Diana

Half the time people complain when a US-based puzzle is too US-centric. Now someone experiments with the use of a first-month-of-class French noun and everyone loses their minds. There’s no pleasing this comment section at all. Cheers to anyone trying to make a crossword puzzle these days.

Nobody who enjoyed this puzzle gets to complain about needing to know 21st century pop culture trivia. This thing came out of a time capsule. If I have to learn about GITANOS and JAGUARXKES (are you kidding me), y’all can learn who Missy Elliott is 25+ years into her career.

It took me forever to figure out the skin care brand, while a bottle of their hand soap was sitting approximately two feet away from my head.

I love the theme and I thought all the theme clues were well done! It’s just held back by weak fill - TRALA, OPERAARIA, SEEPY, etc. Would like more from this constructor, just need them to focus on nailing the rest of the puzzle as well as they nailed the theme.

Deb’s column made me think that completing the puzzle would reveal an animation of actual illustrated bums. I slogged through a boring 20 minutes because the thought of little bums in the NYTXW filled me with joy. Then I completed the puzzle and it was, in fact, just animated letters. Sigh.

I think this is one of my favorite themed puzzles of all time. I loved it, it’s cute, there were so many supplementary fills to stay on theme, I really enjoyed it. My only nitpick is the NYT Editor’s continued insistence that macaron/macaroon are interchangeable. They simply are not! They’ve been spelled differently for 400 years now. They share the same etymology - but so does “macaroni” and I don’t see the Editor ordering cookies with that word! You will not find a “macaroon” anywhere in Paris except a Jewish bakery in the Marais (unless you order a “congalais”). You will not find a “macaron” in the Lower East Side unless you go to a French patisserie. It’s historically, culinarily, and practically incorrect to treat them as interchangeable. The error isn’t happening at the crossword’s level, to be fair to the constructor, it’s included in the NYT style guide - and it drives me crazy! It’s like cluing “espresso topped with foamed milk” for “cafe au lait” instead of cappuccino just because they’re both coffee and milk. Love, A passionate baker and food history fan

As is my usual routine, completed today’s puzzle with my sweet little CORGI snoozing on my lap. A nice way to start the week. Cannoli tips his paw to the constructor.

This was a perfect Friday puzzle. By the end of the pass I only had a few squares filled in, after a few passes it seemed hopeless, but then slowly it opened up and came together. The noted doomsday prepper answer made me laugh, too. A really nice start to my day.

A perfect Saturday puzzle! A first pass that triggers feelings of despair that slowly opens up on the second pass until a lightbulb or two go off. Really, really enjoyable. Very minimal junk fill, a pun here and there, some interesting facts, nothing stale. I would love to see more work from this constructor!

Every morning, I do the crosswords with my sweet corgi curled up next to me. Today, CANNOLI would like to thank you for the shout-out. <3 Owen, you did an amazing job and I'll look forward to your next puzzle. The constructor notes made me a little teary, I'm glad crosswords brought you comfort during a difficult time, and it's beautiful that you found so many mentors in the community to help you build this. It's so exciting to meet the next generation of puzzle constructors!

It would never occur to me to do the crossword in the Guardian or the London Times and then whine when the puzzle uses specific British references that I don’t understand. I like hearing comments from international puzzlers explaining which clues they didn’t know - that can be interesting! It’s nice to hear from folks around the world. But some of you guys seem to take personal offense that a regional newspaper employs regionalisms in its puzzles.

This was a perfect Friday puzzle. Seemed impenetrable at first but worked my way through methodically. Great words, GREAT clueing. Thank you!

Finished an hour workout, came home, opened the crossword, gave myself another 25 minute workout. Oof! A solid Friday which followed my favorite pattern (I have nothing > this is basically nothing > I’ve gone as far as I can go > okay I know one more answer > oh my god I did it!) I may call foul on the JibJab reference though, there’s trivia and then there’s stuff that had a shelf life of two weeks in 2008!

For three beautiful minutes this afternoon, I thought Shaq had launched a bestselling root beer. Thanks for that.

I didn’t love this puzzle, the constructor and I have wavelengths a million miles apart, but that’s okay. I just think it’s notable how many regulars who complain endlessly about 21st century trivia in puzzles seem just fine with this one. Is it “trivia” or is it just something outside your generational zeitgeist? This puzzle was mostly outside mine, but that isn’t a reflection on the puzzle or its maker, just on me.

I don’t know what it is about this puzzle but I give up. I’ve made a few passes and it’s basically empty, I can’t figure out the gimmick and I just don’t care. Everybody seems to love this puzzle but I am not on this puzzle’s wavelength one bit.

I do not ever want to hear anyone in these comments complain about an ”obscure” Missy Elliott reference ever again. What a slog, I am going to go enjoy my Saturday some other way.

This is the most enjoyable Thursday I’ve done in awhile! Thanks so much for such a cute puzzle. PS my fellow Americans need to get on the Barq’s train. I don’t know what you’re getting at the movie theaters, but when I see that Coke Freestyle machine I am READY. Barq’s vanilla crème soda + Barq’s vanilla root beer mixed together for me. I don’t drink soda or go to the theater that often, so this is my special concoction for a special occasion. I give it *****!

I thought this was an outstanding puzzle. A delightful theme, some clues that made me laugh, some clues that made me think, some answers I’d never heard of, giving me an opportunity to learn something new. Hats off to the constructor, I really enjoyed this one!

I really, really enjoyed this puzzle. Fun, clever clues; reasonable crossings everywhere; looked intimidating but had the right number of footholds. I really look forward to more from this constructor, well done!

Just wanted to chime in that this was a really nice puzzle. Loved the construction, the cluing, the fresh multigenerational references (if you just learned FURSONA, congrats, a lot of people under 40 just learned HUD), the misdirection. A great way to start my Saturday.

I LOVED this puzzle. I was enjoying the theme and then when I filled in 52 across the second layer of meaning clicked in. A perfect Thursday.

Man, wait until all these pedants find out my singular (in every way) dog is named Cannoli.

A perfect Friday puzzle. Very few squares filled in after the first pass but eventually it all came together. A nicely balanced set of clues, too. Nice work!

Sorry I’m going to brag that I finished this in 12 minutes! There’s no reason for it except that I was on precisely the constructor’s wavelength and every word I guessed turned out to be right. Pure luck but I’ll take it!

I’ll be the first to admit the puzzle defeated me, but the puzzle I did complete wasn’t much fun either. This felt like a chore.

I don’t even like rebuses but I loved this puzzle! Props to the puzzlemaster, this one was fun.

A perfect Friday experience: despair, inspiration, frustration, determination, hopelessness and then finally enlightenment.

My sleepy Cardigan corgi, Cannoli, gives this puzzle four paws up.

I always like a puzzle with a second twist that takes it from good to great. I caught on to the theme pretty quickly, but when I saw the animation and realized the circled letters were pairs of L/R, I had to tip my cap. Nicely done.

I loved this puzzle, fell into place nicely and everything was on my wavelength. But then, I participated in an UNDIE RUN back in 2006! It’s tradition at my alma mater to do so during the first proper rain of the year. My campus was situated in a redwood forest so this was a more precarious situation than you might expect.

Just here to request a gold star for figuring out an anagram. It’s possibly the first time I’ve done so in my life.

Sometimes it feels like constructors sacrifice the overall quality of the puzzle to jam it into a preconceived theme idea. This one doesn’t feel that way, I enjoyed the non theme clues too! Also now I’m humming “I’m Only Happy When It Rains” to myself, which is a good way to start the day.

The definition of “I didn’t love it, but I do admire it.” I was pretty meh on the theme (though I like an old-fashioned rebus) until the other shoe dropped re:the crossing words. THAT is impressive! But I never want to do this puzzle again, haha.

It’s been a long week and I just don’t have it in me for this one. You win, constructor.

I loved this puzzle, and the answer to “Khan tract” was spectacular. Happy Halloween!

Oh my god, 29 minutes of beating my head against the wall trying to figure out what the “threads that are hard to find?” could be. Got all the real tricky misdirects but those four letters got me until the very end!!

My main takeaway is that I have absolutely no idea how many of you are pronouncing the word “paralegal.” The theme works perfectly well for me. I genuinely can’t imagine another pronunciation and I’m very curious, if anyone wants to share a video clip.

Dang, that was tough! I’m way over average. Everything made sense in the end, but I needed a few reveals to get going once I hit a wall. That’s exactly what I hope for from a Saturday, kudos to the constructor.

Just wanted to thank the constructor for a perfectly pleasant puzzle. What a nice start to my Friday.