Lily

Netminder? That had to refer to the internet, right? Ok, I do alright with technology, but stay away from social media. Hmm. I had DIS for 1A. That gave me...SOALIE? Umm, no. I'm open to learning something new...but, no, that can't be right! I puzzled over the NW corner, until I realized, DIS was not it. For gosh sakes, I see it now, dang it. Grrrr! Sports clues, got me again! Lol.

I grew up near Pittsburgh and in reference to the mention of the phrase the car 'needs washed', you would most often hear 'I have to wersh the car'. I'd also have to 'red up my room', tell my friends 'see yinz guys later', yell at my sister to stay out of my room and stop being so 'nebby' and ask Mom if I could have a 'pop' instead of milk with dinner. Ah, Pittsburgh, such a great little city. Our family spent a lot of time there enjoying the museums, restaurants, Pirates ball games (I even remember the ivy covered walls of old Forbes Field)...I haven't been back in decades, but when I hear that accent, I'm right there again. Thanks for the nostalgic puzzle, really enjoyed it.

My first thought for 'liquid gold' was bacon fat. My mother saved it in a jar which was kept in the fridge and we used it for frying potatoes and the like, and my dad melted it and added it to waffle batter. Both were mighty tasty as a result, well, the cooked waffles of course! And hey, wasn't 'result' a yesterday's answer? I think it was! Anyway, perhaps using bacon fat for cooking is no longer to anyone's taste, but my parents' habits were shaped by the Depression and WW II era rationing, so yes, they followed the golden rule of those times, then and for the rest of their lives: 'Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without'. Now, pasta water? I love to cook and I've watched a lot of cooking shows, so I understand the use for it, but, I can't say I ever have. Have a good weekend everyone, and maybe make your mom some waffles, bacon fat or not.

It seems like we got two major camps here: I finished before my morning coffee was cold!! Best. Time. Ever! And @#$%&* puzzle, ruined me! And I had to picture Tom Selleck's Chest Hair...aaaaugh! So, may I respectfully add a third...me. I gave it a good old GO. Hey, there were a few Spanish words, instead of French, there's that, and yes! good old oreo, and peony! being a gardening fiend pays off again! And only a couple sports clues, phew, I don't do sports AT ALL. Any way, tried my best, learned a few things, and yes, it took a few hours, with a few sneak peaks on the old Google, but then, what are Sunday mornings for? Though I must say, my coffee, went stone cold. Happy Sunday all!

Wow, I was not sure I was going to even do this puzzle, what a slow start. I fought my way to the last letter. And no look ups. I didn't understand some clues or have any idea what the answers were to many, but used common sense when it came to filling in words, what letters commonly go together etc, the same method I use with Wordle. Little by little it came together, yay!

Thanks Dena! Loved your puzzle, loved the clues, I laughed out loud when the 'source of schadenfreude' revealed itself. And refreshing to not see Etsy and Oreo. It made me remember how my kids loved to give me the 'this does not compute' line to tease when asked to do something. And there was a flower! There should be more, in the gardening category, gardening is surely as popular as, darn it, sports? Have a good weekend everyone!

I'm sad today, underscored by the snow, and the cold. I guess I've come here for, hopefully, like-minded company. I read the comments, and imagine the people who have written them, so many of us, spread across the world. Perhaps by habit, or love of games, or simply the embrace of a challenge, we all, in unconscious harmony, work our way through the grid. I like that thought. I needed the distraction. Too often I give up on the Sunday, but today's was grand, flowed beautifully, and the computer theme did bring a small smile (ah yes, that one! I do remember how fickle my laptop was!) And I'll be sad tomorrow, I feel. Thank you all. I don't know what else to say. Except, enough.

This puzzle is a rare gem because I did not have to figure out who in 1955 baseball played on 3 different teams while breaking the RBI and home run records from the previous 10 years all while holding 4 different positions...! Yes, no sports clues, thank you Ms. Miller! Okay, the coin toss is sorta sports adjacent, and I thought it funny the photo heading the column was of a football player, but the clues were more of a kind you could SUSS out with crosses and/or some serious rumination. I know they'll be back, but today was just a breath of fresh air.

Tricky! I'm all good with it though. I figure if my mind can deal with: One rebus, on a Wednesday! A figure I can't draw on my phone! Singers and authors and movies I've never heard of, oh my! (Yes I've heard of said singer, but I was stuck on the nickname foreeever). Anyway, if I can get the Gold Star after all that, and I did lol, then I'm still in the game. Yay!

I guess, you do not need my voice, NYT? As an introvert, even posting an anonymous comment is a big move. And when it never appears, crushing! But I'll get over it...timidly adding a Happy Weekend to you all...oh, and the puzzle? Tough, for me, but a challenge happily accepted, and completed, with one teensy Google...cheers!

Whaps? What's a whap? It is anything like a whack, a whop, a wallop or a whomp? I suppose I could whap a mole, but would I really want to? Of course I wouldn't whack, whop, wallop or whomp one either, but I'm just saying. (Smiley face) Happy Days everybody!

Silent 'T'...oh my gosh...the ah ha moment took some time for that one even though I've seen those types of clues before. My kitty was at the vet having tests done today, so maybe I can blame it on that...I guess I'm grateful it took so long to figure out the SW corner, it kept my mind occupied. To lovely furry friends everywhere...♡

I could so vividly picture that mole, having seen it somewhere before. When my kids were young they loved animals (still do) and we had so many books about nature. Their favorite animal was an echidna, a spiny, long-snouted mammal that lays eggs. That fact really tickled them, they couldn't get over a mammal, that lays eggs! Someone fit that little guy into a puzzle, that would be cool. Anyway, the mole: I could not come up with the name until it started to fill in, but having that picture in mind gave me that aha moment pretty quickly. Read to your kids! I learned a lot, right along with them.

When that last letter went in and I didn't get an error message, boy was I surprised! Some fill-ins were a mystery to me at that point. For 'Miami is in it, for short' first I went with MDC, for Miami-Dade County, having no idea it was a sports related clue, and ended up with the correct ACC, not knowing what that stood for until I read the comments. Sports clues are my nemesis, especially athlete names. You either know them, or you don't. My dad followed every sport, college and professional basketball and football, baseball, golf and even bowling, (remember when that was on TV?? lol) so some long buried memory might eventually work its way to the surface about older sports stars and teams, but other than that, sports are totally off my radar and have been for a long time. I appreciate the rare puzzle that has NO sports, but I get that's a huge part of our culture. Have a good Saturday everyone, and you Weekend Warriors, don't forget to warm up!

Ooooh my, got me again, with the Mini. Nothing makes you more humble than googling 'NOUSE', and having that head slap moment...oh well, it's not the first time and certainly not the last, and only you all will know I did that! And XACTOS, well, they aren't NOUSE, lol, they are in fact very useful little knives, but so sharp, and a little scary to use, just the name, oof, gives me a little shiver. Be careful out there! Have a good one all.

When I saw the revealer clue (oh no!) I felt defeated at the get go, sports theme alert! Okay, (grits teeth) I'm going in...it was a slow start, then realized there would be rebus (rebuses, rebi ?? discuss...there probably has been I'm sure, my lack of patience doesn't allow me to look it up). Then, I landed on 'Gridiron game for young tykes' and I KNEW that one, oh boy, that started the ball rolling, and then rebus(es)(i) actually helped me fill in the revealer clue, which then helped with the rest of the puzzle. And, no, it wasn't my !!Best time ever!! More like a very leisurely hour and a half, between sips of coffee, while watching my backyard garden wake up, come alive, with the birds, bees and butterfles, all engaged in the type of competition I prefer to watch. Have pleasant day all.

At least this time I didn't have to look up ASPER. I learned my lesson with ATIT, some time ago. Rolling eyes at self! Have a good day, everyone. Hope the glorious cooler, drier weather I woke up to is in your neighborhood too.

Where was I in 1985? That was my first thought! Give the question some context. After a bit, ah yes, Back To The Future. I had MARTY at first. It became clear that was incorrect as I worked out the puzzle. I doubt I would have remembered MCFLY on my own, but at least I was zeroed in on the right character. This is the first Saturday I've finished in quite a few weeks, and this was not accomplished in record time lol, but it was very satisfying to achieve the Gold Star. Have a good one everybody, cooler, more comfortable days are upon us, thank goodness, pumpkin spice lattes all around!

May I mention a personal win from this week? No, I didn't finish the Sunday in a new world's record time, but I DID finish every puzzle this week, and with no peeking! Astonishing! Perhaps the coming late week puzzles will bring back the expected frustration, but today, I'll bask in the glow of my rare achievement, if you will indulge me. Keep going all, hope is powerful.

It was a toss up between CORN and CLAM chowder, loving both and having made both. And I made it through a Saturday puzzle with no look ups! (I'll not mention LAST Saturday, uh boy). I know, maybe the 'too easy' crew is crowing, but I'm not even going to look. It was a nice way to bury my head in the sand for a few on a quiet Saturday morning. Have a good weekend all, keep cool, and don't sweat the small stuff. Too bad it's a bit warm for corn chowder, it is corn season actually! My dad used to buy a big bagful of fresh corn, get out our biggest kettle and steam it up and that was dinner, he loved it so much. Anyway, I digress, I'll show myself out now...

I've not read too many comments, so I'm not aware of the general consensus, about whether this puzzle was considered difficult, or too easy. But DANG IT I finished a Saturday! Whew! I worked on it on and off, all day. And got 'er done, yay! Now it's time to reward myself from the pile of Christmas cookies in the pantry, and yes, I'm definitely going to have ONE OF EVERYTHING!

I will NOT forget the name of that darn nail polish...I have repeated it to myself and committed it to memory, THIS time. It seems to always escape my attention because that clue usually gets filled in on crosses. Mr. Ohno's first name eluded me though I very much do remember watching him skate in the Olympics many times, an amazing talent. I thought the ASL clues were super...the pictures showed up on my phone, no problem there. Am I ready for the Thursday? Yes, yes I am.

Phew! Got it, finally! If my body could work out as much as my brain did with this one, I could wear the shorts I keep in in my bottom drawer, ya know, just in case. Happy Wednesday all!

Confounded by yabber, I had jabber, which gave me 'bootj', and the clue was, 'literally' LEFT behind? Is that the LEFT side, of the BEHIND? Nah, Google confirmed, sigh. I'm smarter than this, but of course, I don't know ALL the words, if it was 'literally' the LEFT behind, is there...a word for that? Okay, regroup! Hold on, running through the keyboard...y...it's yabber! Oh geez, booty, of course (eye roll). As I write this, spell check is insisting on 'yammer', but like I said, I don't know ALL the words, and that's a new one on me, so enough yamm...yabbering! Happy Monday all!

Hello Dan Caprera, According to your Constructor Notes, I have an inner...bro? This is confirmed by the fact that I DID know mosh pit, Eminem and, of all things, Steve-O, and if you knew this nerdy introvert, that would give you a laugh. I thought the puzzle was fine, challenging but fun, even though at the start, I was a bit worried. Once repeating letters appeared I knew what game was afoot and things fell into place. I am a tad concerned about Thursday's puzzle, but who knows, maybe a new inner me will be revealed? Have a good evening everyone!

When the last letter went in and the gold star popped up I scared my daughter with my whoop of surprise! I worked on it, on and off, all day, well and a bit last night. Geez, what a workout! I do love challenging, and challenging this was. I got the trick early on but so many of the clues just had me stymied. From somewhere, I don't know where, EL CID eventually surfaced, and slowly, the more I filled in, the easier it got. A lot of guessing and trial and error though, but, got there in the end. Woo hoo!

'Pay for play, perhaps'. I saw 'pay to play' so had me stumped for a while there, funny how your mind works. Good one! Liked that.

Plants, are my favorite people, lol. Fun puzzle, loved the clues in the NW corner, clever misdirections. I finished this early this AM, because it's raining, leaving me sitting inside with my coffee, otherwise I'd be out in the garden, dodging all the stingy (hard 'g') things and checking for the sneaky bindweed that oozes through the fence from my less gardening-inclined neighbor's yard. The blooms do glow under the overcast sky though, and the pansies and the iris appreciate a cooler day, and a gentle shower. Have a good one all.

ATOB is my new ATIT, at least I didn't Google it. Fudge cakes, will I never learn? First Wednesday ever, that defeated me, and I looked up answers. Ah well, there's always, Thursday? I'll just have to keep ATIT.

Cute puzzle, but you know you're not in Para-dice when it's 92 degrees at 9:30 in the morning! I got to where I needed to fill in 'Rhyming partner of wheels', to complete 'Very cold, and 'Very, in music'. All three had me stumped. Then DEALS popped into my head, and there ya go, done. I was shocked it was correct! I so had it in my head I needed a double 'e' word. Overthinking things, whew. Stay cool everyone, this heat is brutal. Let the outside chores and runs and all that go for now. We need a cold front!

Nice one! Had to work for the solve, challenging but fun. Thanks Mr. Zimmer!

Sigh, I gave up. Maybe I have some sort of processing problem. This type of puzzle is beyond me. When the answers leave their usual path like this I just can't get it. I look at it over again and again, and can't make it make sense. Anyway! I'm sure others had fun. And just when I thought I was getting out in front of the difficult puzzles and they were becoming manageable. Ah well, there's always tomorrow, and if not, maybe just wait for Monday!

I finished the crossword without knowing the theme, I had not peeked at the column before hand. When I did attempt to read it, I'm sorry, I found I didn't have the patience to follow it through and figure out what it was saying. It's me, not you! Anyway, it was a fun solve. I always appreciate it is quite an accomplishment to have a puzzle published in the NYT, even though I don't always connect with the theme or cluing. Have a good one!

One of my kids always said 'Gamazing' when they were little, and I think that fits. It's just darn gamazing that I finished another Saturday, with no look ups. Gamazing!! Sorry, I always thought that was so cute, but you do think your kids and cats, and okay I'll give it to dogs too, though I'm not a dog person, being very seriously allergic, are the very cutest on earth. But I digress, and the Sunday is next. That may not have a gamazing result per myself, but I'll give it a go as usual. Have a very safe, happy, Gamazing weekend, hope it's off to a stellar start for everyone!

Felt something on your head? I will never get the puns 'right off the bat'! After a few letters from crosses, aha! The light finally went on! Fun puzzle, just spicy enough for a Wednesday.

It is a Thursday puzzle, I kept telling myself, just let it flow, all will be revealed, the AHA moment will come... I'm pretty tenacious, I don't give up easily, and I really hate to peek. SO, I was staring at the incomplete fill of 27A...hmm...I had the beginning, some letters in the middle: GR___N, and most after this part. And, there it was! It's GREEN? Okay, the counterpart shaded area was RED, AHA lol...green/go, red/stop, replace the GREEN with GO and the RED with STOP! Yay! I get the frustration with this puzzle, when I put the last letter in and all was correct I was somewhat surprised, and incredibly relieved!

I, like, really liked it.