Paul M
Brooklyn, NY
Bajo and alto are opposites in Spanish. They mean low and high respectively. I think that's what the puzzle creator was referring to.
I'm not sure what everyone in this column is saying. The theme was very clear once you got the revealer. I thought it was very clever! Well done!
I always enjoy the challenge of a Thursday rebus and today's did not disappoint! What a tasty treat!
Once again, disappointed in the number of whiners in this group. This was a clever concept, well executed! The clue down the middle was sheer brilliance. Well done! (or should I say "干得好！(gàndehǎo!)")
Fun puzzle! Nice theme! I especially appreciated the way the theme answers don't just need "tight" and "loose" added to them, but also need it to their right and left, respectively.
@jo In English "no problem" is frequently used instead of "you're welcome." I am sure that no offense was intended. And yes, I am a Spanish-speaker. I know that "No problemo" is incorrect, but it is used regularly by English-speaking people who don't know Spanish fluently.
Impressive debut! Especially from someone so young! You've given me impetus to try my own hand at puzzle construction, something I've been considering for a while now!
@Ken you're kidding, I hope.
I've always loved the puzzles containing rebuses which often frustrated my father. I don't remember when I realized that they are usually on Thursday, but it seems to me that when I started doing the NY Times puzzle regularly back in the mid 80s, this was not a rule. Am I wrong? Anyway, I am happy to see them any day of the week. I think they bring an added challenge to any puzzle and bit of fun.
Great job! And I learned something new today. Never heard the word mullion before! Thanks for the vocabulary lesson!
Enjoyed this puzzle a lot! Clever construction!
I thought this was a great Friday puzzle, brisk yet challenging. Still beat my Friday average by minutes!
@Barry Ancona Do you think so? How is Goya wordplay on "Go, go, go?" Because it has the same first two letters? Usually when they mention a person, it's to reference where the person comes from.
Congratulations on the enjoyable and challenging debut puzzle and debuting on a Thursday! Still beat my Thursday average, but not by much! I look forward to seeing more from you. I've been thinking of trying my hand at submitting a puzzle and you've given me inspiration!
Nice job on your debut! This is another one of those clever puzzles that makes me want to try my hand at a puzzle, just so that I can see it come together as beautifully as this one did!
I don't know what everyone is complaining about. I enjoyed this one, even though it seemed a bit later-week than Tuesday. Nevertheless, I beat my Tuesday average!
@Deb, I've been doing the NY Times crossword since I was a teenager trying to beat my Dad and frequently explaining the cryptic clues to him. It was a fun game we'd play. We'd both solve the puzzle, and he'd come to me and complain about a clue. I'd explain why the clue was perfect and he'd get frustrated, especially after Will Shortz took over. I was used to Mr. Shortz and his wordplay, having been a long-time subscriber to Games Magazine. Yet, somehow, I only discovered your column recently. I appreciated looking at it everyday, especially for the harder puzzles to find out why an answer was what it was. Somehow, you almost always covered the ones that challenged me. All this to say, thank you and enjoy your well-deserved retirement! (Have they found your replacement yet? I'm available!)
I love rebus puzzles (which always drove my father crazy), and I did fine on this one, timewise, but I did not enjoy the inconsistency in the rebuses used. I think a good rebus puzzle has a consistent rule. This one did not.
I had no idea about the connection between the ! and the word BANG either. I guess you learn something new every day! Fun solve!
I enjoy these themes that combine my love for words with my love for numbers. Nicely done!
Yes, it's been done before, and more than once, but still an enjoyable puzzle theme! Well done!
@Lewis Agreed on all counts! I couldn't have said it better myself!
Fun puzzle, and I can't wait to show it to my wife, Dani - not short for Danielle, not Dana, not Danny, just Dani! I think she'll enjoy seeing her unique name make the New York Times Crossword puzzle!
Fairly straightforward and quick solve, but fun! "Well done!" to the creator! Looking forward to more!
Congratulations on your first solo effort, Harrison! It was fun and quick solve, perfect for a Monday! I look forward to your future puzzles!
Fun puzzle! A little more thinking involved than a typical Tuesday, which I appreciated!
Great puzzle with a fun theme! Although maybe a bit too easy, because I beat my Thursday average by five minutes! Thanks!
@IL Pols is actually a pretty common term for politicians.
@Isa David Copperfield was a book by Charles Dickens, published in book form in 1850 and containing 350,000+ words.
@James I totally agree with you. In fact, I just finished the puzzle and came here to complain about both spots you mention. ADU? Wrist for "Watch this?" Terrible.
A challenging yet brisk solve! Nice debut! Thanks!
I did enjoy this one, though it almost made me go above my Thursday average solve time! Seemed like lots of new clues. And I love a good word-play theme!
A nice Friday puzzle, though I'm a little disappointed that I went seven seconds over my Friday average!
@Victoria What's so onerous about it? Once you realize it's a rebus, you know that you may need to put more than one letter in a box. Doing that is not hard, just an extra click.
Still have not watched the original Beetlejuice from beginning to end, but still knew enough about it to have enjoyed this puzzle! Well done!
@Paul Turner Good catch! That's hilarious! I hope it made Tim V. feel better about the puzzle!
I thought this one was fairly easy for a Friday. In fact, I beat my average time by ten minutes on my way to achieving my best Friday time ever. All while eating lunch!
Fun puzzle. I solved the trick pretty quickly and beat my Thursday average by almost eight minutes.
Nice Wednesday puzzle! Fun theme! An enjoyable solve!
Nice solo debut! Fun and just challenging enough for a Thursday!
A fun and not-too-easy puzzle for a Wednesday! And I was delighted (and a little jealous) to learn that Nick Offerman collaborated on its creation! I look forward to his next puzzle!
Cute theme. And the upper right-hand corner didn't bother me a bit. I had kabob first, but soon realized my stake and fixed it. My trips to Italy might also have helped a bit there.
@B We would listen to Kasey Kasem's Top 40 every weekend of the summer on the way to the beach!
@EmT No, it's not. You needed to put two letters in the first box.
TIL the terms eggcorn and mondegreen! Thanks for the vocabulary lesson and a fun Thursday solve!
An enjoyable Wednesday solve and well below my Wednesday average! Would have been quicker but got a little slowed down by 21 and 24 down.
@Andrzej I had the same question about altercation.
Interesting. Though it seemed like it took me longer than average, I beat my Thursday average by several minutes. Don't know why, but the clues seemed tougher today. Perhaps because there were so many new ones? An enjoyable solve, nonetheless.
Fun puzzle and as soon as I got the first theme entry, the other two were a breeze, leading me to beat my average for Tuesday by a few minutes!
Challenging yet fun puzzle! Congratulations and Happy Birthday to Mr. Adams (who also shares a birthday with my son! - Happy Birthday, Matt!) Welcome back to Mr. Shortz! I've been enjoying his puzzles since he was the editor of Games magazine and I'm happy to see him back at the helm!