I liked tonight's offering and would like to think I can actually solve joon's puzzles now, but I know it is only Wednesday. Nevertheless, it is a kingly effort. Entering secretly for ONTHESLY almost undid the whole NW. BTW, I took the MRS out tonight after she said LETGO.
PhillySolver | 07.14.09 - 10:44 pm | #

Fun! Wednesday seems right for this one, given how relatively straightforward the theme is (i.e. no made-up words or phrases, and no crazy gimmick). Thanks for the "behind the puzzle" look, Joon.

I can't believe you have 6 NYTs already. Tied with me! Well, that's it, no more fooling around, I've got to pull ahead for good now. Off to work.
Alex | Homepage | 07.15.09 - 12:09 am | #

Just got back from the midnight showing of HBP. The woman next to me was from EAST LYME and was mildly impressed that her town is in tomorrow's (now today's) NYT. That one was a gimme for me, but I had TKX instead of TIX and couldn't find it for a really long time. Other than that, I enjoyed the puzzle!
Jan (danjan) | 07.15.09 - 2:15 am | #

I'll just note here for the record that Google and the Urban Dictionary agree that 'boff' and 'boffo' don't mean the same thing.
Matt | 07.15.09 - 7:20 am | #

Matt, the American Heritage Dictionary lists two different BOFFs, the boffo one and the vulgar slang.
OrangeXW | Homepage | 07.15.09 - 7:34 am | #

Had to laugh at the LAT's YECCH... "Ick factor 10!" Very nice puzzle by George Fitzgerald, with just the right difficulty LEVEL!
ArtLvr | 07.15.09 - 9:26 am | #

Nice job, Joon! I, too, liked the long downs and didn't worry a lot about the dupes. For some reason though I was clearly thinking Thursday/Friday as clue after clue I took the bait for something more sinister, starting with BANJO - that was going to be a cherry or CREAM of the crop or such; [Not express]? that was "keep it in" (QUASH? Who knows? Not I!); [Playing marbles]? "On one's knees with an AGATE between thumb and pointer" - that's 6 letters, no? On and on like that. Still fun.
Tony Orbach | 07.15.09 - 10:22 am | #

I really enjoyed the Onion puzzle; the Olaf clue as well as the UHS clue were magnificent. The ST transposing was a bit uneven but otherwise exactly where I wanted it to be. The ESS and TEE fill/locations, despite Merle's remonstrations was a nice touch.
*David* | 07.15.09 - 10:42 am | #

That clue was the first time I ever laughed out loud at the clue itself, before seeing the answer. The whole puzzle was a joy from start to finish.
Crosscan | 07.15.09 - 11:19 am | #

An "OLAF" will now refer to any clue with obscure facts trying to disguise a common answer.
Crosscan | 07.15.09 - 11:39 am | #

This is my favorite type of puzzle--seemingly unconnected long entries that have something in common.

Excellent puzzle.

Steve
Steve Manion | 07.15.09 - 12:44 pm | #

nice puzzle, Joon. The NW was hard for me as I wanted CATS or AIDA for 1D, plus I never heard of the violinist. MORTGAGE was somewhat of a curveball... Anyhow lots of fun thanks.
mike | 07.15.09 - 12:58 pm | #

hey, thanks everybody. alex, i don't think i'm going to pass you. at the moment i have only one puzzle left in the NYT pipeline (plus one more elsewhere), and i haven't had any time to construct recently. but by all means, get your ass in gear! i'd love to see more of your crosswords (though i'm digging the kaidokus).

the OLAF clue is definitely hall-of-fame material. what a riot! the entire puzzle was filled with sensational clues, actually.
joon | Homepage | 07.15.09 - 10:00 pm | #

Very good puzzle, Joon. I didn't get to it till late, but it seemed more difficult than usual Wednesday. I too liked banjo, along with hex and mum.
Nina | 07.16.09 - 5:51 am | #