The theme was: puns? Didn't really seem cohesive in any other way or add a lot to the puzzle.
PESACH wasn't in my vocabulary. But I thought it was interesting because the Spanish word for Easter is "Pascua", and sure enough Pascua is derived from PESACH! A little etymology fun - still needed all the crosses but I could see it coming into form as I filled them out.
Of the long fill, I liked TINSELTOWN, especially clued in relation to " La La Land". PITACHIP was ok too.
Thankfully my geography is pretty good - double landlocked counties in Africa!
No clue who Dada artist Jean ARP was. Really screams "I couldn't get the crosses to work" when you see it in the completed puzzle. But still an opportunity for some learning.
Hooray for Bill Watterson making an appearance (the [email protected] is great! Daily strips). But boo to CARTOONING. I'm sure it's a real word but it just looks weird. At least get it to CARTOONIST, which is the actual profession.
Didn't like the ambiguity of Z[I/A]G and TR[EA/IC]K. It's annoying when the cluing makes you wait for a cross to decide between two perfectly fine answers and, if you don't get the cross, it can be even more frustrating. I think that Rex Parker in his blog calls these kealoas, after the classic "Mauna ___" type clue (KEA or LOA)
CALZONES are fun. Makes me think of Parks and Rec and Ben Wyatt.

[–] lazycouchpotato 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

The order in which Rex solved the themed clues is the order I did them in as well.

I've heard the name before but didn't look them up until now. He seems like a great resource to add to my crossword explainers list. Thanks!

[–] coys25 2 points 1 year ago

Yeah, I like the blog. He is a bit of a curmudgeon sometimes but the insights are really interesting. The commenters are adorably quirky too. There are also occasional guest bloggers of different levels of expertise who are a good change of pace from a high-level solver like Rex.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Today's took me longer than I'd like, but I did finish it and since I'm training myself back up after many years of neglect, I'm glad I stuck with it. Monday & Tuesday puzzles are no problem, and from Wednesday on my chances of finishing at all decline. Glad I found this group, it does push me a bit!

[–] lazycouchpotato 1 points 1 year ago

Welcome!

[–] lazycouchpotato 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Mini crossword link (free to play, account not mandatory): https://www.nytimes.com/crosswords/game/mini

Share your time!

[–] lazycouchpotato 1 points 1 year ago

1:15

[–] lazycouchpotato 1 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Did about 98% of the crossword, having to look up only 2-3 clues. Didn't know 1A "Woodworker's file" (I could visualize it in my head, but didn't know the name) and 4D "Passover, in Hebrew".

Other than that, pretty pleased with myself. Slowly learning all the Crosswordese words. Somehow managed to get all the themed clues.

answer spoilers

I'm a bit icky about 66A "Domesticated" being TAME. The tense does not match.
Wasn't sure what wader in 50D "Large, white waders" was. Thought it meant swimming, and seeing "large" and "white", thought they were referencing great white SHARKS.

[–] coys25 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Also, re:crosswordese,

Rex Parker said that he wanted to put in ADZE for 1A at first, as a four letter woodworkers tool. It's a good one to learn! Not a file, though. And more commonly a Thurs-Sat word, I would think.

ADZ or ADZE:

An adze (/ædz/) or adz is an ancient and versatile cutting tool similar to an axe but with the cutting edge perpendicular to the handle rather than parallel. Adzes have been used since the Stone Age. They are used for smoothing or carving wood in hand woodworking, and as a hoe for agriculture and horticulture.

[–] coys25 2 points 1 year ago

Re 66A

I think 66A is using domesticated as an adjective, as in "the domesticated horse", i.e. a tame horse, in comparison to a wild horse