Words: 70
Average Length: 5.57
I’m happy with how wide-open and relatively 3-free this grid turned out. 1A and 15A were the seeds. 10D and 64A are clued etymologically because I think their origins are pretty cool, and I loved learning the facts in the clue for 17A. I also wanted to give a shout out to 21A. She’s one of my favorite authors; her books are humane, quirky, and filled with local (Baltimore) color.
Jeff's Puzzles 
5 replies on “Themeless 132”
Excellent! I really scuffled in the NE corner. I knew 21A right away (Baltimore was the clue) from reading your hint in the description, but I’d never heard of 11D, and for 16A and I tried pretty much every quatrain form other than the actual answer! For some reason I couldn’t shake the conviction that 13D would be a different German word (starting with N) and I drew a complete blank re: 12D. The word ‘facility’ had me thinking the answer should be some kind of building. Impressive to have your two seeds fit right next to each in such a workable way. Love the fact in 10D! At 64A, I entered EXTIRPATES first; its meaning is similar, but I should have been mindful of the RAD/root etymology!
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Thanks – the NE has some unfortunate fill (led by the quatrain) but I gave up on trying to improve it. I always find etymologies fascinating – sometimes they take you to unexpected places!
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I always enjoy your puzzles, and I learn new things from them, too. Thank you! Lorrie Wilken
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Thanks so much! That means a great deal to me.
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[…] down: skip to the end by 7down. Black Crossword: Mini by Juliana Pache. Jeff’s Puzzles: Themeless 132 by Jeffs Puzzles. M & M Crosswords: Balderdash by Martina Waluk. Marquee […]
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