SLBinVA
Richmond, VA
@Sue Indeed so! We're not getting graded on this stuff, they're meant to be fun, and I think you get to do whatever gives you the most fun out of them.
@John I watched it all the time, but I didn't know the character's last name was spelled CREGG and not "Craig". Also, I had heard of the brand "Avena," but not "AVEDA". Toughest Wednesday I've ever seen!
@LordBottletop "I have never watched a single episode of The West Wing--maybe I'll start bingeing it with my valentine. " Absolutely you should! Especially if you LOVE and RESPECT Allison Janney! She was probably my favorite character on that show.
@James W You're right, usually the first letter of the rebus entry is recognized as well as the full word or group of letters. Not sure why that wasn't the case this time, but I'm glad you figured out "=". I think this is the first time I have seen a symbol in an online crossword, to, though when I'm working one on paper and it turns out to be a rebus, I will sometimes draw a picture, but in that case, there's no software to deal with. I'm sorry to hear that you don't like rebuses, because they are one of my favorite types of puzzles, but we can't all like the same thing. I don't like the ones where the fill is mostly celebrities and rap references, because I almost never know those and have to depend on the crosses. Chacun a son gout!
@Linda Jo Chamomile does have an aroma, but it is not a strong one. I've known it to be used in soaps and potpourri. Read here: <a href="https://www.bonparfumeur.com/blogs/journal/chamomile-in-perfumery" target="_blank">https://www.bonparfumeur.com/blogs/journal/chamomile-in-perfumery</a>
Comments were closed for Sunday's puzzle, and I didn't see any place for general comments, so I'll pub this here: The puzzle's answer for 82 down "He's a head of the pack" is ALPHAMALE, but certainly for a wolf pack (are there other animal that we refer to as being in packs?) the leader is actually the alpha *female*. The pack's alpha male follows her lead. The puzzle isn't really technically wrong, since the clue did include "he," but it gives the female head wolf short shrift! Greatly enjoyed the puzzle, though.
@wendyfromboulder: AMEN!!! Although I guess that's something the NYT doesn't have complete control over on a computer screen. But I really hate these puzzles that contain emojis, because I usually can't figure out what half of them are supposed to be beyond a blob on the screen.
@festy I was expecting that, too, for the substitution to be in the answers, and I was puzzled because none of the solutions to the starred clues that I had already solved had either an X or a Y in them. But then the light bulb went on in my head and I thought to check the clue itself. And finally I understood how 38A resulted in THESHOWMUSTGOON.
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