JohnWM

I will not put mazy in a puzzle ever again. I will not put mazy in a puzzle ever again. I will not put mazy in a puzzle ever again. I will not put mazy in a puzzle ever again. I will not put mazy in a puzzle ever again.

This just in: What happened in the commments when the Saturday NYT crossword was too easy? Room boasted. Yeesh!

How the starving musician managed to afford the Bach sheet music? TOCCATA LOAN

A bit of a hairy solve, but in the end, it weaves me spellbound.

3 star review of the kazoo-and-percussion one man band? HUMDRUM

The last time NOISOME and ESPIAL were seen this close together, they were hand-in-hand watching the ARK float away. The ark itself, incidentally, making for a pretty noisome espial if you espied from inside, I’d bet. This puzzle had a few signs of some earlier Times. Merely a symbolic gesture?

Does this puzzle take you to a happier place than the thought of sitting through an actual wedding? IT DO. (Sorry to all the wedding fans out there.)

Fun fact: botanically, a notelet is not a true note. Due to its size and tendency to get lost, it is scientifically classified as a scrap of paper.

AFTER DOING SATURDAY’S PUZZLE, NYT PUZZLER SAYS BOTTOM LEFT HARD

Oh, so those individually-wrapped Kraft cheese slices were made of clay. Makes sense now that I know. (backhander of a clue, that)

[Dog-ear your Dad’s first edition of “Great Expectations”, in Valleyspeak?] HURTLIKETHEDICKENS An uncannily fun puzzle!

I found this puzzle fun, and like our columnist and others, my two favourite lab rats were the key to tasting and eating success (re. BA) in the theme. Finding good clips online is something I am poor at, but Pinky and the Brain have some marvellous political satire that I recommend for citizens of a certain country south of here, or anyone who still has a sense of humour about such depressing things. Other P&theB story (did I already do this here? apologies if so): My daughter, while an early talker, was struggling as I helped her put on a mitten. “My brain is stuck” she said a couple of times. You can already see it coming I’m sure, but it took me, without context, a while to discover she had learned the name for her littlest finger, but the popularity of the cartoon in our house had somehow convinced her that the other most commonly named and opposable digit was… the brain.

My surprise birthday party! DO RE ME. (and the cash gift was nice, too)

Overheard at the Greek costume party: “Come hither, Helen. I fear you look a bit flirtatious in those Cesarean cheat sheets, for there are holes in one.” Excellent Friday puzzle!

Overheard at recess: “It’s Mauna Loa!” “It’s Kea Loa!” “Is not!” “Is too!” “You’re not even aware of how crossworders use those terms!” “I am so!” “So am I! But Kea and Loa aren’t the two parts that go together for the real place!” “Are so!” “You don’t know anything!” “Do too!” “Do not!”

Sometimes, while doing a puzzle, I can’t see: -the coastline lengths for the fractals. -my lack of Portuguese for my lack of Spanish. -the pop-culture answers for the classical mytharcana. -the criminals for the abetters. -the uhs for the ahs or the ohs. -the keys to solving for all themlocks. A fun puzzle. Didn’t quite stump me.

The worst is when WEGOWAYBACK, but for their name I’m thinking REMINDME. Nice puzzle.

What this puzzle provides if you only get two of the themers and thus no happy music? ACAPPELLA GOOD PUNS

The SAPIOSEXUAL ROLLINGSTOP is when you’re driving by the library, and *The One* comes out the doors, with those horn-rimmed glasses peeking over their stack of books, and you are smitten, but they just roll their eyes, so you move on. At least here in NB, it is. (The puzzle also had me slow down a few times, but I liked it.)

Two small nits: 1. I carried a gym bag around for years, and I was never an athlete. 2. C’mon, people, the “cross” in crosswords doesn’t mean you should let them get you cross and bothered. Relax! Have fun! You’re alive! Mr. Corridan: nice first NYT puzzle of my week/your life!

This is a puzzle with my favourite kind of theme, and the theme is a feeling - of cautiously finding my way through a darkened maze in which the master architect has placed just enough dusty light switches to allow you to find your way, and appreciate and learn about the interesting, hidden artwork. (This positive buzz of course means I didn’t find it quite as hard or obscure as some of the 25+ year-old ones in the archive. But still lots of brow-furrowing.) Great Friday!

En route to completing this quite fun puzzle, I had to enconfidence myself before I dared to enletter the last couple of squares. Enisle just leave it at that.

Okay, hear me out on this Natick ruling: Like many, I first went with “yer OUT” for the base call. I submit that It could be a valid alternate answer. Because, just like we can’t be sure it’s an ego trip fuelling every diva’s antics, are you 100% certain that none of the scenes in “The King and I” happened in a room that was named after someone named Tyrone? But even stronger, I believe in England they are called ArSESSORS. Otherwise, a fast Saturday. I’m out.

I like to see at least three impossible colours before breakfast every day, just because I can. Yesterday and today: two excellent puzzles, I thought. Has the puzzle spigot got one more in it?

I admit to being a know-nothing when it comes to anything related to fashion or executory(?), but “work bag” denoting something stylish for an executive?? Today I shook my head. Top puzzle of the year, so far.

So, if the cakesicle is eaten sticky-side-up, is it a stalacticake, and if sticky-side down, a stalagmacake? (Asking for the fun of it.)

I’m not holier than thou. I’ll accept TV tape. And while I’m watching it, since I didn’t have time to make a real pot pie, I’ll just heat up a TV meal. (I for one welcome our high-school overlords - nice puzzle :)

There’s nothing more visually striking than a high-res image of a cheetah, running full speed across the savannah. Those beautiful coats. Apparently, each has between 75 and 140 large black spots.

[Hesitant guess by Judi Dench when she heard she’d been offered a part in a James Bond movie?] UMAMI(B)(O)M(B) Odd man, out.

A lot of fun! A lot of answers I didn’t have at hand, but somehow got them built from scraps in the back of the old “brain shed” that I didn’t even remember I had. Thank you, Stan Thony!

Alternate clue for 9D: Has Robyn Weintraub been pulled from today’s puzzle by an app glitch? NOSHESON (A fun one, quick witted.)

Who? What? ____ When? Why? AXE A QUESTION (Yes, it hurts my ears too.)

For a long time while glacially solving this puzzle, I was uncomfortably aware of how easy it would be for any creator to make a puzzle that would be virtually impossible for almost anyone on earth to solve, especially me with my limited life experience and knowledge. Instead, at the NYT they somehow apply their skills all around that knife-edge of pretty easy to pretty darned hard to ‘will I ever figure this out, woof just barely’ (like today!), to the occasional ‘ok, I'm in over my head, but I’ll get you next time.” And that for people from just about all over the place. Today was not light fun while solving, but it was a higher calling to respond to, and it will keep me coming back for more. One, please.

[Stop for fuel] GASCAP [Work for peanuts] COMICSTRIP [Down for whatever] HORSEFEATHERS (meh) Hurrah for artisanal intelligence, P. Higgins!

While normally I love word play, having (very) recently heard someone misuse an oath, right now the idea of taking words lightly seems distasteful to me. Somehow today, remember truth is about reality, so surely it’s got to return before too long.

If someone who cooks is a cook, then is a dress alterationist AHEM ? And of course a librarian is ASH. Fun puzzle. Not a job to fill.

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The scavenger union has a long history of refusing to do hunters’ work, and its dues-paying members resent the continued use of the term “scavenger hunt” by the general public. Other hurtful anti-scavenger terms in this puzzle: STALK EARN KILT

“Can Pelotons tauten a half-toned but otherwise supple Baum?” asked Frank. Fun puzzle. Lissome is a great word.

I would just like to point out that, contrary to a common misunderstanding, the canned meat that contains bot flesh is not actual Spam. Bot was only used in a special series of canned meats pressed by the Swiss Legos Institute “in honour of Spam”. That canned product was officially sold as Smoove Kudo. Other than that, no bones to pick. Good puzzle.

P.S. Are llamas in a power struggle to oust emus as the mascots of the crossword world? No actual stats, but my sense is they’ve been in a lot of photos and answers lately. (if true, the emus must be spitting mad)

I’m not saying it was a Sunday puzzle to die for, but it did have some cruel suffixion.

LION? COMECLEAN. Anyone else notice that SURECURE for a guilty conscience? (Or the Emperor’s naked lies, after clearly being pantsed?) An entertaining, well-clued puzzle, I thought.

Dude, I totally played a knight’s assistant at the Ren Faire last summer. It was my high squire act. (Did you remember Ctrl-Q today? Did you keep your quits about you?)