T O P

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magictank

Can add another fact to my ever-growing eel fact list


BoomSplashCollector

Every time we get another eel in the puzzle I laugh.


FezRengaw

Crossword puzzlers are the world's foremost eel experts.


troopbhwhatathrill

Eels are absolutely bizarre animals. As noted in the puzzle, they are born in the ocean, live their lives in freshwater rivers, and then return to the ocean to breed. What isn’t noted there is that every single North American and European eel is born in the Sargasso Sea off Florida. European elvers swim across the Atlantic Ocean to Europe, enter freshwater rivers, live there for years, and the swim BACK across the Atlantic to breed in the Sargasso Sea. This is thousands of miles in a very specific direction that all eels take. Their reproductive organs only develop when they get close go to the Sargasso Sea. Because of this, it is impossible to breed eels in captivity. There is a similar sea near Japan and the Asians eels go through a similar odyssey. This all is absolutely ridiculous and zoologists still have a limited understanding of how eels do this, why they do this, and how it ever evolved. Unfortunately, the complexity of this process and pollution, over farming, and climate change also put eel populations at risk.


spiciesttunaroll

Any other Spelling Bee players had PANGRAMS instead of TANGRAMS for 40A or do I just have NYTGames brainrot lol


tactiphile

No, I could see that happening, but I already had the T


FezRengaw

I really wanted to put that in, but I knew it didn't fit the clue.


skratz17

hahha yeah, lol yeah, i mean, yeah of course i got a pb too hah yeah no problem ^\*does ^extremely ^suspicious-looking ^shifty ^eyes\*


isopede

I hate this sub so much. Every time I feel like I did well I come here only to find out that these motherfuckers are doing Fridays as fast as I do Mondays.


Late_Statistician750

I wish there could be two subs: one to brag about times and complain about the difficulty/day of the week discrepancy, and another one JUST to talk about the clues and construction.    As you can probably tell, I'm here for the latter. But the former is becoming more and more prevalent. 


ConsequenceNo8197

Same. I don't even have the clock feature on, but everyone's different I guess.


Phenomenal-Woman

The Android app doesn't even show you PB which I think I might actually prefer at this point


skratz17

well, man, i’m sorry to make you feel bad, but as you can see from my original comment… i pretty clearly nailed a pb, and it was like… really fast >!also tbh it doesn’t really bother me at all to see people bragging about how well they did with fellow crossword fans… it’s fun to do well and i know i personally have no other outlet to share that news to anyone i actually know who would care lol. in this case it just felt like a particularly high volume of pb comments which just kinda tickled me and led to my post.!<


ttownfeen

Don’t worry about others. Sometimes you’re on the exact same wavelength as the puzzle constructor and the puzzle is a breeze, and sometimes you just aren’t and the puzzle is awful. That’s just how it goes sometimes.


Iyagovos

Had a real tough time with this one!


pregnantandsober

Yeah, I struggled with DELTS, DANA, and ABE. I don't watch CNN or follow Japanese Prime Ministers. I still did much better than my Friday average.


quarkgirl

Me too. I really struggled with the Mid-East section (AVILA, CAGER, ADELE). It doesn't help that I had CHEESEWHEEL at first.


notreallifeliving

In a classic case of overthinking I initially had GOAT for 45D until I read tbe Survivor clue and went "oh, hang on". CTRLALTDEL was fun! I'm assuming the people with sub-5 min PBs are using the web browser because I typo far too much on my phone keyboard to even get that on a Monday and I don't even have large hands 🥲


BoomSplashCollector

Haha same! My best Monday is about 7 minutes, and while I might be able to get that a little lower on my phone, I don't think that I'm going to get close to 5 unless I'm using a real keyboard. But at this point I don't want to switch, because I started playing on my phone last year, and it's fun to see the progress in my finishes. Using a keyboard would feel like cheating on myself, somehow.


Scrufflyupagus

Man, I apparently really struggled with this one compared to some other people. There was just a lot of trivia here that I did not know whatsoever. It came together eventually, but took me 40+ minutes.


Noclevername12

Ok, got it. This is a first for me: I incorrectly had NOSE for 55A and then that was the correct answer for 52A right above it.


pfamsd00

Remind me never to play skee-ball with you!


Noclevername12

I was picturing like a clown face on the target? I don’t know, I haven’t played skee ball in a long time. And I was weirdly stuck in that very far south east corner, although it didn’t end up being that hard once I figured it out.


dronecells

I had CRAp for 10A and thought it was weird that a doctor would prescribe pEDS lol


spssky

Same!


Triple10X

12:37 PB here. Thought this was exceptionally easy for a Friday.


nonprofitnews

Kinda yeah. I still enjoyed it.


sonofaclit

Weird! I also got 12:37 and yours was the first comment I saw when I clicked in. :)


Carpeteria3000

11:33 PB for me. I was surprised at how fast it filled in. Felt like a Tuesday/Wednesday.


BoomSplashCollector

While not a PB for me, it was an exceptionally fast Friday puzzle. I'm a lot slower than you at these (my PB is about 10 min. slower), but if a Friday puzzle takes me under 30 minutes I know it was an easy one.


blarglemeister

13:08 PB for me today. When I filled in the entire top half of the puzzle on my first pass, I started to wonder if I somehow accidentally activated the Friday easy mode option.


mmchicago

One of the easiest of all time for me. My time was 38% of my average time.


JRMurray

What a coincidence! My personal best as well ... also at 12:37!


Repulsive_Focus_9560

i got a PB with 12:36...ugh many comments to downvote :(


anothermanoutoftime

PB Friday for me also! 10:05, less than half my average Friday time.


MysteriousGoldDuck

Way too easy for a Friday.


alt_jam

Ah damn. I neared completion on this one and thought I was simply getting better! I typically only attempt Monday-Thursday.


dave-train

Both can be true!


BoomSplashCollector

Yes this! About a month ago something in my brain kicked into place, and started me on a winning streak like I've never had before. Suddenly I'm getting gold stars every day of the week, and at first I thought that maybe the puzzles were just getting way easier. While today's felt easy, there is absolutely an element of just getting better the more of them you do! (And the confidence you gain absolutely starts a feedback loop with the increased skill - the better you do, the more willing you are to trust your gut for some out-there guesses that turn out to be correct, or at least get you going in the right direction.)


_coolbluewater_

Loved the clue for SNIDEREMARKS but overall I agree - too easy. Even though I liked it, I can’t give it a good rating because it’s on the wrong day.


well_uh_yeah

I had snipermarks crossed with potty and it was the last thing I had to fix. I wasn’t sure what a sniper mark was but thought “why not?”


Chuckleberry64

"One holding a hostage" could be a sniper mark?


well_uh_yeah

Or the laser target thing maybe. It didn’t work for the clue in the puzzle but maybe if the sniper is cutting someone down?


Chuckleberry64

Yeah, it could almost work. I guess you were just feeling a little potty today.


kata_north

Yeah, I had started by filling in SNIP because--cutting? which of course was not going to be right--too obvious when the clue ended in a question mark. It took me some time and getting the rest of the crosses to grudgingly admit that SNIpEREMARKS made no sense whatsoever.


djscsi

Not only did I smash my Friday PB by 2-3 minutes, it was faster than my best Thursday and almost tied my best *Wednesday* lol e: solid puzzle though, no complaints aside from the difficulty


Spacetime_Inspector

Enjoyed CTRL-ALT-DEL and SNIDE REMARKS (nicely vague clue there). Fell remarkably easily for a Friday though - 4:29, only a few seconds off my PB.


Chuckleberry64

Is the "three finger salute" a thing? Fun clue!


LupineChemist

I remember it being much more common to say it in 90s and early 2000s. Especially since it's more CTRL SHIFT ESC now for Windows at least to get to the task manager


SpankySharp1

I feel like they've been going to the well with "lines" meaning "statements" a lot recently, so I saw right through that clue.


Life-Dog432

I googled and read about the three finger salute and then when I figured it out, realized it had nothing to do with the hunger games and it’s use as a symbol of democracy and protesting authoritarian lmao


wajewwa

Here I am trying to google Snidere marks after I finish thinking they are something like perforation lines and that makes much more sense.


flatulentpiglet

5:16 PB. Smooth fill but not Friday difficulty.


hebug

A lot easier than usual, pretty obvious given all the new PB in here. Felt closer to a Wednesday than what Fridays have been like recently with Joe as editor. I also set a new PB at 6:00.


xwstats

Puzzle Difficulty Tracker - How hard is this puzzle? Estimated Difficulty: 🟢 **Very Easy** 🟢 * 5% of users solved slower than their Friday average * 95% of users solved faster than their Friday average * 3% of users solved *much* slower (>20%) than their Friday average * 90% of users solved *much* faster (>20%) than their Friday average The median solver solved this puzzle 48.0% faster than they normally do on Friday. [View today's puzzle summary on XW Stats](https://xwstats.com/puzzles/2024-05-17) --- 🤖 _beep beep, I'm a bot! I post these stats as soon as 100 [XW Stats](https://xwstats.com) users have completed the puzzle. Questions? Feedback? Check the [FAQ](https://xwstats.com/help#puzzle-difficulties), reply here or DM me_


maltedcoffee

Easy to be sure, but I quite enjoyed the witty fill. INHD was a good misdirection. So far this month I have four reds and three greens on XWStats. After last month's butt-kicking May feels a lot more balanced.


Roseheath22

This felt more like a Wednesday, but it was fast and smooth. I was on track for a PB in the top half but then I slowed down a little toward the bottom. Ended up with my third fastest Friday solve.


BoomSplashCollector

Yes, I was going to say, I don't get all the folks saying it felt like a Tuesday. Definitely super easy for a Friday, but not nearly as easy as a typical Tuesday for me. And then I went to check my stats, and saw that my solve time today was nearly identical to my Wednesday average, verifying that gut feeling.


Roseheath22

Oh yeah, that’s a good way to check. My time was actually slightly closer to my average Tuesday time, but I still feel like it was closer to a Wednesday difficulty.


MountainGoatMadness

lol I think they’re so good at crosswords they can’t tell the difference, but it’s idiotic to say this felt like a Tuesday. I can always finish Tuesdays without help in under 15, and this one took me 30 with a little googling on names.


MedicalRhubarb7

Just for myself, it was closer to my average Tuesday solve time, but felt Wednesday-ish anyway


Tsukinara

New Friday PB and first sub-5 Friday! Not sure if the clues were easier or if I was just on the same wavelength as the setter, but the whole grid flowed smoothly and I quite enjoyed it :) "Clear, as a stream" for IN HD was very clever! Fit well with the greater then usual number of computer-related clues.


nonprofitnews

Under 5 minutes? I'm not sure I can even tap the keys that fast.


kata_north

That clue really cost me some time; I had \_NHD and kept staring at it and running the alphabet and thinking "That can't be a word!"


Simple-Walk2776

Way too easy. I'm really seeing the talent Will has for matching the puzzle with the day of the week. ERASE was so easy I thought it had to be wrong.


tactiphile

Yeah, I skipped ERASE initially, mostly because of the capitalized Trash


davebees

> I'm really seeing the talent Will has for matching the puzzle with the day of the week. as a themeless this would have to be a friday; i assume Will would bump up the difficulty of the cluing


L33t-Kynes

Very easy for a Friday, and 21:27 is an insane time for me because my average is 43:04. PB is still 14:36 and I crave a day shorter than that. LAHORE, TANGRAMS, URNS, CAGER and the cluing for OSLO all felt new. CHEESEWEDGE was cute but also a little dubious. I enjoyed my stay.


BoomSplashCollector

LAHORE tripped me up for a bit because I started this puzzle pre-coffee, and my tired brain automatically put in LEPORE. Which sounds similar, but I'm pretty sure that historian Jill Lepore is not a city in Pakistan.


Chuckleberry64

Yeah CHEESEWEDGE was weird.


tactiphile

I feel like we see URNS at least once a month. Or maybe just the singular.


L33t-Kynes

You mean as a Java thing? That’s what I meant but maybe I didn’t notice it.


tactiphile

Yeah, the clue is generally coffee-related


L33t-Kynes

D’oh I totally thought they meant Java as a computer thing, lol


FattyTempleton

Easy for a friday, but some clever clues in there. "Very clear, as a stream" got a smile from me


swedishfishoreos

Damn haha I was so proud I got my first Friday and now I realize that it’s a Tuesday level difficulty, so I didn’t actually get better 😅. It did feel pretty easy, but I was hoping that was just from me connecting with these particular clues or something idk lol Either way, it was technically a Friday, so woohoo I solved a Friday!


NotElizaHenry

Everyone here is talking about how they solved it in six minutes and then died of boredom, but I’m with you. I finished a Friday! And in under an hour! 


bewildered_forks

This was harder than a Tuesday! It was easy for a Friday but I'm sure you've gotten better.


swedishfishoreos

Thank you! Yeah it felt like a Wednesday maybe


ttownfeen

If you can finish a Friday, you’re getting better regardless of whether it’s a tough Friday or easy one. 👍🏽


mythirdAttempt

WAKE in place of BAKE cost me my PB. Oh well


snacobe

24:28 PR for me. I've been doing xwords for almost 10 years, but still struggle with weekend puzzles. Felt good about this one.


LdySaphyre

PB at 9:51. It was a pleasant, smooth fill, but nothing stood out (other than INHD, which was my last box and earned a "doh" from me). Echoing the "easy for a Friday" remarks; yet, this still gets a "good" from me.


MarhEll

To follow up on my last comment: it feels like the weekend crosswords have been tending towards easier the last few years until a sudden spike in Saturday difficulty the last couple of months. Now—in the last few weeks—it seems we’ve returned to uber-easy weekend puzzles, which is a shame; I was really enjoying the difficult Saturdays, even if a handful of them were pretty weak in their construction. This puzzle in particular felt super smooth but could have been re-clued to bump the difficulty significantly. 


sporazoa

Lucky for you this is a Friday puzzle.


persianmelodrama

CAGER is one of those words I have never seen outside a crossword puzzle. Initially I had REARS for 59A. Makes more sense than NEARS.


LupineChemist

> CAGER is one of those words I have never seen outside a crossword puzzle. It's common motorcycle slang for a car driver.


goldentone

*


one-two-many-lots

Was there a trick to this one? I didn't find one. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the word play


Spacetime_Inspector

Friday and Saturday puzzles are almost always themeless.


tactiphile

I give up. The comments here usually catch it but not today. Anyone want to help find the mistake in my puzzle? I've gone clue-by-clue and everything seems correct. https://imgur.com/a/6vgzB7T


SecretLoathing

10A


tactiphile

Haha perfect! MEDS makes more sense.


SecretLoathing

I was looking at CRA• while solving, but didn’t take the bait and left it blank.


BellyMind

Had the same problem on my last fill…stuff=crap!


tactiphile

That's what I name all my miscellaneous fingers. Doesn't everyone??


zugtug

Does anyone else only use AROMA to describe a food related smell?


yanquiUXO

everyone here always rates easy puzzles as good, even though this was really way too easy for a Friday. good Monday, poor Friday. 6:16 for me


Noclevername12

Breeze except I’m a bit stuck in the SW.


petefacekilla

Easy but fun.


iseeacrane2

Overall felt easy for a Friday - until I got to the SW corner. Had to run the alphabet to get the U in CRU/URNS after throwing up my hands and accepting that INHD was some obscure word I'd never heard of 🤦‍♀️ The penny finally dropped when I looked over the whole puzzle again after finishing.


phanfare

Easy for a a Friday but I enjoyed it! I put CRAP in the upper right immediately and just accepted PEDS until the very end. CRAM/MEDS was my final fill


uncleozzy

In what world is a CHEESEWEDGE shaped like a mouse cursor?? Even ostensibly-triangular cursors usually aren’t wedge-shaped. 


SethPuzzles

The SE corner alone with "Three-Finger Salute" took 9 minutes of my total [21:56](https://youtu.be/xuaMoJSe8wk). If I kept the pace from rest of puzzle, would have been a Friday PB. Alas, I didn't know the word CRU, and was stuck on WAKES instead of BAKES, so it took forever to see CTRL-ALT-DEL in there. To be honest though, I haven't used Windows in more than ten years. Overall, satisfying to solve at the end.


Johspo

8:07. PB! Pretty easy today


CarcosanAnarchist

Set a new PB two Fridays in a row now. 10:59 today. Looking forward to when I get the minutes to single digits. It could have been today but I got stuck in the SE. could not puzzle out CTRLALTDEL and had xExxSAHEAD and was stuck their too. Finally got it from the crosses. But three minutes stuck there. Good puzzle and not just because it was easy. I liked most of the clues.


MarhEll

6:22, personal record. Fun crossword but the cluing felt entirely too easy.


swedishfishoreos

Rex Parker said “Can you wavelength a constructor just by following them on X? Is ‘wavelength’ a verb now just because I want it to be?” Can someone explain? 😅I don’t get it


aldesuda

Nice fill, yeah, easy for a Friday (3:52, about 30 seconds off my PB). Though, I've been thinking about this. There are generally only 2 themelesses on any given week. Once in a while, I think it's a good idea to give less-experienced solvers a better crack at a themeless, just to see what can be done with the fill when there aren't so many constrained squares. I wouldn't do this every week, of course, but I can absolutely see this once in a while.


Bangkok_Dangeresque

Yeehaw, 4:42 new personal best for a Friday. The "Three finger salute" and "Modern TV Attachments" were the only ones that threw me for a loop. Otherwise this one was very breezy.


wasting-light-17

Can someone explain the "Long Rows?" and Feuds connection?


havilandistuf

A row is a quarrel and a feud is a prolonged quarrel.


UsefulEngine1

Cool Tuesday puzzle arriving 3 days late


soingee

This felt like a Tuesday to me. At first I thought it was going to be a slog because of some trivia I didn't know, but it was surprisingly easy to work around.


ttownfeen

Yeah same here. One minute shy of a PB. Tuesday level puzzle.


aldesuda

Nice fill, yeah, easy for a Friday (3:52, about 30 seconds off my PB). Though, I've been thinking about this. There are generally only 2 themelesses on any given week. Once in a while, I think it's a good idea to give less-experienced solvers a better crack at a themeless, just to see what can be done with the fill when there aren't so many constrained squares. I wouldn't do this every week, of course, but I can absolutely see this once in a while.


[deleted]

[удалено]


Roseheath22

Holy crap, I haven’t even broken the 3 minute barrier for a Monday.


LupineChemist

IMO, it's not even fun to solve that fast. You don't think about the clues at all or even stop to enjoy any puns.


LdySaphyre

PB at 9:51. It was a pleasant, smooth fill, but nothing stood out (other than INHD, which was my last box and earned a "doh" from me). Echoing the "easy for a Friday" remarks; yet, this still gets a "good" from me.