Robert Kern

Really clever and even humorous. Unexpected change of pace for a Wednesday or any other day for that matter. I really enjoyed this. Kudos to the creator.

My favorite clue of the puzzle was Singer in the family. It had me stumped for the longest time until I smelled a rat…The puzzle was a good challenge and satisfying to complete.

I truly enjoyed this puzzle. Mr. Schreiber made me fight for every inch of real estate, especially in the upper right section with the binary and decimal look-alikes and the AUTO REFRESHES ? punny clue. There really seemed to be no “filler” clues with each one being thoughtfully crafted. I particularly liked the theme clues because each was like a puzzle within a puzzle and the answer could be reasoned out rather than retrieved from memory. This puzzle took a bit longer than my Sunday average, but I enjoyed every minute. Thanks for a good and fun challenge.

This was a very clever theme and an enjoyable solve. Once discovered, the application of the double reverse to one clue could actually be used to help solve the other ones. I truly appreciated this. It was also fun to see new words form when the letters were reversed. Many thanks to Mr. Guzman for a fun challenge and good ending to Wednesday evening.

I knew I was going to like this puzzle when I discovered the hot air balloon in the grid. For many years I had my students build and launch hot air balloons as part of the unit on gases. I also loved the supporting clues that went along with the theme. I enjoyed most of the other clues as well such as the one which referenced Alsace, where my grandfather was born and the Mandarin:Japanese analogy. It was my idea of a fun Sunday crossword: doable, entertaining, and with a moderate level of challenge. The only clue I felt was a bit off was the one with M. I. A. I’m not sure that A. W. O. L. Is a particularly good answer because the terms can refer to very different situations. Otherwise, I really enjoyed this.

This is exactly the type of puzzle I enjoy the most, one in which understanding the theme actually helps you to solve it. I was not exactly sure of the meaning of MENS REA but I knew the crossing clue had to contain a persons name (TIM) to make marathoner’s goal work out. Without the theme I would have had a much more difficult time. As a scientist I appreciated the science clues dealing with electrons and cell splitting but can understand why some may not. For me it was a satisfying solve.

I truly enjoyed this puzzle. The cluing was clever, ample clues related to theme, and there was also a clue to the theme. I also enjoyed the Rock genre references. One of my favorite clues was: SHE’S A BELIEVER. I had a TON of fun doing this. Good start for a Sunday… Appreciation to Mr. Bodily.

Started puzzle of Friday night, got stuck, finished quickly on Saturday morning after waking. It’s amazing how the mind continues to process information while you sleep. Puzzle was a good challenge with some great cluing. I especially liked PURCHASE AT A BAR OR AT A BUTCHER SHOP and WORD WITH SOUND OR LANGUAGE. i would have never made these connections. Also chuckled at the answer for ONE INTERESTED IN BULL-DOZING. Thanks to Mr. Clinchy for a fun challenge.

Some pretty tough cluing, but had a good laugh when I finally filled in 42 A. Definitely was not thinking of that type of development. I also liked the L M N O P clue. Certainly a tough one for me but very satisfying when the music played.

I really loved the “Can’t Touch This” theme, though I did not fully appreciate it until close to the finish. It was a fun puzzle with many clever theme-related clues. Kudos to the author…

Good challenge caught me off guard. My favorite clue was TYPE OF PLACE THAT’s BESIDE THE POINT. I was thinking of a point of land for the longest time, but finally I came out of my 1A. Clever design with some creative cluing. HiHats off to Dana Edwards.

Interesting theme. Liked the long crosses and fortunately was able to guess them correctly. HEW TO is an expression that is new to me, but considering crosses, there was no other choice. Thanks to Mr. Leatherberry for a fun start to Tuesday.

I can’t remember my last alcoholic drink (and not because I’ve had one too many 😊), so the northeast corner gave me some trouble. I thought the theme of the puzzle was extremely clever, but since I do not type conventionally, I did not fully appreciate it until the final reveal. There were lots of great clues, but my favorite was RUN OUT OF CLOTHES? . Back in 1970 when I was a college freshman, the streaking fad was sweeping the country. I recall one night when a rather large group tried to set a record for having the most active streakers at a given time. I did not drop trou for my alma mater, but it was quite a spectacle. Unfortunately, no records were set.

Because I initially had SLAP for SHARP HIT, it looked like the king of Israel was going to be LEROY. Fortunately I discovered my error before the end. Otherwise, as one of the attendees at an All-Twins convention remarked, I would have been in a heap of doubles. It was a fun puzzle…

The word ENDUED occurs in a hymn that we occasionally sing in church. (The Church’s One Foundation). That’s the only reason I got it. Otherwise I thought this was a bit challenging for a Tuesday. I’m not a gambler but still enjoyed the puzzle’s theme.

I jumped all over 19 A and confidently typed in MICHAEL BUFFER. I thought I was …ready to RUMBLE until I started filling in the crosses. Nice try !!??

I really enjoyed this puzzle, and it was a satisfying solve with some clever cluing, especially 45D and 62A. I knew how to SAY the answer to 30D but have never actually spelled it out. Fortunately was able to channel Mr. Spock (or was it the Vulcan mind probe) for the answer to 23 A. Thanks to Ms. Hoody for a challenging and fun end to Friday evening.

Congrats to the young constructor of this puzzle. Hope to see more from you in the future…

I visited Uruguay back in 2001 and made a point of visiting the monument to the first world cup champions (Uruguay) in Montevideo. I was expecting something a bit grander, but it was fitting for the times (1930). However, I was a bit sad to see some graffiti on it and hope it has been cleaned up since then. I only spent a short time in Uruguay and would love to return one day, especially to see the coastline with spots such as the beautiful Punta del Este.

Did not know baby mice are called PUPS nor did I know the name of the utensil used to remove pizzas from the hot oven surface (PEEL). Fortunately I was saved by the crosses and I did learn something. Overall I thought it was a good challenge.

Did not know Bash Dana so for the ARM RAISER clue I had BELTS as in raising your arm to take a stuff drink (a belt). I had a feeling this was wrong but never considered the deltoid muscle. Anyway, it was fair and I learned something.

Oftentimes in a puzzle that has some longer answers like this one, I tend to try the shorter crosses first. In this puzzle, however, I had more success with the longer answers with just a few of the crosses filled in. This was especially true in the northwest section for me. I guess the lesson is that I should not shy away from the longer responses. In any case, I enjoyed all of the longer responses, especially for THEY GO DOWNHILL FAST and SIGN OF SLUGGISHNESS? Thanks to Mr. Bratton for a fun start to Friday

This was a tough challenge and satisfying solve for me. Many mistakes made along the way. For 10 Down,, I quickly wrote in Nitrogen which is in the second row on the right side of the periodic table, albeit not the far right. That ,however, led me nowhere.

I’d like to thank Don Gillis, former host of Candlepin Bowling Stars on Boston area television back in the 1960’s (I believe) for teaching me the location and numbers of the pins in bowling. Each week one of the players would try to convert the 1-7-10 split with no wood. It’s not impossible, but very difficult. If anyone could convert it, they won a cash prize. Also each week viewers would send in very difficult spare leads for the bowlers to attempt to convert. All of these were described by numbers. So thank you Don.

I really liked some of the clever cluing such as “needle on a thread?” The clue “balanced molecule” has be used several times before, so I knew the answer. However, as a chemist and chemistry teacher, I have not encountered this word in describing molecules. The better word is nonpolar. Perhaps, a different clue can be used in the future?

I really liked the theme of this puzzle but was annoyed (mostly with myself) for the ones I missed. I thought PRO was better than BRO for « jockish type » and POO instead of BOO which seemed possible. Also, I had CEO instead of CIO but I should have figured that from the cluing. Also I never heard of the term HINKY, so HENKY made just as much sense to me. Overall, though I did enjoy it and congratulations to the designer…

I really enjoyed most of the cluing in this fun Saturday puzzle. PUT ON THE RITZ reminds me of the song by Taco, which has a style I like. Also liked the clue FLAT BREAD? which was a great pun. Was not familiar with the term BEAR TRAP, but made sense after some thought. And BOOKER’S WORKPLACE had me thinking of many wrong possibilities until I remembered Senator Cory. Thanks to Mr. Sheremeta for a fun challenge.

There was an episode of Rod Serling’s Night Gallery which told the tale of a young man (played by Richard Thomas (John-boy on Waltons)) who ate the sins of a sin eater. It still sends shivers down my spine, and I was a bit surprised to come across it here. Thanks (I think) to Mr Judge for “resurrecting” this memory.

I really loved and enjoyed the challenge of this puzzle, and the cleverness of many of the clues. But I made it more difficult (impossible) by filling in Sharif (one of my favorite actors) for 30 A and trying to make the cooking term into a German one rather than a French one. Eventually, I came to my senses. My favorite clue was 12 D. I have seen this deception in previous crosswords, but still almost always fall for it for a while. So I was thinking of octane ratings and price per gallon instead of the dentist’s office. Thanks to Mr. Lieberman for a challenging start to Saturday.

I had “I SAY NO” for 15A which also fits with 8D. Seems like a reasonable alternative answer, and it was also the first to come to mind. It took me the longest time, but finally I changed NO to SO to make the music 🎵 play.