Aaron Teasdale

Jake/jape was a head-scratcher for me. At the age of 52 and with what’s likely an above-average vocabulary, those were bafflers. Managed to figure out that the starred clues required dropping the first couple letters, but didn’t grok the significance those dropped letters until the very end of the puzzle. Somehow finished slightly under average, but it made me work for it. Also thought the emus had actually insinuated themselves into the grid for a minute, until I realized that millions of them would be Hitchcockian, even if they were in sheep’s clothing.

Hard but fair (choosing to pretend “hegiras” didn’t happen). Felt Saturday-ish to me.

That’s a high-quality Monday puzzle right there.

I’m on a comment lag here but I just came here to say that I did not hate yesterday’s puzzle at all, despite the unfortunate vitriol it engendered. And I say that not only because my cousin, Sara Teasdale, was in it, though I did find that an enjoyable twist. I doff my cap and bow my head to all of the creators, of puzzles and poetry, who aim to enrich our shared world with their creations.

Loved it. Impressive creation. Also interesting because for me it was a cakewalk, but many others, judging by the comments, found it difficult. Other days I take a beating and come here to find comments calling it easy. I have no grander point but to say that I find the differences in human minds fascinating.

That one was so far out of reach I just gave up at a certain point and started revealing things. My worst Saturday showing in some time. Different wavelengths and all that. I took a hard bike ride in extreme heat today so maybe I just melted down my neurons or something.

I know all the vets are saying how fast they blew through this one, and that’s great, but “katsu” and “esme” crossing with “sisepuede” was diabolical for me. Not a chance in Montana I was going to get that.

Took me a while to get it, but enjoyed the puzzle. One thing, though, appears to be an error, at least to me. A futon is a mattress. It does not have slats. A folding frame that can turn from a bed to a couch has slats. But that’s a frame, not a futon. Am I the only one that saw this as incorrect?

Skiing is one of the few activities I love more than solving crosswords, so this was a fun one for me—even if it was a green circle of a puzzle. It so happens that I just returned from a week of skiing. The resort I visited, Big Sky, is renowned for its steep terrain. To dissuade unjustifiably confident tourists from maiming themselves, the resort has labeled several runs as triple black diamonds. One of the informal criteria for the designation is that if you fall you can die. Despite my love of skiing, I’m thankful that such severe outcomes are unlikely for even the most difficult crossword puzzles.

I’ve been doing these puzzles pretty much daily for 4-ish years. This was my favorite Monday ever. Took me a frustratingly long time to get the trick. Satisfying when it finally clicks! (9 out of 10 Emus agree)

Just to counter the expected negativity about today’s puzzle, I loved it! No no/yes, I really did. Kudos to the constructor.

Re the XWstats website, which I assume attracts the crossword cognoscenti. What a humbling website 😂. (Can’t decide—does the period go before or after the emoji?) Man, you people are FAST solvers. I complete this puzzle in 7 minutes and think that’s pretty decent. Not a personal record or anything, but zippy. Check XWstats and see the mean solving time is under 6 minutes! So now my new goal is to someday complete a puzzle below the mean time. A guy can dream!

Such clever, funny clues. Maybe my favorite Saturday ever.

It’s fascinating to see the variance in people’s responses to puzzles. Sometime I get crushed by a puzzle, am convinced it was unfair and impossible due to some variety of naticks, only to come here and see people talking about what a breeze it was, record times, etc. I usually keep quiet in those situations. 😂 Today, on the other hand, I arrive to see many people discussing how chewy and difficult it was. Since I’m commenting you can imagine my experience. More or less tied my record Friday time and was 70% below my average. Funny how the accumulation of our life experience and knowledge, along with perhaps our cognitive and emotional state at the time, translates to such different experiences. And nice to get a little confidence boost today.

First Wednesday in quite some time that I didn’t complete (without lookups). Some fun clues, but that NW corner had its way with me. Good for my humility!

No cakewalk for me, but I got there in the end (and I’ll admit to looking up the Jordan queen, which I’ll remember someday, for my final letter). For 56 across I originally had “go for the jugular,” which I was quite pleased with. Then I realized other idioms fit, too, which in a difficult puzzle really “hit where it hurts.”

Maybe my favorite Wednesday puzzle ever.

Unlike others, it appears, I did not find the puzzle particularly difficult in the main. Slight crunch for a Monday but that’s okay with me. For me, Monday’s are typically kinda boring. That said, I did have my first true Monday natick in many, many moons. Years, probably. Never heard of Bibb lettuce and don’t know German. Which perhaps reveals my traveling inclinations and who does the food shopping in my house.

I would like to thank A Tribe Called Quest, and specifically Phife, for me knowing, or at least being able to guess, the answer to 21 across.

I often have a hard time mustering enthusiasm for Monday puzzles but I was delighted by this one, both for its subtle chewiness and the subtle humor and lively spirit of its fill. Excellent work constructor!

Can someone tell me where to find the bonus puzzles in the NYT Games app? I used to see them there long ago but haven’t in some time. I wondered if they’d stopped being published. Then in today’s Morning column by Deb I see a link to a bonus puzzle. Clicking the link brings me to the puzzle in a browser window but I still can’t find or play it in the app. What am I doing wrong? Thanks… to anyone who answers as well as any lurking emus.

In addition to being a mini-streak-breaker, this puzzle reminded me why I have a love/hate relationship with Saturday puzzles. I get maybe one in four without lookups, and that might be generous. I actually most of this one, but eventually just decided it wasn’t fun anymore and caved (NW corner was my nemesis). After a while, when clues are this ambiguous and obscure, it makes my brain hurt. Kudos to those of you who enjoy and solve them.

Bloop? Bloopers I know. Never heard the term “bloop” in baseball. YMMV.

Loved the theme. Many of the clues felt too on the nose for my liking. Maybe should have been a Monday.

A Saturday I somehow solved without lookups. Always happy to get one of those. But can someone please help me out with a clue that despite my Saturday success I’m apparently too thick-skulled to grok? “Could be certain?” 🤷🏻‍♂️ Thanks in advance for assisting me in what I expect to be another in a long, personal history of forehead slapping moments.

Fun puzzle. Once you sorted the trick many of the clues felt almost too easy. Until I didn’t get the finishing chime. Even flyspecking, which I normally don’t have the patience for, didn’t help. In the end it was the sprinter crossed with the Himalayan town that sunk me. Didn’t know the athlete and couldn’t quite remember the town name—had it with two A’s instead of an H. Sad! But I’ll survive. And probably never forget how to spell Lhasa again.