Janine

I finished this puzzle very close to my PB time with nary a hint nor a lookup, but I am not disappointed that it was too easy for the following reasons: It was full of unusual and interesting fill. Plenty of clever and misdirecting clues (the one for INHD being a favourite) I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of solving. Even the crossing of two unknown proper names didn't phase me today, as I was able to easily guess the correct letters. In conclusion- one of the best straightforward, seamless themeless Friday crosswords ever! (imho)

I'm solving this puzzle in a hospital bed as I await emergency surgery for appendicitis (of all things!). It's funny how life throws random problems at you when you least expect it... but thank goodness for the Monday crossword puzzle for taking my mind off the discomfort. I was in and out of consciousness (powerful pain meds) so this wasn't a quick solve, but I enjoyed it anyway. I don't think I could have handled a tougher puzzle at the moment. Hoping for some GIRL POWER to get me through surgery in a few hours. 😄

I've fallen behind about a week or so on my crossword solving as my mother passed away on June 4th. She lived a good, long life and had a wonderful memorial. Her love of crosswords (and all word games) inspired me to enjoy them as well. Doing the puzzle and being a part of the crossword community are a couple of the few things that give me joy lately, so I'm grateful for that. This was a fun puzzle to restart my (not so important) streak. I found it fresh and a little sassy.

There were many clever clues in today's puzzle, but my favorite was 16A "Needle on a thread?". When I read that the constructor was only 16, I just about fell off my rocking chair! .........................................................

I enjoyed solving this puzzle and thought the theme was quite clever. There were quite a few amusing clues as well. I don't know much about unions so I don't know if solving this puzzle is crossing a picket line or if it will affect anything one way or the other, but too late now I guess. I don't have much enthusiasm right now, I have a feeling I'm going to sink into a deep depression tomorrow (and I'm not even from the US!)

The Harry Potter theme today warmed my little nerd heart ❤️ This was a lot of fun, and felt perfectly Tuesdayish. Thought for the day.... If we destroyed all the art, literature, or music whose creators had questionable actions, thoughts, or comments, we would hardly have any culture left to speak of.

A tough little Wednesday puzzle (for me) I thought the theme was tight and well constructed. I got the gist of it from the first themed clue, but even then the answers weren't gimmes. I was surprised at how many compound words could be parsed into common phrases all linked with "and". Amazing! The hardest one for me was HANDHOLD. The whole NE corner was a little tricky, I had two wrong answers filled with "tinge" and "edges" which made getting the unknown names like MEHTA, SUMNER, and FANDUEL harder. Since I had a G with "edges", I thought the "remote possibilities" answer ended in ING. Realizing the answer should be plural helped me fix my mistakes and finally clear up that section. I counted 7 Ks (and a few Cs with a K sound), I don't know if this is an unusual number, but it stood out to me.

One of my favorite puzzles this year! Although I've seen similar tricks before (usually with doors or secret passages) I found the theme clever and enjoyed figuring out where the wormholes led. I love how the space theme carried throughout the puzzle, especially the first three across words starting the theme phrases. Well done!

I didn't get the happy music when I finished, so I was sure I had messed up in the section with DIERESIS and KIMBAP, as those words looked so odd to me.... but nope, I had "mecular" instead of SECULAR, oops! A little trickier than I'm used to for a Tuesday, but surprisingly I was almost 5 min under my average Tues time. A speedy solve that actually challenged me at the same time? Perfection!

As we close out 2025, I would just like to thank the NYT crossword crew, the witty puzzle constructors, and the people of this forum... you have provided me with endless entertainment , intellectual stimulation, and hope for a better future in times when I've really needed it this past year. ❤️

I spent most of the day lying semi-comatose on my couch, too hot to do housework, too hot to garden (except for the short span between 5 and 7 am when the temp was tolerable). I finally used what little energy I had to drag myself upright, with the thought that at least I could do the Sunday crossword. What a delight! I must be a *real* crossword fan! Besides, the NYT liked it and published it, so I know it's great. I even felt a lot better after I finished it, so I think it also has healing properties! All kidding aside, I really enjoyed this one... once I unraveled the rather cryptic theme (I always forget to read the title page). I didn't even mind the fill most people are complaining about (double ZZ? Wth?), when I got it I laughed like a crazy person (it's the heat).

The grid was very intimidating at first, but I'm very proud of myself for completing this puzzle without a single look-up or hint. That is a rarity (for me) on a Saturday! I'm not saying it was easy.... a lot of the clues had me scratching my head. I didn't have many acrosses filled in on my first pass, and a lot of my downs were incorrect. When I realized it was the AGE OF MAMMALS (a clue that had me stumped to its meaning) that helped me clear up the entire top section, and the rest flowed from there. The trickiness of the clues was enough to make this an enjoyable solve ("one might get a meal wrapped up" for BOA was a favorite), but adding in quite a few unique fills raises this puzzle to another level.

I feel like I'm on a roll this week, starting with Sunday's trippy wormhole experience! I clued into the theme pretty quickly, and that really helped me solve some of the non-theme clues. Extra points to the constructor for taking the theme seriously by not including any other Ts in the puzzle, meaning all the Ts were TEASE UP. There were also at least eight clues that made me laugh, so thank you for that.

Who didn't get the theme until after she completed the crossword? (Two back)!

What I love about NYT crosswords is that even the easy ones are entertaining. I have yet to be bored by one! This puzzle did not disappoint, with a fun theme that snuck up on me.

Solved today's puzzle in 43 min flat. Not my actual solve time of course, most of that time was spent with my head on my chest as my cat snored beside me (or was I the one snoring?) I do not blame the crossword, it was fun and charming and clever and certainly deserved my undivided attention.... my batteries just ran out from a rough week. On the plus side, I should have no problem beating my average Monday time for quite a while. 😄

This was a very doable puzzle for me, under my average time and I didn't have to look up anything. I'm normally not a fan of random phrase clues and answers (unless it serves a theme), but it didn't bother me too much in this crossword. There were some clever clues and funny answers. I didn't know UNDIE RUNS were a thing! 😂 PS- I don't always comment but I try to read as many comments as I can every day. The community members here are rare group, so clever and (mostly) supportive. 👏

I thought this crossword was quite clever. The revealer really elevated it from "cute theme" to the next level. "Add homonym" indeed! (I realize they don't sound *exactly* the same, but I'm sure everyone got it nevertheless) :)

The last thing thing I expected to see on an easy, breezy Monday was a discussion on the correct meaning of GRAM. My kitchen scale has three settings: weight, milk, and water. Under weight are the following : milligrams, grams, kilograms, ounces, and pounds. It may be technically incorrect, but it's common usage. That's good enough for a crossword puzzle. :)

The first movie that popped into my head for 63A was A STAR IS BORN, but I could not figure out how to parse it into 6 words, so I left that answer blank. As I went through the puzzle (still confused at the theme) I realized from the crosses that it was correct, so I spent some time trying to break up the words different ways. I can't believe how much gibberish I came up with before it occurred to me that the STAR was referring to the starred clues, lol. The puzzle was much easier and more enjoyable after that realization, and I am impressed at the cleverness of the constructor.

I may be in the minority, but I really enjoyed this puzzle. I thought it was cleverly constructed, finding 12 crossing entries that make different words when you remove all the tees.... wow! My only complaint would be that having the "T" crossings already in the puzzle made it too easy for tricky Thursday... but how diabolical would it have been with no visual hints! Reading some of the double hints posters came up with in the comments was great... a little peek at what could have been. My favorite clue: "What has a big part in the Ten Commandments" for RED SEA. For what it's worth, I solved on my android phone. I left the T squares blank, and was concerned I may have to fill in something before completion, but as I entered my last letter in the regular grid I got the happy music. Easy peasy. I was surprised to see the long tutorial in Wordplay about what to enter, and knew there was going to be a flurry of furious comments. To those who are unhappy, I hope the rest of your day goes better. :)

"...creating a grid with as many lively answers as possible, and using clues that are unexpected, confusing (in a fun way) or interesting as trivia" I have quoted the constructor's notes, as I believe Martin Schneider was successful on all counts with this fun puzzle! With the exception of BADONES..... that was a clunker....

I was beginning to think this Thursday puzzle gad no theme. Then I filled in 48A and did a double take. That can't be right.... wait a second.... I laughed so hard when I got it, and started looking for other double answers. I got quite a chuckle from the constructor's notes in the wordplay column as well. Bonus: today's mini contained one of the most horrifying (and hilarious) crossword clues I've ever read. 😂

I was confused at first, but the revealer opened up this puzzle for me. It was fun to go back and REREAD the theme clues and realize they all made perfect sense. I was stuck for a bit at the crossing of OUTEAT and TOAT, which I dooked both ways, lol

This was an alacritous solve for me. :) I got a kick out of the theme, and I am still in awe of the constructors who come up with such clever wordplay. My favorite clue was the one for BOTOX.

A super fun, punny Sunday! I enjoyed this one a lot, even the clues that confused me amused me in the end. The comments section was the cherry on top, so many clever cruciverbalists!

Beautiful theme, and close to my heart. I have donated time, money, and art to numerous wildlife conservation causes over the years. It never feels like enough (and sometimes makes me feel hopeless) so it's nice to have this reminder that progress has been made. I thought the puzzle was pretty clever, and many of the clues made me smile. Some of them stumped me pretty good!

I finished under my average time without a single look-up, woo! It did get stuck a bit in the NE corner. Finally TWISTER came to me (love that clue!) and gave me a foothold. I'm a huge Sarah McLachlan fan but I don't know why ADIA was her highest charting song in the US, I wouldn't even put it in the top 10. WEDGE issue was an unknown phrase to me, so after I finished the puzzle I looked it up.... oh, so they have a name for that kind of thing. "Hands-down" favorite clue- 57A "Service agreement" for AMEN.

I enjoyed the puzzle, but putting "buck" instead of CLAM at 22A slowed me down a bit.... buck worked with the clue and the theme but the crosses told me I was wrong. A fun theme and a perfect challenge for a Wednesday. :)

What a charming puzzle! Several clues had me laughing: [Its cups aren't supposed to runneth over] [What the puck is going on?] [Sound sounds] [Khan tract?] Those were brilliant! I was very pleased with myself when I figured out the rebus trick (though MONSTER MASH was a big clue). There were a couple of sticky spots that kept me from getting a record time though. CRESCENT looked right, so TROLL was my last rebus fill when I realized TEATEY wasn't a thing. Luckily I had two other squares wrong so I had a chance to correct it. I had OBVi at first and didn't realize DESDEMONA was misspelled. I also had OkDONT, and for all I knew a dating site for queen women could have been called HEk, lol. That was my last correction, and it held me up a few minutes. I definitely got both a trick and a treat today! 😄

John Glenn did not fit in 17A, but Buzz Aldrin and Gus Grissom did. This messed me up for a while (tried one, then the other), but thank goodness the downs weren't too difficult. I was confused by the string of Ns for a bit, but the revealer made everything warm and fuzzy. One of my best Wed times "Make a fast stop?" for EAT was my favorite clue

Not my puzzle today. I had many answers filled in that I was sure were correct, only to be completely wrong. The misdirection is strong in this one! I had a lot of look-ups in order to finish, but I did appreciate some of the trickier clues. The one for 51A PLANTSITTER had me going in circles. A very challenging Saturday (not a complaint!) but I did manage to finish with only a minimum of bruising to my ego.

I'm not one who usually complains, but this puzzle was hard on the eyes and gave me a headache. I solved this problem by working on it in short stretches and taking breaks to focus my eyes on something else. It helped immensely and I ended up solving quicker than my average time. I loved the theme, and was giddy when I realized what was going on in the rings. By coincidence I was watching the opening ceremonies (on replay) while doing the puzzle. Thankfully the crossword didn't take nearly as long!