pollyq

not complaining, but where i come from, the phrase was upsy daisy. not upsa daisy. variations are good.

yeah, it was easy. i found both the clues and the fill to be among the best i've seen in a long, long time. i really enjoyed the puzzle.

Chirrup, I recall, was the word Caleb Car used in one of his books to describe the sound a cheetah makesr This is likely the least consequential comment I've ever submitted to the NYTimes.

most puzzles i'm one of those folks that learns of the theme by reading wordplay. in this puzzle, though, the theme was evident to me and was useful in figuring out the answer problemone. i had prob at the front and the e at the end and maybe another letter or two. so i was reduced to figuring out what fruit would fit in those five letters. in this case i didn't figure out problemone until reading wordplay. variety is good, i guess.

sam, i really enjoyed your writeup this evening. it improved my mood considerably. thanks.

i'd love to be able to create a puzzle like this one. it was fun throughout.

I've often wondered why symbols and numbers are not used in puzzles. At least now I know that their presence is not an unpardonable sin. Maybe we could see a & next week

Yesterday's puzzle was such a buzzkill for me that I began to consider if it's time for me to drop the crossword subscription (with print edition -- now about 40 years). But this puzzle was enough fun that I'll hold off for a while. Thanks for the puzzle.

HereBeDragons is a remarkably fun answer; but even more enjoyable was Caitlyn's explanation. My childhood was bereft of dragons and the like so I appreciate this dive into dragondom.

in the less than important notes, "ken" was used in a song from The Sound of Music -- Sixteen Going on Seventeen. Fifty some years later I still remember that as I its use was a bit forced.

i'd never heard of a molerat until i started watching kim possible. that was in a prior life,it seems. i suppose it's out of production now.

consistency is the hobgoblin... English changes. I've listened to some radio shows from the 1940's or 50's. Some folks then pronounced Los Angeles with a hard G. Coupe rhymed with toupee. I think it was Daniel Boone who said he had no respect for a man (I know) who could spell a word only one way.

ms l -- thanks for including the mangione clip. good music there. now i'm wondering how does one become a flugelhorn player.

Gaelic, Russian and Italian history are not my strong points. I first came across Measure Twce... while watching This Old House, probably back in the 80's. And then I mentioned it to my father -- it was new to him, too. We weren't accomplished woodworkers (obviously) but we tried. Admittedly on simple projects. I'm trying to remember some of those This Old House shows, but all I can bring up are portions of Home Improvement, a show I watched but seldom. Not the same thing at all. The puzzle was a pleasant experience, both for the puzzle and the This Old House memory.

sam, you are generally wonderful, but your statement: 31A/26D. [Great Lake with the most consumable 26-Down] can’t be solved without knowing what 26-Down is, but that clue just says [See 31-Across] isn't correct. The answer has four characters. Only one Great Lake has a name of four characters. personally, i think that clues using Great Lake references and Erie as the answer should be retired, but then i took an easy A course in college myself.