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I’m far from an accomplished solver, so I was thrilled when I finished without resorting to the Wordplay column. (I did have a few look-ups, though.) And I think this was a very clever puzzle!!!
I’m neither a beginner nor an expert solver, and I enjoyed this puzzle. Lots of clever clues, I thought.
@R.J. Smith I was thrown by this, too, but faded memories of college genetics classes rang a distant bell. So I started to investigate and found this in Britannica: caste, in biology, a subset of individuals within a colony (society) of social animals that is specialized in the function it performs and distinguished by anatomical or morphological differences from other subsets.
@Greg It’s familiar to students of art history or archaeology.
I can understand that this was a great and perhaps even an easy puzzle for some people. Alas, I am too slow in the uptake and too ignorant of popular culture to get a buzz from this one. For example, the real “daddylonglegs” fit perfectly so I assumed the few crosses that I had entered were wrong. I had to consult the Wordplay column to figure out what was going on quite early in my attempted solve.
@T Broadway lingo for “sensational”
This was a debut?! I am in awe, especially since I was well and truly stuck early on and had to turn to Easy Mode. That was so easy I came back to the original to see where I went wrong, and I was very impressed with some clever clues and some nice sidestepping of typical clues.
My hat’ s off to mini puzzle constructor, Myna Liu, for the “head lock” clue.
@Michael Gaobest One who hoes (a garden bed), I believe.
@Eva H. I thought it was brilliant once it dawned on me.
Thank you Caitlin, David, and the family of commenters for their gentle humor. This was an enjoyable evening!
Regarding the Mini crossword, to clue TEAR as “a droplet of sorrow” is quite something.
Sam, the cutline for the drawing at the head of your column is priceless! It made my day, so thank you! (The crossword was fun to solve, too.)
@Isabeau I am in your corner. I heard this term several years ago, and discovered there are sub-genres of Cozies! I am admit being off at first because Cozy looks like a put down.
Diabolically brilliant puzzle. I was pleased with myself when I filled the SW to NE diagonal but had to take a break before I saw my mistaken fills in the NW corner. This old lady was flummoxed by the SE and had to resort to Sam’s help to “cross the t’s” so to speak.
@Kiko Thanks, I also wondered what it was.
@Isabeau I love your phrase “Shenanigans Afoot”!
Last night I had some look-ups but was determined not to consult the “Tricky Clues.” The southeast corner kept giving me fits, so I slept on it and was amazed to complete it this morning.
@Michael I just entered a plain O and that worked, but on some keyboards press and hold a letter will generate options. There’s twelve O options on my iPad keyboard!
@dutchiris Thank you! I knew there was something awry with my entries DADA and PLASHES!
@Mean Old Lady You don’t think you have mice until you get a cat. Then it’s not a SCAN but a fixed stare at the bottom of the fridge or stove.
@Doofus Well, Lit Crit was a common expression in the 80s as an undergrad in Texas and in the 90s as a grad student in Ohio.
Nothing is more frustrating, especially to the dyslexia afflicted, than to finish a puzzle and learn that “at least one letter’s amiss”!! Grrr…… I did love the clues, though.
@Kate Love your wry comment on human nature.
Golly, I finished a Friday with only two lookups! I never thought I’d be on the same wavelength as Robyn Weintraub so I am chuffed!
@Puzzlemucker Thank you for the link! This was one of the last spaces I filled. I’m familiar with Hornbills and Spoonbills, but this was a new bird for me.
Thank you, Caitlin, for one of the long tricky clues! I should have known it, as my generation practically invented the darn things. I had huge swaths of white space up to that point. Aside from the usual arcana, the clueing of everyday words and phrases was very clever.
@Hunter Not to mention the non-fishy EEL.
Loved today’s mini. It was easy but clever.
We once had a sweet orange-and-white male cat named (not by us) “Tom.” To our certain knowledge he was never a parent. His memory tripped me up in this puzzle, but I fixed it!
@Ed Blond I have seen it many times but wouldn’t claim to understand it!
This was an impressive challenge and most definitely not on my wavelength! I needed some look-ups and help with “Tricky Clues” and letting the puzzle sit overnight, but at least I figured out the theme by myself.
I never can remember whether it’s KABAB or KABOB. Enjoyed the puzzle, it wasn’t hard for a Wednesday.
@Francis Would a bearded barber qualify?
It’s a red-letter day when I can finish a Friday ouzzle without resorting to Easy Mode. I love Robin W’s puzzles whether easy or difficult.
I read a reference to a “gallop” ending a dance for young people in an English novel from the 1960s. I also recall a Baroque dance, something like “galliard.” Clearly too many letters. This was a grit your teeth and struggle because it’s good for you, not because it’s fun. Your mileage may differ!
@Scott Yes, it’s a real pose and most classes include it. It tests one’s balance and knee mobility but is easily modified.
Kudos to those who found it easy! Not me. I had only six entries before throwing in the towel in favor of Easy Mode. And two of those were wrong! I had to admire the clever clueing, though.
@john ezra Yes, I have read “Time and Again,” a long time ago in hardcover with charming illustrations. I think a reviewer of the film “Time after Time” mentioned this novel and I was curious enough to search it out.
@Terry I did, too. Very few look-ups and clever clueing.
@The X-Phile Your post made my day!
@Bonnie Ann I had a similar experience—puzzle, not Covid! Hope you continue to mend.
@john ezra I learned that expression as ….repair. Maybe a Midwest usage?
@pjbfamily I solve in the NYT app on my iPad, and the colors (roughly similar to the ingredient colors) did replace the black color in those squares. Additional colors differentiating the crust from the fill also showed.
Note to Sam: Big cities used to promote their Shopping ARCADEs.
@Jen No, it isn’t! Instead a very inelegant way to refer to one who hoes a garden bed.
@Kathy B I didn’t hate it, but I needed Deb’s help on several entries. Got ONELOVE and ELIOT, guessed ALF, and looked up the rest of the names. I thought MEDIUMRARE was very clever!
@Jen Me, too. Feeling a few peas short of a casserole but had fun anyway,