Zack

Has anyone here ever spelled it "WIENIE" before? Never thought I'd need my little sister's help for a Monday puzz before.

At a Federal level, DOE is the acronym used for the Department of Energy, not Education. ED is the acronym for Department of Education.

Sam Saturday! A nice workout. This filled pretty nice from the bottom up for me, but I had a tough time with NW. Great puzzle!

CLUNK. Though I have to give props to the novel inclusion of DEEPFRIEDOREOS, if we're going to use the O-word, why not have some fun with it?

A real Saturday! My grumpiness subsided once I cleared. It was tough and that's why I like it.

I liked it! I do not mind millennialese in my puzzles, just as I do not mind classic literature or opera clues! Fun sat, though I came in wayyy under my average

I liked AMSCRAY! I had a tough time with Mensa though, that's not an oft-referenced constellation in my cross experience.

Joining the chorus; loved it! NE really stumped me but it was so worth it when I cracked ADMIT ONE. The rest of the puzzle was so good. I couldn't even be mad at ZEITGEISTY.

Oh don't mind me, just a Friday debut with double triple stacks. Great job!!

You know what? I came here to complain but that's clearly been covered. Instead, I'll congratulate Ms. Hoody on her debut. I loved the grid spanners.

I liked it, maybe that's because I cleared it in about 1/3 my average Sat. I'll still take it over yesterday's puzzle. Also the grid layout was very pleasing.

I liked it! The theme was fun and light, I'd rather have a Thursday where I don't have to hear people complaining about rebuses than a slightly easier day. There are seven(+) NYT puzzles a week, most of you will be doing them all.

Grok is a perfectly cromulent word. Fun!

Loooved it! A bit quicker then I like my Thursdays but I can't complain about this theme.

Wow! Thank you for an amazing Thursday puzzle. This will be one that I keep in my back pocket to try and hook friends on the hobby.

Cute! Merry Christmas, all :)

Yes yes yes! Could have guessed this was Mr. Koppy's work, fresh and fun challenge.

Wowwww love it

Why is TAO always connotated with Confucianism is puzzles? I understand that TAO literally translates to "way," however it is a philosophical rebuttal of Confucian philosophy/structure. I feel like I have seen this multiple times. Is this just an assumption? BTW I loved the puzzle, not ashamed that I had to cheat and make sure that SEXER is a real thing, once I finished snickering.

Please create an accessibility option to turn colored puzzles grayscale. A significant portion of solvers would be able to solve and enjoy the theme of this puzzle without the colors which made navigating and filling the puzzle far less enjoyable.

"Solid Saturday for the masses," I concur! Loved it

This one clicked with me, smooth sailing! I have been waiting to encounter a puzzle with ONOMATOPOEIA.

Great!! Amazed by such a strong Thursday debut :)

Liked everything but LOUD OUT. felt like a seventh inning stretch to get that answer.

I liked it!

Sam is a shining talent. Any time I see his name, I have to prep myself for a very frustrating first pass and then a really rewarding next-morning solve. Last night I thought I was going to have to cheat and this AM I came in 20 minutes under my average. DOG NAP was amazing

I am not ashamed of having to look up and arrive at shoehorning GAEA to cross with MAA. It's a stretch for goats, let's leave it there.

Great mix of old and new in this grid. THANE, AUGUR, and priors are an acceptable trade (-DEAL?) for ADA TWIST, whom I have never heard of. 22A was the real standout for me.

Cute! I did it in CRAYON - or as they say it in these parts "cray'n"

Lovely! Props for all the xs and qs, does anybody track the scrabble value of NYT solves?

Mind blown! I almost had it... I shouldn't have read the column so soon after. This is one I wish I could solve again for the first time. Fill was easy, but I won't complain with such a cool gimmick.

Two Fridays in a row! Now that's a week I can get behind

I loved it!

Great puzzle! Thanks to Mr. Kugelman. I know it got an honorable mention in today's column, but if you haven't solved his debut puzzle from last year it is worth a look.

Am I the only person who put on double letter rebuses and stared at the puzzle for two minutes after solving, trying to figure out what I did wrong? PEPILL comes off as a little odd

I had such a hard time parsing EPIPEN, for some reason I was reading it as "E-PIPE IN" like... a digital peanut gallery. Back to the coffee! Nice to see a themed Monday :)

Fun!!

I didn't get the theme until it was over. I wasn't expecting a cryptic. I liked it though.

I have finally found the cruciverbal equivalent of a dad joke. Seal of approval!

Fantastic! What a great Tuesday with a theme. Thanks for the smiles :) hope you're not afraid of needles

Blech

The entire nation of Finland weeps. This puzzle wasn't for me.

Here for the obligatory Sneed's Seed and Feed reference.

One day I will learn that it is SERTA not cERTA

FanTASTIC thank you for this fresh grid.

I love it, I giggled the whole time. The second I got my first theme cluse, I ZIPPed back to try my hand at the rest.