Tag: Difficult crossword

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Themed

Themeless 69

See 31 and 50 Down. Photo taken in London, June 2017.

Words:  70

Average Length:  5.43

Originally, 22 Across and 5 Down were going to be theme answers in a puzzle about barriers, real and metaphorical, but I couldn’t come up with three more decent themers to make it work.  Presto change-o, I repurposed them as the seeds for this themeless. 

I’ve wanted to work 30 Across into a puzzle for a while and managed to do so here.  As for the clues to 31 Down and 50 Down, I’ve been doing a lot of reading/singing with my granddaughter.  Hopefully this puzzle won’t go bumpety-bump-bump while you’re solving it!

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Themeless

Themeless 68

Carnaby Street, London (see 44 Down). Photo taken June 2017.

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.

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Themeless

Themeless 67

Words:  72

Average Length:  5.25

20, 37, and 54 Across were the seeds for this one, although my favorite clue might be 58 Down.  Today’s author recommendation, courtesy of 9 Across, is Christopher Moore.  Read him, laugh, and marvel at his imagination.

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Themeless

Themeless 66

Casks in the Saint-Émilion cellars (see 37 Across). Photo taken April 2023, Saint-Émilion, France.

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.

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Themeless

Themeless 65

View from the tower of the Museum of the Fight Against Pirates, Trinidad, Cuba (see 15 across). Photo taken November 2023.

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.

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Themeless

Themeless 64

Memorial for the Brave, Omaha Beach, Normandy (see 17 Across) (photo taken June 2019)

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.” 

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Themed

Themeless 63

This has nothing to do with the puzzle, but I saw this while food shopping yesterday. I absolutely do not want to know what happened!

Words:  72

Average Length:  5.28

It’s too bad this wasn’t Themeless 42, as you’ll understand once you’ve solved the puzzle.  I called this a themeless even though the one of the two seeds (1 Down/8 Down, with 17 Across the second) and a few other entries relate to a hysterically funny, warm-hearted Douglas Adams series that I would make compulsory reading if I were 1 Down/8 Down.  Constructor’s prerogative – if it’s 72 words or fewer I get to call it a themeless, especially if the related answers aren’t placed symmetrically.  (There’s also a bit of a baseball mini-theme.)

Note: please excuse the poor wording of the clue for 40 Across. The answer is plural.

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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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