Saturday: A Very, Very Tricky Solve! - 4 January 2025 New York Times Crossword

[@7thsenseeq]

This puzzle kicked my ass. Proper! Welcome back, Will!! And themeless is refreshing. Not every puzzle needs a gimmick to be challenging and satisfying. Tricky!!!

[@ToddLindberg]

It took me two days(!) to solve this puzzle: I had to put it down and restart in the morning. Sleep kindly brought me a few fresh answers, which was a refreshing morning wakeup.

[@kathleenquinn9015]

A craze, in response to the clue “rage” (as in all the rage), may well refer to a fad (rather than a state of anger).

[@kathleenquinn9015]

VHS: Is normally understood to refer to a “video home system”

[@heynyquildriver]

I was excited when i got 54A because i knew you would have something to say about it haha

[@kalyannatarajan1695]

Superbly done inspired me to run off and solve some more !!!! 👏👏👏👏….. clues I loved (1) L or M ….. size!!!!! (2) Development area ……uterus of course in hindsight !!!!!😊😊😊 (3) Cook’s offering with chips ……iMac almost a dad-joke level pun!!!!!😮😮

[@ipuzzled]

I guessed size right away but took me forever to match it with the answer to Rage. Did not like your third example. Artfully indirect? I'd call it torturously indirect. Sorry, this puzzle has put me in a bad mood. {But it's just a puzzle! I know, I know.)

[@daven1223]

It took me an embarrassingly long time to get the New York language considering I can see the Mohawk River from the desk where I do the crossword. 🤦🏾‍♂️

[@TomCee53]

Awesome, I only saw a couple ahead of you. 😂🏆

[@chazmartdesigns4308]

I don’t remember the episode but i can imagine Robin trying to climb a greased pole saying “Holy oleo”

[@ipuzzled]

ha ha - does he still say Holy ___! the Batman movies?

[@untexan]

Any time it's an in-house Crossword, get ready for a world of pain. Somehow came in pretty close to my Saturday average.

[@ipuzzled]

Good to know. I'll not forget the name Sam Ezersky after today.

[@skullsNscalps]

Waiting for today's puzzle., Sunday

[@SjeikJoriz]

There is always another French sauce that can fit in there...

[@TheJameslehr]

Very difficult, but gettting around to solving the whole thing. 4D: hardest clue in this puzzle but knew it right quick. Which is kind of ironic.

[@ofme.]

I recently replayed Firewatch, and it hit just as hard emotionally as it did the first time, in large part due to the music. Great work, Chris.

[@Jambeeno]

VHS is Video Home System.

[@big_red01027]

More surprising than painful...surprising that you didn't dominate per usual.

[@747puppyfat]

This one was a bit of a bastard. Took me well over an hour, and a bunch of guesses. It was at least 20% trial and error for me. I also didn't find many of the clues to be fun or clever. They were just there to misdirect but not in a satisfying way.

[@ipuzzled]

You'll get no argument from me. One of the more joyless ones. Authored by one of the NYT puzzle editing team, Sam Ezersky. He takes no prisoners, I guess. :(

[@remy8493]

Béarnaise wouldn't fit, it's written with an A. It comes from the name of the French region Béarn.

[@nixhixx]

Rage / Craze is a Trend.

[@Wezzeth]

Is "Home in the country" clever, or is it clunky? I've never heard the phrase "in the country" used as anything other than a substitute/shorthand for "in the countryside". What I *have* heard is "in country" used by diplomats, journalists, expats and such to refer to operating away from home, as it were. The definite article in that clue feels like unnecessary misdirection, or even an error. But I can't be too mad at a puzzle containing that most loveable and corny of NYT crossword tropes: the e-word that's definitely in common use.

[@ipuzzled]

A definite article in an indefinite clue.

[@nixhixx]

Super hard for me, Rex Parker said easy or medium. Think he was WRONG

[@webbraham2768]

34 across to him

[@JS...]

Video Home System

[@shamabole7803]

I still don't get why 30 across is VAPE. Is head not literal, here? Also, such a (lazy) reliance on names/pop culture clues. For L and M I was thinking Roman currency but got stuck on that fror inordinate amount of time. Size was an easier, simpler reach, arrgh.

[@reubenward]

Stores that specialize in smoking paraphernalia are often referred to as 'head shops', as historically drug users have been known as 'heads', shorthand for 'dope-heads' or even today we say 'pot-heads'. There's also a theory that there was a famous shop called the Zebra's Head, which stoners colloquially shortened to just the 'head shop'

[@ipuzzled]

@@reubenward I'm sure vape-heads is in usage.

[@duduoson370]

Not that hard for me. I expect a bit more from Saturday