Phil

This is a first for me as well--the first time I've had a friend get a puzzle published! What Ryan doesn't tell you is that in addition to his crossword skills, he was also a standout player on his high school basketball team. A genuine Renaissance man!

Patting myself on the back. First Thursday puzzle I've solved in a while, not because it was easy, but because I refused to give in too easily. Great fun, and now I'm ready to face the day.

My solving pattern (using no hints of course) Mondays--Always Tuesdays--Almost Always Wednesdays--Frequently Thursdays--Sometimes (Always grateful for the occasional do-able puzzle like today's!) Fridays--Infrequently (With the occasional success) Saturdays--Almost never Sundays--Often

I never get the Saturday puzzle. Today I got the Saturday puzzle. Either I'm getting smarter or this one was easier than usual. I suspect the latter. But thanks anyhow. It made my day.

Thursday is my crossword "hump day", as in pretty much always getting the Wednesday puzzle, but seldom getting the Friday one. My success rate on Thursdays is 50/50. So solving today's puzzle, which wasn't easy for me, was hugely satisfying. Now, onto Friday.........

IMHO, Way too hard for a Tuesday puzzle. Maybe it was just me, but I didn't come close. Most Tuesday puzzles are pretty much a breeze for me.

I've been surprised lately that after having bombed the Wednesday and Thursday puzzles badly, I find the Friday puzzle to be completely doable. Anyone else?

Harder than normal for a Monday, but completely doable. I loved it.

I know there will be people who say this one was way too easy, but it's nice to be able to finish a Saturday puzzle once in awhile. Lots of times I don't even start it. Glad I did today!

I'm always torn when solving a Friday puzzle between thinking I'm brilliant or thinking it was too easy.

Tough and satisfying Tuesday solve.

To use "madeyalook" in a sentence frequently heard in a 50's childhood: "Madeyalook, you dirty crook, you stole your mother's pocketbook. You turned it in, you turned it out. You made it into sauerkraut."

I never get the Friday puzzle. Today I got the Friday puzzle (pretty much without a sweat). Was the puzzle too easy or does my 75-year-old brain still have some life in it?

6:26. My best yet.

I love it when I get a Friday puzzle without feeling that it was too easy. This was one of those days.

A tough, satisfying Tuesday solve.

For those of us who seldom conquer the Friday puzzle, the ever-present question: was this puzzle easy or was I good?

Monday for me has become all about the speed. Today's 6:34 is a record for me. My (as yet unreached) goal is to solve the Monday puzzle in under 6 minutes.

I'm a guy who doesn't always get the Wednesday puzzle and rarely gets the Thursday puzzle. Can someone explain why I have a three-week Friday streak?

Too tough for me today. I solved the whole right side of the puzzle, but struck out almost completely on the left side!

Thought sure it was "Hannibal" (as in Hannibal Lecter). You don't want to offer him your hand either.

Thanks Ryan. Fun puzzle and a good way to begin my week. One of my fastest solves (6:48) to date.

Because I'm a non-expletive kind of guy, I was thrown off by my original guess of "madasheck". I realize however that if Howard Beale had said "I'm made as heck and I'm not going to take it anymore", it wouldn't have had quite the same impact!

Spent too much time being convinced that it was a "solar" eclipse rather than a "total" eclipse.

Always happy to have a (rare for me) four-day streak! We'll see what happens tomorrow.

Always get the Monday puzzle, but this one was fast--under ten minutes for me.

Monday is all about speed. 5:30 today.

Close, but no cigar.

Always happy to solve a Wednesday puzzle. 22 minutes today.

Big trouble with the northwest corner today.

Either Fridays are getting easier or (at age 75) I'm getting better. Either way, thanks for a fun puzzle.

Best crossword puzzle clue ever: Bacon Bits!

I still don't get, but I got it anyhow.

Here I am living in 4-H territory, but It was the Henry/Hubert clue that stumped me for awhile. Satisfying puzzle!

Would've gotten a a rare Thursday puzzle, but I confused a "shiv" for a "shim".

As one who is almost never able to solve the Saturday puzzle, I'm a little amazed that I've gotten two in a row. I'd like to think I'm getting better, but yesterday's puzzle was hopeless for me. Didn't even come close.

Cruising along til I got to the upper left corner.

No HOV's here in rural Wisconsin!

Solved the puzzle, but even after reading the comments, I don't understand the theme.

Came so close. Had never heard of a "unicorn startup" and didn't know the Portuguese for John.

A common phenomenon for me (as was the case yesterday and today): bombing badly on the Thursday puzzle and then breezing through the Friday puzzle. Anyone else observed the same thing?

Didn't quite get it, but thought it was a genuinely fun theme. Merry Christmas to my fellow-puzzlers!