Words: 10
Average Length: 4.80
1 Across and 1 Down were the seeds, not surprisingly, but I also enjoyed putting 3 Down and 4 Down next to each other. Now that would be a mind-blowing show! 7 Across is terrible fill, but I figured I’d include it after realizing that rearranging the letters as the clue suggests would fit with the trattoria theme.
Words: 69 (14×15)
Average Length: 5.10
If a compelling crossword, like compelling drama, requires tension, then today’s theme entries should assure a gripping grid.
Because it’s one of Churchill’s finest orations (which is saying a lot), here’s the relevant passage of the speech excerpted in 1 Down:
“The gratitude of every home in our Island, in our Empire, and indeed throughout the world, except in the abodes of the guilty, goes out to the British airmen who, undaunted by odds, unwearied in their constant challenge and mortal danger, are turning the tide of the World War by their prowess and by their devotion. Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few.”
Rest assured that your odds of surviving today’s solving experience are far better than those faced by the RAF.
Words: 16 (7×7)
Average Length: 4.88
The puns at 1 Across and 14 Across popped into my head as soon as I started to ponder this week’s mini. Not being one to ignore inspiration, here’s the result.
Words: 72
Average Length: 5.11
This puzzle sets a record (sure to be broken) of the greatest number of my favorite songs I’ve managed to work into clues: (1) The Caves of [18 Across] (Steely Dan), (2) [25 Across] Smile (John Prine), (3) [55 Down] House (Graham Nash), (4) Where Have all the Flowers Gone (31 Down), and (5) Penny Lane (The Beatles, 54 Down). If you know some of these off the bat, you’ve got a head start. If not, don’t fear – everything should be easily gettable from crosses.
Words: 18 (7×7)
Average Length: 5.00
7 Across and 13 Across were the seeds for this mini – and the title, as those of you who are algebraically inclined will figure out, is the product of the seeds.
1 Across was the seed for this puzzle. I wasn’t sure about including 12 Across because he isn’t so well-known as he should be. As the clue indicates, this is someone who should be considered a giant of the 20th century, whether you agree with his politics or not. (He was caught up in the persecution of artists by HUAC and had been an outspoken supporter of the Soviet Union.) Check out his Wikipedia entry.
Words: 74
Average Length: 5.05
This should be a straightforward themed puzzle. The seeds were the grid-spanners. For your watching pleasure, here are links to 6 Down and 33 Down. Please enjoy and, if you do and aren’t already a “follower” of this blog, sign up – the blog might get a boost in search algorithms and you’ll get an email whenever I post a new puzzle (almost always twice a week). Win-win!
Jeff's Puzzles