Demoiselle

@Darren Why criticize the puzzle when the issue is that you couldn’t figure it out?

@Grumpy As so many have said before…American publication, American puzzle. State abbreviations are indeed crossword 101 for Americans. Choose a puzzle in a Toronto paper if that is not to your liking. Outstandingly inappropriate to call out “ego-centric Americans”. The entire tone of your comment is insulting.

@sykofox Rebuses worked perfectly here…as did the theme. I thought it was a great puzzle.

@Heg Get up on the wrong side of the be? If you can’t think of anything nic.

@Lewis I had a similar experience this summer, while outside setting the table on the patio. Something made me turn my head, and there was a lovely mama bear, not 4 feet away, just standing there next to a tree, watching me, intently. I spotted three cubs gamboling down the driveway behind her, and once they were out of sight, she turned and followed. I was actually mesmerized by her gaze (I know that sounds funny, but it’s true) and I just stood there without moving. She had such a seemingly calm demeanor. It wasn’t until I told my guests about it later that I even thought I should probably have been afraid… I’ll never forget it.

@Name2 I think when we stop using the alphabet…switch to another language…or create crosswords with only words over 5 letters?

@Agarre Starbucks is 54 years old. Star Wars is 48 years old. Been around long enough for oldsters to have heard about both.

@Phil Posting your opinion in the forum invites others to post theirs as well. If you choose to see their responses as “snark” that’s your right, but they are just posting their own “subjective feedback”. IMHO, if you would prefer not to get a response…don’t post.

@Michele Once a word is adopted into English from another language, spelling and usage may change. You all know that the word in question is no longer Italian, it’s adopted from Italian. The dictionary can usually answer questions about words.

@Thomas Clark I believe it means nice but unenthusiastic praise, not phony, and the correct word is faint. Feint is a mock blow or attack.

@Anna I grew up in the 50’s in a suburb of NYC. My mother would sit at the corner of the sofa and do the NYT Crossword every Sunday. In pen! The phone was nearby so she could call her closest friend and discuss it. The image endures in my brain, and I still can hear her laughing and chatting. Of course I followed suit…and have been doing the puzzle myself for 60 years or so. God I’m old!

@Dan It’s not a Spanish word…it’s originally from French, but English since the 19th century.

@Margaret My heart goes out to you.

@Ms. Billie M. Spaight I actually thought it was a great clue - and I rarely run across many that impress me 🤷‍♀️

@Darren I had a tough time today too, not with the same words you mentioned, but still it was just hard for me. However, I’d probably never blame the puzzle because I couldn’t come up with all the answers…clearly my problem.

@Jurga The lotus tree (Ancient Greek: λωτός, lōtós) is a plant that is referred to in stories from Greek and Roman mythology.

@KK Everyone needs to be aware that everyone grew up in a different home, and what might be a reach for some might be commonplace for others… IMO, AMSCRAY was a great answer to an equally great clue.

@Mike You can’t take things like that for granite ;)

@Nancy McDonald’s … hardly propaganda for meat substitutes…and there are about 250 in the 5 boroughs.

@Richard If by “nobody” you mean you, ok. Otherwise, you’re hardly qualified to speak for everyone.

@Katie Caitlin Clark is a familiar name, but I couldn’t tell you whether it’s an American idol, a sports figure, a broadcaster or…the clue meant nothing to me. I got it mostly (or partly) from crosses. Indra…I don’t know… Sort of a natick for me.

@D Couldn’t figure it out? That’s kind of sad.

@DJ Apse, Easter, nave, Christmas, church, abbey, abbot, abbacy, friar, priest, pastor, nuncio, catholic, cathedral, pope, papacy, get over it. And sorry to repeat, but Yiddish is a Germanic language, not a religion. Catholicism is a religion, not a language. The crossword gives ample coverage to musical instruments and tools. Sounds like you are complaining about the spelling bee which has a much smaller solution list, at this point about 11,000 words, not the crossword which has used more than 120,000 since 1993. I read your comment as not soft bigotry at all, it’s thinly veiled hard core.

@Michelle Obviously you didn’t bother to figure out the puzzle. It’s not the constructor that was lazy.

@Ben I understand…I find I can tell how old the commenters are based upon what they write too.

@Becky As an artist the clue made perfect sense to me.

@Dr Janelle I have no expectations regarding what the world knows about my childhood treats. And furthermore I don’t care. I don’t know why international players choose the NYT puzzle and then feel the need to comment on the aspects of it that are American. It’s tiresome.

@Suzzzanne Front Parlor? It’s really just a place to gather or receive guests, there isn’t anything salacious about it…

@Jerry Puma and Vans are both “sneaker” brands

@Ragland Jackie Gleason?

@Patrick J. That comparison doesn’t work. It’s not actual wrestling, it’s acting. Seems like the definition of fake wrestling. Ballet is actual dancing that is choreographed.

@Chuck Osmund They sell them at Blicks, my favorite art supply store, and on Amazon, where I never buy art supplies. There are kick-wheel pottery wheels and electric pottery wheels. None of them seem to be made of clay…

@Billy Hendricks There is a forum for connections <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/spotlight/connections-companion" target="_blank">https://www.nytimes.com/spotlight/connections-companion</a> A good place to discuss that game with other players.

@Dakota New puzzles are released at 10pm et on weekdays, and 6pm et on weekends.

@Hanson $8 trillion in debt added last time this admin was in charge. $1 trillion in interest. Hmmm. What could we possibly do.🤔

@Paul Early Polaroids had no such film, in fact required you roll on some kind of fixative when they came out of the camera still wet. We did wave them around in hopes of drying them more quickly.

@Gus 2 million followers on instagram 6.1 million followers on Facebook 28 million followers on Twitter/x 873 thousand on TikTok. I guess that adds up to more than 2000.

@Ms. Billie M. Spaight You could google this yourself, but I decided to and found this right away “ there are numerous crossword puzzle creators with disabilities who have successfully crafted and published puzzles, demonstrating the accessibility and inclusivity of the craft. Examples include Will Shortz, who recovered from strokes and continued to edit the New York Times crossword.”

@Andrzej There is much about LA to love. The beaches, the mountains, the desert, The Hollywood Bowl, more than 100 museums, The Getty (as noted), LACMA, MOCA, the Huntington. a drive through Beverly Hills. Olvera Street. Griffith Park, the constantly beautiful weather. Orange trees in your backyard. Palm tree lined streets. Everything in bloom. The traffic is horrific, but…eventually you get where you’re going. It’s true, as some say, that there is no “there there” but it’s a huge city, 500 square miles, and unlike most the focus is not limited to “downtown”.

@Graphic I should have prefaced that with…I finished high school and college in LA. I learned to drive there. I learned to surf there. I learned to ski there. I spent many happy summers at the beach, and my first job was there. Love or hate Hollywood as you will, there was always a movie star around the next corner, and all of my favorite tv shows were filmed in or around my neighborhood. Everyone I knew was in the “biz”. I am still very fond of LA.

@Jerry Guess it depends on your household…I have a drawer full of them ;)

@Robin Heath I don’t know, how about “this puzzle was tough for me”? Doesn’t seem right for you to try to speak for the multitudes. I thought it was great fun.

@Gabe I know both words, find them both rather ordinary, but would never presume to say what many or most readers know.

@Jacqui J From narc…as in narcotics…

@Jonathan Yes, collectors often refer to LPs as "wax" because of the material they are made from ( and were once made from) and the way they resemble a wax-like substance. This term is commonly used in the vinyl community.

@Nancy J. If only…

@S Godwin Gasoline is a fuel source for internal combustion engines.

@Andrzej “Testimonial” would seem to indicate an actual statement made by an actual user of the product…”paid actor” is meant as a caveat to remove any liability of the company for presenting a patently false statement. It’s total nonsense, and yet… advertisers still dress actors up as doctors to tout their drugs and apparently it works. We’re just not that smart…sigh. Apparently people are so swayed by advertising that they are willing to ask their doctors for drugs that announce “heart attack, stroke or death” as possible side effects.