Gary
Mill Creek, WA
@Dave: Wow! Well, besides that Mrs. Lincoln, how’d you like the play?
@Michael Shows how differently people respond to the same stimulus. I loved that combo! It had humor and cleverness for me. The fact that Arnold was cued as The Governator made use of the H instead of R a given for me and an evoked a chuckle. That the H fit into Heavies as well turned it into a full out laugh.
I started in the NW corner and quickly got the need to double the letters in Glenn. From there doubled Lewis was obvious and the game was afoot. Wondered what was the reason and saw the revealer and laughed out loud. Really fun and fast puzzle for me today. Thanks!
@Deb: A pit stop in an automotive race is when new tires are installed before the car is sent out for more laps. Hence, the car is re-tired.
Loved it! Hardest and most rewarding Saturday puzzle in long time. More please.
Wow! Great puzzle. I’m in awe of you and a bit of me since I did finally solve it fair and square. What a workout! Thanks.
Yeesh. All the complaints. This was just a bit under my Monday average for solve time. I thought it was definitely a Monday puzzle and quite a good one too! Really enjoyed the revealer and the tie ins to working dogs. Clever. Thanks!
@Michael. Different strokes for different folks. I really enjoyed this one and found it clever. As they say, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
This was quite a strange Friday for me. Nearly a personal Friday record. Almost all the long answers came to me immediately. I don’t know whether to chalk this up to the puzzle being misplaced in the week or me being in some sort of mind meld with its author.
Took me a long time to realize how a toat is a sign of perfection.
I really liked this puzzle and laughed out loud at izzatso and yhear. I don’t get the condemnations from so many for those two. I found both challenging, but really funny and totally acceptable. Of course it probably helped that I managed to solve the puzzle and in shorter than my average time.
@Suzie Lee Absolutely! That clue left me inwardly chuckling for a loooong time. Loved it.
@John. I think that’s age dependent. They were all gimmies for this 78 year old. Now if they were current pop folks…
@Eddie For those who require a bit more pretentiousness in their phraseology, may I offer: ‘I have, with deliberate intention and consummate skill, already accomplished this particular task.”
@Rick I’m afraid I’m not one, but thank you for a new rabbit hole to explore.
I really enjoyed this puzzle. Unlike so many people the crossing that made me begin to run the alphabet was ARAM crossing with MOTHRA. I didn’t know either one so I couldn’t figure it out with crossings. Happily, dropping the M in led to the 🎶 . Such fun!
@Michael S. Per my AI: The most probable cause, given your precise symptoms and what you’ve tried, is cutworms or caterpillars, but earwigs, rodents, or beetles are also contenders. Nighttime investigation remains the best way to unmask your Night Beast
@Times Rita Thank you. I’m 79 and had forgotten this song. Omg how fitting once again!
In one of those huh??? moments, I instantly knew 30 down was puttees, but I have no idea how I knew it or where I learned it.
@Xword Junkie. Just 7 seconds under my Monday average makes it a true Monday puzzle to me. Most will have a few scattered words that need to be filled out by crosses. It’s just that the crosses will themselves be rather easy IMHO.
@Andrew “Hotel California”, the album, was released on December 8, 1976. The song itself was released as a single in 1977. The clue is asking for the year the album was released.
@Linda Jo Strands #465 “If you build it ...” 🔵🔵🟡🔵 🔵🔵 Had to resort to random word finding and then OMG and easy sailing.
Wow! That was a workout but I got there fair and square. Loved it!
@Leapfinger Some websites or social media posts humorously juxtapose religious phrases, such as “Ora pro nobis,” with photos of meerkats standing upright, parodying their posture as if they’re in prayer or supplication.
@J The puzzle author’s last name is Spooner.
Wow! That was fun. Thanks you two.
@Carolyn — My favorite AI says this about it: Why the Reference to Fax and Printer? • Fax: Represents sending or stating facts. • No printer: Implies there’s no extra step, no need to print out the facts—they’re already clear and undeniable.
@Dave K. Completely different to me. I thought bookends being plural meant book at both ends. Did the double word clue areas first and then found the revealer to be helpful with each theme entry. Guess it comes down to literal or figurative interpretation of bookends and given it’s a puzzle the figurative one worked out immediately with the first theme answer so…
@Jack They were frustrating for me too, but after I did finally get them and finished the puzzle, I checked my time and it was just slightly below my Tuesday average. So I guess their inclusion actually worked out for me as a typical Tuesday.
@Joan M Oh MAN did ya really have ta ask that?
@Eddie. Your grammar is slipping. Should’ve been: “This puzz done been too hard.”
@Coco Sending Congrats!
@Vaer If you haven’t watched the Taco version, though, you’re really missing a good one. (Thanks Caitlin, I had never seen it before and it definitely captured me.)
@Anna I subscribe to Perplexity as my AI. It definitely came up with Malta when I asked it after reading some of these comments. It also list its sources for you so you can double check it easily.
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