Ann Robinson
Bx
I don’t think I am going to read all 476 comments. Based on my regular lurking, I’m guessing many of these are jeremiads about the rebus. I just popped in to say that I really liked this puzzle a lot. At first, I was confused, because some of the clues seemed quite easy, and I didn’t figure out the rebus trick that quickly. I was tickled to find the rebus gimmick, though. I continue to have trouble with the IE/EI spelling thing, even as an academic pretty well into middle-age! And such fun that it works in the opposite order on the downs and acrosses! Congrats to the debut puzzle constructors! I hope to see more from you in the future! Stay warm, everybody!
I usually don’t post because by the time I do the puzzle most of you are long gone. This puzzle was fine and fun, like almost all of them are to me. But I want to celebrate my 500-puzzle streak! I started doing them in 2022, and now I do most of them without lookups. So let’s also consider this an encouragement to those who are just getting started on their puzzle journey.
I’m mostly one of Deb’s lurkers, but I wish you all a healthy and peaceful holiday season. Christmas was a little weird for us (two elders with health issues meant that there was no family get-together), but it’s still good to be home for the holidays, as the saying goes.
Fun and challenging puzzle! I came in “under” my average, but there are some old Sundays that took me FOREVER, so my Sunday average time is pretty high. Speaking of doing old puzzles, I’ve seen some complaints about the new version of the app. I don’t really mind it, but I don’t see a “recent puzzles” section that would easily bring up ones that are incomplete. Am I missing it or is it gone? By the way, I loved the EMU clue!
Just going to add my congratulations to Samantha on your debut. Super cute and enjoyable puzzle! I’m a chocolate girl, myself. And also to send healing wishes to Will! You have many people pulling for you!
Really cute and fun Tuesday puzzle, if a bit harder than average. Being a late commenter, most of my observations have already been made, but I don’t think I saw this: Did anybody else confidently put in “hangar” for 67A? It certainly would have fit in with the theme, coincidentally!
Fun puzzle, if a bit on the breezy side. I’m mostly here to comment about Mr Johnson’s lovely tribute to his friend Alexandra. What a touching story about friendship and human connection.
Congrats to Mr. Baude! It’s nice to hear about perseverance!
@jacob ANTED is the past tense of ante, and a “kitty” is a collective pot of money. To ante is to contribute to the pot. It does look like the past tense of “to ant,” though, doesn’t it? Do emus eat ants?
Very cute and fun puzzle! Agree that it’s a bit on the easy side for a Thursday. I didn’t get a PB, but came in well under my Thursday average. I also agree that the clueing was quite clever. My favorites were BOTOX and OCTET … great misdirection!
@Pax Ahimsa Gethen that’s how I feel about it too. Definitely a slower solve for me (and I actually told my spouse that this might be the one that breaks my nearly 500-day streak), but once I finally figured out the gimmick, I said “aaahh” out loud! I love a good Thursday puzzle, but I wasn’t expecting something like this on a Wednesday!
I am just here to echo the condolences that many have expressed. Deb, I’m very sorry for your loss. My dad would have been 99 this year, so of a similar generation to yours. And like you, we had a relationship that was pretty difficult at times. I was pretty young when he died, and often wish I had the opportunity as a more mature adult to have a better relationship. I’m glad that you were able to enjoy his last years in peace together.
Cute and fun puzzle! Makes me want to take the JASA crossword class when I retire (I’m mentally ready, tbh, but financially not so much). Thanks to Natan and his class! I feel bad for all the folks who’ve never heard of, let alone tried, MAPO TOFU. Also, I recently was going through some of the old junk in my mom’s apartment and came across one of my old college notebooks, which happened to contain an essay on ETHAN Frome! (I have to say, immodestly I guess, it was better than most of the essays I get nowadays.) But that one was another gimme for me.
Didn’t read all the comments but I saw less grumbling about rebi than I expected. I’m thankful for (among many other things) my spouse, my family, a steady job, my marbles, and the puzzle and its community! Happy thanksgiving to all who celebrate! Re. the puzzle, the stacks were fun! To be honest, it was a bit disappointing that I did it so quickly (some really straightforward clues, I thought), in close to half my average time. I guess they wanted to make it a little more accessible to the casual solver, but I totally get that.
@Becca, I have no AMTRAK advice (other than, maybe, leave extra time for the trip), but I enjoyed your emoji clues. Cute!
@Lewis I always appreciate your positive comments on the puzzle when I come here. I heard your town is still recovering. I hope you and yours are doing OK.
@Marshall Walthew what a lovely tribute to your mother. I hope your memories of her give you comfort at this difficult time. So sorry for your loss
@Jay good for you, Jay! I will take your cue, and not add to the discourse. Some of the non-theme entries were pretty hard for me, so it was fortunate that most of the theme entries were that the themers were pretty basic and clued straightforwardly.
@Niall a “hotdog” (as I’ve seen it spelled) is a person who shows off, especially in sports. See the second definition here: <a href="https://www.dictionary.com/browse/hot-dog" target="_blank">https://www.dictionary.com/browse/hot-dog</a>
@Bonnie i love it! I think I might make Pia Noleg one of my aliases!
@Bob Adler Yes, me too. I don’t think I would’ve got the theme without Sam’s column, but the puzzle itself was pretty easy. Didn’t get a PB, but definitely under my average time.
@DocP I never thought of that trick. Nice! All this and EMUS too!
Fun puzzle! I had no idea that “throwing shade” went so far back. And what a sweet story from the constructor about making puzzles for his grandparents! As a (half-) Finnish-American, I am glad to see that an actual Finn has explained the nudity appropriate to SAUNA. That answer stumped me at first, though it was easy enough to get from the crosses. Happy semester, to all who are into that sort of thing!
@HeathieJ I came here to say that too! This was one of several good chuckles I got from this puzzle!
@HeathieJ you and I seem to be on the same wavelength! That was my last to fall today.
@john ezra, I agree, super comment! Thanks for the chuckle!
@KandB @gurdog that happened to me too, but with the GOLEM rebus. I put in “Mangonade” which seemed like a thing (and Google did come with at least one recipe) and then I was stuck for a looooooooooong time trying to figure out what rebus would work at the crossing of MONG_IRE and _ROPER. I tried to figure out monsters that started with “ol” and ended with “eu” (I thought Polish might somehow be a type of “Europer” 🤷🏼♀️), to no avail. Other than that bit of frustration, it was a fun Halloween themed puzzle!
@John "The Beast" I think I’ve seen both DOXED and “Doxxed”
@CaptainQuahog Very well put. Haters gonna hate, I guess.
Just here to add my warm welcome back to Will! So glad that you're recovered well enough to be back at work! And thanks to Joel for manning this SHIP so ably in Will's absence! (And about the puzzle, it was a bit slow for a Monday for me, due to either the SW corner, or starting it pretty late in the day when I was pretty tired--probably both.) Happy new year, all!
@Michael huh, you’re really at the South Pole? Wow!
@Jamie yes, I was another one who found IGA /MUKBANG a serious Natick. That alone probably added 10% to my solve time. Otherwise a fun puzzle, though!
@Brendan yes, my solve was similar. For some reason I decided to do the four corners first. I had the same amazement as Sam about how the constructor could do it! Fun puzzle!
@Park. Good for you! No lookups, no emus.
@s.pock, that is not correct. There are F-flat, E-sharp, and similar notes. They just don’t happen to be black keys on the piano, and thus are less well-known than the black notes (to use the common text abbreviations) Ab, C#, and so on. I could explain further (this is definitely my wheelhouse), but I might be perceived as delving into pedantry. Emu-flat 🎼🎶🎹
@Nancy J. As it happens, I’m in the process of reading that book, so was amused by this answer
@Charles @kate It’s a page right out of hIstory 🐅
@Andrzej My husband, who’s kind of a motorhead, was pleased to hear from me that today’s puzzle contains both HEMIS and DODGE. He said “the constructor’s a Mopar guy, huh?”
@Classic Hip-Hop Fan I replied to another thread, but I had a very similar thing with Mangonade and trying to stick a rebus into the Khan/Polish crossing. Oof!
@Lewis so glad to hear that! Best to you and all your neighbors!
@G @Jim, I don’t have a dog in the fight, but maybe it was flagged/removed because “lame” is considered an ableist slur?
@Helen Wright so sorry to hear you’re under the weather! Feel better fast!
@Bill I’m trying to remember what the quote is from. “She Blinded Me With Science”? Science!
@Xword Junkie same for me too. Solved in less than half my Friday average. [Wanders around an airport] was my favorite clue.
@Nancy J. Just have to do one more yikes to that one! Ugh!
@Michelle Botwinick yeah, I got this one from the crosses 🤦♀️
@Redin yeah, that’s about exactly how I rolled, too. Yesterday was brutal! Today, although I wasn’t familiar with everything (THATDOGDON’THUNT), there were a few gimmes for me (HUMANPYRAMID, “like sands through the hourglass…”) and I came in just three minutes over my Saturday record time. Good thing, as I have to get a semester up and running by Monday…
@Grant Any reference to The Dan is alright by me.
@Mean Old Lady @Marlene Connections kicked my butt today too. I often get it with no mistakes, and it’s pretty rare for me to completely tank, but I did today. My lack of movie knowledge really did me in!