Mae

@Deb Amlen . . . & here we are 2025💪 Keep up the good DAYTODAY work❣️

Nice to receive a note to us from you Will Shortz. When you started my mom was sitting on the couch doing the puzzle every day, on paper with her big ol’ dictionary by her side. I imagine she’d have a certain look on her face seeing me with my little phone on the bus.

I have to say that I prefer puzzles where the word play makes you smile afterwards & say, “oh that’s great!” So for me this puzzle lacked wordplay & the frustration is compounded by just not knowing things about Star Wars🤷🏻‍♀️

Am I ever going to remember ELROY?

Good puzzle. Loved The Doors. No such thing as BOCCI, NO SIR!

I don’t mind any puzzle, all good. Having said that, I think feedback is fair. SETINOPPOSITION seemed inelegant for “contrast” to my ears, but apparently it’s a thing!

Truly amazing!

Just couldn’t think of the word MONOGAMY (GAMe, GAMo, GAMi)🤦🏻‍♀️ But that hitch led me to Wordplay column, & Comments, and, the chance to say Happiest of New Years & days ahead @Deb❣️

Leave it to SIXTUS to get me! SIXTUS I, II, etc.

Really amazing, especially considering that those strange words with Roman numerals were actually other words too!

Since there was a convenient M (IMO) somewhat above the LOBSTER that fit into making it MOBSTER, in the beginning I thought it was all about sizing up meaning direction🤷🏻‍♀️did not get the “sizing” until I read Wordplay, even though I had all the correct answers — ultimately got stuck on bARM for FARM, since I don’t know a gaming site from a SObA noodle🤦🏻‍♀️

I confidently filled eInHORn, making SAMBeR & BUTTHUnT, which all made sense since an AIRHORN, IMHO, is the opposite of a “musical sample”🙉!

Thanks to David Steinberg for archiving!I’ve been going backwards working only on Friday/Saturdays, halfway through 2016, so quite aways to go . . .

Good puzzle! 56A, opposites. Patriotism is something else entirely.

Grid Flow, eh?

Usually I eke things out & guess on sports/Greek/math/Gaming clues (& sometimes it’s amazing what little tidbit is hidden in your brain), but alas MII crossing TICHA . . . MoI/ToCHA seemed reasonable🤓

Very cool⚡️

Had to ignore the “picture clues” hint, since they were numbers . . . moved steadily until I solved UPSIDEDOWN and then had some fun! InA for IGA was a look up since I was a foodie when that meant reading Craig Claiborne’s reviews!

I caught on but filled in top-to-bottom and so got stymied until . . . I wasn’t!

Wow, outstanding! I kinda thought there was a rebus, but just couldn’t figure out where, although I got the idea that the four letter down words were “incomplete” so I did seek some Wordplay help to put it all together, but still very satisfying.

Now back to Saturday 😳

Really fun Thursday, knowing those two QQs at the top had to stay. Also, how fab is EMANUEL? Enjoy yourself @Deb, and many thanks for your calm and positive encouragement; and for your honesty as well!

Cool to see Justin Peck’s ILLINOISE in a puzzle. Hooray for choreographers❣️

Agreed . . . not just any condescending rhetorical question (& more like a smarmy declaration). Why not credit Dana Carvey?

Not knowing Bill the Cat, I wrote iCK for his exclamation, since LiBS could be the culture setters. Could be. Deb straightened me out.

🧊😎❣️

Nice, after a 2 hour stint yesterday; but I question that COMAS are deep sleeps.