Tom
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Georgia
Fun puzzle that had me chuckling when I figured the theme clues. My contribution: Actress Annie notices the trendiest places POTTSSPOTSTOPSPOTS
Brilliant puzzle! I marvel at the work it takes to make a puzzle like this, which provides so many of us a few minutes of pleasure each day. I enjoyed catching onto the double trick, which made solving the themed entries enjoyable.
@Jacqueline Build the museum in Chic.
Greek Mythology: F EPIC FAIL
Delightful puzzle that initially had me confused figuring out how the title connected to the answers for the italicized clues until I got to the revealer. That made solving the italicized clues so much easier. I figured the rebus much earlier on. I was also pleased to come across two personal connections (perhaps three, if you count me being of Italian heritage): I received my PhD in Psychology from THE Ohio State University (Go Buckeyes!) and I regularly taught Solomon Asch's theories in my personality course.
I really enjoyed this puzzle, but broke my streak because I got stuck thinking DOUBLECROSSES or DOUBLECROSSER and couldn’t figure out that HADST was the word I needed. Still had lots of fun wih this one!
Finished in my PB for a Monday while watching the Superbowl. Appropriate theme, considering I had to wing it for supper.
I enjoyed the puzzle, although I got tripped up in the SE corner. One nitpick with the NYT column: As a rollercoaster enthusiast (“thoosie”), the photo of Outlaw Run at Silver Dollar City does not depict an “inverted coaster” although that coaster does have inversions. An “inverted coaster” hangs below the track, like the Batman rides at many Six Flags parks.
A relatively quick and enjoyable solve for me. I waited until I filled all other entries before talking the central box. Clever how the meaning of the themed clues changed. I considered TINY and OLAF before getting the correct words.
My 'aha' moment, after completing the revealer, was the movie clue, which I knew was called a closed set. Amazing how the split entries fit so well. Nice work!
Many commenters are applauding how difficult this puzzle was compared to more recent ones. I'm relatively new to solving, having started about a year ago, and I found this puzzle to be one of the easier Saturdays, solving in two-thirds of my typical time without any lookups. Perhaps I was just on the right wavelength today! I really enjoyed the use of Q, X, J, and Z throughout the puzzle, which is perhaps what helped me solve more quickly; when in doubt, I decided to try an atypical letter! Very enjoyable puzzle, with lots of fun clues that did misdirect me a few times and gave me chuckles when I figured out the correct answer.
Brilliant! Simply brilliant. So much going on that fits a tight theme. It astounds me how creative these crossword constructors can be to fit so much wordplay into such a tight puzzle. Thanks for giving me a smile today!
@Dan Perhaps it's a United States thing, but I also grew up in the 1960's and enjoyed many malted milk ice cream shakes in my day. Granted, I also drank malted milk without ice cream, but I hated the grittiness when the powder didn't mix well. Malted milk shakes rarely had that grittiness.
Thanks for the 'aha moment' when I figured out the theme. Things began to fall in place after that. Fun puzzle! (And the ! is not a negation.)
@Megan Carrol for Carrel was my only errer, er, error.
@Helen Wright The Boston Pops is an orchestra that often performs popular music in classical orchestrations.
@Lewis Female estate holder MANORWOMAN
@Francis DeBernardo I've seen it hyphenated as y'know.
16A: The SeaWolves were recently rebranded to the Moon Mammoths thanks to Jon Oliver. Fun puzzle! I was stumped until I read the revealer and had that aha moment. One of my best Thursday times after that. I'm relatively new to the NYT puzzle subscription and am enjoying solving past Thursday puzzles. So much fun figuring out the trick of each puzzle.
I was surprised that I solved the NW corner quite quickly and thought this would be a quick solve for a Saturday. But I had to look up some answers, as I don't follow WWE and I had no idea of the flour. The SE corner took a long time, and I finally solved the brick building clue last; that answer made me smile. I finished slightly faster than my average. Fun puzzle.
This was one of my fastest times for a Thursday - about 18 minutes. I've been enjoying solving the Thursday puzzles in the archives, and I am amazed at how creative these puzzles can be, considering the constraints the constructors impose upon themselves.
I really enjoyed this puzzle and how it took me a while to figure out its tricks. But, DARN! I ended my solving streak because I first tried TETRIS and then TETRA, and I was not SHARP enough to see that LAS is not the western part of LA. That was my only error. I guess I should just GETOVERIT. Thank YEW FIR a fun diversion.
@Michael Wonderful solve from start to finish. Relied on my accumulated wealth of knowledge of 'trivia' and foreign words. Theme was very clever with an AHA moment that made me smile. Very approachable, one if my fastest Thursday times! Thanks for a fun challenge.
I finished in about half my typical Sunday time. I worked from bottom up and rarely had to pause before filling in the answers. It took a bit to figure out the trick for the companions to the circled entries, but the crosses helped. An enjoyable diversion.
@CReyes Perhaps you should meditate over it? ;-) It took me a while to figure out the theme until I kept seeing the letters OM in the answers to the starred clues. Then I reached a Zen moment. Finished a few minutes earlier than my average Thursday.
@D The Z in the cross was my last fill, after entering every other letter of the alpabet. Zounds!
@Emi I got stuck on FOODCOLORINGS and wouldn't let it go for a long time. Fun puzzle!
@SP I was expecting PISH POSH to be one of the theme entries, but giot WISE when the crossing wouldn't work. What a hoot! I figured out the theme early when I figured PING PONG PADDLE was a themed answer, but took a bit longer to figure out how PHI fit in. Fun puzzle, one of my faster times for a Sunday!
@Jane Wheelaghan YO MAMA is the start of an insult (An opening to a 'crack') like 'Yo mama so big, she....' Debra Messing is an actress who starred in Will and Grace.
@SP Alternative theories: 1. Over time, you gained so much expertise in solving puzzles that what appears to be easy for you is challenging for those just beginning, like me. For example, I started about a year ago, and I decided to solve the Thursday puzzles backwards in time. As I'm gaining expertise in solving these puzzles, my time is improving for those older puzzles. From my perspective, the more recent puzzles were actually more difficult when I started, and the older ones are easier as I improved my solving skills. 2. I'm not a fan of opera, but I do enjoy musicals, so I'll use them in my analogy. I grew up with Rodgers and Hammerstein, Sondheim, and other legends, many of whom are now dead or not producing new material. Newer composers are producing material different from what I enjoyed in the past. Performances in the past did not use microphones or high definition screens instead of physical scenery. Things change. I still enjoy musicals, despite these changes.
Fun puzzle! A confession: I saw that STONEWASHEDDENIM was one letter too long and wouldn't work for the SADD crossing, so I had DISHWASHEDDENIM for the longest time. Is that even a thing???
@Cindy I was 15 seconds slower than my personal best, probably because I tried ATTEST instead of ASSERT and CAPOCOLLO (which didn't fit) instead of PROSCIUTTO.
@Mean Old Lady Guns is a slang term for biceps that have been enlarged by exercise.
@Xword Junkie Changing OWN to PWN was my last move before hearing the music.
@Dan From the astronauts' perspective. they didn't age but awoke in the future, so something akin to time travel. But I agree with you; there are better, if more obvious, movies that would work better.
Fun puzzle. That southeast corner was a challenge, though! I got stuck with ANTHILL and ANTFARM before finally figuring out what to call their home. PSST, the rest fell rather quickly, then.
@Chris I took SLR to refer to a common abbreviation: Single Lens Reflex (camera).
@sonnel Those puns are a bit Rocky. Hot Patootie!
@Erik P PLUM PUDDING would work.
@Times Rita I, too, got stuck on the physicists name as my last fill. I tried A first, but didn't get the music. Then O. I was WIRED when I finally got the music when I tried I. Electronic music?
@Francis Same here. I thought he spelled his name EFRAM. It was my only error, and I finished in just under 8 minutes. Fun puzzle.
@Long walks n sunsets To keep with the theme, the answer should refer to something you wear. So here's my contribution: _pecification_ RIMLESSSPECS
Very fun! I worked bottom up chuckled when I figured out the first themed answer (113A) and tried to solve the others with a few crosses. My only hangup was holding onto WARWORN for too long, scratching my head trying to think of a poet with that would fit. Felt like the second coming for me.
@Charles There have been past crosswords that required different rebuses for across and down entries. If you'd like to try some, visit the archives for November 9, 2025, August 10, 2023, and February 10, 2022. If you try those, you need to enter the rebuses like this: ACROSS/DOWN with a slash separating the entries.
My 'aha' moment was ASTRONA(UT)URN. And then my final fill was realizing that SHY wasn't close! Once I changed that to SHUT, I completed the puzzle, appropriately, with an AUTOPSY.
@MB and @Jacqui J: Choose one that provides a BONUSENTRY.
Fun and quick solve for me! I finally figured out the trick after solving 66A and mulling how the answer to 17A could work with the clue... until I saw the twist. That helped me solve the other relevant entries quite quickly, so I finished in my fastest time for a Thursday puzzle. Tragic meat!
@Jane Wheelaghan A swing set in the States usually has multiple swings and often includes a slide (or should I say chute?) connected to its posts.
@jas ... and I started with StRinGY!