David

I have solved 100s of NYT crossword puzzles, and that was the very first one I absolutely hated. If didn't have a 6-month streak going, I would have put down my phone and gone for a walk instead. I love when a puzzle (ahem, usually Thursdays) slices out a chunk out of an answer and drops it elsewhere in the grid. When the letters left behind spell something new, that's super fun! Having the leftovers be gibberish is less fun. Having to guess a random, unrelated letter to jam in there is not fun at all. Having to do this 10 times, because it's Sunday, is as much fun as doing taxes. And on top of it all, the clueing was way harder than most Sundays. No thank you!

A stellar debut, chock full of spanners, misdirects, wordplay. Thoroughly entertaining!

Whaddya know? OBOE 3 days in a row

A new Friday best! And 2m faster than my Thursday best. But, judging from other comments, I am not the only solver who sprinted through this puzzle. So maybe I'll save that bottle of champagne for a more hard-won victory! DIPLOMA is one of my favorite word origins to share with people. One can almost imagine an ambassador presenting their (folded) credentials at the palace gate, and being called a "diplomat" in jest.