Brenda

What bc a delightful debut, Hannah! Thank you for the sparkles, the humor, and the crunchiness of today’s puzzle. We look forward to seeing more of your work! And many thanks to Joel Fagliano for his hard work these last few months while Will was under the weather. Your skill and your dedication to our crossword world is much appreciated. 💜 And last, welcome back Will. We are so glad you’re better! 😊

Wow, this was tough, for me at least. But so clever! Thank you Mr. Gordon! And I also enjoy the crossword before bed. It helps set the world right 😊

Oh this was a real cutie! I don’t quite get NOCAP, but perhaps my age is showing again. And though, as others have said more eloquently, 42A brought a tear, and this coming Friday feels more like a funeral now, we will NEVER say 17A.

Oh this was lovely! Tight clean fill, rollicking themes, and nary an Oreo to be found. Thank you Nate!

Sending all my best to Will. We appreciate you very much, and hope your recovery is full and smooth! 💜

Ooooh, what a bright and shiny puzzle! A bit tricky for me, esp in the NE corner. I must admit the link between 10D and its clue still eludes me. But overall? Love the smack talk - bring it Brad!

Oh what a lovely puzzle! Full of grace, wit, and crunchiness too! Congratulations Margo, on your NYT debut, and I do hope to see more of your puzzles here - well done!

Oooh, this was a sparkly one for sure! 🎆 I’m one of the ones who didn’t get the theme (but then again, I rarely do). Irrespective of my own puzzling flaws, the playful and joyful spirit of this one shone through. Thank you Christina!

Just delightful, in form and in function. Thank you Patrick! 😊

Oh, this was fun! 😊 It felt fresh and sparkly, and just a joy to work my way through. Congratulations Colin, and we hope to see you back soon!

Congratulations Justin on a fine debut! I also put HUNCHBACK in there - oops. Also struggled with LUSAKA. But ATWATER was a gimme, and once I figured out how to spell EARTHA, she fit in quite nicely as well. Well done - I hope to see more of your puzzles!

This was a fresh and delightful puzzle! Wee bit crunchy for a Monday, just how I like em. Loved the Odgen Nash clue. Thank you Alana!

This was so fun! Thank you Stacey for a lighthearted yet still chewy and satisfying romp. Now, if we only had the chocolate wafers, we could all go for some ice box cake!

Oh this was fun! It sparkled like a CAVA, with wit and joy. Loved the HOKEYPOKEY. Why, - YES, LETS! And a smile to you too LOLA - what a great song. Thank you Greg!

Loved the picture rebuses (rebi?)! Beautiful illustrations, and I could actually understand them. Some very clever clues and answers - 1D, 46A (looking at you, door die, lol), and 56a especially. Some tough ones too, for me at least, like 51D and 62A. Not unfair by any means, just names I did not know. Thank you Esha, for a lovely Thursday puzzle!

Congratulations Sam on your first (of many, I hope) year here. I heartily enjoy your columns, with their graceful combination of humor and kindness. And the puzzle? Oh it was delightful! Even I, who know very little about sports or celebrities, could get this one. Very clever theme. Thank you Adam!

Very clever! Am I the only one who thought 28-D referred to he who shall not be named, but is facing multiple court proceedings while running for office? Emus don’t get a vote.

This was so cute! Oh, it was fun! I laughed out loud at 57A - very clever indeed. I was also delighted at seeing the theme, which I very rarely can do. Thank you Laura and Katherine for a splendid Tuesday puzzle! 🎉

Oh Deb, how I will miss your wisdom, your patience, your warmth, and your humor! Ive learned a lot from you these last couple years of solving, and enjoyed your columns immensely. I wish you all the best in retirement! As far as the puzzle? Oh, it was very cool indeed! Our HOST acted alone, maintaining her RUSE of just another Thursday, while muttering WHAT ABOOUT BOB, and can I seat him next to MEEMAW, or will it launch another PESCI-esque SCREAM fest? ACH, ACH, I’ll just say PARKIT and feed him a RELAXANT. He’ll never know what’s in those brownies, the HOUSE will be quieter, and I can enjoy a TETE-a-TETE with LAURENCE, complete with PLUM pudding. Happy New Year to all, from Portland, Oregon, where it’s 40 degrees, feels like 38, gray and (of course) raining.

Wow, that took a lot of help from y’all - thank you! It does take a village for me sometimes. A tough Saturday - well done August!

Wow - a tough one for me today! Had to rely on Deb’s explanations, plus a few comments to get through. Just not on the constructors’ wavelength today, but do appreciate the time and care they put into this. Thank you!

Had to read the column to see the theme, and even then I kept trying to make 25A into “Am I right?” Or like the kids say, amirite? On the other hand, thanks to prior crosswords, I knew jape, if not Jake. Oh my - this was a tough one for me. Appreciate all the help in the column, Deb, and a fine puzzle, Dan!

Well, I’m mighty late to the party, but oooh oooh, I liked this puzzle! I have never been able to suss out a rebus before, but I finally saw one! And look, there’s another one! And then I laughed cause they were so darn cute. Thank you Joe Marquez, for a mighty fine puzzle, and please come back and play with us again!

This was just so cute and fun! I started out “LOVEIN” Lyle, but of course that didn’t work. We may indeed love Lyle, but apparently not in a puzzle 😊 Thank you Caroline and Freddie!

Oh my. 57A - somehow I came up with Adorathon. Pretty cheezy, thought I, but just kept going, as I did not know Ayo Edebiri’s name either. With the help of commenters, it finally came together, with Adoration for the community. And the puzzle? How Cool is That indeed! Thank you Juliana!

Thank you Alex, for such a delightful puzzle! My eyes were smiling for sure! 😊

Oh, this was such a fun puzzle! Thank you Jeanne and Jeff! Someone else mentioned what a clean grid it is, and I agree as far as the fill not relying on crosswordese - but also, the grid itself is clean, balanced, and just lovely. Last, I echo whoever said we miss you Mike, please take good care of yourself, and return with some more of your bodacious puns soon!

Well, I’m late to the comment-fest, but adding in my two cents anyway. I loved this puzzle. I found it very clever, and with some refreshing clues. And then to discover that August is still in high school? Oh my! Very impressive! I hope to see a lot more of your puzzles in the future, August! 😊

Oh my, I am truly late to this party, but count me in as a fan! This puzzle was simply delightful, beginning to end! Loved the Oreo clue, as well as seeing “grownup” words like INTREPID (Bonnie Raitt has a great song with the line “Hope that you’re half as intrepid as you make out…” swoon. I believe its title is “You’re gonna get what’s coming.” <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=you" target="_blank">https://www.google.com/search?q=you</a>%27re+gonna+get+what%27s+coming+bonnie+raitt&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en-us&client=safari&channel=33&sei=8TkcaOX3E7zh0PEP_tPKkAo#ebo=0 Thank you Tom!

Oh this was just so lovely! I learned some new words (SKAT), couldn’t remember others (ETUI), learned more about KITTEN HEELS, which I also thought were just low heels, and reveled in bevels, as just being such a beautiful word. Well done, Jill And Michelle, and thank you!

Oh, this was so lively! And fun! I didn’t get the theme for awhile, but hey, if the puzzle demands DOCKSDOCKS, who was I to argue? Eventually it came together (thanks Sam for your column) and I could truly admire the work that went into creating this sassy puzzle. Thank you Ingrid!

What a delightful Puzzle - thank you Rena! And speaking of delightful, HeathieJ, I so enjoy and appreciate your posts! Always positive, always kind, and frequently funny as well. Thank you!

Thank you Sam, for a fun and gentle Thursday puzzle. Thank you XWord Community for making this a warm and welcoming place. May peace be with you all. ❤️💚

Oooh, this was fun! Soooo many spanners! And the top ones took quite awhile - held on to acid washed denim for far too long. URSA was so cute. And I always thought it was Scooby Doo who said RUH ROH. IQTEST was a new one on me as well. Thank you Caroline! I hope to see you again soon!

This was just a lovely lively puzzle! A nice crunchy Monday, and a vision of David Bowie in that trench coat to boot 😊 Thank you Kate and Erica!

Loved this puzzle! So many words to look up and learn! Syzygy, hypocorism, syne…then a totally adorable clue like 47A. Even learned some geography too - Hawaii and Lithuania. All this learning, plus a bright sparkly grid. Wow. Ms Lynch, thank you!

Tea-lightful! This was a lovely, well planned, well executed puzzle. Thank you Jasin! Im another one who didn’t get the rapper or many of the sports clues, but the crossings were do-able, esp with help from our wonderful Sam Corbin - oh how I enjoy your columns, Sam!

Am I the only person who got minifig, with the immediate visual of a tiny fig leaf for tiny toys and statues. Well, it made me laugh anyway, lol!

Wow! That’s all I can say - what an amazing puzzle! Thank you Kevin!

Oh, this was fun! I’ve heard a few JUG BANDs over the years, same with the phrase BONES UP ON, and any puzzle with a Tolkien reference is a fine puzzle indeed! We are all on different wavelengths, and it felt good to ride this particular wave, right into the happy music. Thank you Jacob!

What a lovely, sparkly, and difficult (for me) puzzle! Thank you Andrew, and I hope to be challenged by you again soon!

I really wanted the Mercury clue to be FREDDY! 😊

Oh my, this was a lovely, lovely, and sparkly puzzle! Many smiles in this one 😊. Thank you Landon, for your hard work and persistence. We hope to see more from you!

Oooh, so late to the party tonight, but so appreciative of this puzzle! It fairly sparkled, at least where it didn’t induce pun-groans. Glad that 32D was STAR instead of Oreo. Did not know that about 50D - an amazing person all around! Thank you Ilana and Scott; you’ve got a winner here!

Wow, so late on today’s that I may be early for tomorrow, lol! Great and tough, tough puzzle - Thank you Adrian! And thank you to other commenters, who dropped in little gifts of answers - you are very kind.

Oh this was fun! Despite a plethora of soft chewy foods (OATS, RAMEN, PUDDING), this puzzle was rather crunchy for a Monday! I learned LEMMA and YOSHI today, and really appreciated SLIM. I hear your chances improve if you actually buy a ticket, but not by much. Thank you Katherine!