Jonathan

I didn't understand the rules. I tried to put in rebuses, since it was Th. and it was obvious some words needed extra letters. I can solve puzzles if I know the rules, but I don't like changing / ad hoc rules. Forgive my crankiness.

A tough workout, but totally fair. This is how puzzles ought to be.

It's a perfect Thursday puzzle for a Wed.

"Signoras" is not the plural of "signora." That would be "signore." Maybe that is too picky an objection, but Italian doesn't make plurals with esses.

If the caw of a crow is close to the scarecrow, then the scarecrow is not doing a very good job.

Yeah. I don't know why olives are a divisive pizza topping? Sure, not everyone loves them on pizza, but it's not a major source of controversy (unlike pineapple, say). Other than that, a smooth solve with no cheating and way below my Friday average.

That was super enjoyable. No clue was too easy or too hard. I like when there are not s many proper names.

Normal easiness for Monday, but I appreciated the clues that went all the way across the grid.

I found it perfect for a Friday. Certainly I've solved Fridays more laboriously. A few things were obscure but I could get them through the crosses. I didn't know "schuss" but I'm not a skier. I'm always grateful to learn new words. I was thinking the requirement for a triple play was two on base, but "no outs" makes more sense.

Wonderful theme and cluing, and easy solve.

Wonderful Tuesday. Inventive, but not difficult. I was trying to put "cue sticks" in but "cue tips" is even better. I pictured trying to clean your ears with a pool cue.

I didn't really get the theme, but I'm not a particularly "thematic" solver. I just power through without thinking too much, and let the anomalies sort themselves out.

I had "yokels" instead of "yahoos" for a long time. It was a tough puzzle and took me almost an hour, but faster the morning after when I was more alert. I found the puzzle very original, with things I have never seen in a puzzle like "fursona" and "godfearing." It's always nice not to have oreos and arias.

I solved quickly (for me, for a Friday). It was fairly "self-contained," meaning not that many proper names or things to be googled. I liked "keyboard warriors."

I didn't know "obeli" and "abra" but the puzzle fell into place, with clever theme.

That's the second time I put in Sonoma when the answer had to be Sonora. I will never learn from my mistakes. Sonoma is nowhere close to Sonora.

This is a classic! Very nice construction and clueing. I know Seinfeld fairly well but still got the Seinfeld catchphrase last.

Wow. I play 7th chords on the piano every day, but never think of them as tetrads. It's odd that one of the last clues I solve is one that I should be familiar with.

I thought it was eminently fair. It wasn't easy, but I didn't have to look up anything.

That was fun and challenging, very nicely constructed. I'm happy whenever I can solve a late week puzzle in under 30 minutes and with no assistance.

I had to look a few things up. It was a slog for me, but it's good to know that some puzzles will still be a bit difficult, after an easier than average week.

Either I'm getting way faster or the puzzles are getting easier. I solved Wed. and Thursday in my typical Mon / Tuesday range.

Names of people I haven't heard of, Mara, Erma, Swisher. Otherwise an easyish puzzle for a Friday. I had "got to go" instead of "gotta go" until the very end. I did know Carl Sagan and got the Cornell connection.

It was a fun theme. Right level difficulty for a Wed. I don't know the Kardashians but I know their names start with Ks, so I was able to figure it out.

I didn't know a few things: Penang, Levi, suit, sail. I was still happy with it, not having to google anything to get the answers. It's rare to have that much consistency: nothing too hard, and nothing too easy, for a smooth solve.

I got a bit lucky and finished in under 18 minutes. Good time, for me. Not too many proper nouns. Good, original cluing with not very much crosswordese. No Oreos and olios or oleos today. Only an orca.

Really well balanced with clever clueing and a smooth solve. Easy for a Tuesday.

An amp and a speaker are two different things. I don't really get that one.

It was a tough work out. I solved in about 35 minutes without googling anything. There were unfamiliar things, but I was just listening to Carmen yesterday so was thinking of Bizet. Kate Smith and Jakob I just got because of the crosses. And "ad astra" is part of our state's motto.

More of a Monday level difficulty. It was fun, with a cute theme. I don't mind cuteness.

The cross of "Lars" and "Real" was the last thing for me to solve, never having heard of this movie. I had one letter to go on the puzzle, but needed to know the title of the movie to get both the down and the across. I simply typed in every letter of the alphabet until the completion music played. That made it a 6 rather than 5 minute solve, and all for one letter.

I had "ah cmon" instead of 'aw cmon." I didn't know Luigi.

I'm glad to see I'm not the only one who didn't like this one. It's fine to be difficult, but this just seemed odd.

I thought it would be a rebus. It's a Thursday, and it would have made sense that way. I put in the rebus answers, df, ab, etc... Then I had to look at the answers to see it wasn't a rebus after all. I solved most of it very quickly, but then failed in figuring out the particular rules of the game for today. Having to guess whether conflicting letters across and down are a rebus, or not, doesn't seem quite fair.

Wow. It was a satisfying puzzle to solve, kind of crunchy. I did it without any googling, so it was self-contained and fair, though slow for me.

"Baroque" is not a "genre," but a period or style, right?

A rebus, but only added a few minutes to my average Wed. time. At least it was consistent and logical. Overall, a fine puzzle.

Aside from the rebuses, it was fairly easy. Not being a fan of rebus puzzles in general, this one I thought has more a consistent logic to it than is often the case. A "stack" of three in each case.

Great theme! Easy and enjoyable.

"Poet written about" is a bit weird instead of T'ang dynasty poet. It just makes the clue a tiny bit harder but not in a clever way. Oh well, not a major issue, but generally it was a hard solve for a Tuesday.

That was brutal, with so many obscure (to me) proper names on the left side of the puzzle, crossing one another. I have no idea who Leasa Longa is, for example, or the name of the once hyphenated sponge. I had to look up answers to complete it.

I came to see if it was easy for other people, after the more than difficult Wed and Thu this week. I guess it was easy for many of us, with Oreo cookies and few proper names.

No. I didn't like it. It uses AI and that doesn't seem organic, somehow. I had to look up a few answers, and the theme / gimmick was not transparent to me, even after I read the explanation. Of course, you can think I didn't like it because it defeated me, but looking through comments I can see that many of us felt that way.

I ignored the theme and solved around it instead. Y

It was a nice easy solve. I hadn't thought of Gil Scott Heron in many years, and his name did not appear in my memory immediately. I had to solve that when I had done my first down passes.

Straightforward, fast puzzle for a Friday. 14 minutes flat.