Untitled Themeful

Long time, no see.

I was about to clue and post two or three of the many puzzles I have laying around. But, the reason they're laying around is that I don't think they're very good. Even by my journeyman-level criteria.

But then I was lying awake a couple of nights ago and thought of this one. It's a slight variant on a widely used theme. But it's something. So I finally made a new puzzle. Woo hoo!

Across Lite:
Click to solve.

For anyone stopping by who doesn't know what Across Lite is, it's a crossword solving program that allows you to solve puzzles on your computer. It's easy to use and takes just 1.3 jiffies to install. Download it HERE.

Also, if you're interested in what the New York Times crosswords were like in the decades before Will Shortz took over the editing reigns, check out the Pre-Shortzian Puzzle Project.

The goal is make every New York Times crossword puzzle from 1942-1993 available for reviewing and for solving. Currently, there are four years (1990-1993) of pre-Shortzian puzzles available for on-screen solving from the Eugene Maleska era (1977-1993), with more being added all the time.

Solve pre-Shortzian puzzles.

It Could be worse...

A crossword puzzle inspired by the fleetest of thoughts by our dear Amy Reynaldo.

Fear not. This one's easy peasy.

Across Lite:
Click to solve.

Today

Holy moly, I haven't posted a crossword puzzle in over a month?!

Alas, yes. So I speed-created this one. And then speed-clued it. (Though, I must say, cluing the puzzle takes a helluva lot longer than creating the grid. At least, in this case.)

The four 15-letter answers came rapid fire, and the rest is what is it. But, just solve it before midnight, so all will be right with the world.

Across Lite:
Click to solve.

I didn't proofread it before posting. Hopefully, everything's in order.

Freestyle 15

Across Lite puzzle:
Click to solve.

And, on the off chance that some visitor has no idea what AcrossLite is, or hasn't yet downloaded it, here is the place to get it ---> Download AcrossLite software. Just takes a few seconds. Real easy-peasy like.

Good Clean Fun

Across Lite file:
Click to solve.

Thin Themes

As an autodidactic apprentice, I'm a little self-conscious about what I post. Since I have no "mentors" or "test solvers", I'm left to judge for myself what's postworthy or not.

Since I haven't made a brand spanking new crossword puzzle in a while, I've decided to make it up you with a three-in-one post, made up of puzzles from the pile of thin-themed crap.

First up: A weak theme if there ever was one. I'm pretty sure that this dates back to my "make a real puzzle no matter how boring" days. Nine months ago, I think.

Newly clued, of course.

Across Lite:
Ye must clicketh.

Of today's three, this next one is the most recent. I had big dreams for it, at the time. But I just couldn't hit on that bigger idea that would've made it more than it is:

Mozel tov!

Across Lite:
Click to solve.

Third up: I don't even remember making this one. I think it's one of my better early puzzles, but it contained too much garbage even for my standards at the time. Imagine that.

I just finished cluing it so at at least it has that going for it. :-D

An Across Lite file follows almost immediately:
Clicky doodle.

My next post will consist of either a new puzzle or more old crap. Time will tell.

Themeless 14

Themeless. No point. Just a puzzle.

Across Lite:
Click to solve.

A Long Way From Home

Across Lite:
Click to solve.

Turning Up the Pressure

I've made several versions of this puzzle over the past four weeks. The sad thing is, I don't know if this version is much better than the first incarnation. Hah!

The above picture has nothing to do with the puzzle. I made it in PhotoShop and don't expect to find any use for it, so there it is.

Across Lite:
Click to solve.

A Cheerful Puzzle

I've been working on one particular puzzle for over two weeks now and am still not happy with it. But, rather than go another week without posting, I grabbed one from the old pile of unposted grids.

This is probably about a year-and-a-half old.

Across Lite:
Click to solve.

Freestyle 13

So anyway, I was over at BEQ central on Friday solving the Friday Bonus Puzzle and reading the interview with guest constructor Tim Croce. Tim wrote:

But quad stacks? That's where I draw the line. Soon as I saw the partial "O' TEA" in a quad stack I solved, that was it for me. Don't wanna even try anymore.

After about an hour of entertaining that silly idea I decided, instead, to pick three 15-letter answers that were on my list of words and phrases that aren't in Matt Ginsberg's clue database, and to see if I can make them work. The only non-random criteria was that the first three letters had to allow a coherent Down answer.

My first three choices didn't pan out. But I replaced one of them with another and I was off and running. The result of that Friday afternoon grid-building is, for the most part, this puzzle. (I tweaked a few areas on Saturday, and clued it on Sunday.)

There are two entries in here that are not only fresh, but that I've never heard nor seen before. One is one word, the other is two words. But they're legit. And they're not Latin or otherwise foreign. I tried to make the clues mediumishly challenging, but even one of the 15s might be a tough nut to crack for latter-day Xers and millenials (and maybe even some geezers).

Across Lite:
Click to solve.

Crossover Artists

Two puzzles this week, since I missed last week.

The first one should be an easy solve. It's a theme that we've all seen a hundred times. It's okay to fall back on an old staple, now and then.

UPDATE: And I just realized that there's a slight "problem" with the third theme entry. You may see it right away. But, I think I'll just leave it as is as a reminder of what happens when one constructs and clues a crossword puzzle on very little sleep.

"53 Across"
Across Lite:
Click to solve.

---------

This second one should be more of a challenge. I don't want to say too much and reveal spoilers, but this is a theme that you may have seen before.

It went through a couple of re-dos, complete with different theme entries and, of course, entirely different grids and fill. I'm still not satisfied with the way it turned out, but not so much that I want to try building another version from scratch. (Hopefully, I'm just being overly self-critical.)

"Crossover Artists"
Across Lite:
Click to solve.

Spare Change

Here's one inspired by Chris Handman's New York Times crossword from Wednesday, January 18th.

Across Lite:
Click to solve.

Caveat Emptor

The good thing about making up your own quote is that you can tailor it to split evenly for the grid.

And, being a quote puzzle, I made this one nice n' easy. I think.

Across Lite:
Click to solve.

Freestyle 12

Feelin' hungry?

Feelin' happy?

Feelin' brave?

Across Lite puzzle:
Click to solve.

Progress

I made two puzzles with this theme sometime in this past spring or summer. I posted one then and saved one for now, just to put some space between them. It's a standard theme idea, taken one step further.

Happy New Year!

Across Lite puzzle:
Click to solve.

Ginger Snaps

Actually, it's "Freestyle 11". But who's counting.

Across Lite:
Click to solve.

Sweet Sixteen

I made the above PhotoShop^TM when this puzzle had the wrong title. Oops. Took too long to make it to let it go to waste, though.

Anywho, it's just for fun, and should be an easy peasy solve.

Across Lite puzzle:
Click to solve.

Bones of Contention

This one's for the Trekkers out there, past and present.

Across Lite:
Click to solve.

More Fun with PhotoShop

So anyway, I came across this beautiful photograph of the galaxy named NGC 3041. Or, as I like to call it, Snookums. It looked so much like a painting that I decided to put my PhotoShop semi-skills to good uselessness. And since my version is over ten years old, this may be as good as my PhotoShop Fu gets.

I grew up wondering why I couldn't see the bright center of our galaxy, even on a moonless night. Now, of course, I know that it's because of interstellar dust and the lights of the cities. Needless to say, living within 50 miles of Times Square isn't the most condusive environment for stargazing.

But I found a photo of the Milky Way above a tree-line, and decided to PhotoShop it with a Manhattan skyline. The blueness of the sky contrasts (read: clashes) with a colorful cityscape.

I like the boldness of the contrast between the "macro-natural" galactic center and the man-made beauty below, but not the lack of realism. The two elements don't appear to be occupying the same universe.

So then I found a clearer picture of the Milky Way and put it together with a different New York skyline photo, and threw in the moon for good measure.

I like the mix of that one much more, but I regret having the Milky Way perfectly horizontal. So I tilted the same photo and added yet another skyline shot.

Aah, now we're talkin' 'bout a penthouse view.

But, based on the Earth-bound photos, I seem to have placed the Milky Way too far off in the distance.

The center of the galaxy is very far away, but it is frickin' huge.

Anywho, I then grabbed a more real-color photo of the Milky Way above a treeline, and added something beautiful that is both natural and man-made.

Love the J-Lo dress.

And finally, for now, the previous background with the pyramids that were built along the Nile, which was thought to represent the Milky Way.

EDIT TO ADD:

A timelapse recording of the galactic center passing over a popular stargazing spot in Texas at about 5,000 ft elev. with clear dark skies.

Galactic Center of Milky Way Rises over Texas Star Party from William Castleman on Vimeo.

Freestyle 10

I really gotta start coming up with titles for these themeless puzzles.

I had eight different southeast corners for this one. The cleanest ones were the dullest, of course, so I went with one of the dirtier ones. I opted for this one in particular once I found a clue for 55-Down that was more "user-friendly" than what I thought I'd have to use. (Something to do with politics in the Great White North.)

Across Lite puzzle:
Click to solve.

The Grid With Something Extra

Here's my first attempt at a "meta puzzle".

Seeing as it's my first idea that's come to fruition, it wouldn't surprise me one bit to learn that Matt Gaffney hasn't already done it as part of his weekly crossword contest. But I'll just assume not and press on.

This isn't a contest, though, so no prizes will be awarded. It's just for fun.

The challenge is simple. Fill the grid as usual. Then, to complete the puzzle, answer these two questions:
1. What three-word phrase does the puzzle suggest?
2. Where in the grid is that phrase located?

I, of course, have no idea if solving it is a piece of cake, a fun workout, or a soul-killing exercise in Everest-climbing-like futility. But I expect that it's pretty solvable if you trust your instincts (read: nagging feelings).

The photo above, by the way, has nothing to do with the final answer.

Across Lite puzzle:
Click to solve.

Hell Night

This one ended up chockful of initialisms. I tried to keep them to a minimum, but the constraints on the grid proved too overwhelming. It's a small miracle that I was finally able to fill it, even removing a few obscure entries during the cluing.

There are still a couple of obcurities left, so I went ahead and made it an easy-peasy solve. Nothing too spooky. I hope.

Across Lite:
Click to solve.

Freestyle 9

I finished this one a couple of weeks ago and set it aside because I really liked a lot of it, and really hated some of it.

It started off well-enough in the northwest, building on the freshness of the three long answers. But, as I moved through the middle and into the southeast, it got trickier and trickier to make connections.

After lucking into 34-Across (not a seed entry), I didn't want to give it up. There were several ways to go on 41-Across, but none of them allowed a 39-Across that could give me a 27-Down, except the one I ended up with. (I've never heard of him. But, then, I haven't heard of most recording artists who've debuted in the last 20 years.)

Whenever I end up with an obscure proper name (person or place), I like to come up with an anagram to accompany the clue. (A trick I picked up from Merl Reagle.) If I can, I'll choose one that's, in some way, related to the answer and/or clue. I'd tried re-doing the southeast a few times because I absolutely hated 63-Across (and considered it the main puzzle-killer), until I found an anagram that complimented the clue so well that I decided to take it as a sign that it was meant to be. (Edit: An error crept in during the anagraming session. Original has been replaced. Many thanks to 3D for pointing it out!)

Surprisingly, according to Matt Ginsberg's database, 65-Across also turns out to be fresh fill. Woo hoo!

49-Down, incidentally, found its way into the grid because a search told me that it was part of a game's name. A further search revealed that the "game" in question is just someone's silly page that's been visited less than 10,000 times in I-don't-know-how-many years. So, I was challenged to come up with another clue. The resulting clue may seem forced. Even tragically so. But at least it no longer references something you've never heard of. I hope.

Anywho, it's either go with this version or start from scratch. So I'll just throw this up as a mid-week "bonus". There will be another puzzle on Sunday. How could I miss Hell Night?

Across Lite puzzle:
Click to solve.

Freestyle 8

Are these clues too easy? Since I don't have test solvers, all I can do is guess at how easy/challenging these are. About a year ago, I opened up a puzzle that I'd posted a year before, and I couldn't solve it, so I've been trying to "measy 'em down" a bit.

Anyway, here's one from a couple of weeks ago inspired by an entry in Andrew Ries's rose garden of that week.

Across Lite:
Click to solve.

Freestyle 7

Man, it's hard to come up with fresh short entries.

Across Lite:
Click to solve.

Freestyle 6

Once upon a time he was just a crossword geek. Now he's a geek on national television. Joon Pahk has crossed the threshhold and become a five-time winner on Jeopardy!. Woo hoo!

See his games HERE. (Thank you, Nancy Shack, whoever you are, for uploaded each exciting episode!)

And, now that you've watched every episode, on to the next completely unrelated crossword puzzle:

AcrossLite, of course:
Click to solve.

Down Right Puzzling ...or Not

Across Lite file:
Click to solve.

Freestyle 5

Sometimes, when putting together a themeless grid, I think of wacky phrases that'll fit nicely into a long slot. Usually, I dismiss them since it'd be silly to include a few Trip Payne-esque "Something Different"-y answers in an otherwise "normal" grid.

35-Down isn't a "wacky" entry. And it could easily have been something bland, like INCISORS. I opted for a more colorful entry. Thing is, I wonder if solvers might think it's forced and clumsy, and that I went with it simply because there were no other options available without redesigning the grid. So, like Pee-wee Herman upon completing his freestyle bike ride, I just want y'all to know that I meant to do that.

As for 4-Down, however, I had very little choice in the matter.

Across Lite puzzle:
Click to solve.

UPDATE:

And, just because I couldn't decide which version of the grid I liked better, here's the alternate version. I prefer 10-Down in this one, but much prefer 3- and 4-Down in the above version. The southwest corner is a little cleaner, I think. The center and southeast are identical in both versions.

Across Lite, of course:
Clicky.

UPDATE 2:

And, since I'm posting multiple versions, here's the original grid that I rejected. The main problem is 37-Across, but the rest of it came out all right so I'll post this one, too. There are only four identical answers here (and one of them is not a 15) so it'll be, for the most part, a new solving experience.

Across Lite, as usual:
Click clack.

Freestyle 4

Across Lite:
Click to solve.