Thursday: This Grid Paints a Picture - 27 June 2024 New York Times Crossword

[@FJD894]

My first Thursday solve without any hints. Big day 😅❤️ Thanks for all your content, Chris!

[@timegentleman]

The three MCU Chrises are Evans (Captain America), Hemsworth (Thor) and Pratt (Star-Lord). Chris Pine is not in the MCU (unless you count the Spider-Verse movies with their multiverse shenanigans) but was in the two DC Wonder Woman movies. Given their positions, I think the four lines of black squares represent the beginning of cutting the pizza into quarter slices!

[@daven1223]

There’s something very soothing about hearing the rebus explanation every time.

[@brandonarnold11]

I kept waiting for you to notice 28 down! [Mixed bag? = tea] :)

[@Ray_Ridley]

Bit late commenting on this, but don't the yellow squares at the end represent the cheese topping?

[@mckernan603]

This one was high Art!

[@gregm5111]

Good to know about the Esc key for inserting a rebus. You can also use the insert key.

[@JaaaackP]

Very fun puzzle today! Putting the rebus in on mobile was a pain though lol

[@instantfizz]

I thought this was a really fun puzzle. Lately, I have been working my way through the crossword by doing as many across clues as I could, then down, then randomly filling the rest in. I knew something was going on early on, but then I encountered the toppings clue and thought that the extra letter(s) that I didn't have room for were being "absorbed" into the black squares somehow. It wasn't until I crossed Dr. Ruth with throb (oh my!) and thought, "how am I going to remember the double letters in these boxes?" that I remembered that I can use a rebus! (It's been a long week and my brain is tired!). Chris mentions this all the time about rebuses - there isn't any specific indicator when a rebus is in play, but if you're coming up with answers you could swear are correct but don't fit, that's a good sign that a rebus is involved.

[@seanfraser9162]

Holy rebus, Batman!

[@ibzy1211]

this is my first week with the crossword subscription, but i somehow managed to solve it without the rebus lol, i didn't know that was a thing

[@BernardtheGhost]

The esc key tip was v handy!

[@chrissjackson6488]

Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Chris Pratt. Greetings from a fellow Chris.

[@landerceuppens]

I thougt it was a soccer ball at first, for the Copa America :)

[@George4943]

Isn't Illini pronounced Ill-EYE-Nigh?

[@ChrisRemo]

I’ve no idea, I think I’ve only seen it written!

[@staceyspringer8549]

Yep, it is!

[@stefanrahm6163]

and pardon a European, but isn't that the name of a/the native american tribe who held sway over most, if not all, of the territory today known as Illinois?

[@staceyspringer8549]

@@stefanrahm6163 the Illini was a confederation of indigenous tribeswho lived in the area, yes. A fun (semi-related) fact I learned recently is that 28 of the 50 states derive their name from Native American languages which is honestly fewer than I thought as I’m from one of those in the middle of the country and tend to forget that the east coast states are mostly named after European people/places