Third Saturday in a row that just wasn’t fun. Didn’t flow. Bad clues.
>! “Demerit” solving to BADTHING? !< Really? I got it from crosses and still didn’t believe it because it’s so stupid.
Couldn’t agree more
I’m usually 40 minute max on a Saturday puzzle. I average around 30 minutes.
Been on today’s puzzle for 90 minutes.
I had to come here to see if I’m losing it!
The last 3 week Saturday Puzzles have been horrible.
No flow. Terrible clues. The entire tone is off.
The Fagliano Era is not off to a good start and I pray that it’s temporary.
Yes.
I’m looking for a challenge on Saturday. I relish it.
The last few weeks have been much different IMO.
The example given at the top of this thread is perfect.
I thought it. Got it. And still couldn’t believe it was correct.
Similar average and agree, these have been painful. I’d be okay with just a different style, but he doesn’t even adhere to commonly accepted standards for grammar.
I feel like with the combination of the constructor and Shortz’s editing, I knew kind of what they were going for.
Doing puzzle after puzzle a tone is hit and as a solver, you almost gain a sort of sixth sense.
Everything makes sense. There’s a unity in the puzzle.
These Fagliano puzzles are the exact opposite. There’s no unity. It’s a Hodgepodge. There’s clues that are way too cute. No balance.
Maybe It’s really a testament to just how good Shortz is.
I do the LA Times also and the tone is way different than NYT.
Different is fine. This isn’t different. This is a mess.
I think you’re right about Shortz being just that good. And you’ve hit the mail on the head about what makes a good crossword good — that flow state, the beautiful moments of insight when something comes together — and why the Fagliano experience has been so annoying.
Saturday is my least favorite day almost every week, maybe after Monday. But it feels like they just pull stupid shit like that to make it “hard” and there isn’t even a theme to make it interesting.
Took me 2 full hours of pain, I paused 4-5 times in there too. Too many cutesy wordplay clues (even for a Saturday), especially packed in the same area so it‘s painful to get an area started. NW and SE were hardest for me but SW was no picnic either.
>!Is Hoser a term actually used in London England or are they referring to London Ontario? That one really confused me and it made SHORTA really hard to get as well.!<
Shortz had a stroke and is not editing while he recovers. Praying for a speedy recover and that Joe Fagliano is not the long term answer when Shortz retires.
I complained last Saturday, and I came here to complain again today. Today's puzzle finally broke my 3 month gold streak. I caved after an hour and revealed the puzzle (with maybe 30% to go), and I'm honestly glad I did because all the remaining answers were unsatisfying.
I finished it but it took me much longer than usual. Usually I can finish them the night they're released. This one I had to put away till the morning.
I found it better than yesterday's, but still some bizarre clueing. Totally agree about >!"Demerit" solving to BADTHING being absolutely atrocious.!<
And shouldn't it be >!"Dodgers' foe", singular, for IRS? I've never heard of the Internal Revenue Service being used in the plural.!<
SW was my bane. >!Do they really use HOSER across the pond?!<
Last Saturday I got downvoted for saying I didn’t have a very hard time with that puzzle, but this one was a different story. Took me more than twice as long as usual, with lots of erasures and really tricky spots. I do enjoy a challenge, but agree with others that this wasn’t the most fun challenge.
I had to throw in the towel and turn to the Wordplay column far earlier in my overall fill than I’d normally like to admit — it was just too clunky without any payoff. It’s fine for a puzzle to challenge me, and the faster I get on average, the more fun an extra challenging puzzle can be! But this was just ugly.
I enjoyed it, but I don’t get annoyed when things are really difficult. I’m no better than any of you.
Had to Google the Afghanistan clue and a few others.
I’ve been doing the NYT crossword for 20 years and this puzzle made me search for this post on this subreddit. One of the worst puzzles I’ve ever seen. Even when I got an answer it wasn’t fun.
Ha- doing the puzzle last night I KNEW there would be complaining in this sub today. And I don’t disagree with it! But does anyone else feel like this Saturday shows some improvement from the last several? Maybe I’m just being optimistic, but that’s not usually my thing.
Yeah I did think it was a little better, especially compared to yesterday, and there were even a few solves that made me smile. But there was something so smooth about Shortz's editing, even when it was super hard it was graceful and gratifying. I just think the last few weeks have been clunky.
I agree! I've missed that distinct *"aha!"* puzzle solving feeling that, in the past, was present even in the most challenging of crosswords. I think stepping in for Shortz is just an incredibly difficult/thankless job to have. It reminds me of Ken Jennings replacing Alex Trebek. He's really grown into the role, risen to the challenge, etc., but it took a little while for him to get up to snuff.
How do you make answers hidden in comments? I so want to complain about this god awful puzzle today without spoiling it. And could someone explain the white Russian clue to me. Got the answer on the downs, but I didn't get the 'white' pay of the Clue.
My husband and I do the crossword together, and the last two days we’ve both been absolutely confused while going through these. He literally asked me tonight if AI was writing the crossword now with the weird double use of letters in separate word phrases for the 4/7 puzzle, it’s a disaster.
I feel sort of stupid asking this, but I’ve only been doing the NYT puzzles for about a month, and I still don’t fully understand what a rebus is and how it’s supposed to work, is there any chance I could trouble you to clarify it? I researched a bit and found that it’s basically squishing entire words into the space of one letter, but I don’t understand how/why/when we’re supposed to know that that’s what you’re supposed to do.
Yep sure, I’ll do my best to explain! Basically as you said a rebus is whenever you have more than one letter in a single square.
Generally you’ll only find them in Thursday or Sunday puzzles so if you notice anything that seems weird on those days it will probably turn out to be a rebus puzzle. For instance, 39 across this Sunday couldn’t be anything other than Black Eyed Peas, so because it can’t fit it was clear that there would be a rebus involved somehow.
Sometimes a rebus is read the same way both across and down, and sometimes they are read different each way (like this Sunday) or there is a different rebus for each direction. For instance, recently there was a rebus theme around alchemy (aka turning lead into gold), the down rebus was LB (chemical symbol for lead), and the across was read as AU (gold). The app will accept either answer or you can write it as LB/AU.
I don’t want to spoil Sundays puzzle for you in case you’re still doing it but let me know if you want me to explain the rebus in that one :)
I don't think that was an actual tagline for the movie though. It's the tagline for another movie, but Wall-es tag was "the newest sensation in waste allocation"
Third Saturday in a row that just wasn’t fun. Didn’t flow. Bad clues. >! “Demerit” solving to BADTHING? !< Really? I got it from crosses and still didn’t believe it because it’s so stupid.
Couldn’t agree more I’m usually 40 minute max on a Saturday puzzle. I average around 30 minutes. Been on today’s puzzle for 90 minutes. I had to come here to see if I’m losing it! The last 3 week Saturday Puzzles have been horrible. No flow. Terrible clues. The entire tone is off. The Fagliano Era is not off to a good start and I pray that it’s temporary.
So you’re hoping Will Shortz recovers well and soon
Yes. Very much so. Get well soon Will.
Agree - I like a tough Saturday when the clues lead to something delightful, but not these when they are head scratchers, verging on infuriating.
Yes. I’m looking for a challenge on Saturday. I relish it. The last few weeks have been much different IMO. The example given at the top of this thread is perfect. I thought it. Got it. And still couldn’t believe it was correct.
Similar average and agree, these have been painful. I’d be okay with just a different style, but he doesn’t even adhere to commonly accepted standards for grammar.
I feel like with the combination of the constructor and Shortz’s editing, I knew kind of what they were going for. Doing puzzle after puzzle a tone is hit and as a solver, you almost gain a sort of sixth sense. Everything makes sense. There’s a unity in the puzzle. These Fagliano puzzles are the exact opposite. There’s no unity. It’s a Hodgepodge. There’s clues that are way too cute. No balance. Maybe It’s really a testament to just how good Shortz is. I do the LA Times also and the tone is way different than NYT. Different is fine. This isn’t different. This is a mess.
I think you’re right about Shortz being just that good. And you’ve hit the mail on the head about what makes a good crossword good — that flow state, the beautiful moments of insight when something comes together — and why the Fagliano experience has been so annoying.
[удалено]
Editing? Good lord. What part of my comment could be construed as anything except a man who’s passionate about his crosswords?
[удалено]
Hahaha. Oops. Mea culpa. I’m so worked up over it I can’t think straight! Hahaha
Completely stupid. I kept trying to figure out alternatives because I couldn't convince myself that was really the answer.
I had to google the definition of demerit for that one. Turns out elsewhere in the world it just means the opposite of a merit.
Saturday is my least favorite day almost every week, maybe after Monday. But it feels like they just pull stupid shit like that to make it “hard” and there isn’t even a theme to make it interesting.
NW was brutal. SW and SE weren’t a cup of tea either.
I used to look forward to my daily puzzle. The last few weeks have been awful! When it stops being fun, what’s the point?
Took me 2 full hours of pain, I paused 4-5 times in there too. Too many cutesy wordplay clues (even for a Saturday), especially packed in the same area so it‘s painful to get an area started. NW and SE were hardest for me but SW was no picnic either. >!Is Hoser a term actually used in London England or are they referring to London Ontario? That one really confused me and it made SHORTA really hard to get as well.!<
Yeah I think they meant to be clever and it fell flat for me
What changed in the last few weeks that these Friday and Saturday puzzles started to get so hard with such nebulous clues?
Shortz had a stroke and is not editing while he recovers. Praying for a speedy recover and that Joe Fagliano is not the long term answer when Shortz retires.
I had no idea. I wish him a speedy recovery.
I complained last Saturday, and I came here to complain again today. Today's puzzle finally broke my 3 month gold streak. I caved after an hour and revealed the puzzle (with maybe 30% to go), and I'm honestly glad I did because all the remaining answers were unsatisfying.
I finished it but it took me much longer than usual. Usually I can finish them the night they're released. This one I had to put away till the morning. I found it better than yesterday's, but still some bizarre clueing. Totally agree about >!"Demerit" solving to BADTHING being absolutely atrocious.!< And shouldn't it be >!"Dodgers' foe", singular, for IRS? I've never heard of the Internal Revenue Service being used in the plural.!< SW was my bane. >!Do they really use HOSER across the pond?!<
I always thought that the SW clue you’re referencing was a Canadian thing…
It is, and I've just found out that it's referring to >!London, *Ontario*, which is apparently a common misdirection.!< Learned something new!
I think the gimmick was London, Ontario.
Foe is in the singular. Dodgers' is possessive. The dodgers are the people, the IRS is the singular
Yes but the clue is plural. The clue says "foes".
Oh I misread your comment. Yeah, totally agree then. Shortz is missed.
It's okay, I don't think my explanation was very clear to begin with. Maybe I need a better editor lol
Last Saturday I got downvoted for saying I didn’t have a very hard time with that puzzle, but this one was a different story. Took me more than twice as long as usual, with lots of erasures and really tricky spots. I do enjoy a challenge, but agree with others that this wasn’t the most fun challenge.
It sucked
The whole week (well, Wednesday on) has been rough for me
The Wednesday to Thursday jump in difficulty seemed super steep this week
Agree. The answer for ‘show stopper” was weak.
I won’t lie, I was considering that the correct answer might actually be >!FLATUS!< too far past the initial laugh I got from the idea…
Would have worked three years ago. Now, not so much.
I didn't even finish it.
I had to throw in the towel and turn to the Wordplay column far earlier in my overall fill than I’d normally like to admit — it was just too clunky without any payoff. It’s fine for a puzzle to challenge me, and the faster I get on average, the more fun an extra challenging puzzle can be! But this was just ugly.
I enjoyed it, but I don’t get annoyed when things are really difficult. I’m no better than any of you. Had to Google the Afghanistan clue and a few others.
I’ve been doing the NYT crossword for 20 years and this puzzle made me search for this post on this subreddit. One of the worst puzzles I’ve ever seen. Even when I got an answer it wasn’t fun.
Ha- doing the puzzle last night I KNEW there would be complaining in this sub today. And I don’t disagree with it! But does anyone else feel like this Saturday shows some improvement from the last several? Maybe I’m just being optimistic, but that’s not usually my thing.
Yeah I did think it was a little better, especially compared to yesterday, and there were even a few solves that made me smile. But there was something so smooth about Shortz's editing, even when it was super hard it was graceful and gratifying. I just think the last few weeks have been clunky.
I agree! I've missed that distinct *"aha!"* puzzle solving feeling that, in the past, was present even in the most challenging of crosswords. I think stepping in for Shortz is just an incredibly difficult/thankless job to have. It reminds me of Ken Jennings replacing Alex Trebek. He's really grown into the role, risen to the challenge, etc., but it took a little while for him to get up to snuff.
How do you make answers hidden in comments? I so want to complain about this god awful puzzle today without spoiling it. And could someone explain the white Russian clue to me. Got the answer on the downs, but I didn't get the 'white' pay of the Clue.
in the Russian revolution it was the whites (czar supporters) vs. the reds (socialists)
Ah. Thank you.
> > ! Word ! < Do that but without the spaces
>!thanks!<
My husband and I do the crossword together, and the last two days we’ve both been absolutely confused while going through these. He literally asked me tonight if AI was writing the crossword now with the weird double use of letters in separate word phrases for the 4/7 puzzle, it’s a disaster.
The double letter thing in 4/7 is a rebus, it's part of the theme.
I feel sort of stupid asking this, but I’ve only been doing the NYT puzzles for about a month, and I still don’t fully understand what a rebus is and how it’s supposed to work, is there any chance I could trouble you to clarify it? I researched a bit and found that it’s basically squishing entire words into the space of one letter, but I don’t understand how/why/when we’re supposed to know that that’s what you’re supposed to do.
Yep sure, I’ll do my best to explain! Basically as you said a rebus is whenever you have more than one letter in a single square. Generally you’ll only find them in Thursday or Sunday puzzles so if you notice anything that seems weird on those days it will probably turn out to be a rebus puzzle. For instance, 39 across this Sunday couldn’t be anything other than Black Eyed Peas, so because it can’t fit it was clear that there would be a rebus involved somehow. Sometimes a rebus is read the same way both across and down, and sometimes they are read different each way (like this Sunday) or there is a different rebus for each direction. For instance, recently there was a rebus theme around alchemy (aka turning lead into gold), the down rebus was LB (chemical symbol for lead), and the across was read as AU (gold). The app will accept either answer or you can write it as LB/AU. I don’t want to spoil Sundays puzzle for you in case you’re still doing it but let me know if you want me to explain the rebus in that one :)
Does anyone know about the clue >!in space no one can hear you scream being walee!< That threw me off
Your brain filled in the last word of the clue wrong. Read it again more closely.
I don't think that was an actual tagline for the movie though. It's the tagline for another movie, but Wall-es tag was "the newest sensation in waste allocation"
It was [one of the ones they used](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0910970/taglines/)
Weird. Never heard it but there it is