David R

I'm never on Sam's wavelength in his puzzles. I manage to finish them, but I don't enjoy the process. I've been trying to figure out why. I think it has something to do with his particular kind of vagueness--useful in clueing, of course, especially on a Saturday. GAH, to me, doesn't work for [Smacks forehead]; GAH carries a connotation of horror and panic (unlike the more apt-for-the-clue DOH). ALL THAT has a more negative connotation than "Legit," in my experience (as in "He thinks he's all that"), and glances are what one typically steals, rather than PEEKs. Perhaps that's it: Sam's clues tend to strip words of their connotations and common usages, so I don't get that rush of pleasure from "Oh! I never thought of that word that way!" Instead, the answers often feel just shy of correct to me--arguably correct, perhaps, but I don't look for arguments first thing in the morning on a Saturday.

Hit 1500 in my completing-the-puzzle streak today. Not always unaided (I let myself do Google checks, and allow one or two actual lookups on Fridays and Saturdays), but religiously to completion. It's a favorite part of my morning ritual (Bee, Wordle, and Connections on my phone before rising, Crossword and Strands over/around breakfast). For the record, I'm a staunch member of team Rebus, and take full responsibility for not knowing sports trivia (yesterday's SE corner nearly defeated me). Today's theme was right up my alley, as I'm a musician and music teacher. Much help when I grokked the theme about halfway through and was able to fill the rest of the edge in easily. (Let's hear it for solfège!) But a nasty stack in the SW added a ton of flyspecking time to today's ticker: I had ORReN/ODiA instead of ORRIN/ODEA and it was a while before I checked the clue--or even looked at--54D. So the puzzle, as usual, reminds me not to get too comfortable. Coming here to read the comments of favorite fellow-solvers (and to eat some popcorn, and sometimes throw some too, during the kerfuffles) is the other part that keeps me subscribing to the NYT even when I get frustrated with what's happening in other sections. Happy to have made this milestone, and a happy solving day, week, month, year to all.

My favorite thing about this puzzle is it raises the possibility of two rebus puzzles in a week. In which case I'll do a happy dance in spite of the heat.

I'm going to land on team Tough But Absolutely Fair on this one. SE was the first place I got a solid toehold. A tough climb from there, but made it. Slippery cluing (LOAN or Lend?), and a great center stack. Great job.

After moving by the acrosses and not getting very far, I decided to let my solve wander and by chance hit the MOLE(CULES) on the first WHAC. That, with the title, made for a smooth solve for the other HOLEs (though I wondered if we were going to see pit, void, and other synonyms as the rebus). I agree with those who say the circles took the edge off the puzzle, but it's Sunday, not Thursday, so I can forgive. The reward graphics were completely delightful. I expected moaning at the rebuses, and I was not disappointed. It's fascinating to me that folks call this "cheating," even though the practice (along with many another diverse puzzle style) is accepted, even welcomed by the Crossworld. As in so many other venues, clear (if complex) rules, widely agreed upon, are not negated by one person's deciding he doesn't like them, no matter how loudly he complains.

Hit a milestone 1400 streak today. Nice to do it with a cute puzzle. And I must add that, beyond the pleasure of the puzzles themselves, there's plenty of satisfying diversion here in this comments section. It's fun to see other people's obsessions play out, whether it's deep-diving into the crossword archives or pointing out the coincidences (OR ARE THEY??) of the fill, or even the popcorn-worthy battles that ensue. As I grow to recognize the names and foibles of the regular commenters, my world gets a little bigger. Thank you all. Now on to 1500! See you in three and a half months.

Such a beautiful tribute to your father, Deb. For so many of us the crossword was a connection to a parent--in my case, my mother. Your presence here is such a boon to us all, and my heart is with you. Thank you for sharing your joys and sorrows with us, and for your work bringing these puzzles to us every week. Especially puzzles like today's. 21A is one of the best clues I've seen in a while (merely the brightest star among a glittering panoply today). And doesn't one have to adore a puzzlemaker casually dropping a delightful word like "sprezzatura" into the conversation!

Really enjoyed this one! Looking at the various controversies in the comments today, I have a few thoughts: 1) Often (usually?) grey squares will guide a fill--that is, tracing an answer along the gray squares will reveal where the letters go according to whatever "trick" is happening. Think of embedded answers, for instance. 2) I enjoyed this even though I completely missed that the downs *as filled* were also coherent answers. When Deb's column called that out, my enjoyment turned to admiration. I don't feel like I have to be smarter than the constructor in order to be satisfied; in fact, I like it when I can marvel at the constructor's cleverness. I want to be smart enough to solve it (and, having been at this for almost five decades, I usually am); thankfully I can still take joy in the skills of others (Python or no).

Kept going for merinos and angoras before ALPACAS and LLAMAS. I guess i like my wool **really** soft. Enjoyed the theme, which I only got after a creeping sense that all the theme clues had a full word in their back half. The penny finally dropped when POTATO appeared as I was working the downs. And very satisfying to see the (proper!) nomenclature appear at 58A, even if the timeliness was a happy accident. I missed the chime with the clue for 25A, which does contribute to an unintentional vibe. The urge to head off controversy, though, makes me sigh a bit. The NYT has been euphemising a lot of administrative crime in its coverage these days ("illegal" is not a word that appears in the filter terms for today's roundup of executive actions). To clutch our pearls at the first suggestion of the possibility of a sign of resistance feels like too much timidity. My only hope is that framing the puzzle this way was in service of defending the constructors from possible attack. In any case, an enjoyable Thursday, fairly challenging with a clever theme.

Deb, many thanks for the years of good humor and guidance. It's been a few years since I switched to doing the puzzle online on the reg, and discovering your Wordplay columns and the community they inspire was an unexpected benefit. Since you stepped back to only a few columns a week, I have looked forward to Thursdays not only for their trickiness but for your voice. I especially have enjoyed the videos you've made with your colleagues, and the occasional columns where we solved along with you were smart and always encouraging. Glad that I'll be able to continue following your exploits on Bluesky (everybody should!) and I'll anticipate your occasional return to this space. Again, many many thanks.

"...including the Puns and Anagrams found in this issue." Way to poke at a sore spot for us online subscribers! We haven't forgotten that, once upon a time, we could enjoy variety puzzles online.

Great puzzle, with just enough chewy moments. My favorite is a little one: [Etc., etc.] is so sneaky, with the two "etc."s so easily glossed as a mere repetitive phrase. Didn't get much of anything until 13D made me change 18A from RUM to SKA, and even then I started off taking THE WHEEL instead of THE REINS. At that point I was off to the races, with a fairly odd counterclockwise solving pattern. Happy Saturday.

Four Google cheats, and one spelling check--and a new longest time (nearly an hour). A truly tough puzzle--but I enjoyed it immensely. Every time a word popped in, a little blast of endorphins, and I could see the specificity and cleverness of the clue. The shape of the puzzle, as the constructor elucidates, is a bit of a wonder. I've rarely felt so satisfyingly beaten on a Saturday. A++.

Almost nothing on my first tour through the Acrosses--only MIXTAPE provisionally. Then the Downs came in smoothly in the corners, and broke the center open just enough. For me, a highly satisfying solve with a bunch of great clues and entries (I co-sign on MEOWED's brilliance).

What does one call a sound that is both a laugh and a gasp? That's what happened when I filled in 25D (having figured out the trick, after a long struggle, with 17A). Really nicely done! And today my streak is at 100, having sacrificed my previous 1500+ streak to the week-long boycott in support of the NYT tech staff union of a few months ago. Nice to break into triple digits once again.

Having clocked the DOWNs at the first two instances, 27A made me nervous--and then joyous as I realized we had a Schrödinger/rebus combo. I figured either UP or DOWN would be accepted, so I did the last two as UP, just to be fair to the crossword gods. An excellent puzzle, as mentioned elsewhere a true unicorn, with a charming backstory to boot. I'm happy to add to the comment count here. (I appreciated yesterday's but today's blew me away.)

Wow, this was a workout. Wearing a leoTARD meant that even Googling didn't help much. Once that switch flipped, the puzzle finally started moving. Almost nothing on the acrosses; some help on the downs, but every inch of this puzzle was hard-won. "naked" gargoyles (what was I thinking?) and only knowing one hockey name (ORR) and deciding that HEISMAN would do (can you tell I don't follow sports?) made the center an utter muddle. I had convinced myself that DON'T BLAME ME didn't fit, when in fact it did. (BLAME the lack of coffee, I guess.) Looking back up at this mountain from the other side, it's a great puzzle, with fantastic, sparkly fill. And ultimately fair. But I could really use a NECKRUB.

Good heavens. I thought this was just fine, and the illustrations were cute—I solve on a laptop, because a phone makes everything too small. It's a practice I heartily recommend for my fellow glasses-wearers. But as for the moaning about contemporary slang and references (and many are hardly contemporary): certainly few are obscure, at least to me (for instance,FUNfetti can be well known to anyone who strolls the grocery aisle, and FURSONAS has been around for a while). Others, like IOMMI, are outside of my wheelhouse but that doesn't make them obscure in general. Besides, they're mostly gettable on the crosses and clearly in someone else's Goldilocks zone. If you want to see obscure, try the first crossword ever published by the NYT, in 1942. I've hacked away at it periodically for over two years, and I'm nowhere near complete. But that's on me, not on the constructor.

Surprisingly tough, even though I cottoned to the theme fairly early. 42A was the most evil of veiled capitals, given the reverberations of 40A. Center south forced a Google. A worthy Sunday!

Loved this puzzle! Tough (about 20% above my usual, but on my average, since Thursday is distorted by some extra-long times in the past). Each theme answer was like a new batch of pop rocks in my brain. Only RIMIER and WIRER felt glue-y. Did not love all the hate it's received--including one comment that was frankly shocking in its ad-hominem meanness. I also lose patience with the "too US-centric" comments. I wouldn't do a British puzzle and complain if I encountered Maltesers or bangers. But back to the positives: lively answers in a lot of the downs, clever clueing for PINATA, nice clue for SO SUE ME, and learned something new about ATF which was, if I remember correctly, in another puzzle in the last few days. Happy Thursday!

Got almost all the way through the acrosses with very little, but my rebus sense was pinging. Almost filled in HAY at 35 D when the alarm went off. From there it was a breezy and enjoyable solve. Happy thanksgiving, everyone!

TIL I had the definition of NEAP tide exactly wrong, and that a spring tide doesn't mean it happens in March, April, or May. I love it when the crossword teaches me stuff.

The buzzing around SEITAN today reminded me of the first time I ever had it: Baby Watson's in the Garage in Harvard Square served a breaded, fried seitan that was juicy and delicious. Today I found the theme helpful--it allowed me to watch for the o's and fill in some of the later ones by process of elimination. And, like many others, I loved the longer answers, especially BOO OFFSTAGE.

**One Second** off my best time, but I take it as a record, because my previous Tuesday best resulted from re-entering an entire puzzle due to a glitch. It's been tough to beat that illicitly-if-innocently-attained time. A great puzzle, and I loved the evocative theme.

Truly tough but absolutely fair puzzle, IMO. Early classes to teach meant I only got to this after an afternoon nap; I don't recommend the practice, because I didn't manage to fill a single word until 43A. Scant few acrosses after that, and almost no downs until I celebrated 48D. I was certain my long streak would end, even if I allowed myself some Googling. But I held off that dodge (which I sometimes allow myself once per puzzle on Fridays and Saturdays), and MY SHARONA gave me the first real wedge in. From there i proceeded slowly but surely, sans Google. Correcting DOC to DR finally broke open the NW, and I was home free, well past my average time, but at least in one piece. A great, great Friday.

I noticed early on that the sites were in the appropriate quadrants of the puzzle. But I didn't grok the revealer--indeed, I figured I was going to learn something quite unusual about geography or some new classification of the North American continent as somehow the "southeast" (my chosen fill). Even when the letters popped in on completing the puzzle, I still saw only two alternatives. When I went to the column, I was floored. Truly magnificent construction, and concept.

Right on my average. Felt hard, but I never felt put-upon. (My typical reaction to a Robyn Wintraub.) Southwest had me stumped for a while, but then I bellied up to the buffet and made a meal of it. Plenty of smiles throughout, but "Minor change" for CENT made me go "oooooo, that's good."

20A was a laugh-out-loud moment. Congratulations on the debut, and best of luck in Denver!

Theater worker here--having worked on dozens of Shakespeare plays, TUCKET was a gimme. Loved this puzzle, and actually figured out the theme before the revealer (a rare occurrence for me).

Great puzzle, though I had to flyspeck SHyEST and AyMEE. Given the randomness of name orthography, my preferred spelling of SHIEST seemed perfectly natural. (With the "I", it looks to me as if it should be pronounced as one syllable.) Had to consult Google to clear that up.

Loved this puzzle--even if I came away from it a little bruised. The lights of LAS VEGAS brought the first glimmer (oh! There's an anagram involved) and then looking closely at StePOniT brought the full dawn. From there I thought it would be a quick bout, but the NW wouldn't give in. I think it's because the unclued version of CurEall was a proper name, crossed with a proper name in the dreaded sports category--essentially a kind of hidden natick. So off to Google I had to go, and LON finally got me home, a little past the scheduled time. Long live Thursday trickery!

Cute puzzle, but my god how I dislike flyspecking Sundays. ADEtINE crossing with tSA took me 15 minutes to find. My own fault, of course, but I pity the innocents I'm going to be interacting with for the rest of the day, as I struggle not to be growly.

I loved the tunnel trick and the bonus clues--which actually helped me do some filling in without crosses once I got the idea with BEET[H]OVEN. The sheer number of (short) entries made it a bit of a slog for me, but the cluing kept me afloat: "Stop being buds?," the two Keynes clues arranged symmetrically, the brilliant AGNES Varda name-checked, my favorite Shakespeare play, my favorite composer, and the brilliant "Chore-o-graph?" I also loved RINSO, which I only know from the lyrics to a song from the musical "Hair" (a show that reminds me how much campiness there was in 60s youth culture). I did notice in the overlay at the end that the O's in THE DOORS looked suspiciously like 0's. Good puzzle for a summer Sunday.

Spent a lot of time erasing fill that just didn't seem to work with the crosses only to find I had been right (SCALENE, ...PRESIDENCY). Had to take a break in the middle of my solve, with pretty much only the NW solid, and came back to change _AlSLED (that's a lower case L) to RASSLED, even though it didn't work with Pope PaUl. PIUS broke the SE open, and the rest of the puzzle tumbled nicely after too long wandering in the desert. A good, tough puzzle with truly excellent marquee fill and cluing.

Compared to yesterday, this was a bit of a breeze (but then, anything would be). BBCRADIO, SOLTI, IBID, REGAN, NEMO, SOURBEERS, several others popped in quickly--I was clearly on the constructors' wavelength. But "pass on a wing and a prayer" put me in mind of mid-air near-misses, and I'll admit with a snicker that "sac" was my first try for "ball holder," so there was just enough resistance to give me a smile-- which widened at the central crossing and its cluing. It's been a nice streak of puzzles this week. My hopes are high for Sunday.

This one felt tough, even though I know the songs; they just wouldn't come to mind, pre-coffee. Today's comments column, on the other hand, shall be known henceforward as The Battle of the Schwa. One never knows how that pesky sound is going to be spelled. (I hear, for instance, PuhPuhPuhPOKERFACE and CHihCHihCHihCHihCHANGES.) Hey, a puzzle that actually used the schwa symbol ə for any appropriate vowel would be neat... (hope that upside-down e doesn't rile the emus...)

Anyone else think "spouse" before SISTER at 54A? Roman gods being Roman gods, and all.

Just about a perfect Friday experience--despair (almost nothing entered after the last of the acrosses) followed by aha!s and elation. The last square filled was Mr. Ocasek--who spells his name with a C, apparently, even though TIN kAN looked reasonable, me being a Krazy Kat fan. Tough, lively. Perfect.

The concentration of sports and cheap beer in the SE almost had me running to Google. I had 43A filled in my mind but hadn't entered it yet, and I had tried 53A and 60A but then erased both due to a lack of confidence. Only once I had actually written STAR was I able to see REESES in R__S__. Always relearning that **writing it in** will make things clearer. Probably suffering from echoes of when I used to do the puzzle on paper, in pen, and give myself a demerit point for each square I had to overscribble.