DQ
California
California
Too many annoyingly obscure clues. No fun at all.
I still don’t understand some of the clues/answers. I like a challenge, but some of this cluing was beyond obscure. Tough, and not in a good way.
Early birds as usual going on about how easy the Friday puzzle was and how they whizzed right through it. Well, give a thought for us mere mortals who found it both fun and challenging!
Really, Tesla??! I do the crossword to relax and enjoy, not to be reminded of daily horrors!
I don’t think the Friday and Saturday puzzles are created solely to satisfy the limited number of solvers who complain that every Friday and Saturday puzzle is too easy. If these puzzles were made only for them to their desired level of difficulty, few others would find them satisfying after slogging their way through. I finished this one a little faster than usual, without any look-ups, but I had to work for and enjoyed the solve. Sorry if the elite solvers find that distressing - but there is a larger audience to consider.
Very enjoyable! Excellent clues! (Those who routinely complain about Friday or Saturday puzzles being too easy might try solving blindfolded or while balancing an egg on their nose. Just a suggestion.)
I see complaints about this not being a Thursday puzzle, but I don’t care — it was a lot of fun! (Anyhow, complaints about a puzzle being too easy usually come from people who finish quickly and post early. Not really representative.)
Whoo, that was fun! Especially when the wheels started spinning!
I’m 100% the target audience for this theme! Very enjoyable!
Thought I was a goner after my first pass — hardly anything filled in. Then it all fell into place pretty quickly! Turns out the constructor and I were on the same wavelength. Very enjoyable puzzle!
For me, this was the easiest (still satisfying, though) Friday puzzle in ages. I must have been on the same wavelength as the constructor!
Argghhh! I had a typo somewhere, and it took me 10 minutes to find it! Other than that, nice puzzle.
Surprisingly easy for a Friday, not that I’m complaining. (Definitely not complaining.)
Harder than usual for a Wednesday. But who doesn’t love a challenge—especially when it’s unexpected!
@Brendan It’s called product placement. (I do love the new Pips game, though!)
To the naysayers and it-was-too-easy crowd, I liked it and didn’t think it was too easy.
Wow, not sure what happened, but this was like a Monday puzzle for me! Finished in record time. Definitely not used to that with a Friday puzzle. I guess the setter and I were on the same wavelength!
Oodles of fun! Great puzzle!
Hmm, there seems to be a sharp division of opinion on this puzzle. Put me in the thumbs up camp — I found it challenging but fun and not at all tedious. The animation with the missing letters was a nice surprise at the end!
I don’t get the point of the die/pip theme. Sure, I solved the puzzle, but where was the fun? It was a miss for me.
That was my fastest time for a Friday puzzle! Fun, though.
I sped through this puzzle at an uncharacteristically fast pace! Must have been on the same wavelength as the constructor!
@B you think this Sat puzzle was easier than a Monday puzzle? C’mon, now you’re just exaggerating, which detracts from your point.
I haven’t thought of Rama Lama Ding Dong or loop-de-loops in years! Good puzzle!
Easy enough, but still scratching my head over those generational expressions. Had no idea what they meant. So…okay puzzle but not really enjoyable.
@Steve L Not to mention knowing the ten dollar Canadian banknote is purple! I know Inuit are native people but didn’t know Innu is the singular form of Inuit.
Either I’m getting better at Friday and Saturday puzzles or the puzzles are getting easier. (I’m not complaining! I assume I’m getting better!)
That went a lot more quickly than I’d like, but still fun (while it lasted).
@Helen And I didn’t have to enter anything in the T squares on my iPad to finish. Nice little puzzle.
@Steve L Yes on inferring the answer to the clue about the Canadian banknote, but a million other clues could have yielded the “ten” answer. Why the purple Canadian banknote?? Just reading about the Innu Nation of Labrador. Never would have done so without this crossword, I guess.
Either easier than usual or I was on the exact same wavelength as the constructor. Either way, enjoyable puzzle!
@Steve L You take bragging rights seriously.
@Jim I understood the theme and gave it a blah on the excitement meter.
That was a bit of all right for a Saturday afternoon.
@Michael R I don’t think NYT Saturday crosswords are created for the few people who found this puzzle way too easy.
That made me hungry 🍫
@Laura Did you download NYT Games app update yesterday? It contains the Midi.
@Andrzej I don’t think you’re typical of NYT puzzlers who look forward to the Fri and Sat puzzles. Maybe you could make the puzzles harder for yourself by blacking out every other clue or filling in answers only if they adjoin each other or translating the clues to an unfamiliar language. Just an idea or three.
@Barry Ancona The Midi wasn’t there at first, then it was there.
@spurious I think solve time has a lot to do with whether you’re on the same wavelength as the constructor. Sometimes I’ll see clever clues that could refer to a lot of different things, but for some reason I know the answers instantly. No explanation but wavelength synchronicity.
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