Dan Collins

A single rebus, an alphabet string, a line drawing. Can we shove a few more gimmicks into a puzzle? Sometimes I just don’t get all the fuss. But that’s why there are 7 puzzles per week. Sometimes you feel like a nut and sometimes you don’t. I didn’t feel it today.

When Friday puzzles appear such as today’s and you scan a few clues, you think to yourself, this is such a daunting task. Then you run through the clues and get a few. You go around a couple more times and your success is starting to become achievable. Next thing you know, it is solved. That was me today. I started out hopeless then just kept going to the well and sure enough she’s done. The clues today really made you stop and think. All in all an enjoyable brain test!

The occasional foreign word is normal. A complete phrase or sentence in my opinion is out of bounds. There were so many regional jargon answers it just wasn’t very fun. Adagio or lento for the music clue. The answer translates less stirred or less agitated. Bring on Sunday.

My favorite clue. “Collectors item”. Brilliant!

Not a fun solve. Everything felt forced. Too many clunkers. The fit but again felt forced. 67 years and never run into frog leg fries. Borderline offensive on the mullet clue.

To say the least this was by far one of the more enjoyable puzzles to complete. Yes some say too easy well that’s on them. I find doing puzzles that send my brain in different directions the most fun regardless of how hard the clues are. Kudos to Sam! I giggled when the lightbulb went off, and THAT IS WHY I LOVE THIS PUZZLE

Sorry but did not even come close to enjoying this. Clues were just beyond my scope.

Minifig had me stumped. What does this have to do with a Lego? I mean I eat them occasionally so what’s the big deal. Then I brooded over it for a minute. The lightbulb went off Mini Figure. My kids are 34 & 36 and haven’t had Legos in the house for years. Mildly challenging puzzle today.

Oh the joy of a new personal best. However, when you shave 20 minutes off of your record it leaves a feeling that it may not be eclipsed for some time. I had a feeling that the comments would just blow up with bestie comments. So here’s mine. Woo hoo!

So many things were far from my thought process. I did not enjoy this puzzle but then again some folk don’t like anchovies like I do. I did persevere and finish but had to settle for a blue star.

For me this was a brutal puzzle. It was a fine puzzle. But I never got into the mental groove. Nothing made sense until the answer got filled in. I mostly enjoyed the mental gymnastics. As we get older, stretching our brains is critical to survival. I am forever grateful for the brilliant minds who are able to twist and turn words to fill grids. You push us further and keep us thinking. Thank you!

The hat trick of delightful puzzles this week. Wednesday, Thursday and today. Just enough of a challenge to keep you interested but easy enough to not get frustrated. Been doing crossword puzzles for some 50+ years and have never lost interest. Thanks NYT.

Maybe there should be 2 separate forums. One for those who enjoy a challenge and may not get everything on the first go through and another for the nitpicking. It’s a crossword puzzle for goodness sakes. Yes this was a bit more challenging for a Tuesday to some and there are those who aced it. But you can say that about every crossword ever created.

One of the biggest mistakes I make is comparing my time with others. Mind boggling times like 15 or less minutes to knock out this puzzle. On Sunday I’m quite pleased that I finish in under an hour. It’s a big puzzle and I type slow. So my question to the super solvers is this. What do you do with the rest of your day?

Does anyone else open the completed puzzle more than once just to hear the ditty that you solved it correctly? 🤓

I truly enjoy rebus puzzles, but this did not resonate with me. The fact the it worked one way or the other ( the root or square ) was so far over my heat it hurt. But that is why it’s a Thursday puzzle. I enjoyed it and hated it all at the same time.

I knew that the only incorrect letter on my grid had to be the y in vibey. I had vibed which worked for quad also as far as an actual word goes. Full disclosure, I sat on the square and put in letters until I got the music. A win is a win!

Once I solved the explanation clue it was a no brainer. Definitely a fun puzzle.

This was a fun puzzle. Once you realize the answers are more like puns the fun really takes off. The answer for 53 down was very easy as it was deep enough in the puzzle that it had to be PUNNY!

For all of us old guys. PLUTO IS A PLANET!

Spent most of the puzzle in leftyfieldy!

Two days in a row with delightful solves. Just enough to keep you on your toes today.

Favorite clue/answer Conspiracy theorist accessory Tinfoil hat Giggles Nice challenge today. We were forced to think in many different directions.

Is it me or am I missing something. I am still a bit clueless as to a theme for today. I happy to have solved faster than my average. I’ve read the article and parsed it all out but still am in the dark. I will share that my day is never complete until the NYT crossword is solved wether I get the theme or not.

Favorite clue/answer Stud to studious! My kind of humor.

My lightbulb went off with teacher edition. I thought it was gonna have a speed bump effect with the s in sedition. Making it teacher’s edition. But I came down with Mother Earth. Truly an enjoyable puzzle.

Took me a minute to get the idea after the solve. My only grievance is that on the face of a die the portion that is not a PIP is a solid surface not filled with letters. So for me it’s a bit of a head scratcher.

Once you realize that most of the pertinent clues contained a K it was fairly straightforward. I blundered CRONE misspelling kamikazis. So I missed a gold star by 1 letter. Alas.

I thought 2D EVENER was a bit of a stretch. Yes it may be grammatically correct but it just plain awkward.

Some people realize their gifts at an early age (21) and get to see their fruits early. Brava to you young lady. I’m thankful for your gift sharing. Happy birthday.

I just couldn’t get off of APES for big oafs. I don’t do Spanish and am computer illiterate so there’s that. Quite the enjoyable grid today.

Can anyone recall the last rebus Thursday offered. Seems as if it has been a while. Nice twist today. But it seems as though the hugs were stolen(missing O’s) and the kisses were added?

It took a minute to get where the constructor was coming from. Not necessarily my taste but I get it. This was fun. (Sort of) On Thursday I prepare myself for anything. If you can’t stand the heat get outta the kitchen.

Besides the types of tea in the breaks did anyone notice the number of black square t’s? In various directions of course.

A welcome challenge after yesterday’s nightmare

There is definitely a dad joke here. Plant eaters………….. Venus fly trap! I’m gonna use it for sure Just the right amount of difficulty today. Lots of clues coming at you from out of nowhere. The best thing is that a puzzle like this forces you to think from multiple angles.