Michael Dover

WELCOME BACK, WILL! So glad to see your name again.

Did anyone else suggest that PITSTOP didn't refer to sleeping but to changing the tires in a NASCAR race?

A funny thing about KYIV: My mother was born in Ukraine a few years before the Russian Revolution. She came to the US in 1921 at the age of 8 or 9. I often heard her pronounce the city's name as "Keev," and I sometimes would try to correct her by reminding her that the name was "Ki-EV." I didn't know, and she probably didn't either, that this was the Russian version of Kyiv, and her pronunciation of Kyiv was exactly right.

The Triplets of Belleville is one of my all-time favorite animated movies! The original version was in black and white; I guess they must have colorized it. Do see it if you haven't already!

When I think of EAT MY SHORTS, I hear Walter Matthau in the original The Odd Couple movie, way before The Simpsons. Showing my age, I guess.

Before I got to ENGLISH HORN, I thought the theme solved to ediBLE MISNOMERS, the preceding theme answers - and, it turned out, also GRAPE NUTS after the them - we all food items. I quickly saw my error, but it's fun to think of that as a crossword theme.

I may not be the first to correct "Tin Can Alley," though perhaps there is one somewhere. New York's famous "Alley" is Tin Pan Alley.

Funny that I was briefly stumped by OREO cow. I knew very well that the bovine described was a Belted Galloway, but that didn't quite fit. The "Duh!" moment came after, I think, one crossing letter.

Dear Deb, I've followed your Wordplay column for all the years I've done the crosswords online. Even on a tough solving day, I always look forward to your humor and enthusiasm. Wishing you all the best in your next phase of life. I'm sure it will be as much fun as your Wordplay stint. cheers md

Thanks to all the folks who posted about the MODEL A error. That was what was holding up my solve! I was so certain that MODEL T was correct that I never saw that it didn't work for the "quote." OY!

Banana slugs are pretty common in and around Santa Cruz, CA, so it stands to reason that the UCSC athletes are know as the Banana Slugs. Imagine the crowd shouting "Go Slugs!"

My first shot at 30D was EAT NO PORK. Too bad I was too clever by half!

I was surprised how quickly I figured out the grid spanners (not my usual experience on Fridays and Saturdays), thanks to friendly Down entries. Nicely done, Coz!

Is there a Times tech somewhere out there reading this? Every so often (read TOO often), I finish the puzzle and I know it's right because the clock is right, but no Congratulations page, no happy music - just stuck. If I click on the refresh icon at the top of the page, I get a blank grid and have to re-enter the whole puzzle (fortunately, I remember the answers, so it's quick). Most of the time I get the proper Congrats page, but today I had to do it twice. It's pretty annoying. How do I fix this???