Ian

So much pearl-clutching over 29D—fascism is widely considered right-wing, so to be opposed to it would reasonably be coded as left-wing. And a "group" does not imply a tight-knit organization, just a bunch of people with a common goal. Let's stop granting the other side's propaganda more power than it deserves.

I found this clever and not too hard, especially for a Thursday. But then I've been doing these every day for a few years. Those who are so quick to call a puzzle terrible, consider the possibility you'll gradually get used to the constructors' bag of tricks and find them easier and more fun as you keep at it. (If you're just the kind of person who dislikes anything other than straightforward cluing, maybe skip the later week.)

Got all fired up to complain that while Heinz is ketchup, everyone knows that Hunt's is catsup! Except it turns out they changed it to ketchup in 1988. Oh well.

I was sure that "Raider in times past" was going to be HAN (as in Solo, Harrison Ford's previous role before playing a certain Raider of the lost ark). Overthinking it!

"Fake news" originally meant actual fake news stories, often from sites that purported to be satire in the fine print but were mainly just priors-affirming rage bait designed to go viral (this is the sense it's used in the clue). Only in 2016 did it become slang for legitimate journalism that one particular person didn't like, and like many other things, this new meaning took over to an extent that many people don't even remember the original meaning.

Enjoyed this one, some real "there's nothing for it Mr Frodo" moments. A nitpick, contra M-W, musicians don't really use "soli" as a plural of solo—a soli is a featured part for a section of the ensemble, so a solo for multiple players simultaneously. (Most big band chats include a sax soli.) But I get that the crossword often uses less common definitions.

I don't get hung up on day-of-week expectations but the relative scarcity of really challenging ones (on any day) over recent months does bum me out a bit. (Still loved this one though!)

I was expecting more "too easy for a Friday" comments! This is definitely a "to each their own" thing because I got through in half my usual Friday time. (But then I loved yesterday's, so I may be an outlier.) Proposal: let's put SRO on ice for a bit (maybe bring back Ayo?)

As a jazz guy I had the eldest brother of a musical trio as ELVIN JONES for quite a while. But even then I would've been wrong—Hank was the eldest! (Then Thad, then Elvin.)

"HD TV set" was a bit of an anachronistic combo, but I was happy to be sufficiently challenged to finish over my average time for the first time in months!

I love it when I get through a first pass with almost no gimmes! Fun one, in just over my average (to be over at all is a rarity lately!). Still not sure about “I’m this-a way!” though—since it's not a Mario/Italian stereotype reference per the column, I guess a variation on "he went that a-way"? But can't remember ever running into "this-a way." Oh well!

The definition no musician uses for "SOLI," two days in a row! I commented on it yesterday so I might as well today. Otherwise fun puzzle.

Fun puzzle. Coincidentally I had to switch an in-person music lesson to a zoom lesson today, for the first time in quite a while, and had to relearn what settings we needed to hear each other, etc. Man was it a reminder of the bad old days of 2020-21! (Let's try not to do that whole thing again.)

For more about MANSAMUSA check out the great-but-cancelled Time Bandits TV series (even down to giving away so much gold)!

I completed the puzzle last night, even copied and shared the result as usual with my crossword buddy, and then this morning it's somehow unfinished itself! All the letters are still there (and I can't change anything) but the app isn't recognizing it as complete and the timer is still going. Has anyone else had this happen?

Anyone get the bug on the app where you solve the puzzle and get the completion screen, then a few hours later it goes back to "you still have clues left to crack"?

Anybody else have the issue where you complete the puzzle, hear the music, but if you go back to watch the circles spin the timer starts again and it goes back to unsolved? (And there doesn't seem to be a way to make it completed again?) This has happened to me a couple of times with puzzles that that have an animation at the end.

Interesting that nobody has mentioned Crossplay, NYT Games' Scrabble knockoff (with the bonus tiles in different places). Mr. Butts might have disapproved...