Katya

I am learning that maybe I need to have more than one cup of coffee before attempting a Saturday. I was all but convinced that TMC was a typo, thinking that surely the clued haven could only be Turner Classic Movies, but I guess The Movie Channel exists…(I still think avid film buffs would take issue with the clue!)

Thoroughly impressed by the construction and finesse of this puzzle—but thoroughly lost on the solve. So many niche answers that I imagine I’m not alone. I think that for Trekkies, this one will go down as an all-time favorite. For me, it was a head scratcher…the crossword equivalent of an inside joke (“you wouldn’t get it, but it was really clever!”) It’s okay that this puzzle wasn’t for me. I am just in awe of those able to commit to a theme to this degree!

Incredibly tricky crosses in the NE corner. Had to take several passes before eventually succumbing to one lookup to complete my solve. But worth it! Some very clever clues :)

Kind of shocked that Kamehameha would be referred to in any context as part of a “humorous prank.” If you can expect solvers to be up to date on their U.S. state abbreviations, surely you can expect them to learn a bit of history, too.

perhaps the most enjoyable 25 minutes of my week. figuring out the gimmick was incredibly rewarding: double the clues, double the fun! and miracle of miracles, not a rebus in sight…(i don’t mean to be a BAD SPORT! i can ADMIT TO the fact that those rebuses really do a number on my EGO sometimes).

Maybe I’m missing something, but I was puzzled by 14A’s clue—it’s not a commonly used name, and I was certain it had to be. This clue threw me so badly I ultimately had to reveal it. Disappointed, but this is coming from a rebus-hater, so clearly I’m just not the best audience for this puzzle.