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As a daily solver, I'm sure I'm not alone in feeling a bit of a cliff descent every week, shifting from the enormity of the Sunday puzzle back to the beginning of the weekly cycle. It is with great joy then, when a puzzle like today's comes along! This puzzle was so much fun! Very smooth and zippy for me -- the only "rip out" I recall was SORE for my initial 'achy' -- but never boring. And while I realized the repeat on the second SET, it didn't occur to me that *all* the 3-letter words would be the same -- which kept up the fun. I also just sort of "went" with it: I magnify the grid in such a way, filling the width of my phone, that I almost never see any theme highlights anyway, so the fill felt as much of a guess as any other Monday for me. My only regret is that the NYT team didn't see fit to give us some post-solve grid art! I would have LOVED to see all 14 theme answers highlighted to really call attention to this wonderful feat. Thanks Kareem!

@Deb Amlen I always enjoy your columns! I'm with you about the emotional boost from those AHA moments while solving - and I often smile when I read similarities in your solving experience to mine. (Today it was PAGES. So great!!) I would like to make a correction to a descriptor in today's Tricky Clues, though. I do it with some reticence given that you are also having to be the interlocutor for all the technology grief being expressed! But I feel it's an important enough distinction to persevere... For 27D, you say that ATTA is "used to make East Asian flatbreads such as roti, chapati and paratha." Atta is indeed used to make those delicious items, but the region from which they originate is *South* Asia, the cuisine which we broadly call Indian here in the States. Roti is also made in parts of Southeast Asia, but chapati and paratha do not have the same culinary reach - and certainly do not extend to East Asian menus! I hope you don't need to resort to using a STRESS BALL after reading my comment (though you may already be ducking and running from this forum today!). May we break figurative bread together again over tomorrow's puzzle!

Ooh, smooth like buttah! I saw Kameron Austin Collins in the byline spot and winced, but I shouldn't have worried. It must just be that I've gotten a lot better, as Caitlin said! Oh, commenters have already posted about how easy it was? Lalala I'm not listening to you... Ugh, so much great fill; where to start?? Well, I was super happy when FRIEND OF DOROTHY popped right in, with ACID-WASHED jeans and CRAIGSLIST hot on its heels. Got the Mars misdirect and pulled "les petits morts" out of the depths of my brain somewhere. Perhaps because RIDE OR DIE and Mies van der ROHE are gimmes, MELLON jumped out from the crosses with a nanosecond pause to consider what might be a commonsense fill. Loved [Big banks]. And NOSE HAIR. And and -- basically of it! Thank you so much for coming back to crosswords, KAC!! I am looking forward to the next one!

I got A TAD slowed down at the very end, watching the 9/11 reading of names when I was about 90% done with the puzzle. I don't watch every year, but on a day with a sky so perfectly cloudless and blue, I can't help but be called back to that memory. So the puzzle had to be put aside! I'm certain to be reading too much into it, but the grid had a nicely American, dare I say NYC, feel to it today. From the jump with the delectable STELLA Parks -- do check out her recreations of classic American snacks, as well as her other great recipes -- all the way to the bottom with ANTZ being clued to Central Park. (That was a TIL for me, knowing nothing of the film!) Add in New Yorker DIANE Sawyer and the classic club sandwich, PRIDE and its NYC roots at Stonewall, Broadway musicals and American hotel chains... How about that CAN of soup adjacency with TOMATO -- hello Campbell's and Warhol! Almost last (in the grid) but not least, there is the Manhattan setting of Ghost and its opening scene in a dark alley in Soho, so close to the twin towers. Today of all days is one of ghosts who's memories are kept alive as a LABOR OF LOVE.

I'd like to voice a complaint with this puzzle: Why wasn't MOMOA crossed with STUD? There's no letters in common, you say? Well, you just should make it work. I want my money back. Okay, okay, I'll relent. Only if you change the cluing! [Jason of "Aquaman"] is so inadequate in that space: use it for 7D instead! // Sorry, I couldn't resist. Let's see if this makes it past the emus! Now back to our regularly scheduled programming... This was a puzzle chock full of fun words and words to have fun with. SLUSH next to SOCKS immediately put me in my winter boots on a miserably wet day -- not a bad trick in the middle of summer! Or maybe I'm just a poor SOD who's galoshes OOZED too much. The PERILS of the cold: ACHOO! Or is it all a SAD LIE? Can you play 5-card STUD with UNO cards? How about all those double-E's (and a couple of double R's)? CREE, CREEP, SEEK, SWEET, KERRI... and of course DERRIERE. The best clue out of a great bunch. Thanks so much for the ride!

I can't say this type of theme is my preferred breakfast meal... But enough of the rest of the grid went great with coffee to start my day right! It's too bad voice-TO-TEXT was passed over in favor of SPEECH, because the former is more "in the language" for me. Or even talk-to-text. As for the technology itself, I only use it while driving (thanks, Android Auto) and am far from adept at it. (Hi, @HeathieJ!) I confess, I loved the Boston callouts: of course BOS is the answer opposite NYY. The crosstown team's got nuthin on that rivalry. And even though poor Bobby is now relegated to crosswordese, cluing to his achievements still brings a thrill. Yesterday, I didn't get a chance to name-drop my cat, Chloe, who was named for the great Ms. Morrison. And no, she is not a Persian, nor is her housemate. But they do rule the CATDOM -- I mean apartment! And now, happily, I have this song in my head, thanks to 39D! <a href="https://youtu.be/AEYN5w4T_aM?si=ND7sEZLdXcMx4hf2" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/AEYN5w4T_aM?si=ND7sEZLdXcMx4hf2</a> With that + the coffee, definitely a good start to the day!

I fear an aspect of this wonderfully clever theme has not been adequately lauded in the comments I've scanned. From Sam in her column: "It’s not the [Places to find the items at the ends of 4-, 8- and 14D] that you should pay attention to, but the phrases in which they appear, because that’s where the wit of this theme really shines." Leave the CEREAL AISLE behind and behold the puns! I finally saw it with WHOLE BAG OF TRIcks, and then revisited the other two. Sweet! Also sneaking in another cereal with TOTAL. Also sneaking in another pun at 40D. And I appreciate that (most of) the crosses at X are real words: no easy task, I'd imagine, with that letter in particular! LIFT before TRAM before that ole throwback, the crossword go-to T-BAR. Oh well. Loved PTUI!! (Though I really want an E on the end...) Can't you just hear it hitting that spittoon? I'll have to try and work it into conversation today. :)

I'm really enjoying the guest columning* by Will Shortz! The choice and explanations of the Tricky Clues feels like a little peek under the hood of the NYTXD editorial process. And the anecdotes provide a little more insight on the personal side. (Not knowing TRASH PANDA is a little surprising! The animals – and their moniker – are profligate out here in Brooklyn, along with feral felines, and of course rats.) *Not a word! 'Til now? 😁 I know we are to expect other guest columnists, but I for one wouldn't mind if Will is able to keep adding this to his already-packed schedule... and appreciate what we've gotten so far. // This was a solve in fits and starts for me: almost nothing at first, then the SE flowed in; inched back up the grid only to come to a full stop in the NW. Not even the LAB could help point me in the right direction! Yet again, a tiny helping from the Wordplay column came to the rescue. Thanks Greg, Glenn — and Will!

Ahh, C.C., what a very lovely — dare I say delicious — puzzle! I always especially love your comments related to food, and here we have a grid full of culinary delights. From LIME and HABANERO through MAPO tofu (which I adore); MARINARA specifically paired with [Mozzarella sticks], a diner-order tradition for my niece and me; sautéed YAM from the Midnight Diner episode I serendipitously watched just last night; an OLIVE for my dirty martini. (Later, I swear! With the OSSO [buco].) In the meantime, LET'S not forget ASTI [Spumante] in a MIMOSA with – and adjacent to – O.J.s, perhaps even one from Minute MAID. Muddle some MINT in mine, please. Not a morning drinker? MIMOSA PETALS are as bright as a buttercup. They'd make a pretty still-life over those JAM JARS and toast. I'm so glad we NOSHED together! None of it STANK, no need for a SCREED. SO THERE! // Midnight Diner: Tokyo Stories, episode 8 <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6232990" target="_blank">https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6232990</a>/

I zoomed through this puzzle late last night, getting the gold star in about 2/3 my average Tuesday time. None of the themers made sense, in that "they're real words and vaguely plausible" way that's not that infrequent nor unfamiliar to me. Plus, I solve on my phone, so no amount of sleepy squinting was going to help me out in that department! Of course, a little daylight and a fair amount of caffeine this morning displayed the awesome cleverness in all its glory. LOVED this ONE! I adored the already oft-cited clue for IDRIS. Also the one for fellow actor EMMA. (Teenaged me was gaga over Remington STEELE, but that show did *not* age well -- like so much from that era. Feels like EONS ago!) Also "Lost steam", "Recovers some yards?" and the clue for SANTAS, among others. Very clever clueing yet Tuesday-appropriate: that's quite a feat! Congratulations on a terrific puzzle!!

I found myself actually having to do math pre-coffee this morning. And en Español, no less! I thought they promised no math... (Don't get me started on LEMMA: all the commenters remembering it from high school math must be of a different generation than me. And have excellent memory from many decades ago!) 😜 And now I'm fixated on getting some DIM SUM, stat. There are still a few places with the trolleys, and I'm making a point to get to one this weekend! Now what to do about today... With this wet and windy weather, it's a perfect day for RAMEN from the shop down the street. Thanks for the suggestions, Katherine! I'll even forgive the early morning math! Very much looking forward to more puzzles from you. Congratulations on the debut! 🎊

Oh my gosh, JACK DIDDLY SQUAT and LOOP DE LOOP were worth the price of admission! Channeling my inner tween just a few days shy of a birthday that puts me precipitously close to yet another decade. Funny enough, just this afternoon I solved the crossword from 7/22/21 with the exact same clue [Bad singer] and answer as this one. It took me ages to see how that fill made sense through the wordplay. And then here it is again! Of all the puzzles on all the days... Speaking of my inner tween, RANDO is a term I use way too frequently – so it's especially embarrassing that that N was the last letter to fall for me! Thanks for a great puzzle, Katie Hoody!

Ooh, I just figured out the theme and I absolutely love it! Never have I commented on a puzzle before being done with it, but this gave me such a thrill I had to tell someone (haha). Seeing Kareem Ayas' name as I opened the grid got my hopes up, and I am not disappointed! I wish I could draw this out to savor longer, but I'm already halfway completed... This is how my brain feels as I solve this grid. Yippee! <a href="https://tenor.com/view/snoop-snoopy-peanuts-dance-dancing-gif-11022999122914157975" target="_blank">https://tenor.com/view/snoop-snoopy-peanuts-dance-dancing-gif-11022999122914157975</a>

A shout-out for the Monodon monoceros -- the mascot for my alma mater! I'm maybe a tiny bit surprised no one has yet mentioned Gnarls NARWHAL, mascot for The New School University since 2014. TBH, I wasn't sure when the mascot came into being and read up about it. Imagine my surprise that another answer in today's puzzle popped up in the backstory! Apparently when the student body was polled for mascot ideas, some students voted to be represented by a CIGarette(!). (Probably my favorite clue today was "Butt to bum".) A NARWHAL as a school mascot, you scoff? In this household, it's par for the course! My undergrad is represented by a thoroughbred, because yes, Skidmore College is proudly located in Saratoga Springs, with its vaunted racecourse. And my partner's alma mater has the best mascot of all, the Drexel unicorn! It literally tops lists of these kinds, haha. And with that, I've come full circle back to that monoceros! This backstory about Gnarls Narwhal is so very New School. Cute! <a href="https://www.newschoolfreepress.com/2022/05/08/behind-gnarls-the-backstory-of-the-new-schools-climate-change-fleeing-vogueology-loving-narwhal-mascot" target="_blank">https://www.newschoolfreepress.com/2022/05/08/behind-gnarls-the-backstory-of-the-new-schools-climate-change-fleeing-vogueology-loving-narwhal-mascot</a>/

OMG, this was really difficult -- and SUPER fun!! Once I was fully caffeinated, at least. I had to turn to the column, and inched my way line by line down the screen to reduce getting too many "cheats" at once. So it was perfect timing for a First Pass Friday. Thanks, Deb! I will add to the chorus praising IS PEPSI OK. Add me as well to the crew gob-smacked that anyone might possibly think that phrase is not "in the language"! Truly an alternate world to mine. (Hello, @sotto voce @HeathieJ!) Absolutely loved the STL clue, once it finally clicked. Ditto USS, though that resolved faster for me. (I should've known when UpS went in waaaay too quickly!) Literally all I know about US football is that there are 4 downs possible in each drive. FIRST AND one, since it's the start? Lol. I had to "run" the "digits" for that last area to fall -- in no small part because the clue for 54D was awfully clunky. (As others have noted, "letter" is not remotely a [layout] terminology. ...I suspect some non-Coca Cola drinking intern dropped that one in! Lol.) Lastly, I will now once again have the roguishly clever Wet Leg seeping through my brain today! Thanks to LET'S BEGIN (and possibly the AISLE clue). <a href="https://youtu.be/tjpgJjdk52c?si=w-yGe5zcGWDhpLEg" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/tjpgJjdk52c?si=w-yGe5zcGWDhpLEg</a>

[Poorly drawn circle, perhaps] solving to OVAL has to be the downright funniest solve I've experienced in a long time! But really I'm just here for The Buggles, like any proper Gen-Xer should be(!!). <a href="https://youtu.be/W8r-tXRLazs?si=iEtYVFSw929qda5Y" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/W8r-tXRLazs?si=iEtYVFSw929qda5Y</a> // I loved how the adjacencies of the theme pairs were reinforced -- to my eye -- with others. Especially OOHS over PASSIONS, but also HOT SALSA with a nice SIRLOIN strip STEAK. And then there are CURL and SALON; BALE and SILO; the Mets' SHEA Stadium and NO HIT... Or SHEA butter and ALOE vera. Any guesses on Sam's image choice? It's gotta be more than the hoop earrings, right?

My personal groans in today's puzzle: LALA was the last to fall for me. When I plug my ears to show I'm not listening, there are at least four LA's in there! So a [doubled] would have made more sense, IMHO. No graphic designer would *ever* use CLIP ART as a shortcut -- what an insult to a profession that already struggles with the assumption that "anyone can do it". Stock images, sure... But most if not all designers have nothing but distain for Microsoft. And yes, I know I'm suffering from "too close syndrome", but so be it... No idea why Coach was in quotes. Clever wordplay just on its own, and the quotes for me implied a title, e.g., the old tv show. SMH. Really wanted "athleisure" for the joggers. OMEN was a very clever example of that type of clue. Not sure of all the fuss in the comments about FRESH SALAD: [just in time for dinner] works for me! As for INEZ, I know I just solved a NYTXD with this spelling! I only did one puzzle in the archives this week (can't remember which). So if no one else recalls it as a recent entry, perhaps it was back to 2022?

TGIF! The sun is shining, a nasty headcold I've been battling has lifted, and this puzzle was full of sparkle. The first immediate fill for me was RAGE ROOM. (Was momentarily thrown off on 8A by the full name/last name mismatch, but it *is* Friday.) Like Escape Rooms, I don't really get it as a concept -- but I suppose as a New Yorker, I have plenty (too many?) real-world opportunities for both, lol. On the opposite end of the solving spectrum -- and grid -- I promptly completed [De ____] with Niro. 😂 (Blame it on the head cold...) That caused no end of snarls in the already-tough SE! The K in TOKER was the last to fall for me. Lots of lovely fill here. Loved MYSTERY SOLVED and RETRO VIBE; ANGUS over SEAR; BOO and "Halloween" seasonal references. Best of all, the creative misdirects -- literally -- with [Digital art?] and [Attention-grabbing visuals]. Thank you Mr. COHN!

There I was, a little disappointed that this puzzle was so easy*... until I came to a screeching halt in the SE. That small area took me 90% again as long as the entire rest of the grid! And yes, easy. I see from other comments that there was perhaps more wordplay than I perceived. For me, it all felt remarkably straightforward, starting right at the start with 1D: such a memorable scene in "The Sound of Music"! Big MAMA Thornton. Mermaids' purses. DON'T WAIT UP FOR US. [Fail to tail.] "Julie & Julia"... Grateful the CUSACK clue was for the very underrated Joan. John is great, too, but so much more well known! Hmm. Perhaps a better way to view this solve is that it's right in my Gen-X entertainment wheelhouse! From "The Sound of Music" on the TV SET every year in my youth (and "acting" in it at summer camp, yikes) through all the 80's films starring the CUSACKS, right up to the present day and TED LASSO! Happy Saturday, everyone!

Congratulations and HBD, Adrianne Baik! From one Capricorn to another. :) I love when a puzzle appreciation grows as I go through it! A clue's change of pace makes me glad — ["Great" animals], for example. An answer makes me feel knowledgeable — ENRON — and another makes me feel clever. (Even though I was wrong at first pass! That would be LEFT instead of AWRY...) All the girls! From JADA at the jump to MISSY Elliot at the finale. And the yummy cross-cultural food! Who wants to [Enjoy a home-cooked meal] when your CITY offers you AREPAS, TARO boba (my favorite!), ALOO with spices freshly ground in a PESTLE, slurp-worthy CONGEE and even [Hawaiian pizza] (not my fave!). You're not in NYC you say? Get thee to AMTRAK!! Whew! Or should I say WOAH!!* (*Agree that the clue here is clunky; I prefer it as a term of excitement and awe.) I raise a now-fully-legal toast to you, Adrianne. Chef's kiss!

Well, that does it: I finally reached 365 consecutive gold stars. I wasn't necessarily going to post about it — there are many here with much longer streaks — but I thought maybe my experience would be worth sharing. I started playing regularly in early 2022 and twice got very close to a streak of 365 days — through vacations and work schedules and everything else. The first time, there was a tech glitch and a win got logged as blue instead of gold. This was so deflating I didn't even bother to contact customer support, and I took a week off. The second time, I misjudged the (unwritten and seemingly arbitrary) window and again the star was blue. This time as I inched closer and closer to that goal, the less fun the puzzle became; the anxiety overrode a lot of the joy. But I did it!! I got there. And now I can let it go! What a day on which to land! Sam Corbin back in the column — with thanks to some great guest columnists — and a puzzle that sizzles a lot more than any cookout on this bleary holiday. HOT HOT HOT! Anthony Grubb has a knack for fun, breezy but not boring Monday grids. I'm delighted he had this third one published. Congratulations!!

Nice write-up, Nikita! I have to say, when I hit 29D [Sitar virtuoso Shankar] during my solve, I kind of smirked, knowing the "O.G." Shankar is of course RAVI, and the answer is four letters. But the [Sitar virtuoso Shankar] who is still at the top of their game is Ravi's other famous daughter, Anoushka! Here she is on "Orange County", the recent single off the star-studded album The Mountain by Gorillaz: <a href="https://youtu.be/X70VHzox6uA?si=uTYZPV61vFcplxgY" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/X70VHzox6uA?si=uTYZPV61vFcplxgY</a>

I dunno, I enjoyed ARFS! And maybe because we just had it in the singular a few days ago (Wednesday, May 6), it was a rare early toehold in this puzzle generally, and the NE especially. Crossing it with DOG SITTERS took it from casual crossword fill to adorable! Though if you really want a nit, I didn't love the pluralization of 14D, lol. It might be sacrilegious to say, but after a hectic day yesterday, I dozed off in the last few minutes of the Knicks-SIXERs game last night(!) — once it was clear Brunson had pulled us ahead by a comfortable margin... again... That said, it was wonderful to see the good Dr. in the grid, even more so after yesterday's [All slam dunks]. He was *all* the slam dunks – and so much more – during his career!! This puzzle was full of high spirits, sparkling references and misdirect hijinks. Loved it! Thanks Katie!!

Loved this one, Adam! The theme answers felt really tight: elegant and unforced. I love a Monday puzzle that doesn't seem basic! I almost didn't read the constructor notes, but now that I did, I'm here to root for some Adam Wagner themeless grids!! C'mon, if you can stretch and make an "easy" (Monday) theme this lovely, surely you can bring that same composer's eye to Friday/Saturday! Perhaps a way of easing into it is to permit yourself a "mini theme" -- you know, where some subject just happens to crop up more than once. ...My vote is for chocolate, always! Something delicious to keep you motivated. :) Thanks again. It's a great start to the week!