Erin & Erin

Great theme laid extremely low by gnarly crosswordese... Non-English language clues: ICH, ACHT, ILE, EIN, ENTENTE, TASS, PARI-mutuel, BANQUE Names that defied noodling out: KEN KESEY, ELIA, AMON RA, YPRES, SENTA, O'MEARA, OSTER Combinations of words I've never seen used that way before: CUT IN + ON, HD TV + SET, BEAN for head, Snow job for CONS (woah-- thought something had seriously slipped by the editors there) Silly shortenings: INS, OSE, ETTE, PHYS, CIRC, URBS, RET, HOR (slow down there, EDS!!) Throw in some I just didn't know (TCU, NEOBOP, AEC) and this is definitely the longest we've ever worked the crossword, only brought to an end with increasingly exasperated lookups. The theme was very cool and I really liked a few (BIG TOE / LOW DIGIT; ACUTE / NOT QUITE RIGHT) but we had fully filled in CHILD SUPPORT before we could come up with KNEE, such was the treachery of KEN KESEY. I don't think this puzzle really wanted to exist, given the incredible reach of the non-theme fills. I will push back on the "obscurity" of RIESEN chocolates I'm seeing people claim, though. I've always found them in an American grocery when I've looked for them, and my mom packed them in my lunch as a kid. They glue your teeth together, and they are excellent. A handful of them would have made this experience a lot more fun!

My girlfriend and I were thrilled to know EROICA from having seen it performed at the symphony a few months ago, but I guess doing the crossword for several decades and being clued in to its familiar rhythms is another way to go about it! Loved this puzzle and it came together pretty painlessly. HELLO NEW MAN made me cackle.

Absolutely lovely puzzle with a theme that made us squeal with delight each time we pieced a fill together. It came relatively easily and I enjoyed the jokey fills not part of the theme (INN, ID TAG). Did anyone else smile at the proximal USS ENTERPRISE? CLEMSON/CLEMONS cross was wildly satisfying too. Our only hangup was the OGEE/STOGIE intersection which we had to brute force with consonants until the music came. Not familiar with either but I hope they rhyme! Maybe the last puzzle we get to work on together for a while as my other half prepares for her PhD qualifying exams. NO PAIN NO GAIN seems to be the unfortunate philosophy of the academic system and our leisure time may be spent on softer pursuits than tricksy puzzling.

Really enjoyed this straightforward Sunday and was charmed by the theme, HELEN OF TROY being a HOTtie made me giggle.

Really enjoyed the twist in the end but many of the entries were totally unfamiliar to us: LEAS, RECTO, MAUSER and SEEST just didn't look like words. MARTINET and ARMAGNAC in the roundabouts felt particularly mean as we were trying to piece the trick of the puzzle together. APOLO Ohno and DRAGNET were before our time. We got got by thinking uTTA flour is what uttapams are made from and had to eventually throw in the towel and check the puzzle on that mixup. Feeling slightly bruised and battered by this weekend so we'll look forward to soothing our egos on the Monday tomorrow.

I hate the feeling of coming up with an entry on crosses and still not understanding when it fills. ELS, LET and BREAK SERVE were total headscratchers for us. Insult to injury when our woes don't get a note in the column! So thanks to the commenters who clarified things. We cleverly avoided the CECE/bEbE mixup by having never heard of either of those artists, but sEeded and marbled RYES (my favorite breads!) had us on the ropes. SPACESHip/SPACESHOT was rather evil business.