Francis DeBernardo

This was a very, very easy puzzle except for the Northwest corner, the Northeast corner, the Southwest corner, the Southeast corner, and the Middle.

I have heard it said that future interpreters and translators of 21st century English will have an extemely difficult time distinguishing between a BOOTYCALL and a BUTTDIAL.

I had not realized that the solution to 38A, GIFT COP, was part of the theme until I read the Wordplay column. I assumed it was a real term because when my large extended family gets together for Christmas, my older sister directs who opens which presents in which order, so we call her the "gift cop." So when I read the clue, I knew the answer immediately because I thought it was a widely accepted term!

Hardest. Puzzle. Ever. And I LOVED it! Thanks!

46a: WORDNERDS. Hey! I resemble that remark!

I solved and understood the theme. At least I think I did. What I didn't understand was why there were party hats and balloons in certain black boxes. I couldn't discern a pattern to them or see how they related to the theme. I'd appreciate any insights. Thanks.

I loved this puzzle! KUDOS to the constructor. However, BOO on the editors for missing a once-in-four-years opportunity for having a leap year day themed puzzle. I love when a puzzle's theme matches the holiday or special day on which it appears.

In 4A, was the "?" really necessary at the end of the clue: "Apt name for a Feb. 14 baby?" The answer, VAL, seemed pretty straightforward to me, not a pun or an irony. The "?" actually had me stumped for a while, thinking that there was some deeper meaning other than the plain and obvious one.

14A: "Butter (up)" = GAS But why? I don't understand the connection. I solved it through the crossingss.

I liked that in 17A and 27A, the rebus solution spanned two words: "oFALLegiance" and "paySLIP." It made it more challenging to solve. I wish the same rebus trick had been used for 44A, where the rebus was just a single word: STRIPE. Loved the puzzle, though.

I really liked this puzzle except for the shaded boxes in 44A. As every true New Yawker (I was born and raised in Brooklyn) knows, TALK is pronounced "TAWK," not "TOCK."

I solved 66A, "Clever person," through the crossings, and when I saw the answer I thought, "What the heck is a BELESPRIT?" It wasn't until I read the Wordplay column that I saw the answer is meant to be read "BEL ESPRIT," which is actually a term I know, but just could not see in the answer. D'oh!

Once I figured out that the theme required the answer to have a food item and a fighting term, I entered "BREADBOX" for 22A, "The Midwest states, agriculturally speaking." While of course it was wrong, that solution could have worked as another answer for this theme.

Who does LAUNDRY on Mondays? That's a weekend chore for me and everybody I know. Why would someone wait until Monday?

Nice puzzle. But a Christmas Day puzzle with the theme of laughter and no "HO, HO, HO"? Disappointing and a missed fun opportunity.

Most of the puzzle was fun, but the theme was a bit too ESOTERIC for me.

Did anyone else find the solution to 63A--YKNOW--sketchy? I thought that expression should be spelled YAKNOW. I know the clue had two apostrophes indicating missng letters, but I never saw the expression YKNOW in anything I've read.

I got stumped by what for me was a natick--39D: SNES and 46A: AREPAS. Fun puzzle, though!

If I am allowed to be picky, based on the revealer clue, "Uplifting music," shouldn't have all the solutions have read from bottom UP to top? I get that an elevator goes up and down, but the clue alludes to only one direction. Still, a fun puzzle.

At 59 A, why is AMA the solution to "Q&A format" At 81A, why is THE the solution to "Word following a comma in an alphabetized list" Thanks for any help!

I got stalled because my original answer for 19A: "Seller's bottom lines, for short?" was OBO (Or Best Offer). I was totally certain that could be the correct answer. I solved it through the crossings and by employing one of my cardinal solving rules: "Maybe I was wrong."

it happened again today. A word that appeared as the answer in the mini-puzzle appeared in the main crossword (CVS). I've noticed this happening before where the same word that aoppears in one puzzle appears in another--including Strands and Connections. Is this intentional or just coincidence? Thoughts?

I got hung up on 120D: "I, to Augustus." For the longest time, I had EGO, until crossing necessities made me rethink.

Solutions to 23A, 51A, and 59A--ANKE, MUNN, and LORI, respectively--were such particular bits of knowledge that they made the even more particular bit of knowledge (and NYT debut) 25D--KOOKABURRAS--impossible for me to solve using crossings.

Are Russians still called "reds," even after the fall of Communism? I got stalled by 36A because I figured "Russian" could not be a part of the answer since I thought "red" referred only to Communists? I had solved the "SPY" part, but couldn't find a word to precede it since I had eliminated "Russian" in my mind because the country is no longer Communist. Thoughts?

Solving the clues felt like a Monday puzzle. Understanding the theme felt like a Thursday puzzle.

Felt like a Saturday. Especially in NW corner and North Central space.

NUNHOOD? Lifelong Roman Catholic very involved in church activities, yet I have never heard this word before. Is it a word used in another denomination? Anglican? Thanks!

Please tell me that I was not the only person who at first put TOILET PAPER as the solution to 24A.

I had trouble because I took the revealer clues literally. I thought STEAL A KISS meant to take an X away from the answer, and that GIVE A HUG meant add an O to the answer. Oh, well.

The theme was very clever! Loved it. I wish 1A: "Center of the solar system with 'the'" was clued a bit more challenging. It felt too easy. I recognize that the solution was essential for the theme, and that this is a Monday, so the clue couldn't be too hard, but it just seemed it could have been a bit more challenging.

The crossing at 25D and 31A: ALOFT and AFLOAT. Is it just a coincidence that they seem like inside out versions of each other? Or are placements like this planned?

OXES? Not OXEN?

Some folks, me included, did not get a sharp image of the animation. On my screen, it looks like a grey outline of the state of Utah that contains a light blue sky, a cloud, and a green mound. The lower right corner has a diagonal line separating the corner from the rest of the puzzle. Would someone be so kind as to describe what it should be and how the image relates to the puzzle? I know it should have something to do with the Rubki's cube.

Saturday's are suipposed to be themeless. But doesn't having the same clue at 17D and 31A, "What it's not, in a saying," constitute a bit of a mini-theme? I'm not complaining, just curious as to how to define "themeless."

What happened to the Strands game?