Words: 55 (11×14)
Average Length: 4.45
After a year of strife, here’s a peace-focused puzzle.
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My puzzle-making colleague, Jeanne Breen, published a terrific acrostic puzzle yesterday based on a passage chosen by the incomparable Frank Bruni as one of his favorite bits of prose from 2025. You can solve it here, and you should, unless (as she put it) “you’re a proud supporter of POTUS 45/47.”
Words: 78
Average Length: 4.69
1 Across-6 Across-9 Across, everyone!
I posted 107 puzzles in 2025, with nearly 8000 visitors from 62 countries, accounting for more than 18,000 views. Thank you all – I wish each of you a year filled with health, happiness, meaning, and lots of “aha” solving moments.
If you’re interested, I’ve compiled a list of my favorite books that I read during 2025. I love to read and would enjoy getting book recommendations from all of you brilliant and worldly solvers. You can put them in the comments or email me at Jeffspuzzles@gmail.com.
Words: 10 (5×5)
Average Length: 4.40
I constructed a cryptic mini and, when I finished it, decided to provide a version with American-style clues as well. (Each version has the same answers.) So solve either, both, or mix and match.
If you like the idea of parallel cryptic and American-style minis, let me know. It’s a good exercise for me as a constructor and may help solvers who are cryptic neophytes. Plus it gives me twice as many chances to mess with your minds and funny bones!
There’s only one online link because I combined both sets of clues into a single puzzle on Crosshare. Each set is blacked out, so you just need to click on either the first clue (cryptic) or the second (American-style) for each entry.
online | cryptic puz | cryptic pdf | American-style puz | American-style pdf | solution
Words: 74
Average Length: 4.95
I apologize in advance for the clumsy wording of the clue to 66 Across, which is the key to understanding the theme answers. That said, I hope you enjoy the puzzle – I’m pretty pleased with several of the non-theme-related clues.
Words: 14 (7×7)
Average Length: 5.29
2 Down and 8 Across were the seeds. Apologies that 6 Across will leave you with an earworm, assuming you know the commercials (consider yourself fortunate if you don’t).
Words: 68
Average Length: 5.50
There were 4 seeds for today’s themeless: 8 Down (a factoid from a shipboard trivia game), 21 Across (I can still name the starting line-up, subs, and pitchers; they were my boyhood team), 27 Across (no thanks), and 33 Across (a refugee from a themed puzzle that wouldn’t come together).
Words: 12 (6×6)
Average Length: 5.33
This was a weird puzzle to construct. I had two seed entries, neither of which survived the filling and editing process. Then I spent far too long trying to come up with a clever title before deciding just to literally bestow a title upon the puzzle.
Words: 69 (14×15)
Average Length: 4.93
I constructed this puzzle back in August and figured that, given the theme, it was worth waiting until the first icy breaths of winter had appeared, which they did early this week, at least in the D.C. area. If you’re so inclined, the online version contains the appropriate color for the circled squares.
Words: 11
Average Length: 4.73
Here’s a mini puzzle covering anatomy, biology, fashion, natural history, literature, pop culture, and advertising. Never say you don’t get bang for your buck at JeffsPuzzles.com (especially since it’s free)!
Words: 68
Average Length: 5.62
The three grid-spanners were the seeds for today’s themeless. Actually, I’m not sure how “themeless” the puzzle is, given that all three grid-spanners are temporal in nature, but, to quote the great Kurt Vonnegut, “so it goes.”
Jeff's Puzzles