Author: Jeff

Categories
Themeless

Themeless 34

Words:  72

Average Length:  5.28

Difficulty:  You’d better believe it

A welcome sight after a long hike in Brecon Beacon National Park (Wales). See 13 Across.

This one started with the 14D/24A pair because, word nerd that I am, I like how two such similar-looking words can mean basically the exact opposite thing.  Another seed was 51A, which I hadn’t heard of before reading Brad Leithauser’s fantastic book subtitled “The Architecture of Poetry.”  (I can’t give you the title because it contains one of the words in the answer.)  Other than that, I ramped up the cluing difficulty on this one, so beware!  If you like the puzzle, please share it.  Come back Wednesday for another Mostly Musical Mini.

online | puz | pdf | solution

Categories
Mostly Musical Mini Uncategorized

Mostly Musical Mini 14

I’m back from a wonderful trip hiking in Wales and riding trains in the Isle of Man (including the railway that inspired Thomas the Tank Engine!). I’m posting this early because I cracked my computer screen and I’m not sure how long it’ll take to repair it. Stay tuned for a challenging Themeless on Sunday, assuming I have my computer back.

online | puz | pdf | solution

Categories
Holiday Themed

Why Don’t July Around and Solve This?

Words:  74

Average Length:  5.11

Difficulty:  More moderate than the temperature outside, that’s for sure

Street art – East Side Gallery, Berlin (see 19 Across)

July 4 was a big deal to some of our Founding Fathers, just not in the way you think.  Solve and find out what I mean. 

I’m taking a short break from posting while I spend a few days hiking in Wales and then exploring the Isle of Man. I’ll have a new puzzle up on July 13. Stay cool!

online | puz | pdf | solution

Categories
Mostly Musical Mini

Mostly Musical Mini 13

Words: 16

Average Length: 5.25

Difficulty:  A smidge tougher than average maybe?

Mix one cup of rock, a couple of tablespoons of pop, indie, and rap, and a dash of other music stuff, pour the mixture over 7 artfully arranged squares of very dark chocolate, marinate for a few weeks in your “Upcoming Puzzles” folder, and voila – Mostly Musical Mini 13, where, fittingly, 13 of the 16 clues are legitimately music-related.  I hope you find it tasty!

online | puz | pdf | solution

Categories
Midi Themeless

Themeless 33

Words:  46 (12×12 grid)

Average Length:  5.30

Difficulty:  Somewhere north of medium

Fabulous indoor market, Barcelona (see 7 Across)

I had lots of fun constructing this one; I hope you have as much solving it.  The seeds were 1 and 7 Across, which I’d been saving while looking for a happy home.  24 Down and 30 Down had been chilling in my word/clue list for a while as well.  1 Down is a terrific song from my youth (e.g., a moldy oldie).  You can listen to it here.

online | puz | pdf | solution 

Categories
Mostly Musical Mini

Mostly Musical Mini 12

Words:  17

Average Length:  4.94

Difficulty:  Legato

Pop, rock, rap, jazz, classical, reggae, and old technology, all in a tidy 7×7 package.  This one should be quick, easy, and (I hope) fun!

online | puz | pdf | solution

Categories
Themeless

Initial Impressions

Words:  70

Average Length:  5.23

Difficulty:  With due respect to the Mighty Mighty Bosstones, the impression that I get is that it’s not too tough

Rainbow near Isafjordur, Iceland (see 44 Across)

What would you call the author of Game of Thrones if he decided to write educational primers instead of finishing “Winds of Winter”?  What about the author of “The Time Machine” after his disqualification for using PEDs?  Solve and find out …

online | puz | pdf | solution

Categories
Mostly Musical Mini

Mostly Musical Mini 11

Words:  16

Average Length:  5.00

Difficulty:  Listening-habits specific – this one leans heavily jazz and rock

I started with the cold/hot pair at 4D and 12A and ended up with a bit of R&B, jazz, disco, and classic rock.  Which is an indirect way of saying that none of the theme entries is more recent than around 1976.  I’ll try to be more chronologically inclusive (i.e., less fusty) in future offerings, I promise.

online | puz | pdf | solution

Categories
Themeless

Themeless 32

Words:  70

Average Length:  5.40

Difficulty:  Not for the faint of heart

See the clue for 1A ….

The seeds for this puzzle were 8D and 28D; my other favorite entry/clue combo is 45D, especially paired with 44A.  I hope you enjoy it; please pass it on.

online | puz | pdf | solution

Categories
Mostly Musical Mini

Mostly Musical Mini 10

Words:  19

Average Length:  4.63

Difficulty:  Easy like Sunday morning

I’ve crammed some the biggest names in musical entertainment, spanning pop, classic rock, indie, grunge, and calypso, into an adorable 7×7 grid.  You can’t find value like that anywhere else, folks.  Solve and enjoy!

online | puz | pdf | solution