March 21, 2010
March 14, 2010
Title Shmitle
Now I know why Will Shortz doesn't bother with titles on his New York Times crosswords.
It's not that he wants to make it harder for the solver. It's that he wants to make it easier on himself.
Coming up with a decent title for a puzzle, with a theme like, can be even harder than coming up with a new clue for AREA. Sometimes it's better to forego the exercise entirely.
I don't usually aim to break the rules of crossword contructing, but I do like to bend them here and there. I think I pretty much, though, snapped-in-two one of said rules with that clue for 64-Across. But I couldn't resist.
Ye have been warned.
Across Lite file follows.
Download file
March 07, 2010
Say What, Beantown?
As I've said many a time before, I suck at coming up with good ideas for themes.
But I like this one.
In fact, I like it so much that I reworked it so many times this week that I finally stopped caring about it.
So, as usual, my theme entries are numerous (six) and lengthy (four of the six are 14 letters long), which makes for a very boxy grid and lotsa short entires. Par meet course.
But I still like it.
Sue me.
Puzzle opens with Across Lite, as usual.
And if you don't have Across Lite yet, it's a small file and you can grab it for free HERE and solve puzzle after puzzle to your hearts content or until you're so sick of looking at grids that you're vomitting sharp corners.
Take your pick. 
February 28, 2010
February 24, 2010
Super Special Bonus Clearinghouse Puzzle
About 10 days ago I posted a crossword over at Amy Reynaldo's Crossword Fiend Forum on the special occasion of her half-birthday (Feb 15th). That puzzle was actually the second version that I made -- the reason being that I wanted to add a sixth theme answer.
That puzzle can be found HERE.
As with any puzzle with six long theme answers, all horizontal, the grid got a little boxy and the word and block counts went way up. This original version is more aesthetically pleasing (to my eye, anyway) so I figured I'd add it here as an added bonus puzzle between my regularly scheduled (yeah, right) posts.
Hope you like it. And I've just completed what I think is a really nifty one that I'll post over the weekend.
February 20, 2010
Yippee!
"Yippee!"?
Actually, the letters in the circled squares -- when read left-to-right and top-to-bottom -- will spell out the real title of this puzzle.
And if the placement of the circles looks to be a bit slapdash, that's because I hadn't thought of including them until I'd finished. Oh well.
Have fun.
Opens with Across Lite. Duh.
Click to solve.
February 15, 2010
January 31, 2010
Artist Confidential
Here's an easyish crossword I whipped up yesterday.
Sirius/XM radio has a regular feature called "Artist Confidential". It's an hour-long program featuring a musical artist, in an intimate setting, playing a few songs with an interview portion between each song. In the past, they've featured such artists as Reba McEntire and Paul McCartney.
On Thursday, January 28th, a friend of mine scored two passes to the latest live broadcast of "Artist Confidential" which just happened to feature one of our all-time favorite bands.
Your mission -- should you decide to accept it -- is to solve for the name of the band, it's four members and the venue at which I and about 200 other guests partook of this sonic feast.
Across Lite will do you right.
Click to solve.
January 25, 2010
Free For All
Here's a little themeless I made a few weeks ago and promptly set aside. But, since I haven't made another crossword this week, I looked at again and thought I could make it work with some fun cluing.
Yeah, I know, it's got a lot of three-letter entries for a themeless.
Then again, if we were all Frank Longo, how would we know who the little voices were talking to?
Across Lite:
Click to solve.
January 09, 2010
Pitch Perfect
Hope yer stove is hot. **wink wink**
Opens with Across Lite as if you didn't know.
Click to solve.
January 01, 2010
Why Post This Crossword Puzzle Today?
I mean, it's not like I need to get some sleep or anything.
Aah, but the answer is contained within the circles under my eyes. I mean, the circles in the grid! The grid.
Happy new year, Puzzleheads!
Opens with Across Lite just because.
Click to solve.
December 20, 2009
Cycle
Anybody into the Hot Stove League?
I made this crossword a few weeks ago and was so disappointed with it that I never bothered to clue it.
Then I realized that I'd forgotten to post last week.
So I looked at it again and, eh, it ain't as bad as I remember. So I just now finished it off and here 'tis.
Opens with Across Lite, as if you didn't know.
Click to solve.
And if anybody has any better theme ideas, let me know. I'm always in need of a theme idea.
December 05, 2009
Triangles are for the riff-raff
Djy'ever notice that you'll occassionally spot the same word in several differant crossword puzzles in the span of a few days? I don't mean words like ARIA and OREO -- words that appear in 300 puzzles a year. I mean coming across, say, SNAPDRAGON on Wednesday and then seeing it again on Thursday and twice on Friday.
I can't say that I like or dislike when that happens. Maybe it's just too weird to have a learned opinion about. But, then there are the times when you've just gotta sit back and enjoy the coincidences.
Last Friday, Matt Gaffney wrote about the amazing synchronicity of one of his crosswords with a previous (by a few months) puzzle by Mike Shenk. (Fascinating read. Check it out.)
On Sunday, we had two crosswords with the same theme (to add "QU" to a phrase); one by Peter Wentz (Los Angeles Times) and the other by Will Nediger (New York Times), and they even had one identical entry: "QUAINT MISBEHAVIN".
On Wednesday, Rex Parker left a comment over at Brendan Emmett Quigley's digs about maybe perhaps working on a crossword puzzle that contained some certain names that are currently the news.
I, being always on the lookout for a theme idea, followed the link and made a puzzle based on those names. Apparently, as evidenced by his Friday post, so did BEQ.
Not only do Brendan's four theme entries match four of mine (I have six theme entries total), but this also happens to happen on the day that he runs the photo (taken Wednesday) of me and my BEQ mug. (See above link.)
I was ready to scrap it and post a different puzzle, but... nah.
One advantage I have with posting mine second is that I have the benefit of reading the comments at BEQ's thread. Amy Reynaldo, in particular, hit the nail on the head when she wrote, "They have weirdly spelled first names and/or uncommon last names... This gives today's puzzle the air of a quote puzzle in which half the quote's in Hungarian." So, for those particular theme entries, I decided to employ one of Merl Reagle's favorite devices.
Enjoy. More original content coming soon, I hope.
Opens with Across Lite.
Click to solve.
November 22, 2009
All Out Of Answers
Hell, I'm running low on questions, too.
But here's this week's crossword, inspired by some recently re-discovered theme ideas by Brendan Emmett Quigley as described here on Friday.
Actually, he didn't describe the theme ideas, he merely mentioned what little he'd jotted down on whatever piece of paper was at hand at the time, but couldn't recall what the fark he'd had in mind when he jotted them down.
So, I grabbed one of them (I wont say which one), went with an idea I had for it and voila!, here 'tis.
And, as usual, I don't have any test solvers for these puzzles so I have no idea if this is going to be a cakewalk or a death march. Have fun.
Opens with Across Lite, of course.
Click to solve.
November 17, 2009
November 08, 2009
Gamesmanship
Ah, the quote puzzle.
Some people say they hate them because "either you know the quote which makes it no fun, or you don't know the quote which makes it no fun." Some even argue that the quote fill is essentially unchecked, but I disagree. To my mind, solving a quote puzzle is simply a matter of piecing it together with what's gotten from the crossings, and that's really no different than piecing together an entry in, say, a dropped-letter theme.
But people have their favorites and least favorites. So be it. This one's a quote theme. Because I like the quote. I hope you like it, too.
Puzzle opens with Across Lite.
Click to solve.
October 30, 2009
October 13, 2009
Interpretive Song Stylings
Boy, these larger grids take a whole lot longer to clue than the usual 15x15s. Whew!
It started out as a 15x15, but fitting in the theme entries kept making me have to expand the grid until it was 19x19, and symetry went out the window very early on. I like the look of the grid, though, and it kinda fits in well with this puzzle, anyway.
The circles aren't really neccessary, but I thought I'd better include them so as to be certain that the theme fill is differentiated from the non-theme fill.
Puzzle opens with AcrossLite.
Click to solve
October 04, 2009
Evans' Question to Rogers Upon Seeing Their Feistiest Feline
A few days ago (with my 19x19 monster still asking me to finally clue it) I decided to take a cue from BEQ and make a crossword puzzle in the style of a distinctive constructor. I decided to emulate Merl Reagle.
I guess that means I'm emulating TWO constructors, though. Whatever.
Anyway, I tried to work in some Reagle-esque fill and some Reagle-esque clues -- which was a lot of fun -- and this is the result.
Puzzle opens with Across Lite.
Click to solve.
September 28, 2009
Smoke 'Em If You Got 'Em
Well, it's been two weeks since I last posted a puzzle. I've got one almost ready to go, I just have to finish cluing it.
In the mean time, I'll post one that's been sitting around for a while that I've been saving for just this type of occassion. It's not the best of theme ideas, that's why I've been sitting on it for a couple of months. Well, that and the answer at 37-Down is rediculous. But I actually kinda like it.
Better puzzle coming reasonably soonly.
File opens with AcrossLite, of course.
Click to solve.
September 08, 2009
Square Deal
This puzzle went through so many re-writes that I can probably post three versions with entirely different grids, save for the seed entries.
Then again, the reason it went through so many revisions is that I wasn't satisfied with elements of each re-write. So, here's the final version, just completed Monday night.
By the way, BEQ is having a contest. Solve his Friday puzzle, send him the answer the question that the solution poses and win a copy of his latest book, Diagramless Crosswords. Woo hoo!
In the meantime...
About that unchecked square in the center: When I was writing the clues, I didn't know whether or not I had to write a clue for it, so I simply clued it as "Crossword puzzle square". Turns out I had one too many clues in the file, so out it went. Don't worry about it though, it'll make sense.
Puzzle opens with AcrossLite, of course.
Click to solve
August 27, 2009
August 22, 2009
Two-fers
Okay, so I missed posting a puzzle last week, but I think this one will make up for it.
I actually put this grid together last Sunday, but held off cluing it until today. Why? Probably because the heat and humidity have been brutal all week and I needed last night's thunderstorm to lighten up the air before mustering the wherewithall to focus on such a demanding task. Mind and body walk together, folks.
That certainly looks like an awful lot of blocks, doesn't it? Still, there are only 36 so we're good.
The way they're arranged gives a word count of 80, but don't let that lull you into thinking this is going to be a cakewalk, no siree.
Puzzle, as usual, opens with AcrossLite.
Click to solve.
August 11, 2009
Darn, late again
I finished this grid on Saturday but just finished the cluing.
I'm really not happy with 1-Across. It's just as bad as HCGP (Harris County Green Party) that I had in a puzzle a couple of weeks ago. I made the clue as obvious as possible but that probably wont help you. The crossings, however, should make it easy enough to fill.
Other than that, I hope it's a fun one.
Puzzle opens with Across Lite, of course.
Click to solve.
August 02, 2009
News From The Healthcare Presser
You want topical? We got topical.
Since I don't employ test solvers, I just ran through the puzzle again.
It'll probably be a cakewalk in the northwest (18-Across notwithstanding), lulling you into a false sense of finishing in under 10 minutes. It gets a little more challenging toward the lower areas, though, I think.
The southwest, in particular, has a couple of obscure entries. But, hey, it's not like I stuck any airport codes in there or anything.
Puzzle open with AcrossLite.
Click to solve.
July 31, 2009
Bonus puzzle!
This isn't my regular weekly puzzle (which should be up on Sunday). This is an homage to Ashish Vengsarkar's New York Times puzzle from yesterday (Thursday).
The theme is the same. The grid is the same. The two 15-letter answers are the same for reasons that will be obvious as you solve. But the eight theme answers (and everything else, for that matter) are all new.
So, for those who don't subscribe to the NYT puzzle, this will be your chance to enjoy Ashish's puzzle without actually doing Ashish's puzzle.
Ashish's theme answers seem to have 16 possible entries. (Or 17, depending on how you pronounce the word "ours".) Ashish used eight of them yesterday, and I used the other eight today.
One side note:
I'd completed the grid and began to clue it when I realized I'd used the same entry twice. (Early on, I'd been switching the theme answers around and, well, these things happen.) Rather than begin anew, I changed 63-Across and adapted from there. 41-Down, in particular, ended up being a pretty silly entry.
The original entry could have been clued as, say, "A tasty morsel" and, upon completion of the puzzle, it'll be obvious which entry I mistakenly had in the grid twice.
But enough jibber-jabber. Unto the brink!
Puzzle opens with AcrossLite.
Click to solve.
Regular weekly puzzle on Sunday. I hope. (It's a 21x21. We'll see if I get it's clued by then.)
UPDATE: Second side note:
For "newer Mac users", Alex Boisvert informs us in the previous comments thread that you can download (and finally make use of) AcrossLite by clicking HERE. I hope that works out.
July 25, 2009
Puzzle 9
Yep. Another themeless. 'Cuz I still suck at coming up with themes.
I actually had four completed puzzles from which to choose to clue and post this week. But the answer at 34-Across was something I'd been trying to work into a crossword for a few weeks, yet with no completed puzzle.
I finally completed one this week so that's this weeks puzzle.
It's not the most consistant effort I've come up with, though. The crosswordese is a little too prevalent in the outer corners for my liking.
Since I began with no theme answers, a lot of the fill was haphazardly pieced together. That being said, I like a lot of the entries. Quirky partials. Gratuitous pop culture references. A nod to Pancho Harrison's Monday NYTimes puzzle.
Speaking of nods to other constructors, did you see Patrick Berry's grid from Friday? Here 'tis:
Hmm. I wonder if Mr. Berry swung by this little blog at some point recently because it looks uncannily like my grid from June 8th:
Okay, it's not that close. But, switch a few blocks around (as I just did to create these .jpegs) and there you are. My grid (as Patrick's may have also been) was based on this amazing Trip Payne 21x21 grid:
...which inspired to me to try to fill this grid:
...which is what my June 8th grid grew out of. Or, rather, shrank into.
I've attempted 7 or 8 times over the past 6 months to fill that grid. Finding two 15-letter triple-stacks is hard enough. Success in extending those stacks in that grid -- and then contecting them to the center area -- has proved illusive to me.
But I'll bet that there are at least four constructors out there who can do it. Not do it with ease, of course, but do it. They are (the aforementioned) Patrick Berry, Frank Longo, Trip Payne (obviously) and Brendan Emmett Quigley.
Brendan Emmett Quigley? Hey, the guy's a dynamo. He invited his readers to challenge him to create a puzzle in the style of other constructors. He emulated Trip Payne's Something Different **slash** Wacky Weekend Warrior puzzles (which I can't enough of) with impressive aplomb.
Now, I'm not issuing an official challenge here or anything. (Mainly because, based on the comments threads, I have no idea if anyone is actually reading this blog and/or doing these puzzles.) But I would be impressed if the above 15x15 grid (no black squares in the corners, cheaters!) showed up somewhere reasonably soon.
Anywho, I hope you enjoy my latest serving of crossword tripe.
Puzzle opens with Across Lite.
(Sorry "newer Mac" users. Still no more PDFs until, either, I can buy some software that'll turn a .puz file to a .pdf, or someone tells me what my search for a way to do it for free has overlooked.)
Click to solve
July 18, 2009
Air On The G String
I couldn't think a title for this puzzle so I decided to steal one from Bach.
As usual, puzzle opens with AcrossLite.
Click to solve.
July 11, 2009
Sounds Right To Me
This one was a lot of fun to create. The grid may not be pretty but, hey, give a little get a little.
As usual, puzzle opens with Across Lite.
Click to solve
July 05, 2009
Overdue Themeless
I hope you all had a rip-roarin' 4th of July and no one blew off their fingers.
It's been a while since I last posted a new crossword. It's not that I've gotten behind in creating them, it's that my standards are raising. A puzzle that I might have been eager to post when I first started is just too amateurish for me now.
Over the past few weeks I was working on four different puzzles simultaneously and couldn't get any of them to gel to my liking. One of them I even finished clueing two weeks ago, yet still didn't post because I didn't like the northeast corner and I couldn't hold the symmetry throughout.
This is that puzzle.
In the mean time, I've just finished a new puzzle that I will post as soon I've clued it. But, I figured I'd put this one up anyway just because I don't want all that work to go to waste.
I didn't try to make this a stumper by any stretch, mainly because I don't think it deserves the effort. But I did try to make it somewhat interesting.
Of course, most people who solve several puzzles a day will probably say, "Bleh, ordinary. Wouldn't have run in any decent newspaper." But I think it has it's moments, so here 'tis.
A much better, more interesting themed puzzle is coming shortly. But, for now...
Puzzle opens with AcrossLite.
Click to solve
P.S. Sorry, newer Mac user(s), but the trial software I was using to convert AcrossLite to PDF has expired. Unless someone can tell me how to do the conversion F.O.C., that's it for the PDF versions for now.
