Chris
Upstate NY
Something was eating cherry tomatoes that grow up a post of my pergola, leaving just a little piece of the skin behind on the patio table each night. I took my Ring doorbell from the front door (it's not hardwired) and set it on the table. A squirrel climbed up the plant, grabbed a tomato and sat on the table facing the camera. For several minutes, holding it in his 2 little paws, he enjoyed that tomato so much. When he was done he climbed back up and grabbed another one for the road. I couldn't be mad. It was just too much fun to watch. I think your problem with the peppers is rabbits. Put a camera there to find out.
@Lpr I initially thought the same thing, but on further thought realized there is rarely a time there is no hurricane, volcano, fire or mudslide somewhere in the world. When would a good time be to run this when the timing isn't unfortunate, or insensitive, to victims? It is a clever puzzle construction, but what to do with it?
I enjoy the end of the week puzzles, so don't tell me to go back to Mondays, or tell me to keep trying and someday I'll "get it". But when doing a tough puzzle there comes a point when I know if I keep going I'll be successful, or not to waste any more time on the poor cluing. That's when I hit Reveal puzzle, see the answers that are not clever enough for me to care, and go to the Archive and find a good Saturday puzzles from years ago.
@Steve L It is possible, and you know this as well as anyone, the delay in comments appearinging in this column means there is a chance this question was asked before the answers were posted.
@Skeptical1 $1Mil is seven figures.
I solved this, with more help from Google than usual. Some consider lookups "cheating" but I'm learning something so I allow it.
This was one of those days when I wasn't making much progress, took the dog for a walk, came back and things fell into place. I have watched only a couple episodes of Mad Men, but that answer came easily because who could avoid knowing about this show? Same with the Rock Hall of Fame: I'm not a country fan, but I know who she is, and the story was big at the time, not long ago. I am as mystified as she is as to why she belongs in the Rock Hall of Fame. I see some comments about this puzzle being "bro-centric". I am 70 year old woman and didn't feel this way. I did have trouble with the Three-peat coach. I could picture him, but could not remember his name. Even with the first name help. This happens to me more and more - thank goodness for Google.
@DocP TIL Teal ducks dabble, that is eat at the surface of the water as opposed to diving to catch food.
25A I read as "half the rhyming name game". Had the first A and wrote in Anna, and kept it for way too long. Now I've got that awful song in my head. Except I don't know the words. Mostly just Bonana fanna.
@RDJ If I was the puzzle constructor, submitted a puzzle to NYT which was accepted and ran, I'd be pretty angry when their columnist compares it to a 12 year old puzzle and trashes it. Deb Amien's column would be fine if it was the rejection letter to the constructor. Otherwise why is the NYT running "less than" puzzles? If the puzzle doesn't meet NYT's standards, don't run it. If it does, don't be mean about it.
@LJADZ Some people liked her art and music. I did not, but there's some very popular singers and bands that I did not care for. I wouldn't call them frauds just because I didn't like them. Art is in the eye are the ear of the beholder.
@Cat Lady Margaret My first thought was Gravity, but it didn't fit.
I tried to guess who these men were. Maybe the 1919 white Sox? Odd man out maybe a baseball clue? (No, they aren't) Are they just random names? I tried to connect the names we removed from the across words but they seem to have no connection. What does ambient have to do with Mint. What does Abe have to do with Mint? So I'm disappointed in that, unless I'm really missing something. The wordplay article doesn't say.
Good puzzle but the homophones are a real stretch. I knew my entries were correct but like many other comments didn't get Dic and Tock. Even after I read this column they still feel too forced just to get some homophones into the puzzle. The puzzle would have been just as fun without the whole homophone theme.
One of my first fills was "ratedR" for 6D. That kept the whole top of the grid empty for me for quite some time.
@Jon G. Peggy Lee finally gets her answer; Yes, that's all there is, my friend. That's all there is.
@Scott You're new here, aren't you?
@Jane Wheelaghan I knew of bowtie pasta long before I knew it was called farfalle.
@Bruce I don't look at my times, but I don't mind seeing the people who do. It's what they're into. This forum is the exact right place for them to post it.
This puzzle was just too difficult for me. I SIT OK? How is that considered to be clever puzzle construction? I finally just hit the Reveal Puzzle button to see all the answers I didn't know, and am off to pull a Saturday from the archives.
I was very proud of myself for quickly getting VIEW as a place to get shots, I tried hard to keep it til the end. I don't feel bad because it's a much better answer than VEIN.
Did anyone else waffle between Imsorry and itsonme? I had the I and the O, and took some time to get some of the other downs.
@Hardroch You might want to read the origin of the Pulaski. Touching, and very relevant to today's wildfire situations
@Mark Everyone is different.
@Ms. Billie M. Spaight Surely you realize some of us do not do the games in the order you do and haven't done Connections yet. Spoiling the game for others is a selfish act.
@Francis You must have enough of it.
@Joseph P. I had the L and U for "show of hands" and tried very hard for a few minutes to make it a rebus for "applause".
A number of comments that this was a "Monday puzzle", not a "Tuesday puzzle". I have always considered them to be interchangeable: two days of easy puzzles before the harder end of the week. I do know the difference and what to expect on Wed, Thu, Fri, Sat and Sun. What is supposed to be the difference between Monday and Tuesday?
I wasn't doing the NYT puzzles in 2011, so I am happy with today's. Took me a while to figure out the rebus, then I was able to move along.
I solve on my android and never think to take the extra step to look at the puzzle title. I had no idea the theme was Pixar movies. I enjoy a rebus puzzle and got these, with a little effort, just by solving the across and downs. I think it was more fun for me, even though I saw no pattern to the rebuses, and so they seemed randomly inserted into the puzzle. Sometimes knowing the theme makes it seem too easy. (Not always. Sometimes I appreciate a revealer clue. I'm easy to please, I guess.)
@Teresa I agree about the increasing use of phrases. It often feels like forced filler when they're not phrases that anyone says, or are very regional. And, sneerat and yellat do not belong in the same puzzle. Once is pushing it, twice is lazy.
@Kroobey When you were 40 I wonder what the 80 year olds were saying about those puzzles, and what you thought about that.
@Hei RPI is in Troy, near Albany. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. I consider it more of a Computer Tech school than a research school, but Wikipedia does describe it as such.
@Beth in Greenbelt I am 71 and I knew it was Iver.
@Times Rita My guess: Faberge made other items in addition to the eggs, so an egg would be one example of something that could be a Faux Faberge?
@Ιασων I thought Sunday was supposed to be a big Wednesday. If so, this was fine.
I was stuck at the very start looking for a three point letter other than the letters in the word "scrabble". Was it T, A, V? Seemed like a weak clue at the time but I wasn't getting it. Also fixated on the sport of curling. The mercury clues were quick for me but the clues that should have been simple did me in until I had them filled in with crosses. I didn't think I'd be able to finish the puzzle but finally straggled across the finish line.
What are NUS? 56D.
I got stuck on (dancer's haul) thinking of a stripper or pole dancer counting her dollars at the end of the night. I knew it couldn't be that, but I needed most of the letters before I got it
@Alexia I think most of the non-American comments are from long time solvers and are meant simply as fact about today's experience, not a complaint.
This was an experience! At first I didn't like so many rebus entries. With repetition it became smoother and I was able to turn my attention to solving rather than the mechanics. I enjoyed it, but I wouldn't want to do it every day.
@Anne the word is abuela and the rebus is the first two letters in the same square. It is easy to do if you are solving on a device. There are instructions in the app, or several commenters have given the instructions here today. Some people do hate rebus puzzles, many like them. I found the more I do the more I like them. Today was definitely not a good puzzle for a first timer.
@Dorit There are many posters here daily that complain the puzzles have become much easier compared to last years. I find mixed results. Some end of week puzzles are quite easy, some are hard for me. Today was a difficult one. I didn't get the theme until I read the column. Sometimes I can complete a puzzle without ever sussing the theme, filling in squares from other clues. Not today.
@Mary G Gee, thanks :( I thought we talked about not posting answers to other puzzles here
Clever construction but the gimmick made the puzzle a little too easy. I got the trick early on and a few times was able to fill in letters simply because of the doubling. It didn't make me feel clever, just felt like I was doing a Monday puzzle.
@Rich in Atlanta I was surprised to come here and see so many say it was easy. It was very difficult for me. I ran out of time to spend on it and hit "reveal puzzle". When I saw the answers I knew I wouldn't have finished even if I spent more time on it.
@Georgia I think you missed the point of ESCaperoom. Your misspellings are corrected with the rebus ESC.
@Jones I am on my phone too. I don't read the column untill after I've done the puzzle. I thought these were buttons. I solved the puzzle without ever getting the theme. And after reading the column I still don't really get it, but it doesn't really matter now.
@Jess I always solve before looking at the column, except today. With the odd grid I looked just to see what the title was and accidentally saw the answer to the revealer. I'm really sad that I did that and learned my lesson to not do that again.