BobSolo

@Petrol, Your comment is why this forum is worth reading after the puzzle has been completed! I really didn’t learn much from the puzzle today, but you filled that gap and I appreciate your effort to inform us.

@Angela, Believe that is the correct interpretation.

@RL, Along with the other comments, know that sometimes, you’ll be on the same wavelength as the constructor and other times nothing will “click”. That’s normal, and can lead to difficulties completing the puzzles, …or to personal best times! Also, a suggestion might be to actually write in your best guess - for example on the 49D clue, you mentioned a few possibilities. Which do you think is the best? Actually put those letters in and see if it helps jog the brain on any across clues. Finally, walk away from the puzzle for an hour. You’d be surprised how many times you come back to it and fill in an answer you previously couldn’t “get”.

@Mike, et al. I think you punsters are all wet.

@Asher B. Loved your comments, in their entirety! ‘… when Ol’ Henri was still Duke.” Glad I didn’t have a mouthful of water (oh, wait, it’s after 1 pm here — wine!) Seriously guffawed on that one.

@E Sub in Roman numerals for the number that begins each theme answer, then read the answer phonetically. TWOCAPTAIN = IICAPTAIN => aye aye capitain, etc.

@Charles Peterson, 💯 agree. When I filled in Stolis, I was “ha ha yeah” as in hesitant agreement (ref. Recent Kuggelman puzzle). But then Pepsis? And Dews? (Didn’t have to be clued referencing “some yellow-green sodas”). Felt kinda like the puzzle could have been titled “Brought to you by….” Oreo, Ragu, and Edys failed to make the cut (this time).

@Bob Hmmm. I’m on the app, and I saw it the sensical way. Maybe a difference between iPhone and Android? Agree, it would have thrown me if it was presented differently, though the crossings and revealer helped by that point.

@Bill in Yokohama And of course, Velcro is a brand name and comes with a superscripted TM or ®️. (Similar to Kleenex brand or Band-Aid brand.). The common name for a Velcro-like closure is “hook-and-loop”. All of this because back when I was working, we needed a high-strength reusable packaging closure that could withstand literally tons of shearing force. Instead of Velcro (brand) or generic “hook-and-loop”, a “mushroomcap-and-loop” closure was used. Our lawyers (rightly) insisted that we not use the term Velcro, but our customers always referred to our “Velcro packaging”. (Geek-out, nerds!)

@Loopy, Nope, no wavelength synchronicity for me. More like ROUGEWAVE! Yesterday‘s for me was much easier. Regardless, HBD!

@SBK in TO, And for some it’s a political party.😳

@Lily You were not the only one. The L in SALTS was my last letter, immediately before the forehead slap.

@Niall I also had ROJa for a bit until solving for the tequila rounds. Obviously, my uni education paid off in solving that one 😉

@sotto voce Had this same thought until late in the solve. I think I saw the originals of one or two of these, but none of the sequels. So was quite a difficult start. Had to rely a lot on the crosses. Good challenge for me.

@Mike Odd you say that, but since yesterday, my iOS- based app text looks bigger! Maybe it’s a zero-sum situation! 🤓

@NYC Traveler And don’t forget, there’s been a Clemson and a Dabo and a “roll tide” as well. You may be onto something

@Nat K, Agree! I think it’s better to see a guess than try to visualize that same guess. Go ahead and put the letters in - changing it, erasing it, and occasionally confirming it (the most satisfying outcome) all work to get the brain thinking of alternatives that eventually will lead toward better solve times (if that’s your goal), or successful solves (which is everyone’s goal).

@Jane Wheelaghan, I looked it up, and apparently it’s been around (in the US) since the 1920s. According to the source, the slang comes from culinary: for example, you cream butter by beating or whipping it well.

@Joe, Puzzle symmetry and theme answer order (a set of 3 BEFOREs and 3 AFTERs) necessitated staggering the answers.

@Down_Home, Your 100% surety, is unfortunately 100% incorrect. The loonie is the “$1 coin, eh?” The $2 coin goes by a slightly different name (eh?).

@Andrzej, What a concept! (I won’t hold my breath)

@dutchiris Well, I do now!

@Roger Some play guitar, others define the meaning of playing guitar, but this…? From a different GALAXY! (And then he threw the guitar over his back, as if to say “that one’s done - no notes left in it”) Made my morning.

@Greg I assume you’re referring to 51A? I wasn’t tripped up by the (lack of) Oxford comma, but I counted Superhuman and strength as two, then plus mind-reading, invisibility (comma) and four dozen other…gave me 52 instead of 51! ICANSAY that PESKY mistake made my EYES sORE TIL I addressed the LIiBILITIES

@The X-Phile The first time I ran across one (years ago), I figured it out without the grid hints (typically) given these days. I felt a great sense of accomplishment, and have been a fan ever since. And today’s example gave me that same satisfaction. I believe you are correct that it’s highly divisive. IMO, a small minority would say “take-it-or-leave-it”, while the vast majority would be divided into the love/hate camps.

@Jane Wheelaghan We would use SOT to refer to a drunkard. Maybe from besot (stupefy), and taking just the end, sot, to make a noun to mean someone who drinks until stupefied? The miracle and immaculate references are from sports coinages for very specific football games (Music City Miracle) or even a certain play within a certain game (The Immaculate Reception). Also, I suppose the constructors were tying into the HOLINESS solve (having handed down the ME). Our pickles generally come from the jar in slices, or in spears, where the whole cuke is cut lengthwise into quarters. You might get a single spear (as a portion) alongside your deli sandwich (as opposed to several slices already within the sandwich).

@Steve Surprised there haven’t been more comments about cement, but maybe because that was argued extensively a few weeks back (regarding mortar if I remember correctly?). Concrete would be the best term over here based on how it’s clued, but it’s more of a technical definition (concrete being made of cement, water, and aggregate), and the only time we talk about tarmac is at the airport. Most people call the large trucks that deliver concrete (for our sidewalks, driveways, and tarmacs) cement mixers, oddly enough.

@MFSTEVE I’ve got youngsters who call me Bobo (as in Bob-oh). Pretty sure they don’t think I’m groovy, but I hope your kids do (think you’re groovy) Agree, enjoyable puzzle experience!

@Bill, @Grant - So, if two autophiles can’t reckon Model T from the clue, and that crosses with “Language of southern India”, and is semi-adjacent to an obscure edible algae, I’m thinking maybe it’s a tad esoteric? Separately, in the SW corner, Duane _____, crossing with SHEEPLE was troublesome for me. (Wanted to insert some variant of sycophant in there). Defficile pour moi.

@David Ramos TIL ANARAK has 3 A’s, not 2 A’s and an “o”. 🤣 (Took me quite a few minutes to learn that, and at the same time learned Debbie Reynolds didn’t have a song titled “Tommy”!)

@Caroline, SNEES wasn’t an absolute gimme for me - probably fell in the last 25% of the puzzle…, but when it did, I palm-slapped my forehead and muttered “okapi”, which is what we use in our family for a word we should have known, but forgot (our use originating from doing Xwords and the occasional appearance of OKAPI in the grid). In our family, it’s short for “Of course!”

@Bill, Those who think cornets have a warm tone never heard me as a high school band member! (Especially as I strained for the higher registers - for me anything above A5). Quite a long time ago, I will add! Still, I loved seeing the old CORNET make the grid.

@Pezhead, One and done! HAHANEVERAGAIN

@Asher B. Been there. Done that. 🙁

@Your Fired SHAMe I didn’t think of that on the first pass.

@Dvdmgsr Two PBs in one week, including today! Can’t remember that happening since “week one”!

@Mean Old Lady Is that a joyful TEEHEE Or a sinister (?) HEHE (For me, sinister is definitely not HEHE, but MWAHAHA )

@Norwood Yep, kept wondering what a mACAGAWEADOLLAR was!

@Mean Old Lady SETRATES TEASETS IMSET (Plus a bonus SETH, which I guess the OP wasn’t talking about)

@Stacey Yes, you’re right! In fact, I had given up on it and ended up getting it from the downs - then forgot to go back and look, until your comment.

@Mark Smith Six Flags over Georgia was my first theme park as a kid (late 60’s I’d guess). I still remember (vividly) the dream I had before we went - an utter disappointment to find that it was nothing more than giant swing-sets on a vast, dirt playground! Luckily, the reality was far better than my “dream version”.

@Brian M. Had the same experience. Breezed through today and almost got a Tuesday personal best - got hung up yesterday, somewhere in the middle and it took me quite some time to unravel.