Sinead

Some alternative clues for 10A: "Ancient city is famous for its hand-woven carpets, wicker furniture, and pottery" "Site of fourth-century Saint Porphyrius church" "Where gauze originated" "Middle Eastern territory with one of the highest literacy rates in the world"

Such a lively puzzle! Rare for the fill to be as fun as the theme/revealer but this was a joy from start to finish

Such a fun fill today! Absolutely flew by, definitely a Saturday PB. Lively clueing and fill. As a younger solver I appreciated a few of the more contemporary answers - they felt like a rare Saturday treat!

Also caught by ABYSM but otherwise a smooth fill today! One of my best times for a Wednesday. I thought MWAHAHA and HOITYTOITY were cute, and learned some new words along the way

Sacred bovine! Loved this theme, laughed out loud when I figured it out. Rebus haters are no fun - don't let a little trick ruin your day (especially when it's something so common to a Thursday).

Great debut! Contrary to some comments I'm seeing, TPAIN was the first clue I got... highly recommend watching his appearance on NPR's Tiny Desk Concert. Really enjoyed this puzzle overall! Got very few answers on my first go around but gradually filled the whole thing. The long entries were fun and satisfying. Especially liked VAMOOSE and THISISANOUTRAGE, both of which I yelled out loud as I filled them in.

Great puzzle! I liked that solving the revealer didn't automatically give you the answers to the starred clues - fun to keep working the puzzle after that. Some satisfying answers ("TOAT", "ELIDE", "KALE"). Overall a quick solve for a Thursday, despite getting stuck on a few crossings

Loved this puzzle! Fun, fresh fill and really solid construction. Probably easier than an average Friday as it got me my best Friday solve time yet, but I'm not complaining.

Great Friday! Took a few minutes to get a foothold but managed to piece it together travelling diagonally from SW to NE. Some delightful, crunchy fill!

Excellent puzzle! Lively smooth fill, especially liked CANNIBALS