Cute theme, and tricky to pull off in a way that didn't make the fill feel forced. Especially liked UP AND COMER. Nicely done!

Had SIT IDLE for 38D and SLIM for 35D which jammed me up in the middle. Stupidly put in THAI for 9A, which made parsing 10D impossible.

Fave clue: 1A: ___ cheese (cheese that isn't yours, in a classic joke): NACHO

Fave entry: 5D: ODDS ARE

4:31 #nytxw #crossword

What did you think of the Sun Sep 10 #nytxw #crossword by Adam Wagner?

Nice integration between the theme and the visuals. Clever theme and good symmetry in theme entries. Notable fill: HODGE-PODGE, APERTURE, RATED M, SLIP-N-SLIDE, RITE-AID, XBOX KINECTS. And tabletop games, too: LIAR'S DICE, ANOMIA. Fun solve, for sure.

Is a MINI TACO a real thing? Didn't know MOSHE Dayan.

Fave clue: 4D: Hunt-and-peck types? BIRDS OF PREY

Fave entry: 25A: BAD-ASSERY

13:26 #nytxw #crossword

What did you think of the Sat Sep 9 #nytxw #crossword by Robert S. Gard?

Tough Fri/Sat combo, but the words make the challenge worth it. HOVERBOARDS, DO A SOLID, DUST BUNNY, KELVINS. And @bgzimmer may be The BARNACLE, but he doesn't seem very clingy to me.

Didn't know the BEREA/ATMAN crossing (had to look it up), nor CORFU, nor LEXIE. Never crazy about LED TV (nor LCD TV) - they're just TVs.

Fave clue: 22D: Is windy, perhaps: WAXES POETIC

Fave entry: 45A:QUEER THEORY

20:10 #nytxw #crossword

What did you think of the Fri Sep 8 #nytxw #crossword by Rachel Fabi and Ken Stern?

With Rachel and Ken, you're gonna get a grid filled with great content from a well-curated word list, and today was no exception. Great blocks in all corners: CLAWFOOT TUB, CLEAR AS MUD, IMPRIMATUR, TED LASSO.

Had DEIMOS for PHOBOS. Had ONRUSH for 32A and don't know anything by 29D, so BOEBER seemed plausible.

Fave clue: 58A: One-a-day, for Dunaway: SPOONERISM

Fave entry: 60A: HERDED CATS 🐱

15:37 #nytxw #crossword

Nice rugby-themed #crossword from Brendan in the Graun today. I can't get 8d.

What did you think of the Thu Sep 7 #nytxw #crossword by Ryan Patrick Smith?

Okay, I found the themer cluing fun and refreshing. Even the non-themers were more challenging than usual for a Thu, so that it felt rewarding to find the right entries. Great misdirect clues (NAG, AMISH, NINJA, STUD). Nicely done.

Didn't like the partial DE LA, but the crossing fill was worth it. Had ONE UP which slowed me down.

Fave clue: 43A: What often has a heart beat? SPADE

Fave entry: 18D: ROAD HOG

6:53 #nytxw #crossword

What did you think of the Wed Sep 6 #nytxw #crossword by Blake Slonecker ?

Cute theme, and a nice theme set. Would have been really cool if the word replaced in one theme entry was the replacing word in the next entry. Maybe they tried and couldn't make it work. Liked HIT THE WALL, I'M OUTRAGED, TOILETRIES, BASE COAT, WKRP.

Do I enjoy trying to rephrase mumbly utterances like "uh", "um", "huh", "er" into actual words? WELL, NO.

Fave clue: 28D: Lightens up? IRRADIATES

Fave entry: 27A: SIT ON IT

6:21 #nytxw #crossword

What did you think of the Tue Sep 5 #nytxw #crossword by Alan Siegel?

Enjoyed this - all great crossings. Favorite theme entry is the crossing of CAT and CELEB 🐱 Also liked PLACEBO, LACTOSE, TELESCOPE, CAT TOY.

Had YARD for CASE. Bit of a dupe in the clue for 59D and answer for 46A.

Fave clue: 41A: Arm wrestler's bone of contention? ULNA

Fave entry: 17A: OIL LEASES

5:06 #nytxw #crossword

What did you think of the Mon Sep 4 #nytxw #crossword by Tom Pepper and Zhouqin Burnikel?

Cute spin on the end-of-phrase mechanic. Like the way the climber starts at the bottom and the theme entries are in order vertically. Good crossings, too: ET CETERA, GYM BAG, IV PUMP, ONEROUS.

STREUSEL is great but seems tough for a Mon. Had YIKE which cost me 1 min to find.

Fave clue: 57D: Remind, remind, remind! NAG

Fave entry: 2D: ROOTLESS

4:58 #nytxw #crossword

What did you think of the Sun Sep 3 #nytxw #crossword by Dylan Schiff?

(late again from traveling)

Cute idea. I'm a techie in my day job, so I love seeing my daily jargon reinterpreted anew. Enjoyed the longer stuff, too: STAND TRIAL, STOLEN BASE, ...

Title makes no sense ... wordplay doesn't feel like enough of a "game" here. Good theme effort, but for me it didn't land solidly. IN REASON feels weird by itself.

Fave clue: 50A: It ain't just a river in Egypt! DENIAL

Fave entry: 67D: ASTROLOGER

16:58 #nytxw #crossword

What did you think of the Sat Sep 2 #nytxw #crossword by Rebecca Goldstein?

@rebecculous gives us a crunchy Sat with lots of fun stuff, including the mini-theme of GOT NAKED and NO REGRETS. And does a ZOMBIE suffer from MOOD SWINGS?

Had FRAME SIZE, but everything else fell into place. Didn't know AERO or LAYS clues at all.

Fave clue: 15A: Toy that's not really a toy? POODLE

Fave entry: 44A: GOBLIN MODE or 54A: CHEEZ-ITS #FillMeIn

8:11 #nytxw #crossword