Words: 10 (5×5)
Average Length: 5
The title comes from Pre-Road Downs, a CSN deep cut with the line “hotels and midnight coaches/be sure to hide the roaches” – obviously a different kind of roach than in 1 Down, but apt nonetheless. Other than that, I tossed in some Jewish cuisine, a Beach Boys reference, and that white fluffy stuff that ends up all over the house after my dog has finished destroying a chew toy.
Words: 72
Average Length: 5.19
Themeless, semi-tough, a bit scrabbly (hopefully in a good way), with nods to Stevie Wonder, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Simon & Garfunkel, and William Royce Scaggs (a/k/a 45 Across). Enjoy!
Words: 72
Average Length: 5.36
20 Across was the seed for this one, for obvious reasons. Then came 45 Across, just because I think it looks cool in a grid. I hope you enjoy the result – come back Wednesday for a midi puzzle inspired by my recent visit to Australia (I’ll get to New Zealand the following Wednesday).
Words: 68
Average Length: 5.36
Greetings from Melbourne, Australia. I landed not long ago, some 28 hours after leaving home. Fortunately (and uncharacteristically) I had the foresight to write this post ahead of time so all I have to do is hit “Publish” before falling into bed.
I titled this a themeless because of its low word count and high difficulty level, but there’s a mini-theme among the grid-spanners. 20 Across was the seed; after I found out they’re going to play a game at Nationals Park next summer I had to put them in a grid. I can’t wait to see them!
ERRATA: IN THE CLUE FOR 37 DOWN, FRK SHOULD BE FRA, NOT THAT IT AFFECTS THE ANSWER. IT’S CORRECT IN THE ONLINE VERSION BUT NOT THE PUZ AND PDF FILES.
Words: 66
Average Length: 5.50
As an avid reader/book hoarder, I often include books or authors I’ve particularly enjoyed in my theme answers or (more often) clues. This puzzle has two book recommendations: Isabel Wilkerson’s “The Warmth of Other [20 Across],” a brilliant account of the Great Migration (her recent book, “Caste,” also is terrific), and J. Ryan Stradal’s novel, “The [25 Down] Queen of Minnesota,” which is sympathetic, humane, funny, and evocative. (I’ve loved all of Stradal’s books!)
The seeds for this puzzle were the pairs at 3 Down and 31 Down, and 11 Down and 33 Down. Building a puzzle around them required some architectural experimentation, and I’m happy with the ultimate grid design, which flows vertically and diagonally.
Finally, I recently finished posting about my recent Cuba trip. if you’re interested (you might pick up some intelligence about future puzzles!), head over to PuffinlessTravel.com.
Words: 75 (16×15)
Average Length: 5.39
The seeds for this moderately challenging themeless were 22 and 37 across. 22 across is a question I hear all the time (the answer usually is “no”). I first heard 37 across while on one last fall; it fits!. Finally, if you aren’t familiar with Jason Isbell (see 55 across), check him out. I think he’s one of the best songwriters working today, and his music kicks ass, to use the technical term!
I’ve published several posts about my recent trip to Cuba. Please visit my PuffinlessTravel blog if you’re interested.
Words: 66
Average Length: 5.67
I’m calling the cluing of this one “treeky” – a combination of tricky and cheeky. Actually, it’s probably more cheeky than tricky, so maybe it’s “chicky.” Either way, I hope it’s enjoyable. I’ll post the next puzzle on Monday, Nov. 13. It’s a super-size (17×17) grid called “Place Names.”
Words: 68
Average Length: 5.68
A terrific constructor, Tim Croce (club72.wordpress.com), often creates grids around a 12-15-12 stack in the middle. It’s not a trivial undertaking, as I learned in trying his architecture here. He also includes lot of common-but-not-too-common expressions in his grids, so I figured I’d up the constructing challenge by making all three answers in the middle stack “in the language” phrases.
Enjoy, share, and please check out Club 72; you’re in for a treat. (I don’t know Tim, and I’m sure he has no idea who I am. I just like pointing solvers to other constructors whom they might appreciate.)
Jeff's Puzzles