Jacad

@Erin It's a comments section. People comment. Sometimes they comment about things they like or thought were done well, sometimes they comment about things they didn't like or thought were done poorly. I find it amazing how many people seem to feel it's their job to police the comments section and only ever say things they think are "positive" or that they agree with.

@Chet Exactly. The "if you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all" approach seems to me to be anathema to constructive dialogue and learning in general. Personal attacks are always out of order, but other than that, please let people comment as they please.

@NY Expat I thought MANSPREADING was a hoot, and definitely a common phenomenon for those of us using public transit on a regular basis (nice that you don't do it though) :)

@AJ Can you not legitimize this kind of remark please, even if you (understandably) were outraged by it's original utterance and think your comment is in the service of the good fight? It doesn't help anything to sink to the same level.

@Steve L It was a fair comment. There have been many factually incorrect (but crossword-legal) clues over the twenty years I've been doing this puzzle. As with the constant omission of actual words in the Spelling Bee (some better known the ones that make it in), we accept the "it's an art not a science" nature of the game and carry on. Doesn't mean we can't comment on it in the comments section though...

@Barry Ancona Or maybe they just didn't like it, which is fine. Labelling everyone who commented as such as inexperienced or lazy seems a tad unfair.

@Barry Ancona So you can make a comment of disapproval but not one else can? SMH.

@Barry Ancona Apparently, a natick is defined as: "a square where two obscure entries, often proper nouns, intersect, making it impossible for many solvers to fill in without guessing." So ROSAMUND and REEM was indeed a natick. Not sure what the problem is with people pointing it out and/or referring to it as such?

@Pax Ahimsa Gethen 100%! The industrial farming of pigs is just unconscionable (I made myself visit a facility once and it was truly vile the way those animals were treated).

@Barry Ancona He didn't think it was a great clue. A perfectly reasonable view even if it doesn't align with yours. Please stop telling people they're wrong for commenting in a comments section.

@Barry Ancona Exactly. Some people like them, some people find them easy; some people don't like them and find them hard. All are valid, and all are welcome to comment on their individual experience. I found this one easy and I also didn't like it. Tomorrow will no doubt be a different combination.

@AJ And please excuse my misplaced apostrophe; indignation always plays havoc with my punctuation :)

@Barry Ancona You know there is a, nicer way to put this, right?