"Unprecedented"

[Bird Lives]

Here's the roster at the moment:
1. Beth Tyrpin
2. Dannyvee
3. michaelm
4. BrianMac
5. oldjudge
6. C=64
7. Laura M
8. boharr
9. FrankieHeck
10. BarbaraK
11. Al Sisti
12. Bob cruise director
13. TMart
14. whimsy
15. ChrisKochmanski
16. lbray53
17. Abide

Thanks for all the nice comments.

[BrianMac]

Eight? I don't think it was that many. I am sort of proud to have had one published under three different editors -- Eugene Maleska, Will Weng, and Will Shortz, though mostly what that means is that I'm old.

Eight puzzles!

Also, since it sounds like he may not know this himself, Jay was the first person to use the following words as entries in any NYT crossword:

FRUMPY
MARTIN SHORT
TEEN ANGEL
THC (those jazz cats!)
TOP THIS
COLDFISH
FRITES
RUY LOPEZ OPENING
SCREWBALL COMEDY

THC is Jay's most successful NYT word, having been re-used 11 times since he debuted it in 2003.

[Bird Lives]

Eight? I don't think it was that many. I am sort of proud to have had one published under three different editors -- Eugene Maleska, Will Weng, and Will Shortz, though mostly what that means is that I'm old.

Eight puzzles!

Also, since it sounds like he may not know this himself, Jay was the first person to use the following words as entries in any NYT crossword:

FRUMPY
MARTIN SHORT
TEEN ANGEL
THC (those jazz cats!)
TOP THIS
COLDFISH
FRITES
RUY LOPEZ OPENING
SCREWBALL COMEDY

THC is Jay's most successful NYT word, having been re-used 11 times since he debuted it in 2003.

i feel like I've been doxxed. I didn't know any of this.

I don't know whether to attribute the success of THC to the increasing weediness of the Zeitgeist or to its brevity.

The one of these I do remember is RUY LOPEZ OPENING. The puzzle had three 15-letter entrees whose clues were in chess notation. So this one was:
1. e4 e5
2. Nf3 Nc6
3. Bb5

[Cindy]

Oops - forgot to say I solved this!

[Geoduck]

It's been ages since I got here before the end of the week -- I'm gonna dig in right now.

My goal is to solve this before any nudges are posted.

[Dplass]

Submitted. Pretty sure I'm OTC.

Update: yes.

[Al Sisti]

Eight? I don't think it was that many. I am sort of proud to have had one published under three different editors -- Eugene Maleska, Will Weng, and Will Shortz, though mostly what that means is that I'm old.

Eight puzzles!

Also, since it sounds like he may not know this himself, Jay was the first person to use the following words as entries in any NYT crossword:

FRUMPY
MARTIN SHORT
TEEN ANGEL
THC (those jazz cats!)
TOP THIS
COLDFISH
FRITES
RUY LOPEZ OPENING
SCREWBALL COMEDY

THC is Jay's most successful NYT word, having been re-used 11 times since he debuted it in 2003.

i feel like I've been doxxed. I didn't know any of this.

I don't know whether to attribute the success of THC to the increasing weediness of the Zeitgeist or to its brevity.

The one of these I do remember is RUY LOPEZ OPENING. The puzzle had three 15-letter entrees whose clues were in chess notation. So this one was:
1. e4 e5
2. Nf3 Nc6
3. Bb5

It's also pretty safe to say that he's the first one in the history of the world to use the phrase "increasing weediness of the Zeitgeist or to its brevity." A room full of monkeys with typewriters clicking away for all eternity might indeed come up with the complete works of Shakespeare... but they still probably wouldn't come up with that phrase!

[FrankH]

OTC, waiting for confirmation.

[Anita]

Off the couch! Thanks for a fun one!

[Schmeel]

Off the couch.
Great puzzle - thanks!

[MikeM000]

Did this one yesterday...very enjoyable! I find it oddly coincidental how many thematic links are popping up among crosswords from this weekend...the plus signs between WSJ and NYT Saturday, the use of numbers in the grid in WSJ and MGW, and there's one here that I doubt has popped into anyone else's head...

[Richard B.]

OTC. Thanks MMM crew. IMO, these have been consistently of the quality of WSJ and MGWCC offerings.

[hcbirker]

OTC. Waiting for confirmation.

Edit: confirmed. Great puzzle!

[Bird Lives]

Here's a gentle nudge if anyone needs it.


Note the extended clue at 36 Across -- those seeming extraneous words. That and the title.

[RPardoe]

I did, thank you. Made things click quickly into place with the right focus.

[Geoduck]

I believe I finally got it!

[Jeremy Smith]

This is my first attempt at solving a “Meta Mondays” puzzle. I’ve been aware of them, but I can’t believe Muggles have been constructing them since May. It took the nudge, but I’m now off the couch. Kudos, Jay, for an enjoyable meta. Thank you so much!
Now I need to solve the rest of them, starting with Al’s from May 12, cause, hey, you can never have enough metas!

[Bird Lives]

Since the first nose count, the following have answered to the roll call.

18. m5rammy
19. Cindy
20. Dplass
21. FrankH
22. Anita
23. Schmeel
24. Richard B.
25. Dow Jones
26. Dow Jones
27. hcbirker
28. Sfull411
29. Rpardoe
30. Geoduck
31. Cindy N

[m5rammy]

I couldn't have done it without the gentle nudge. thanks, good puzzle, I'd say more, but it's too soon.

[DrTom]

Confirmed - I have left the couch! What I suspected early on, but got caught trying ti (1) implement incorrectly (2) being led astray by words unintended to deceive finally paid off. Loved the final twist as much as the mechanism and solve. Plus I learned about sad songs, English education and when that ubiquitous responder made a debut! EXCELLENT puzzle Bird.