I've never seen it before, I don't like it, and I don't ever want to see it again. (Delivered à la Lucille Bluth -- see the links below.) Dunzo, on the other hand, is familiar to me and this is the only way I've seen it spelled. Earlier someone mentioned seeing spelled as donezo, and again I guess I get it but I still reject it. Looks like it should be pronounced doh-NEY-zo that way. Here are the Lucille Bluth clips, enjoy! Plate or platter clip: <a href="https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=rKh4IdhOYNI&pp=ygUibHVjaWxsZSBibHV0aCBpIHdvbnQgcmVzcG9uZCB0byBpdNIHCQkICgGHKiGM7w" target="_blank">https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=rKh4IdhOYNI&pp=ygUibHVjaWxsZSBibHV0aCBpIHdvbnQgcmVzcG9uZCB0byBpdNIHCQkICgGHKiGM7w</a>%3D%3D Veiled criticism clip: <a href="https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=eO4rPGFYBDk&pp=ygUibHVjaWxsZSBibHV0aCBpIHdvbnQgcmVzcG9uZCB0byBpdA" target="_blank">https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=eO4rPGFYBDk&pp=ygUibHVjaWxsZSBibHV0aCBpIHdvbnQgcmVzcG9uZCB0byBpdA</a>%3D%3D Whew, I'm DUNZO!

@Francis Growing up in Alaska, my school's auditorium caved in over one year due to ice dams caused after very heavy snow and freeze thaw cycles. It was a flat roof built in the 1970s. Luckily it happened over spring break, so no one was injured--and we got an extra week of vacation out of it! I spent part of that extra time off helping to shovel the roof of our home.