Gavin

@sotto voce Checking the comments after solving is my guilty pleasure. To see all the novel, unheard-of ways people can find to be offended.

@Teresa If it were a rebus (multiple letter entry), it would not work on the down clues. You need to notice that and conclude that it can’t be a rebus. It’s part of the puzzle.

@B 54 minutes and 2-3 revealed squares for me. Just for a counterpoint.

@Heidi I agree it’s not a real Thursday puzzle, but I still enjoyed it as a Thursday puzzle. I think it’s just too hard for the editors to make every Thursday a “Thursday” puzzle. Likewise certain other days. No complaints from me.

@Steve L If [Bird] can be an accurate clue for EAGLE, then [Formerly known as] can be an accurate clue for NEE. “Bird” is a more general term than “Eagle”, and “formerly known as” is a more general term than “nee”. The link between clue and answer is never a two-way guarantee of equivalence.

@Alexis I’m 99% sure that almost every crossword we see was submitted many months beforehand.

@DrewT There are many kinds of guitar. The fact that you (and I, and everyone else) means a certain kind of guitar when we say “guitar” is neither here nor there. The clue defeated me too, but I think it’s fair.

@Chris If you strike down a person (in a boxing ring, say), you lay them low. Maybe that compound word (lay low) is not in everyone’s vocabulary or local argot. Breeze and snap both refer to an easy task.

@Morn It is not even slightly an error of construction. In one sense, a big box store is a retail concept like Costco and what have you. In another, more lateral, sense, a big box store is the name of a store written in a big box. Any store. In a big box. Themes like this play on two possible interpretations of the same phrase.

@Col Wagon They programmed a computer to sift through word lists to find potential theme entries, which they then considered. A great example of computer-aided human creativity.

@John Deal I agree about sympathising with people blowing off steam. What gets me is people claiming with absolute certainty that something was clued wrong, or such and such a phrase just doesn’t exist.

@Chris Total opposite for me. Easy by Wednesday standards and very fun and rewarding to solve. I loved it. Thanks constructors! And your constructor notes were a beautiful tribute.

@Gilead Kutnick They were instant write-ins for me. (My total solve time was about 45 minutes, though, so I’m not bragging.)

@Danielle SOUNDSLIKE… is the revealer. There’s not supposed to be wordplay there.

@MC in SJ I’ve been doing these about a year now, and I’ve only just started even looking at Fridays, and only occasionally attempt a Saturday. And that’s fine. Gotta have something to grow into.

@SP I had no knowledge of the phrase “darkest timeline” but could intuit it from only a few crossings. Only filled it in mentally until I could get more confirmation. No complaints from me.

@Steve H Are you joking? It’s a completely straight factual clue with a totally uncontroversial answer. The person may be controversial (and not to your taste, I gather), but writing ELON in the grid means you are engaging with a fact, not morally supporting a person.

@SBK in TO Agreed. I really liked this crossword and accepted the small amount of dodgy fill required to make it work, but the clue for SATED really was an unforced error. Congratulations on the debut, Jiahe! I loved [Give a makeup test?].

@Dan Collins You add (“give”) an O to get the proper answer, and you remove (“steal”) an X to get the proper answer.

@Mean Old Lady Here’s my take. ADHERE refers to things physically sticking together (as with glue). COHERE refers to things figuratively sticking together (like people working as a team). Think also of the word “coherent”.

@msjenne Me too. Puzzles like this will always be divisive, and I’m sorry that some experience frustration when they hope for enjoyment. But I want the constructor and editors to know that some of really enjoy this chicanery and are grateful for your efforts!

@jennie I disagree. Leon is right. It should be highlighting 57A not 57D. Same thing happened very recently.

@Patrick J. Not only that, but words, or in this case, “words” can have many meanings. That you can use it differently doesn’t invalidate it.

@Niall I think I know this one from Futurama (an excellent cartoon), and got the correct spelling. The correct answer didn't come to me straight away, though. I needed one of the crossing letters.

@kilaueabart ING is a well-known (online only) bank here in Australia, so that answer was an instant write-in for me.

@Charlie Fuchs I got it immediately. (But struggled with other things, of course.)

@John Carson Yep, the online crossword incorrectly highlights 49-down instead of 49-across. I didn’t notice until you mentioned it. The theme had also escaped my full comprehension.

@shaproff I’m am experienced Thursday solver. This was by no means easy for me. 45 minutes.

@Hugh I needed this info too; thanks.

@Andrew Overarm is totally familiar to me. Overhand: I’ve never heard of it.

@Lauren It was more than fair for a Friday. You might enjoy earlier days of the week more.

@Heidi I never noticed the Easter egg, even though OXO was an easy fill for me. Thanks for mentioning it.

@Edward I originally has HOSIERY instead of LADDERS, thinking I was so clever…

@Elbridge Gerry They have differences but they also have commonalities: not having the substance to back up their style. A perfectly sound clue/answer pair for me.

@Francis I understand “Get a load of this”, but like CK I don’t understand “Laid eyes on but good”. That sentence just doesn’t parse for me.

@Jeff B MD Southwest corner very nearly got me too. Well, us, as I solved this with two colleagues and had a great time. Thank you, Amanda!

@Matt I think they mean The Times (the London newspaper), with its cryptic crosswords. I too like cryptic crosswords, but have never had success with those.

@RichardZ I went and watched it. Thanks!

@ACDMD The confidence of your assertion is entirely misplaced. Asterix in no way implies rebus.

@SP Totally agree that the theme was a bit shallow. I’m surprised it’s getting so much acclaim. I enjoyed it, and the penny didn’t drop instantly, but when it did, that was it. No slow realisation; just get on with the rest of the puzzle.

@Kate Way too hard for Wednesday. Or maybe my brain just didn’t work well today.

@Barry Ancona A clue that mentions “the grain” is not obliged to be true for all grains, and more than a clue that simply says “Bird”is illegitimate for solving to EGRET.