Angela

What a slog.

Am I the only one who was hoping to see an animated Mario running around the grid or disappearing into a pipe?

I absolutely LOVED this puzzle! Kudos to the creator! I look forward to the Thursday puzzle every week because I enjoy how creative and out-of-the box they can be. Deb, thanks for the reminder that grappling with a challenging solve is part of the fun.

If ever there were a puzzle tailor-made for me, an English professor and preacher's daughter, this it! 🤓

I used to dread Friday and Saturday themeless puzzles because of their difficulty, and it would take me AGES to complete them. Two years into daily solving, and I now look forward to them. Sticking with it pays off! Loved the spanners in this one. Thanks to the creator and editors for a great start to the weekend!

Now THAT was a workout! My grid was distressingly blank for a long time. I kept chipping and chipping and it finally started to click. Thanks for the challenge, and congratulations to Adrian and Anne on your engagement!

When I first opened this puzzle, I said aloud: "Oh no!" It definitely proved to be a workout, especially the NW corner. I held on to RAZORSEDGE for way too long, and once I finally admitted I was wrong, it clicked little by little. Really enjoyed this one. 38A was probably my favorite clue/answer. And now I'm thinking about rewatching Sofia Coppola's MARIE ANTOINETTE. Thanks for a great Saturday solve!

MOIL instead of TOIL at 52D is devilish good work. 😈

Creative use of rebuses + a clever revealer = the PERFECT Thursday puzzle! Bravo!

I've been solving daily for almost two years (709 day streak, to be exact!) and this is one of my favorite puzzles to date. Just a delight, and so so clever. Bravo, Sam! 👏👏👏 Also, I was watching Jeopardy with my mother-in-law last night, and the wordplay clues came much quicker to me than they used to. I 100% credit crosswords for that improvement.

I spent way too long trying to suss out a theme related to electricity. Anyone else? 🙃 A challenging solve! Kudos to the creator.

I JUST figured out that the constructor Amsay Ezersky is actually Sam. When I saw the name before solving the puzzle (which was a delightful challenge), I thought, "oh, Sam must have a spouse or relative who also creates crosswords!" 😂 DUH Also, I just can't seem to parse the non-Pig Latin version of 53D. Can anyone explain?

Scratching my head a bit over 24D... Is a multibillionaire a HAVE versus a HAVE NOT? Is that the correct interpretation?

Love a good Sunday rebus puzzle. Cheers! That was fun.

I absolutely loved this puzzle!! A perfect Thursday challenge.

Whew! That was a workout! Took me ages to break into the grid. I finally started seeing some daylight in the SE corner, then chipped away at the rest. Ultimately, a very satisfying solve for my 46th birthday. 😊 Thank you to the creator and editors!

I'm an SATC diehard and it took me FOREVER to come up with FLIRTINI. I think the only mention of that cocktail comes in S2 E4, "They Shoot Single People, Don't They?" (featuring a very young Bradley Cooper!). Great pull. Merry Christmas, all!

I love this puzzle! Such a clever theme. Perfect Thursday vibe. 😎

NW corner was BRUTAL for me today! Simply brutal. 😵‍💫 But this is not a complaint. It's a compliment! Loved this one. The clueing for 42A is a great example of why I love the Saturday crossword.

Maybe I'm just CRASHING OUT because I'm hungry, but I found myself really annoyed by all the proper nouns today. Time for a snack. Or maybe happy hour!

Loved this one! Figuring out the revealer helped me break up a logjam in the NW. Great solo debut, and a perfectly challenging Thursday puzzle!

I absolutely loved this puzzle, especially the diagonal stack of Qs. The NW corner was the last to fall for me. Props to my husband for coming up with WHALE, which finally broke things open. Bravo, and thanks for the fun solve!

Anytime I see the name John Kugelman on a puzzle, I know I'm in for both a treat and a workout. Today was no exception. Loved the theme and thought the cluing was challenging but oh so clever and fun.

I absolutely loved this puzzle! I really vibed with the cluing. This is one of those puzzles where I came away so impressed with the cleverness and creativity of the constructor.

I stubbornly held on to EXPATRIOT for 4D for waaaaaay too long. When I finally let it go, NW began to click into place. Great Friday puzzle!

What a clever puzzle with great cluing! I had an "a-ha!" moment about five minutes after finishing, when the rebus trick finally clicked. Thanks for a fun Sunday solve!

I love a tricky Thursday puzzle. Two thumbs up!

WOOF. And I mean that as a compliment. Thanks for the workout!

At 13D, I stared at _ _RECORD for waaaay too long trying to come up with a 4-letter word that ended in RE and worked with CORD. 🤦‍♀️

Really enjoyed today's constructor notes. I also have vivid memories of piling into the family car to trek from southern WV to spend Christmas at my grandparents' house in Port St. Lucie, FL. My brother would study the TripTik while I mostly napped and listened to tapes on my Walkman. Thanks for the fabulously fun and challenging puzzle and for the trip down memory lane!

I'm very late to the party. Just wanted to say that I loved this theme! Very clever and cute.

What a fabulous puzzle! 👌 Thank you!

AMUSE BOUCHE (17A) will always make me think of this scene from Sex and the City S6: <a href="https://youtu.be/Kt-mvLe0Qbg?is=rbvRonfXKP8d4B6b" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/Kt-mvLe0Qbg?is=rbvRonfXKP8d4B6b</a>

As a huge Harry Styles fan, this puzzle was a delightful way to start the week! And now, just because, here's my personal fave among his singles: <a href="https://youtu.be/P3cffdsEXXw?si=YL4o3mVX1kdVXeTG" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/P3cffdsEXXw?si=YL4o3mVX1kdVXeTG</a>

Fun theme! I enjoyed this one overall. But... sexer? Is that a thing?

A fun solve overall! I suppose I wish all the units of measurement were those actually used by carpenters, instead of units of volume (i.e. GAL) or units of time (i.e. MIN). But I'm nitpicking. I enjoyed this one.

I figured out the gimmick, and had entered four letters in just two of the four rebus squares (the other two had just two letters filled) and was surprised to get the solve music when I corrected an error elsewhere. So technically, only two of my four rebus squares were complete when I "finished." I guess I'm just a little confused about how that counted as a solve.