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Well I liked it. It was hard but that’s to be expected. My first toehold was in the NE: I knew that I knew Bond’s pistol and it finally came to me, my dad and brother talking about his WALTHER PPK. From there I chipped away at it slowly but surely. I think people have been quite uncivil lately when a puzzle drops that they don’t like. Considering the time and effort it takes to make these things, I really think that’s NOT CRICKET.
Loved it! Constructors, I'm sure the negative comments sting but please take heart that there are plenty of us who enjoyed this puzzle. I, for one, am very proud of myself. I first started doing the crossword daily on December 2. On Thursday, December 7, there was a bidirectional rebus that caused quite a stir. I solved that puzzle successfully, but only by accident - I didn't even realize a rebus was involved, and my entries were incidentally accepted anyway. Today I feel vindicated - I figured out the trick and entered every rebus completely, finishing the puzzle in under 30 minutes. This one meant a lot to me! Thanks!
Proud I completed this one with no lookups in just under an hour. Got really hung up in the MALLET section until I started from scratch (aside from DELILLO) and got MOLECULES, then everything flowed from there. Fun to learn GAIUS. Good one today!
Incredibly difficult one for me! I'm not sure why I struggled so much. I had CAse for "Something to make or break," which was giving me _YEEO. (And I'm O- and a regular blood donor!) Just couldn't make the leap to TAMING... either. (And I love Shakespeare! Read that play multiple times!) Somehow I've never, ever heard the word GEST either (and I'm a former lit major!) and had a rebus in the G square. Fie!!! A pox on this cursed puzzle! Okay now back to work.
@Motown MD The MALLET is hitting the MOLE. I work in medical supplies and MOLESKIN bandages are definitely a thing.
I would have switched today's and Wednesday's. I don't usually do the crossword at night but I had to vindicate myself after doing so poorly on Wednesday's puzzle. (My streak is intact but now tainted by the knowledge that I peeked at the answers - it's not worth it, folks!!) Anyway, notes on the puzz: Two letter-switching themes in a row? Hmm. Enjoyed the little kick at the very end from the "=". Cute. (And not too cute by half, IMHO!) Had STeLE for STYLE until the very end (+ ACHe for ACHY) until I realized that made no sense. But what do I know? I'm just a copy editor. :D
Great puzzle! Loved it, some nice long fills and it was fun to solve. I enjoyed a bit of puzzle synergy last night as I was reading before bed: a character demonstrates the SIPHONing technique in order to empty a vessel and get to the sediment at the bottom, complete with a scientific explanation of the phenomenon. Reminded me of the clue/fill in yesterday's puzzle. In case anyone's interested, it's from An Instance of the Fingerpost by Iain Pears, which essentially tucks a murder mystery inside a novel about the birth of the scientific method - might resonate with some of this crowd. I stumbled upon the rec from an NYT Books column, and it reminds me quite a bit of The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco, whose main character is modeled on William of Ockham, of the RAZOR. Synergy!
@StevenR "Amen to that!" and "Preach!" are colloquial synonyms for "I agree!" (Which was my initial entry.)
@Andrzej I know you're not fishing for compliments, Andrzej, but I will never NOT be impressed by your solving skills. Your commentary is always worth reading, too.
Really hard. Still finished it with no lookups, but LORD. Was pleased when OMSK came to me out of the blue—specifically, Peter Sellers saying “In Omsk, right?” in Dr. Strangelove. Too tired to scan the comments to see if that came to anyone else.
Just a solid puzzle all around, though ATNO, clue and answer, had me stumped till I checked here. Nice “aahhh” moment.
My favorite Monday ever!!! Loved it. Great puzzle. Thank you, Samantha.
Great puzzle! Loved it, thank you for the fun and edifying Wednesday solve.
Was I the only person who input LEMONSINE before the revealer? LEMONSINE hive rise up
Fun one! I loved the theme—simple yet clever. I initially tried to plug in “oneiric” for ALLEGORIC, notwithstanding the mismatch in letter count. Alas. Normally I do the weekend puzzles while my daughter watches Looney Tunes, but I did this one on Saturday night and came in 25 minutes under my average time. So I guess that’s the Mel Blanc handicap.
@LAGrit A common mistake. I believe the official translation is "meep meep."
Anybody else catch the echo of the Anthony Hopkins clue yesterday? Quid pro QUO, Clarice. Nice Monday puzzle with just a little bite.
@Edward Got it! Thank you, this makes a lot of sense.
"Accessible but not easy." Perfect summation, Deb. Good one, thank you Katie Hawkins! My husband's high school called that dance Turnabout, and my high school called it Sadie Hawkins. Shoutout to Geoff, my date junior year, wherever you are!
Devilish!!! At first it felt like a total slog, but when the pieces clicked into place it became as satisfying as a puzzle can be. Good one! The rebus that isn't! An all-timer!
@Walbs Looking forward to seeing RADISHROSE in a crossword someday.
Good one! The relative lack of puns is most welcome. Loved all the trivia.
@Steve L Way harsh, Tai! :) (If you don't understand the reference, look it up!) But I agree completely that experience paves the way to success. This one took me a solid 45 minutes to get my bearings (SLICED BREAD did the trick), and from there, 20 minutes to complete. I would've been SOL just a few weeks ago. I'm with you - the cluing was tough but fair.
@Cat Lady Margaret Thank you for the recommendation! I just completed it (32 mins!) and it was a lot of fun.
@John Stanczak Agreed. I’m pretty much clueless regarding all things biblical, but even I was able to clock that “apostle” is the more fitting answer. (But it didn’t detract from my overall enjoyment of the puzzle.)
Can somebody explain the “Natick” thing to me? I’m familiar with the town (in Massachusetts, right?) but I’m not quite grasping what it means in this forum.
@John Dietsch That was my favorite entry. "This Bitter Earth" will never fail to move me.
@Liz B Same! I've been puzzling daily for just over 2 months now and these tricks still often go right over my head--not so today. BEEFEATER did it for me. I enjoyed it too!
@Holland Oats Why? Just curious.
@Holland Oats Why? The pictures? (Asked this before but I guess it didn't make it past the emus. Here are some more words just in case.)
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