Category: Themeless

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Themeless

Themeless 62

Golbac Fortress (in the country referenced in 1 Across), photo taken July 2023

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.)

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Themeless

Themeless 61

Tyn Cathedral, Prague (see 33 Across) (Photo taken July 2018)

Words:  72

Average Length:  5.42

I’m not usually one to pat myself on the back – for one thing, I’m not that flexible – but I’m really pleased with this grid.  It’s packed with juicy answers, including Taylor Swift lyrics, two historical French scandals, some schmaltz, and jeans from the ‘70s.  I hope you enjoy it!

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Themeless

Themeless 60

Rainbow off the coast of Isafjordur, Iceland (photo taken July 2010)

Words:  72

Average Length:  5.31

Get those neurons firing – this one will probably put up a fight.  Just a couple of notes:  (1) the new book from 3 Down, “Everybody’s Fool,” is excellent.  (2) If you ever get the chance to fly 60 Across, do so – my 12-hour flight from DC to Dubai was a pleasure!  (3) If you ever get the chance to go to Iceland (see 47 Down), do so – it’s a beautiful, friendly, fascinating country with a great music scene.

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Themeless

Themeless 59

Park bench, Ruse, Bulgaria (see 64 Across) (photo taken July 2023)

Words:  70

Average Length:  5.43

This one may not play as difficult as my usual themeless, but I’m really not sure.  I was aiming for a smooth, open grid with relatively few 3-letter answers (6 in this case) and this is what emerged.

I’m inordinately pleased with the clue for 57 Across, though I don’t wish to presume anything about the relevant couple’s legal affairs.  Please enjoy and share!

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Themeless

Themeless 58

Not 46 Down, but pretty close. Brecon Beacon National Park, Wales, July 2022.

Words:  66

Average Length:  5.76

This is a tough one, for sure.  For solving assistance or just because it’s a great song, here’s a link to the Bob Marley recording referenced in the clue to 5 Down.  I hope you enjoy it – come back Wednesday for a gentle mini (as yet unconstructed, but I promise it’ll be gentle, or at least reasonably so) and next Sunday for a medium-difficulty themed puzzle entitled “Gorp.”

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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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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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Themeless

Themeless 55

For some reason there’s a fair amount of French content in this puzzle, so here you go: Eiffel Tower, taken from the Tuilleries, April 2023

Words:  70

Average Length:  5.57

One thing (of many) that I love about crossword construction is that I learn stuff – sometimes “neat” (e.g., 21 and 49 Across) and sometimes silly (11 Down, which is hilarious in an I-shouldn’t-find-this-funny kind of way).  As much as I enjoy filling a grid – thinking three steps ahead to consider whether a word will work with the rest of a section – cluing is more intellectually challenging.  How difficult do I want the puzzle to be?  What’s a good misdirection?  Are there any interesting factoids I can work into a clue?  Are the references that come to my mind head-scratchers for younger solvers (i.e., 90% of the audience)?  (The last problem, among many others, is dealt with by my test-solver, son Adam.  Thanks Adam, again and again!)

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Themeless

Themeless 53

See 52 Down (church part). Photo taken Oct. 2022 in the Chapel of St. Anthony, Lisbon.

Words:  66

Average Length:  5.67

The 1A/4D pairing formed the seed for this one.  It was followed quickly by 10D, which popped into mind during a nostalgic discussion about Rocky & Bullwinkle.  This cartoon (along with its show-mates Mr. Peabody and Sherman and Fractured Fairy Tales) set the bar for all future cartoons nominally aimed at kids but slyly winking at adults. 

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