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Themeless

Themeless 57

Wine tasting in Bordeaux (see 16 Across)

Words:  68

Average Length:  5.74

I set out to make a low word-count themeless with very few 3-letter entries and a minimum of crosswordese.  I hope you like the result – there are quite a few misdirects, so this one is likely to play on the difficult side.

As I say in the clue for 37 Across, I encourage everyone to read anything that Alan Lightman writes.  He’s a physicist with the pen of a poet.  His latest book, The Transcendent Brain, is a lyrical, personal exploration of how science leaves room for spirituality.

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Mini

Connect Four

St. Stephens Basilica, Budapest, Hungary

Words:  10

Average Length:  4.60

This one should be solvable in 1 Down/3 Down.  Enjoy!

I just returned from a fascinating trip from Bucharest to Budapest. If you’d like to see some photos and read about it, please check out my travel blog, PuffinlessTravel.com. In addition to the travelogue, the final post is a point-by-point comparison of Viking River Cruises and Tauck River Cruises, if that’s of interest.

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Themed

Rapturous Reading

Douglas waterfront, Isle of Man (where the brothers in 14A were born). Photo taken July 2022.

Words:  70

Average Length:  5.34

I like books in the way Justice Kavanaugh likes beer.  I read a hundred or so a year (not sure what % of his beer consumption that is, but it’s roughly 1000% of mine, being more of a Scotch aficionado).  When I saw this marvelous quote from 34 Across I thought, as kids today, or yesterday, or possibly last month, say/said:  “it me.”  Hence the puzzle.

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Midi Themeless

Themeless Midi

Young storks I saw yesterday in Vukovar, Croatia. They have nothing to do with this puzzle, but I needed a picture, so there.

Words:  16

Average Length:  5.00

This one probably plays tougher than usual for a midi – I clued it at roughly the difficulty level of a full-size themeless.  Enjoy! 

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Themeless

Themeless 56

Photo taken in 19A, April 2023.

Words:  72

Average Length:  5.19

The seeds here were 19A and 33 Down, both of which I visited a couple of months ago.  19 Across is a delightful place to spend a weekend; 33 Down would be a delightful place to spend a lifetime! 

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Mini Themed

Wind and Fire

Female and male waterbucks, Fathala Wildlife Reserve, Senegal (see 1 Down) (Photo taken Dec. 2022)

Words:  10

Average Length:  4.60

I guess I could have posted this in either April or September (as you’ll see once you solve), but as we are once again beset by smoky air, heat, and hurricanes, this is as good a time as any. If any solvers have personal knowledge that the clue for 5 Down is wrong, please let me know!

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Themed

Literally MMA

See 61 Across

Words:  73

Average Length:  5.10

Coming up with the themers for this one was inordinately enjoyable, in a “he he” sense.  Please forgive me …

[Please note there should be an asterisk next to 49A. I guess my stars weren’t aligned!]

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Mini Themed

Gotta Split

Random picture of Albert Einstein made out of gourds, Hartheim, Germany (Oct. 2019). There’s no need to be an Einstein to solve this puzzle!

Words:  11 (6×5)

Average Length:  5.09

I set ‘em up so you can knock ‘em down.  Enjoy!

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Categories
Themed

English Muffing

See 23 Across. Pettah Market, Colombo, Sri Lanka (photo taken Jan. 2019)

Words:  74

Average Length:  5.00

English, notoriously, is a perverse language, where a word’s spelling may be an ambiguous guide to its pronunciation.  Fertile fodder for this grid, as I hope you’ll agree.

Please check out my poetry site, It-Could-Be-Verse.com, and my travel blog, PuffinlessTravel.com!

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Categories
Mini Themed

Alchemy End Points

See 4 Down. This is Mia. She fell asleep reading the book, which I don’t understand because it’s a pretty tense thriller.

Words:  11

Average Length:  4.73

I’ve seen this concept done as a word ladder, but a mini-puzzle doesn’t allow for such sleight of hand.  Nothing fancy here; I clued 1 Down the way I did because that show perfected the technique of starting out fabulous, keeping it up for three seasons, then cratering.  Just my opinion, of course.

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