Words: 77 (16×15)
Average Length: 5.14
Here’s a tribute to Dr. King and an expression of gratitude to everyone who strives to carry on his legacy.
Category: Themed
Words: 74
Average Length: 5.05
Thank you all! I’m grateful to everyone who takes the time to solve my puzzles – the site received 10,000 views in 2022, up 60% from 2021, and solvers in 45 countries tackled my grids this year.
This puzzle contains my New Year’s wish for you. I hope you enjoy it. Keep solving, please share my puzzles with abandon (I’d love to double my views this coming year), and most of all, have a healthy, happy, fun and fulfilling 2023!!!
Categories
Housesitting
Words: 74
Average Length: 4.65
Picture above: a house (not mine). It’s Hacienda La Compañia in Ecuador, and it’s gorgeous inside and out.
My quite limited artistic abilities are on display in this grid; if nothing else, the title should tell you what the black shape in the middle is. There’s a small amount of less-than-ideal fill necessitated by the constraints of the theme, so please accept my apologies in advance. I hope the phenomenally realistic grid design makes up for that.
Categories
Herd Mentality
Words: 73 (16×15)
Average Length: 5.42
Time for a medium-difficulty themed puzzle relating to some of our fellow fauna. If you don’t know the song in the clue for 19A, give it a listen. It’s one of my favorites: a John Prine classic best known from Bonnie Raitt’s spectacular cover, , it focuses with dry-eyed sensitivity on a woman who’s tired of her life and longing for something or someone better.
Pictured above: Max, part of my 52 Across
Categories
Music with Scales
Words: 67 (14×15)
Average Length: 5.07
I’ve been toying with the idea for this theme for a while. When I finally decided to flesh it out, I realized it needed a non-standard grid size to preserve symmetry, which accounts for the fact that the grid looks like it’s lost weight. (Your humble constructor certainly hasn’t, having recently returned from Portugal, where food and wine are cherished: see the picture above of cod with roasted potatoes and onions, gleefully consumed at Restaurant Pinoquio, Lisbon.)
Categories
Themeless 40
Words: 70
Average Length: 5.46
I constructed this puzzle while on vacation in Peru touring Machu Picchu (picture above) and other Inca sites, which accounts for the two seeds (20 and 56 Across, with 3 Down thrown in for good measure). If you ever have the opportunity, go! Peru is a diverse, beautiful, welcoming country, and the Inca sites barely scratch the surface of what to see. Plus, the food is outstanding!
If you’re interested in reading my write-up of the trip and seeing some photos, please visit my travel blog, PuffinlessTravel.wordpress.com. I’m working on updating the home page to have links to locations, but if I haven’t done so when you visit, please scroll down to the bottom of the home page and click on the “2”.
Categories
They Could Be Verse
Words: 76
Average Length: 4.82
I’ve read a lot of poetry this year; some of you might say “too much” after solving today’s grid. That’s the excuse for the theme of this puzzle: the almost certainly misguided idea to merge movie titles and poetry terms and clue them with verses that illustrate the terms. For those of you who weren’t English majors, the terms are defined below.
- Anapest: A meter of two unstressed syllables followed by one stressed syllable
- Couplet: Two lines of verse, often in the same meter and normally rhyming, that form a unit
- Dactyl: A meter of one stressed syllable followed by two unstressed syllables
- Iamb: A meter of one unstressed syllable followed by one stressed syllable
- Stanza: A grouping of lines (often, but not necessarily, four) in a standalone unit within a poem
I promise Wednesday’s MMM will be rhyme-free!
Categories
Garden-Variety Names
Words: 79 (16×15 grid)
Average Length: 5.06
Housekeeping note: the clue to 70 Across should read “One who might assist in the birth of a 64 Across.” Thanks to Sommersmith for pointing out the need for an edit – and be sure to check out his puzzles over at Crosshare.org; they’re excellent!
I think this is one of the easier puzzles I’ve ever constructed. It’s a straightforward themed puzzle clued at a Monday/Tuesday level. There are a lot of proper names, but they’re all reasonably well-known. Enjoy the respite: next Sunday’s grid will be a tough themeless. First, though, come back Wednesday for MMM 24.
Categories
Celebrating Democracy
This is a straightforward themed puzzle celebrating the United Nations International Day of Democracy, which is September 15. Enjoy, and vote!!!
Categories
Music That Moves You
Words: 74
Average Length: 5.03
Here’s a relatively easy puzzle with a literal title. As you’ll see from the picture, I’ve got new JeffsPuzzles.com head wear – the older caps bore an unfortunate color resemblance to a cap supporting he-who-must-not-be-named-but-should-soon-be-in-prison – which, in addition to serving as a bonus clue to 30 Down, is the apex of nerd chic. Email me at jeffspuzzles@gmail.com if you’d like me to send you one ABSOLUTELY FREE!
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