Tom

@Eric Ressner. I did the same. Then went back and used only the “innies” (in Severance speak). Once the “outies” were ignored, then the happy music played. Like in Severance, I initially had no idea what was going on. But I was sure the work was mysterious and important.

@Niki B. You are welcome! I love your banana cream pie story. The mind is an amazing thing and can recover in so many ways. Btw, my sister used to own a bakery and her signature bake was banana cream pie!

@Warren. Thank you. Her journey continues but happily we do it together!

@LordBottletop Your post made me spit out my morning tea! Very funny. Loved this clever, fun puzzle! The rebus entries were well signaled and created a fun solve. Only trouble was SAMSA/PLOSIVE crossing. Had to whack away at the top square with lots of letters to finally get it done. Very appropriate ending! Great job, Mr Hasegawa!

@Steve. Ha! We did think (very briefly) about a whole puzzle of only common crosswordese. Perhaps grouped by the editor’s era? And crossed or imbedded in their names? But OREO won out over all the others.

@Lewis. Thanks, Lewis. That is very kind. She is indeed an amazing and resilient person. And the daily challenge is great for me, too!

@hitthejohn Sorry this puzzle didn’t do it for you. One think that might help is to consider that the “?” can signal a play on words or some misdirection, not always a pun. “Gives a hand” most commonly means “helps”. But with the question mark, the playful answer becomes “CLAPS”. That kind of cleverness made me smile. This was very similar to 36A: “Preserves thing?” was not the action one might have thought without a question mark. The play-on-words answer is JARS. I initially put in JAMS, but corrected with the cross. Still a good clue/answer. For me it was fun and well done Sunday puzzle.

@sotto voce. Thank you for your very kind words. We both appreciate it. Creating the puzzle with Dan was a lot of fun learning. Hopefully we’ll make another!

@Gary Scheele. Thanks for sharing your story. My wife be happy to hear about your recovery. Ours a mysterious and amazing organs.

@Mark McLaughlin In my experience watching lots of golf tournaments on TV, the announcers use the phrase “even par” all the time. It’s used to refer to a player’s score during a round or for the whole tournament, as opposed to any given hole. It is also used to show how a player has done over several days on particular types of holes. As in, “She is shooting even par on the par fives for the tournament”. Sure, it is a bit redundant, but that is quite common (and even useful) in spoken English. Btw, “even par” is not used for a score on one hole.” Maybe that was what you are referring to. One would just say, “He shot par on number 14 today”. I do know of one place where the phrase “even par for the round” is never used. The golf league I play in. No one ever comes close to even par for a round!

@Barbara It is also used as a dipping sauce. My favorite is with fried calamari! Yum!

@Catplants. Good point. The alternative clue was: “Young Frankenstein” brain donor Abby ___”. Funny, but a bit wordy.

@Mr Bill. It is delicious! And to Andrzej’s point, of all the OECD countries the U.S. has the worst health outcomes, and, by far, the highest costs (both in total and per capita). Not the things to be first in. Some day, hopefully, we’ll have the courage and will to fix this chaotic system.

@Tom. So many better four letter words to describe them!

@Jacob. Now that is a true LOTR deep cut!

@Bill. Really good summary. And the “practice” meaning of “moot” can sometimes go just a bit further as a verb. Practicing attorneys will sometimes “moot” their oral arguments in front other attorneys to prepare for oral arguments in significant matters, particularly appellate cases. It can be very helpful for one’s case.

@Margaret from Michigan After the great OCTOPI kerfuffle this week, I tried POSSUMI here. Didn’t work :( Sigh…

@Jon Benjamin Franklin, in a letter to his daughter, jokingly made fun of the (apparently badly drawn) bald eagle as the choice for an insignia of the Society of Cincinnati, suggesting it looked more like a turkey. Many think Franklin actually preferred the turkey for the Great Seal of the United States, but that seems not to be true. Here’s a partial quote from his letter: "For my own part I wish the Bald Eagle had not been chosen as the Representative of our Country. He is a Bird of bad moral Character. He does not get his Living honestly. You may have seen him perch'd on some dead Tree near the River, where, too lazy to fish for himself, he watches the Labour of the Fishing Hawk; and when that diligent Bird has at length taken a Fish, and is bearing it to his Nest for the Support of his Mate and young Ones, the Bald Eagle pursues him and takes it from him…like those among Men who live by Sharping and Robbing he is generally poor and often very lousy. Besides he is a rank Coward: The little King Bird not bigger than a Sparrow attacks him boldly and drives him out of the District…For in Truth the Turkey is in Comparison a much more respectable Bird, and withal a true original Native of America. Eagles have been found in all Countries, but the Turkey was peculiar to ours…He is besides, tho' a little vain and silly, a Bird of Courage, and would not hesitate to attack a Grenadier of the British Guards who should presume to invade his Farm Yard with a red Coat on."

@Andrzej You likely right on the “e” angle. But also, elm trees were once deeply connected to American life. From the 1800s through the 1930s the elm was the most popular tree to plant along streets and roads in cities and suburbs. Its growth habitat created huge and beautiful cathedral-like canopies. Beginning in the 1930s , Dutch Elm Disease wiped out virtually all these trees. Some disease resistant varies survive, and scientists are trying to help them stage a come back. Uncertain if it will work. Also, in the 1760s an elm tree on the Common in Boston became famous as a rallying place for colonists challenging British rule. They named it the Liberty Tree. Just before the war, Loyalists to the Crown chopped the Liberty Tree down, but its spirit lived on. Many towns across in the other colonies designated their own Liberty Trees and they all became symbols of the revolution. So, elms were “stately” in form, but also in American history as a symbol of the creation of a new country.

@Steve L And frequently referenced (and did a guest appearance or two) on the original Night Court TV show. Great show! Judge Harry Stone was a huge stan of the Velvet Fog.

@Oscar Pansy He is a very well known actor. Oscar-nominated for starring the the hit movie 12 Years a Slave. I see no problem with seeing someone of his stature being in the puzzle, especially if fairly crossed with some easy answers. Is he not in some folks’ knowledge base? Of course. Is he too obscure to be in the puzzle? No way. This From IMDB: “ English actor, writer and director Chiwetel Ejiofor is renowned for his portrayal of Solomon Northup in 12 Years a Slave (2013), for which he received Academy Award and Golden Globe Award nominations, along with the BAFTA Award for Best Actor. He is also known for playing Okwe in Dirty Pretty Things (2002), the Operative in Serenity (2005), Lola in Kinky Boots (2005), Luke in Children of Men (2006), Dr. Adrian Helmsley in 2012 (2009) and Dr. Vincent Kapoor in The Martian (2015).” I’ll add he had a major role in a Marvel Comics blockbuster Dr. Strange. He is a star, for sure.

@Westchester, NY The clue refers to the “heart” (read” center”) of the word “black”. It is a SHORT A” phonetically.

@Jennifer It’s possible it may help the guild. Management tracks the daily usage rate, you can be sure. If there is a significant dropoff, theycould be concerned that customers may not renew, or even cancel, their subscriptions to what is a huge money maker for them. A bit indirect, but possibly effective.

@Anna Congrats! Well done.

@Stefan. Good point. For most here, I guess, it’s great to hear perspective. It’s part of the fun of crosswording, to hear different takes on the clues/answers.

@David Connell. Growing up in the NYC area, we heard constant traffic updates on AM radio (usually 1010 WINS and WCBS 880). They often mentioned traffic issues on the Kościuszko Bridge on the BQE and the Pulaski Skyway in New Jersey. So I read up on the two as a kid, history nut that I am. Now, whenever I go over them, I give a little nod of thanks to these amazing people.

@Andrzej. Now that is a fun post!

@Mimi. IMO, no one should feel obligated to read all the comments before posting their own. It’s perfectly fine if certain points are repeated.

@Keith Law. Different strokes on this one. I loved INCOGMEATO. First it is a hilarious name for a plant food brand. And with MEAT in the answer (very meta), it is gettable with the crosses. And yes, it is less known than other brands, but that’s OK by me for a Saturday. Also liked HATEWATCH as a fun answer. Took the clue as a hint, not an exact definition . As a NJ Devil fan, I occasionally click into a NY Rangers game. Definitely hate watching!

@Walter Burton. Different view here. For us, using average daily solve time as a measure of difficulty, the editors do an amazing job at calibrating difficulty day by day through the week. I posted our data a few weeks ago here Based on about 3200 puzzles completed our daily average solve time (as given in the app) increased almost exactly 28% each day, except Thursday. Even for Saturday to Sunday, where the editors have to calibrate lesser difficulty with increased grid size. Average solve time increase about the same as for other days. That is stunningly good editing. Of course any given week there will be variation, but over time, they are nailing it. As for Thursday, I suspect our larger percentage increase in solve time is because the added trickiness makes the difficulty level (and therefore solve time) vary much more for a particular than for other days. If you just don’t get the trick (it happens) you can run up some unusually long solve times. If you get it easily, it goes quickly. In any event, I’m amazed how, over time, the editing for difficulty is so consistent.