Rrose Selavy

Broke my record by 10 minutes. Unusually easy for me on a Friday, must just be because it’s my father’s birthday, RIP.

Since I can’t respond to emails I’ll just say here what a delight it’s been to read Sam Corbin’s Gameplay newsletters.

I’ll put myself on record for loving rebus puzzles—and anything tricky! This was one a charmer.

For those who missed the trick (as I did), it’s like watching The Sixth Sense or Memento, where everything that happened before makes sense in an entirely new way once you have the new information. It was good before. Now it’s “Oh, WOW.”

Was I the only one led astray by Mother’s Day to try “body building?” as WOMB? I mean, we definitely built a body on there.

It’s funny. There are complaints about rebuses, there are complaints about the wrong kinds of rebuses, and now complaints about rebuses you don’t realize are rebuses. I liked the solve, also wondered why it wasn’t trickier, then came here for the reveal. I missed it. But it gives me no less pleasure to find out after the fact. Like a magic trick where you know what’s happening but are still giddy from the skill in execution. And anyway, God willing: There will be more Thursdays!

And here I thought one spoke one’s “PEACE.” Now I have to look up the origin of that one!

Tough trick, but so’s motherhood. Nailed them both—with a little tenacity and patience.

So many complaints here! I thought it was a fun puzzle and was grateful it used the letter bank versus anagram, which IMO is much easier to suss out (no need to count the letters off). Although I couldn’t figure out the trick exactly, I guessed that a “close enough” anagram with extra letters one way or the other would pay off. I can’t believe so many people haven’t seen Rebel without a Cause of heard The Ladies Who Lunch, both essential pieces of cultural knowledge, I believe.

Hit a new record time with this puzzle and saw Raggedy Ann’s smiling face in my head as a reward. I was never too much for dolls, but the cozy features of Ann and her companion Andy meant they were constantly being tugged around by their soft arms and floppy legs.

I didn’t love LAM but great puzzle anyway. I missed the matching themes until I read the article, Wow!

Other than wishing I had a way to connect the letters digitally, this was beautiful. Thankfully I was aware of the duck/rabbit illusion already, or it may have taken me days.

OHFER f's sake. I stared at OHFER and PRSTUNT for a very long time, but I admit, I have not heard of echidnas. Not a fan of the "baby bear" clue.

Struggled with NW, as others, which broke open with just one lookup (Incan emperor), so not bad for a Saturday. But I’ve never once eaten in a tent at a street fair. You eat en plein air, of course! (Which I also tried to make fit—contrary to sense)

Count me as among those who think a rebus solve should have given credit. I had to reveal the puzzle only to find out my correct puzzle wasn’t, on a technicality.

Both ASSAI and GELID crossing a clue that could have a few different valid answers doesn’t feel like a Tuesday for me. In the end, after flyspecking and ultimately revealing the puzzle, turns out I just had a typo somewhere else in the puzzle. One of those days!

Loved this one! I guess as a Gen X’er sandwich person, I can know both Betty GRABLE and TAMRON Hall.

Very difficult, very fun puzzle. Heard a few clues or answers for the first time, and they really got me stuck for a minute.

Flyspecked for far too long when I should have just counted my K’s. Not 14!

Glad I’m not the only one who found this one extraordinarily difficult. Although I don’t like to look up answers until I’m close to it (and maybe get a little help with the spelling), this one sent me hunting for several with little help. But that’s not a complaint. It’s good to be challenged, and people much smarter than me deserve to be challenged once in a while!

Difficult but delightful. Some groans, but nothing to get mad about here.

Didn’t love the ROW trick, but I fell in love with MCGYVERED, so all is forgiven!

Had SOCK as an apt rhyme for CLOCK which shows how my day is going. Worked it out in the end!

This puzzle was my jam. I jammed on it.

Great puzzle, although I couldn’t help but think The Immaculate Reception was somehow a Madonna reference. Can you guess I don’t watch much football?

As a hockey fan who saw the answer started with SEA, naturally I tried SEATTLE NHL for Kraken. Interestingly, the name Seattle has nothing to do with the sea, but it’s a lovely coincidence.

Much easier than Friday, which I’m still struggling through. Hated ARIES, but the rest was smooth as silk.

“Ooh Baby Baby” came on just as I completed the puzzle (hard, but just one lookup for me). Smokey finish!

Really superb anagrams and a fun puzzle overall. Favorite in a long time. Or “long now”?

I had no idea what the symbols meant and assumed it was something mathy, but I wouldn’t say it was all downhill from there.

Got SCALLIONPANCAKE right off the bat and it was a very good 11 minutes.

Stuck way too long on ALLOT/KAPOT, which I assumed must have been from the Krazy Kat era. I see now how that W makes much more sense.

I don’t know if it was the elegance of the puzzle or my luck, but my first guesses turned out to be correct across the board today, a rarity for a Friday!

Well, I don’t mind a tough puzzle, and I don’t mind looking up a few things I never knew or might have forgot, but I seriously mind the clueing for THE BARTMAN. Is the inspiration Bart Simpson (not a comic nor a superhero)? Or is Bart inspired by a comics superhero, say, Batman?

This was fun, I’ve been glowing off Alyssa Liu for days now. Haven’t had such a good time watching a performance since “100% Pure Love” on RuPaul’s Drag Race. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_YZ22KEafkc" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_YZ22KEafkc</a>

Ditto having trouble with the bold letters. Were there no better options such as colors, capitals, etc.? I could barely make them out, and nearly missed a couple (spent way too long trying to decipher what ODO meant). That said, appreciated some fresh clueing for old standbys.

Didn’t love the theme at all, but the clueing was great. Maybe I’d have liked it better if the films related to fish/fishing? I felt like I was missing something.