Michelle Botwinick

Enjoyable puzzle, but I had to check the day because it felt just a DRIB too hard for a Monday. To our guest columnist, Julia-I thoroughly enjoyed your comments! You held my interest to the final word. I'll look for your articles in The Cut from now on.

Excellent and brave puzzle! In our younger days, my big burly husband and I marched in Atlanta's Pride Parade with the National Organization for Women. Many assumed we were siblings and he appreciated the attention from the Bears. Happy Pride! ❤️🧡💛💚💙💜

I want to climb a mountain and shout "I did it!" and hear it echo throughout the land! That's how psyched I am right now!!!

Good to see our old friend ERTE today after a long absence. I guess Cher, Enya, Rita Ora et al took a day off.

ARTUR vs Arthur Rubinstein led me down a rabbit hole to another 5-letter named Rubinstein pianist who happens to be from my home state - Beryl Rubinstein. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beryl_Rubinstein" target="_blank">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beryl_Rubinstein</a>

Today's puzzle answers the counting rhyme question as EENIE. Yesterday's puzzle answers a similar clue as EENY. Never has a made-up word caused me such consternation.

I knew it was wrong, but I badly wanted 29A to be tuna, as in "You can tune a piano but you can't tuna fish".

Excuse me while I soak my bruised and tired self in Epsom salts. Todays puzzle put up one hell of a fight. Took me all day to get the SE corner. I'm bushed.

Currently binging Ted Lasso (with closed captioning, because I'm old) so INNIT was an easy one for me. On the other hand, it took an extra 10 minutes or so to parse PLASMA TV and I am now well-read on the topic of PLASMATEs.

NW corner was the last to fall. I should have solved 20A sooner, considering my husband arm-wrestled EVEL in a bar in the 80's.

About 30 years ago, my husband and I walked into a record store (remember those?) in search of a CD of PORGY and Bess as a gift for my mother-in-law. The young employee asked if that was a release from a new indie band.

Nice puzzle to start the week. The yellow highlight at square 49 going down instead of across caused ATAD of confusion, easily overcome. On a side note, as the proud parent of a University of Miami graduate, I must state that every season is HURRICANESEASON.

Kudos to the constructor for an awesome workout! My actual time was around 35 minutes but I opened and closed the puzzle throughout the day, as the aha moments arrived. I don't often blow my own horn, but I'm proud that I solved without any hints or the "check puzzle" facility. Also, to Sean McGowan-your column today elicited 3 out-loud laughs! Thanks, I needed them.

My childhood vacation travels were also spent in the folded down back of a vehicle, a station wagon , traveling from south GA to various locations in FL and the Carolinas. As the oldest child, I was appointed the Navigator. I was a whiz at AAA Triptiks! My adult son is visiting and asked to solve the puzzle together. I let him take the lead and thoroughly enjoyed the joint effort to the gold star.

My heart stopped for a moment when I opened the grid and saw all of the white. I chanted Deb Amlen's advice like a mantra-you just need one toehold to get started. Did better on the Downs than Acrosses. Filled from the bottom to the top. What an oddly satisfying puzzle!

SKA, OVA, ICEE, ARIAS. Where are the oreos?

Saturday puzzles usually mean several revisits throughout the day, a couple of "check puzzles" and a solve time over an hour. Today I finished in 17:42 over my morning coffee. Excuse me while I go buy a lottery ticket.

Initially I was underwhelmed due to the easy (for me) solve. But then I recognized the constructor's genius. Who looks at GOLDENRETRIEVER or POLTERGEIST and sees a backwards bird name? Ditto the other themed clues. Amazing!

My Bubbie used to make chopped liver with sautéed onions and schmaltz. No, PATE, you are definitely not it.

I love this puzzle. Thanks to Rena Cohen for a satisfying solve. It was pleasing in all areas-composition, cluing, delightful misdirection, and multiple layers. She's now on my favorite constructors list!

Still working on the NW corner, but had to comment on 3D. All day I've been trying to "remember" Mr. Levy's first name. Finally had a Doh moment and realized the answer.

Just over an hour (with several revisits) to get the gold star and I learned a lot! ENHALO. POCO A POCO. CSPOT (vs Cnote). Travellers vs travelers (ONEL indeed). I loved the double "I" in 14D, and when I finally got IONE, I exclaimed "D'oh!" out loud.

I noticed so many things on my solving journey today. Had a SIDESALAD today after a hearty steak salad yesterday. Junkyard dogs GRR while nicer doggies go arf. Chewelry is a real thing. Dr WHO will always win out over the DALEKs. Even after earning the gold star, I didn't get the theme until I re-read the revealer and saw the blinking BLOCKs. OHO, I get it now.

Contrary to most comments, I enjoyed today's solve. 10 minutes about my Sunday average was not surprising considering the twist. I confess to using my pointer finger to parse the TWO OUT OF THREE. Also, the Meatloaf song is now on repeat in my head. <a href="https://youtu.be/k5hWWe-ts2s?si=pKXklarRdRkk_0bq" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/k5hWWe-ts2s?si=pKXklarRdRkk_0bq</a>

Mazel tov, Yitzi, on your xword debut and a stunning puzzle! I misread Henry for George and was convinced that 21A started with VIII. I laughed out loud when I realized my error.

I loved reading all the comments today! I'll add my thumbs up. I smiled and chuckled often as I solved, appreciating the wit and originality of the clues. I don't often complete a Friday without hitting an impasse and needing to check my input, but I fought for a little over an hour and really feel like I earned today's gold star.

I am sadly lacking in knowledge of musical terms. That being said, I loved the puns! I usually solve in silence but just had to say the theme clues out loud so my ears could confirm what my brain was saying. My favorite clue was the misdirection of 62A. Not that kind of pupil! Now I've added IDLI to the list of crosswordese foods I need to seek out, joining naan, roti, poi, and pho.

Congrats on the puzzle, Ms Schutzengel! Just right for a Monday, breezy with a little crunch.

This comment is for Alex Barron. This Wordplay column is a perfect blend of information and personality. More from you, please.

Solved in under 15 minutes today. Either I'm getting really good at xwords or this was an easy Thursday. I hope the former. Some days, everything just clicks.

I usually solve a Monday puzzle with only 2 passes through the clues. Today took a bit longer and was surprisingly crunchy. Thanks to the constructor for the Zaboomafoo earworm. It was one of my son's favorite shows 25 years ago.

I've never solved a puzzle from the bottom up with the top left corner the last to fall, until today. Love the cluing on this one.

I never learned to ski, but family members are off to SkiBig3 this month, so I've been reading about bunny trails and black diamonds. It wasn't until after completing the grid that I noticed the HILLS of increasing difficulty and the symbols finally made sense. How often does the Aha! moment come after the solve?

Meaty puzzle. I made 2 passes through the clues until I had enough coverage to work on specific areas. Nice touch of nostalgia with the 2D clue for an xworder's favorite cookie. I'm noticing more slang conversational answers like 62A. Do these phrases tick me off? YESINDEEDY.

So many possibilities. Goop or GLOP? Kit or KAT? Laud or LORD? Major satisfaction when it all clicked for the gold star

Katie Hoody, I like the way you think! I started Saturday morning with a scarcity of answers, then picked the puzzle back up in the afternoon and almost breezed through. Oddly, the short answers in the northeast were the last to fall (ARFS and all). Thanks for a great Saturday workout!