JJ

Very fun! The comments today are also great fun. This is typical, of course, but sometimes a particular puzzle brings out even more (unintentional?) hilarity. Everyone who's upset - at a puzzle, no less - and everyone else who's strutting around, puffed up - again, about a puzzle... - and then there's always someone over to one side, hollering about random minutiae incorrectly yet with strong conviction, while the rest of us softly cluck and concentrate intently on our grubworms, hoping the offending bird will discover, unassisted, awareness, and pipe down before someone has to take it by the wing for a little walk around the yard and an explanation. ain't nobody here but us chickens! 🤣 Being one myself, i enjoy this community of other cluckers and the amusement it brings: a daily Fowl Ball 🤣. i'll see myself out. Have a great day, all!

Thanks, Deb, for your column today (and thanks to my phone, which allowed me to stop reading without seeing more about the theme). "Asterisks, which are also called stars when they are included in crossword clues, are a fairly common feature in puzzles. They typically indicate that the clue and its answer are part of the theme. In Mr. Kwong’s puzzle, the stars mean something else, and solvers must read the revealer at 63A in a different way in order to figure it out. Can you solve this puzzle without doing so? Probably. Should you? In my opinion, no, because then you’ll miss out on all the fun." By starting this way, you encouraged me to return to the puzzle without reading more. I'd made several passes and was getting a word here and there, but no foothold. As soon as I went back after your intro, the asterisks started clicking as missing letters. And then the revealer movie revealed itself, and how fun to have used your intro as the needed foothold. I then returned to enjoy the rest of the column, and some of the comments. Solvers upset at the use of 'star' for 'asterisk' might take a longer look at those two words themselves. Thanks for the foothold and encouragement! Solving for years, first time to comment.

Really enjoyed today's sequence! A fun puzzle, then to a column from Deb that gave us pause called our attention to Chalfin's (the constructors's) story, which led to the majority of the solver community responding supportively. Have a great day, everyone. Trauma is real, and so is healing.

Happy New Year and well wishes to you, Deb - i started doing the xword with a niece after long covid and have come to love your wit and irony in your columns. All the best and thanks!

It's crazy: finished in 11:04 and ONLY because i read the start to your column and decided to go back and retry it on my own. Had opened wordplay when it felt there was no 'in'. Thanks for the encouragement! Your pep talk led to a challenge and an enjoyable morning diversion before work. Fun to discover i could solve it without any hints. Lots of attempts at misdirection, but felt like i got the constructors wavelength after a bit. 😃💪🕺