Friday, September 20, 2024 - Don't say no to NOH 😀

This was a fine, challenging, themeless Friday crossword by Jackson Matz (his second Friday puzzle, and third overall). It is refreshing, after struggling with a theme some days, to get a break, even though that break is tempered by the fact that, as a Friday, the clues tend to become more devious. How else could you describe 23A, Pilot productions?, PENS (ha!) or 45A, Like you and me, MORTAL (hmmm); and the obvious-in-hindsight 2D, Extremely solid, HARDASAROCK? All-in-all a worthy addition ...