Words: 14 (7×7)
Average Length: 5.57
I figured I’d construct a Thanksgiving-themed mini but 8 Across popped into my head and I ended up with a puzzle better suited for St. Patrick’s Day. I did construct a Thanksgiving-themed puzzle a couple of years ago (“I’ll Never Be Your Feast of Burden”), which you can find here. Have a wonderful holiday, y’all, and sláinte!
Words: 10 (5×5)
Average Length: 5.00
Here’s a mini I constructed on the airplane last week. It’s amazing how quickly a flight can go in the “flow state” of crossword construction. I’ve got a 16-hour flight to Australia coming up in January – who knows how many puzzles I’ll construct!
Words: 16
Average Length: 4.75
As promised, after last week’s heavenly-focused mini, here’s one playing devil’s advocate. Happy Halloween! Bit of a different schedule this week: Tuesday instead of Wednesday for the mini, and I’ll post a full-size grid Friday before heading to Cuba for a week. Next puzzle probably will be Monday the 13th.
Words: 32 (9×9)
Average Length: 4.00
Some crosswordese comes from architecture (OGEE, APSE, EAVE), some from geography (ARAL, URAL, RIA), some from the arts (ASTA, SMEE, IAGO). And then there’s food and drink, perhaps the richest source of this less-than-nourishing fill. I usually try to eschew these stale words, but for this week’s mini I stuffed as many commonly-used, calorie-laden words as possible into the grid. Bring an appetite, and come back Sunday for a meaty, well-seasoned themeless.
Words: 11 (5×6)
Average Length: 4.73
The inspiration for this puzzle came from a Brian Bilston poem, “Hear, [1 Down], and Everywear.” If you’re not familiar with him, Brian Bliston is an English poet who is funny, sharply observant, self-deprecating, and brilliant at exploiting the weirdness of the English language.
Words: 15 (7×7)
Average Length: 5.73
A few days ago I read an article about the never-to-be-equaled season that a certain baseball Hall of Famer enjoyed in 1968. Then I watched an episode of Cash Cab where a certain cocktail came up in the answer – and it shared a name with the baseball player. I realized that the crossword gods were sending me a message; hence the grid. (Think of the partial duplicate as a feature, not a flaw.)
Jeff's Puzzles