James

Wow! I finished this one pretty quickly. Whenever I finish a puzzle quickly without hints, I come here to ensure that I haven’t mastered the puzzle but instead easily finished an easy one. Without fail, the majority of comments are “easy for a….” Until today! I’m sorry everyone else isn’t as good as me. I know how you feel. :-) I’ll resume my puzzle mediocrity tomorrow.

I have to agree with others. This was a bad week. I’m fine with words that I don’t know the meaning of on a Thurs but can someone explain how Authur Ashe pertains other than he is a man who had two names that start with A? And soda for welches? There is no such thing as a gazpacho course. It’s a dish you serve during a course. It could have just as easily been gravy or Gouda. Lots of good stuff in there but the theme was just bad.

I’ve been an avid basketball fan since the 80s. I’m a fantasy nerd, a season ticket holder, been to finals games and even played for many years. To those who struggled with hop-step, I can confirm, it’s pretty obscure. I know what it is, but I rarely hear it used. Eurostep, for example, would seemingly be much more tricky but it is much more common. Your struggle is real.

I think today’s puzzle wins the award for most answers I’ve never heard of, never heard used in the way they are referenced or still don’t understand even after I’ve solved them. Not sure if that’s a compliment or a criticism. :)

As others have said, a bit challenging for a Monday but not that bad. But some of the clues still don’t make sense to me. I’ve never heard anyone use the term oho as an exclamation of surprise. Is it “oh o”? That can’t be it. Anyone?

Brutal but good puzzle. I made good time because I literally used EVERY clue Deb gave us and there were a ton of them. Generally if I resort to clues, I’ve already gotten all but a couple by the time I read the column. But not today. I also agree with others that I appreciate the critical analysis of questionable clues. Creators aren’t perfect. I’d rather see Deb point it out than have to sift through a hundred frustrated comments. (Shout out to the CPAs! Legit…) Excellent Friday puzzle.