Jim MCCUNN

Loved every aggravating bit of it. Went for AÇAÍ rather than ALOE for quite a while. I learned about Miss La La and chess boxing. While I did know about the Turing Test, I didn’t know it related to CAPTCHA. I’m a better person than when I woke up!

I loved this puzzle and I’m so glad to see I’m not alone. This is what Thursdays are for. Difficult? Sure. But after a short time you should see that there are easy answers that almost fit, but are one letter too long. So, being a Thursday, think rebus. A lot of great aha moments.

You guys are going to love next Sunday’s theme: People I worked with in the 90’s. The clues are their mothers’ maiden names! So clever!

I’m with you all. Very tough and ultimately satisfying. I felt like I picked up speed once I realized that nearly every clue was going to be tricky. I stopped expecting any gimmes. A

Did anyone else put INC at 12D? Never been to Peru, but a train to Machu Picchu might be nice! Pawi was clearly wrong, but pawl seemed only slightly better. I loved the theme. I would argue that the masterpiece’s referenced should be common knowledge. As for ALB not being the official abbreviation, this is not unique to clues about provinces. We’ve had many a SDAK to contend with.

NE corner really held me up. I’m 64 years young and never heard of a tenrec. I kept staring at the three “e”s in 18 across and just couldn’t come up with it. Finally Crocker (as in Betty Crocker) dawned on me, and the clouds lifted.

So glad to see at least a couple others held on to Nepal. I was sooo sure. Got it in the end.

I agree with others that it was a tough one. Having VAL and NORA side by side seemed mean - especially since they could have been clued with more familiar names. Likewise FELIX, but the crosses were fun. I persisted and finished with a smile on my face. I do think Saturdays should be challenging, so no complaints.

Flew through that like a hot knife through butter. I guess I was in the groove. I HAD NO IDEA what a mondegreen was, but I was working in a bookstore in 1998, so Olive evoked a nice memory. Best job I ever had.

Just adding my voice: Great challenging Saturday worthy puzzle.

I was starting to adjust my Saturday schedule to allow time for a super tough puzzle. This was fun, but I do think we should have a mountain to climb once a week. Judging from the comments I’m in the minority - I should mention that I’m retired and don’t have reason to think too hard during the week. 🕺🏻

Another tough Sunday - in the best way. Took a while, but finally got it. I can never remember the spelling of Tae Bo. And hip for hep slowed me down. Cat’s ear and Arikara were both new to me. Otherwise I loved the challenge.

Even though I’m not AWARE of an actor named J R SIMMONS, it seemed plausible. (For the record I definitely have enjoyed many of JK Simmons’ performances).

Went quick for me, but very fun.

Help. Once I caught on to the gimmicks it went pretty fast, but apparently something is wrong. I’m doing it on my phone. Anyone else having trouble? I’ll keep scanning for typos…

I got that Gen Y could be parents of Alphas, but I don’t get the use of “Demo”.

I feel like I have everything correct. Lied the theme and found it challenging. It’s telling me something is wrong. I’m guessing this is my problem, not the glitch. Can someone confirm that they got the usual sound when it was done despite not seeing the animation?