EA

@Jeff I agree with you. Whether or not the complaint is valid, the constant carping at the commentariat is tedious, and it doesn’t seem like an effective means of addressing the problem. And I resent the notion that I should skip the comments on certain days. I enjoy a thoughtful discussion of clues and answers every day. If I had skipped today, I wouldn’t have learned why there have been 21 Pope John’s despite the fairly recent John XXIII.

@Andrzej Thank you for this. I normally appreciate your perspective as a puzzle solver. Now I can add appreciation for your world view.

@Mike I look for your puns every day—they always bring a smile to my face. Today, along with that smile I shed a few tears of gratitude for the sentiments you expressed. Thank you, and happy Thanksgiving to all.

@Radonculous On the other hand, I enjoyed the progression of IMED, DMED, and DQED.

@Andrzej I learn SKEDS for schedules in the 80’s while working for United Press International reading the wires. Since those were actual printouts on a roll of paper, the shorthand was helpful to save space. In an age when everything has an abbreviation in the interest of time, I have to imagine it’s still in use.

@Steve L Misattribution is not wordplay. I spin, weave, knit and crochet, and i am more amused than annoyed by the common confusion between the processes. It’s still incorrect.

@N. Hornblower My family says USHES all the time. “You’ve been asked to be a groomsman? You’ll have to ush.” We thought it was just us, so I hesitated to enter our silly word.

@Kachi My family once had a SET TO over Dr. Who because one of us couldn’t believe another of us had never heard of the series. I still haven’t watched it, but I did learn some basics, including TARDIS in the interest of broadening my horizons for future games. And maybe also crossword puzzles. I’m really surprised that so many people think ARARAT isn’t a gimme. I’m not sure when I learned it academically, but that lesson has certainly been reinforced through its usefulness in crosswords.

@Ken W. Terrific explanation! I knew the term and had an intuitive sense of its meaning, but your comment provides the background to make it clear.

@Gretchen If you are solving in the games app (as opposed to the NYT app), click the information button on the top right (circled i). At the bottom you’ll find a link to the column.

@John “Rising senior” refers to a student who will be a senior when the next school year begins.

@Danny My father was a speech pathologist who wrote a book on phonetics. He taught me that “dada” was easier to say than “mama”. He’s been gone for many years now, so perhaps more recent research aligns with your statement.

@Carl If you change your 56D to ON TOE, I think you’ll recognize the acronym.

@Super8ing I am shocked that the moderation units, electronic or otherwise, are permitting these ongoing personal attacks against an individual commentor who is—heaven forbid!—Positive! Is civility so passé?

@HC Tabak They do. Just not always.

@MarkN If you think she was only in The Bear, please check out The Residence. That is, if you like a COZY MYSTERY.

@acjones Another “no one” here. I solve in low light with a cup of coffee and no more sound than a crackling fire. And I’ve long since turned off the congrats music.

@Jacqui J 👍🏻👍🏻

@Lewis #3 brought to my attention that BUTTERMILK has the same number of letters as STETSON HAT.

@Cat Lady Margaret As youngsters, my kids enjoyed candy corn. As adults, they call it “a headache in a bag.”

@karla palmer For me it was THA TONE.

@Francis In the early 70s, I was hospitalized following knee surgery in my hometown of Gainesville, FL. My roommate was Susan Maris. One of the great regrets of my life is that I didn’t ask her father to sign my cast.

@Geoff Offermann Happy anniversary!

@Roy W There’s a 39 down?