Appreciative

Congrats to Brad Wiegmann, for quite a clever and fun puzzle. I enjoyed it, even the NE, and finished in 80% of my average time. I also was amused by the rap in Constructors Notes, so thanks for a cheery start to Wednesday, Brad. Oh, and congrats to me for 1601 solved NYT puzzles. While many, or perhaps most, of you are faster and more accomplished, I’ve improved a lot, and I enjoy every grid. Happy solver here.

I still find rebuses difficult to identify, but the constructors gave us a gift by shading the appropriate cells, plus a really helpful revealer. This was a challenge, very creative, admirably constructed and fun to solve. Perfect for a Thursday! And thanks to NYT for the colorful post-solve pic. Kudos!

Wow! I had no idea a Schrödinger puzzle was a thing. Brilliant, just brilliant. Oh, and fun! Congratulations Simeon Seigel!

Sam, I found this one really difficult, and couldn’t have solved it without your column. It would never have occurred to me to just leave off the last letter, even knowing the title of the puzzle.

I’ll add my voice to the chorus singing this puzzle’s praises. Although it took me a bit longer than usual for a Wed, every minute was fun. I’m thankful Mr. Goldberg didn’t give up on this gem of an idea!

Terrific puzzle. Not too easy nor too obscure. Perfect Friday. More please.

Fun, quick, clever, amusing! Thanks Lynn Lempel, for another example of doing what you do so we’ll.

Congrats to the constructors for a very good Tuesday puzzle, with fun clues and a cute theme. More please.

I’m a big fan of puzzles I can complete in 2/3 my average time, not get stumped once, yet keep me entertained, plus a clever theme. I always thought the theme answer originated with Groucho Marx. I swear I can picture him saying it, with bouncing eyebrows and the cigar in his mouth. But the old time carnival idea makes sense. Anyway, very nice debut Mr. Bykodorov- congrats!

Very fun! Thanks Erik Agard!

I really enjoyed this one though I didn’t have the vaguest idea of what to do with the numbers. I just left those entries blank until the lightbulb went on at 105A and 108A (with a lot of help from crossings). Yeah, there were some obscure-to-me entries, but they were eventually deducible. I guess I’m not yet at the point of not needing crossings to finish NYT crosswords. I didn’t start solving until I was 70. The more years that go by, the more out of touch I am with modern culture, so I doubt I’ll ever be able to do it, but hats off to those of you who can. And a special hats off to constructors and editors who continue to entertain us with clever and enjoyable puzzles. Thanks Jacob!

I think this is a fun, well done, and appropriate Tuesday. There were 3 totally unknowns for me, but easily filled from crosses. And I started it too late in the evening and was tired so got stuck on some wordplay. After a good nights sleep, a fun puppy romp, crossing off “eradicate fire ants” from my to do list (hopefully for a few months at least), I was able to finish the crossword before breakfast. A satisfying morning. Honestly, I don’t know how anyone wouldn’t smile at OOF. Thanks Gene Louise de Vera, and congrats on your NYT debut!

This was a very well constructed and clued puzzle. I needed help, but really should have been more patient and put it down, then come back, or at least had another cup of coffee. That’s on me. Well done, Mr. Johnson!

I don’t mind a rebus puzzle on a Wed if it’s well clued and constructed, and entries aren’t too obscure. This puzzle was fun! I’d never heard of an UPROOTER. I had only heard of a stump grinder for this purpose. Turns out they aren’t the same. The Uprooter appears to be for smaller trees and shrubs and can remove the entire plant. I found videos of both a manual one and one that is used on the back of a tractor. The only tree I’d ever had to have removed was way too large for this tool and required a pro. I’d also never heard of TERRA CHIPS. That one’s on me. Anyway, I enjoyed this puzzle. Thanks to the constructors!

Fun puzzle and theme, clean and well constructed. I was beginning to think I’d never get another PB, but here it is, so thank you, Nate Cardin!

Since there are over 300 comments before this one, I’m going to assume that anything I could say has already been said. So, I’ll just compliment Sid, and be on my way. It was a really enjoyable and well constructed puzzle that made my Sunday even better than it already was. Thank you Sid Sivakumar!

Clever, accessible, and fun. MONSTERMASH was a gimme, and all else flowed well, with GOLEM the last to fall. Not all Thursdays flow as well for me. Kudos to the constructors!

Super puzzle, kudos to Mr. Siegel. It took me longer than average but I enjoyed every minute. From a brief skim of the comments, I think we may have some newer members of the NYT crossword community here now. Rebuses are common on Thursdays, and sometimes appear on Sundays too. You may want to skip those days going forward if you don’t like this kind of challenge. Some of us like them, although it can take a good while to get even reasonably competent. Until then, if you are unsure or there seems to be something off about a puzzle, I suggest reading the Wordplay column if you get stuck or frustrated.

Clever and fun - A Wednesday gem!

Quite fun! A couple of entries I’d never heard of, but crosses and getting the theme fixed those. That’s how a Tues should be - not totally doable on auto, but not a struggle. Congratulations, well done.

Well, I think I laughed a little too hard at 10d, plus stayed married to leotard (13a) and gala (43a) way too long. Very enjoyable puzzle!

As I most often do for Sundays, I made a first pass before checking the puzzle title. When I did, I understood immediately. It was indeed a “power grid”. IMO, if you could do this one without help, or without becoming frustrated, you are a power solver. I could neither, but that’s on me. Yes it was hard. Yes there was some obscure fill. But I think that was the theme.

I was surprised that I tied my PB on this one. Alas, my phone typing skills have not kept up, else I would have beaten it. Thanks for a breezy puzzle, Nate Cardin. I needed this, since my little old dog isn’t doing so well.

Really smooth and enjoyable, but I did have to think. Very nice!

Fun puzzle with just enough bite. There were plenty of things I didn’t know, but everything was fair and doable. I never thought about where the RAVENS name came from. Congrats on your 4th NYT puzzle, and especially on graduation, Ryan!

Add my voice to those who really enjoyed this puzzle. Cute theme, breezy, some new fill, etc. It wasn’t close to a PB, but beat my average. Ilana Levene and Scott Hogan have indeed made some friends here.

Had to turn my brain inside out for this one. Whew!

Although it took me 50% longer than usual, I thought this was a terrific puzzle. I had so many wrong first-guesses that fit, plus the clever misdirects I had to leave blank until I righted the ship, that my eyes were glazed over by the time I finished. At my age, I really shouldn’t solve on an iPhone. Super construction, a fun theme, and challenging clues made this a very satisfying solve! I loved the bonus clues too. Thanks Brandon Koppy!

Congratulations to Daniel Britt, for a fun and well constructed puzzle, and for his determination to keep refining it. I enjoyed it!

I loved this one. Yes, there were proper names, but only one was unfamiliar to me and was doable with crosses. I finished in less than avg for a Tues and had fun in the process. Kudos to Mr. Hermann!

Shout out to Caitlin for the Papillon photo! I’ve had 4 and they are spectacular all-around dogs. (Puzzle was fun too.)

This puzzle was a really nice distraction. It was clever, amusing, and just the right degree of difficulty for a trying Wednesday. Thank you Adam Aaronson!

I loved this elegant puzzle. Props to Mr. Grinberg! And thank you to Deb for the history.

Terrific debut, Jasin. Your hard work is evident. More please.

I found this fun and just chewy enough to make it an excellent Tuesday! Thanks Mr. Gorman.

I enjoyed this one more than most Sundays, although it took me longer. Kudos to the constructor. For some reason I think we’ve seen puzzles with colored squares before that didn’t create the tracking problem, but I could be wrong.

Congratulations Mr. Grubb on your second NYT puzzle. It was a fun one! Please come back.

A Thursday rebus, especially with sports, is usually really hard for me, but not today. Loved the theme and the cluing. A fun one plus a personal best for a Thurs with no lookups. Whoo-hoo! Thank you Mr. Bodily for a bit of an unexpected ego boost today.

Very fun and quick! Just delightful!

I adored this puzzle. Maybe my favorite Thursday ever. I figured out the trick immediately, then hit the revealer and was like, ok I don’t get the relationship to the puzzle, but ok. Then finished the puzzle and got the animation. Wow! I got all the way through to the music without realizing the themed letters were all Ls and Rs. Still, this was so much fun! Cluing was well done and enough to guess on stuff I didn’t know. I finished close to my average, but had way more fun doing it than I usually do on Thursdays. Thank you Adam Wagner! And thanks to the NYT folks who animated the puzzle, delicious icing on a very good cake.

This was a lovely puzzle. I didn’t have time for a mind-bending Thursday, so this one was perfect for me. Delightful actually, and so well clued and constructed! Thanks Jeffrey Martinovic! Best wishes to Will for a speedy and full recovery, and to Joel in his new role.

Thank you, Kevin Curry, for a fun puzzle! Just chewy enough, yet entirely doable. Love the grid art, and the Times ending art. Kudos all around.

Amazing construction! I had to read the column, but it still wasn’t a gimme. Kudos to Mr. Wagner. Color me impressed.

Excellent! I needed help with a couple of entries, but that’s on me. Fun and clever. More please.

This puzzle was more than just a nice Money. It had some pizzaz! Thanks Brian!

Loved this puzzle! Not my best time, but easily one of the most enjoyable. Thank you Gene Louise De Vera!