This is the crossword puzzle thread

Hah, and the 45A cross.

Solved it, don’t know how I feel about it. I was on the verge of annoyance at times but overall an enjoyable experience I guess. 32D had me going for a bit, I had something else there for the longest time.

I had two different things in for 28D MARRIAGES and then MATERIALS - not being sure how to spell 34D didn't help

struggled a bit with that middle section (never heard of DEJAGER or HUGUENOT, also had INDIA instead of NEPAL for the longest time) but overall I quite liked it. faster fill than usual for a Saturday even with the hiccups.

easiest sunday ever

Yeah, another record!

can will shortz fit every possible spelling variation of a certain egyptian god into a single week? perhaps

You’re talking about AMONUPDO?

Should have said AMENRA to that.

That's my favorite type of noodles

Lol!

Rejected crosswordese screenname: AMEN UPDO.

So some of the time restrictions for doing a puzzle that counts towards your streak have definitely been relaxed -- I *just* finished Wednesday's and it's showing up as gold.

Were there time restrictions? Didn't know. Oh, day of or something maybe.

I think it matters whether you start the next one.

Like, if it's Thursday morning and I forgot to do Wednesday, I can still do it and get gold... as long as I don't start Thursday until Wednesday is done.

That's how I understand it anyway.

That said, if I ever get too precious about this, please kick me in the groinal region and remind me that it's a voluntary leisure activity that is also basically meaningless. Thxbye

People getting precious about their streak is kind of half the business model for the NYT xword

Addiction through gamification is real, people!

Or is it?

xxp and wordle too! they're playing on peoples' OCD tendencies

I know a lot of people don't do numbers but it's nice that the sudoku isn't like that

I’d say the “cracking the cryptic” sudoku fans can get pretty obsessive/dedicated. The speed solvers at Logic puzzle tournament are pretty incredible, although these events also seems to be accompanied with nerdy endless arguments about things like bifurcation, uniqueness, and if the cognitive load of the solving path is too heavy.

I do love Nikoli-style logic puzzles in general though.

Okay, Sunday 5D made me smile.

easiest Wednesday ever

Streak is now at 365, and I kind of hate myself for caring that much.

Ray Stevens to thread! Or not.

Leee, I also got to 365 recently and had the same ambivalence - simultaneously "yay me" and "who gives a fuck."

Anyway, today’s puzzle…took me a while but I enjoyed, I think.

same, was a fun one! really liked the clue-ing on this

Sunday was a bit of a headfuck, I only figured out the gimmick after I’d ground through the whole thing using crosses.

I saw the gimmick early on but didn’t have much of a reaction to this puzzle pro or con. I started it last night, didn’t feel like bothering and picked up again this morning.

Today's is chewy -- tough but fair, if that's something you enjoy.

And again today. YMMV but I really enjoyed it despite nearly not finishing. Clues were difficult but not arbitrary, and some nice fill too. (It does have glue but I'm more tolerant of it especially if it's balanced it by good fill.)

And if I scared you off, Rex calls both days exceptionally easy, so maybe I'm just obtuse.

I did both. They weren’t particularly hard or easy. More of the medium challenge I am willing to accept these days.

the port authority/fields medal winner cross was rough

Was wondering why I never saw you on the math threads.

Tomorrow’s puzzle seems really boring.

Sez I as I peer into my 🔮

Natick today in the NW. :(

Keith Hernandez just noted on tonight’s Mets broadcast there will a nyt xword themed around him this summer, right around the time his number is retired

MEX

Today (Tuesday) is scarily good. Not too difficult, but with a clever theme, good cluing, and some unusual words with crunchy consonant clusters. I particularly liked CMON, RXS, MRT, CBER, and ONSAFARI.

Didn't like it as much as you did, but yeah, pretty substantial for a Tuesday.

Thurs 9D!

They must have seen my screenname.

I passed Ben ταυσίγ this morning and mentioned that but he hadn’t done it yet.

feel like several of today’s clues were slightly off

Yeah

It feels as if there are more factually or grammatically incorrect clues in the NYT nowadays than ever before, perhaps a side effect of the obsessive pursuit of counterintuitiveness and misdirection.

Yes. This kind of thing in general is why I have mostly preferred cryptics for a long while.

23D where I had PINE instead of PITY nearly had me with a DNF.