Don H

Should I just tell you my comment, or sing it to you, loudly? CONVEYORBELT?

I cam so close to giving up -- and then I had my Cannellini Moment. White beans. Aha! Then, bing, bing, bing, bing...the top section's down answers were easy to fill. The great Thursday moment was opening the puzzle and seeing the empty clues. I knew it would be a fun challenge, equal emphasis on both words. As a former Thursday hater, my conversion is complete, I have joined the Dark Side.

I have always been pleased that QUEER, once a pejorative used by the hateful, has been joyfully taken back by the gay community. If my grade school teachers were correct, the same was done for the word "yankee" during the American Revolution. So now it is time that we reclaim words like "woke" and "liberal". Those who despise the left have twisted them into derisive adjectives despite their textbook definitions. Maybe we need a Woke Pride parade.

I laughed out loud, not at a clever clue, though there were many. But my guffaw was at my own expense. I stared at 12D for a good half minute, wondering what on earth an EAR NEST was. Waxy buildup? Precursor to a bird brain? The mark of a good puzzle is even when I get it right, I get it wrong.

A lot of space could be saved here in the comments circus if the column began each day with a poll: Today’s puzzle felt like a Monday Tuesday Wednesday Friday Saturday Huge Mistake Dream It included (check all that apply) A Natick Arcane trivia A word from a foreign language that scared me A word that, when spelled backwards, is OERO Technologically speaking, the platform failed me in the following ways (list) Lastly, the editors have ruined the venerable NYT Crossword by bowing to pressure from: (limit response to one institution or demonic figure; avoid proper nouns)

In keeping with the theme, your mileage may vary, but for me, this is just what I want from a Sunday puzzle. Funny theme, mid-level difficulty, a few "it could be this word or it could be that word" answers... this puzzle and a mug of black coffee made for a good morning.

Full credit for my gold star today goes to my dog. It's the old story: I was halfway through, frustrated and about to quit, but old Festus needed to go outside, so we went for a short walk in the garden. We got back in, he settled at my feet under the computer desk and I looked up at the puzzle on my screen and the answer to 3 down appeared out of nowhere. Then another and another, and in less than 5 minutes I heard the happy music. It has been said here many times before. The brain, for some reason, refreshes neural pathways when given a short rest and distraction. Sunshine and dogs may also help.

Compare PHONESHOME and UCLA. The first is an oft-repeated, memorable part of a beloved, blockbuster movie. The second is obscure trivia from a bad sequel. Even if Back to the Future II was someone's favorite film of all time, they might remember the plot included an almanac, the time-travelling existence of which was the MacGuffin from which comedy ensued. But the game played that day? And who was the victor? It is the worst possible clue for an often used crossword answer. It felt as if the accomplished crossword author's goal was to create a puzzle that no one could complete, even with cheats. If so, job well done. But fun? Not one bit.

I enjoyed learning the origins of the seafaring idioms. I used to work in the parimutuel horse racing world, and there are so many phrases that came from betting on the ponies: Win hands down - the jockey notices she's way "ahead of the pack", so can loosen her grip on the reins as they approach the finish line. Odd-on favorite: The horse most heavily favored to win, where the payout is less than the amount bet. Champing at the bit: an impatient horse biting down on its metal bit while waiting for the race to start. Across the board: betting not only to win, but also to place (2nd) and show (3rd). Out of the gate: showing early speed when the starting gates burst open and Dark Horse, Track Record, Inside Track, Pacemaker, Down to the Wire, Photo Finish, Neck and Neck....

This is what I want out of the Sunday Crossword. Sunday is my favorite crossword day to take a lazy, long time with it, in no hurry to finish (and mild disappointment when it is complete -- what else will I do today that is as relaxing, creative and amusing all at the same time? Today's puzzle suited my strengths. Hey, I've lived through all those error messages and somehow still like my computers! And now I know that the next time I run into a gorilla, we have something in common to discuss besides loincloth trends.

This is the second Sunday in a row where I have really enjoyed the puzzle-solving experience. Both were somehow both very difficult but still solvable, and a good companion to strong morning coffee and a beautify Summer day. Thanks, guys!

Unlike other commenters, I am not sad that this puzzle failed to provide Halloween related content. I was, however, disappointed that OREO did not appear for a third consecutive day, we had to put up with ORCA instead, its close cousin and hottest competitor for the most-used NYT solve word trophy. Hats off to GIRLSCOUTTROOPS for taking on today's cookie challenge. I strove mightily to fit DOUBLESTUFFOREO into those squares but, alas, it was not to be. But tomorrow is another day, and I'll even be placated by a HYDROX.

I have to join the haters on this one. The last straw for me was "Certain miniature vehicle, informally" leading us to RCCAR. I found no enjoyable puns, no clever wordplay, just a whack of obscure proper nouns, including RENATO, a character that even Wikipedia mentions only in passing. And this, after Connections sent me to the dictionary today for 4 of its 16 words. Maybe I'm in a grumpy mood, or maybe I'm just an ICEHOLE.

I haven't read any comments yet, nor the Wordplay column, but I knew what my comment would be when I got here: Great puzzle. Perfect Sunday fun. And the arrow, the apple and the animation when finished tied the bow on top of this excellent weekend present. Now I'll catch up with all of you and see if anyone agrees. If you don't, you're wrong! :)

Nice to see SEDERPLATE and PLO contained within the same arena. Now, if only life could imitate crossword art.

OREO! My long-lost friend; at last, you have returned.

About 20 years ago I bought a 1973 MGB. Fun little thing. My vanity license plate (in Ontario) was BOOKER T. Those who got the joke would honk and wave.

Got it, no help from Google, didn't balk at the rebusses (rebi?) Since Thursday is usually my least favorite crossword day, I just strode in here to SINg a happy song, albeit sans a shampoo bottle.

Reddit is "the front page of the internet", not "the heart of the internet". I don't know if this has been commented upon already; I tried to do a search but that is either hard to do or I am in my usual morning fog. I've been a Reddit subscriber for 19 years, and when I saw the clue "the heart of the internet" I thought, well, it can't be Reddit, I wonder what it is? Got it with crosses, obviously, but the cluse is just plain wrong.

Just another lazy Saturday morning for me -- but, then again, I'm retired, and every day is Saturday. So I was just sitting around, sucking on coca leaves, listening to my MF Doom albums (as usual) and thinking what a fine lyricist he is. Haven't counted, but I'll bet he's penned MMMDCCCLXXXVIII great songs by now. 28D threw me off my game, as my first-pass fill was JOHNHENRY and thought that sorority pledges dreaded MID DAY, as lunch can be so stressful when one is young. Other than those, everything worked themselves out, although I wondered why NEEDNT is a "quaint" contraction, it seems like all the others to me.

For an easy opening step, regardless of the day you're playing, do what I do: find OREO first. It's as regular as OKRA and SSN, although today the latter was in the clue, not the answer. Now, some days OREO is also hiding in the clue, which brings us to HYDROX , a fill provider when an X is needed. That's just the way the cookie crumbles.

After reading all the comments thus far, I have two thoughts: 1. I would absolutely play an "inside the box" puzzle every day if available. The gimmick, while it defeated me, made for an entertaining and challenging puzzle within a puzzle. 2. FLUGELHORN is clued and no one has posted this music video yet??? I must do so then, it is mandatory. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZOtxTyJmxVI" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZOtxTyJmxVI</a>

I never do well with Thursdays which means I often hate Thursdays. But today I caught the trick and got a gold star. Yes, I'm posting this just to congratulate myself. I almost lost it with 11D -- where's the X? But a typo was my mistake, and when it went away, the X slipped right in Yay me.

It may be possible to arrive at the comments section without scrolling through the Wordplay column; if so, I don't know how. But every day, so many commenters seems to have accomplished this. Slow down and read it, folks. The columns often ask and answer the same questions that get (mis)posted here, and besides, it's usually a fun read.

The puzzle was finished, all but the crossing of SPARGE and SOPOR. I was unfamiliar with the first and was worried about the second. I'm a big fan of torpor; that's what my little hummingbird friends do every night to rejuvenate their tiny, insatiable energetic bodies. But it didn't fit. So I typed in the S, preparing myself to be disappointed and boom -- I got the San Jose Strut and gold star. I was shocked, I tell you. Shocked.

I love astronomy and I loved the puzzle. My observation -- and this is not a complaint -- is that the theme gave us eight instant answers which was an (astronomical?) leap forward in solving the rest. As I neared the end I could see that the constructor had placed the planets in their proper places around the sun, and tried to fathom the degree of difficulty that added to the creation process. I was taken aback -- or perhaps put into retrograde motion?

Attention to puzzle play metrics is a personal choice; we all find our fun in different ways. But I just don't understand why anyone would want to finish this excellent, joyous puzzle as rapidly as possible. It's like going to a fine restaurant and devouring the entree in three minutes flat, and then boasting about it. That's not what the chef had in mind. I turned off my timer long ago, and enjoyed savoring both my morning coffee and these hilarious clues in a long, luxurious lazy Sunday manner. I'll let Frank explain it, he does a better job: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HuANCcsODq0" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HuANCcsODq0</a>

Mr. Aaronson: I enjoyed your constructor notes. Where I live, seeing celebrities while on a walk is extremely unlikely, unless XI JINPING decides to take up crabbing. Also, not too many fashion models go out on the docks for some reason. I've often wondered if B-list stars clip and save crosswords when their names first appear as a clue. I would!

Easy one for me thanks to my kindergarten teacher, Miss Kaborski. 64 year ago she taught us the Kookaburra Song, recited here from memory: Kookaburra sits on the old gum tree, Merry, merry king of the bush is he. Laugh, Kookaburra Laugh, Kookaburra Gay your life must be. Funny how I can remember that, but my neighbor's first name still escapes me.

Maybe the morning coffee kicked harder than usual, but I felt very smart while working this puzzle, and was therefore having lots of fun. Part of a belt? Buckle didn't fit, but I had a few letters from the fill, and then -- Aha! Another puzzle from recent days had taken me to Wikipedia to get schooled on the Kuiper Belt, a more distant cousin of those pesky ASTEROIDs. Carpe Diem and SEIZETHEDAY let me in on the parenthetical "French 16" part of the clue, so I scooted back up and proudly typed in DOSANDDONTS, cashing in at last on high school language classes. So, it was one of those rare mornings when everything clicked. Maybe tomorrow I'll even survive the dreaded Thursday experience; à demain matin.

My first run through had the much, much better answer to the clue "It may bring out the kid in you": GOATMILK. If I were Don Draper, I could turn that catch phrase into $$$millions for the world's goat farmers. Call me if you need help with YOUR ad campaign.

Great puzzle, some very enjoyable clues.

Technical nit: it would have been helpful if, when 73A was selected, the seven italicised clues had been highlighted (as things like this usually are). Finding the italicized clues meant putting on the reading glasses. But I loved this puzzle! A perfect Sunday experience and the theme, once discovered, was a delightful aid to the sneaky 7. Mic drop!

This puzzle, I loved. It hit me at just the right moment and in just the right way. I was so smart. I knew the Gloria Gaynor song and inked it in. Marley and Clapton? Only one possible song, and it fit, and I was so proud of myself. The Who? First I thought of Pinball Wizard -- too short -- but then the right answer popped. And then, none of the crosses fit. Impossible words. So, I thought I'd better take a closer look at the bottom right theme clue, which stumped me at first. But my neighbor has a dog named Yoda (yes, he's that ugly), and next came a guffaw, followed by edits to my musical brilliance with the Yoda-esque word arrangement. After that, the rest of the puzzle flew by. Really, truly fun. Actually, sort of easy for a Wednesday once the theme was decoded. But I give the author an OBIE, an ESPY and a standing ovation for bravery.

I groaned aloud (with appreciation) when I solved 14 across (Frank account), enough to startle my dog. The answer is true both generically -- I thought "yeah, that fits" -- and more so for the specific person, Frank. But before my brain used the proper noun as a surname I was trying to think of what five-letter word could be used as the title of a Frank Sinatra biography. A bit far afield.

A near-first for me: the revealer helped me solve the theme entries. It's far more common that I struggle through a puzzle until it is complete, and only then see the cleverness that glued them together. And then I read that Ms. Cohen submitted her first puzzle at age 9. I'm about 60 years older than that and still haven't the courage to face the icy stare of Will Shortz with my own submission. Also, the "#1 spot in London?" ! Blimey!

I loved this puzzle. My favorite so far this year. Maybe Thursdays aren't so bad after all. I also am continually amazed at how feeble my brain is. I got 10D entirely through crosses, and then stared at it for a long minute, wondering what kind of word BESILENT could be. Besilent? Is that some mineral on the periodic table? In its liquid form does it become besilyne? I'm no EINSTEIN.