Tiffany Voss
Atlanta
This had the skill level of a Tuesday and the novelty factor of a Monday. What are we doing NYT? Are we doing baby mode for December and I missed the memo? The readers crave an intellectual challenge for the holidays, not gentle wordplay placation.
Regarding the notes on the clues - "Safety School" actually refers to a back-up college or university with more lenient admissions than a student's desired college. For example, if your GPA is 3.7 you would aim for colleges competitive in that range, but just in case, you might also apply to a "safety school" with an average applicant GPA of 2.8 or so. Great puzzle, enjoyed the clue about the Number.
@Francis I hear where you're coming from, but people aren't upset about the construction or clues from Kevin. This was fine and enjoyable as a puzzle, just not for a Thursday. Solvers are looking for a specific challenge on Thursday, and multiple weeks in a row, NYT did not deliver. This is not Kevin's fault. NYT editors should have placed it earlier in the week. I would imagine that Kev has the emotional fortitude to see that the comments are about the day of the week and not the puzzle itself out of context, which was perfectly enjoyable.
@Gary K Gary, you don't know about Imagine Dragons DN?
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