Tag: Easy crossword

Themed

Garden-Variety Names

Words: 79 (16×15 grid)

Average Length: 5.06

Toasting the Welsh Mens’ Choir (see 18 Across) with a glass of bitter. The performance and the beer were both excellent.

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.

online | puz | pdf | solution

Tags Easy crossword, Themed crossword

Mostly Musical Mini

Mostly Musical Mini 12

Words: 17

Average Length: 4.94

Difficulty: Legato

Pop, rock, rap, jazz, classical, reggae, and old technology, all in a tidy 7×7 package. This one should be quick, easy, and (I hope) fun!

online | puz | pdf | solution

Tags Easy crossword, Themed crossword

Mostly Musical Mini

Mostly Musical Mini 10

Words: 19

Average Length: 4.63

Difficulty: Easy like Sunday morning

I’ve crammed some the biggest names in musical entertainment, spanning pop, classic rock, indie, grunge, and calypso, into an adorable 7×7 grid. You can’t find value like that anywhere else, folks. Solve and enjoy!

online | puz | pdf | solution

Tags Easy crossword

Themed

Gregor Samosa Was Banned by the Health Department

Post author By Jeff
Post date May 15, 2022
No Comments on Gregor Samosa Was Banned by the Health Department

Words: 72

Average Length: 5.00

Difficulty: A beach read, but on a somewhat windy day

I’m fascinated by the weekly “By the Book” column in the New York Times. If you don’t know it, every week a guest author responds to several questions about favorites, preferences, organization of their book collections, etc. One of the questions is something like “If you could invite any 3 authors, living or dead, to a dinner party, who would they be and why?”

Why stop at 3, I thought, and why not make a puzzle about it? Even better, why not have the theme entries be the most appropriate dishes for each author to bring? (The party morphed into a potluck.)

puz | pdf | solution

NEW!!! Solve on line here

Tags Author puns, Book puns, Easy crossword, Food puns, Jodi Picoult, Themed crossword, Voltaire, Wilde

Mostly Musical Mini

Mostly Musical Mini 7

Words: 16

Average Length: 5.13

Difficulty: Chopsticks-level

Aerosmith, Steely Dan, and Ricky Martin, all packed inside a 7×7 grid. Enjoy!

puz | pdf | solution

Tags Easy crossword, Themed crossword

Mostly Musical Mini

Mostly Musical Mini 2

Words: 18 (7×7)

Average Length: 5.00

Difficulty: Für Elise-like

I’m not sure whether these will become a regular mid-week addition, but here’s the second in a possibly extended series of musical minis. This one is considerably easier than the one last week and features cameos from Ravel, two Bachs, the Andrews Sisters, Katy Perry, and the Grateful Dead, among others.

puz | pdf | solution

Tags Bach, Easy crossword, Frank Sinatra, Grateful Dead, Katy Perry, Themed crossword

Holiday Themed

Cupid Is as Cupid Does

Words: 79 (16×15 grid)

Average Length: 4.96

Difficulty: Like a fine romance – mostly easy with a few bumps along the way

Happy Valentine’s Day! I’ll let Ella Fitzgerald (1 Across) take it from here with her fantastic version of “My Funny Valentine,” available here.

puz | pdf | solution

Tags Crossword, Easy crossword, The Beatles, Themed crossword, Valentine's Day, Virgil

Set List

Set List 3: Springsteen/Bryan Adams/Bee Gees/Springsteen/Katy Perry

Post author By Jeff
Post date January 2, 2022
No Comments on Set List 3: Springsteen/Bryan Adams/Bee Gees/Springsteen/Katy Perry

Words: 74

Average Length: 4.95

Difficulty: Mostly easy listening with an occasional #9 chord

Two years ago today, I was on the Celebrity Constellation – decorated with the requisite statue of gorilla holding a fish – on my way from Dubai to Singapore.

puz | pdf | solution

After several months, here’s another Set List puzzle. (The first two are available here and here.) As the note says, assume these musicians are playing a concert together (Bruce gets two songs because he’s Bruce, after all). Bruce starts it off, Bryan Adams continues, and the songs run into each other. Your job is to figure out the set list. Please enjoy, share, etc. Next up (1/9) will be a tough themeless.

Tags Bee Gees, Bryan Adams, Easy crossword, Katy Perry, Set List puzzle, Springsteen

Holiday Themed

My New Year’s Wish for You

Post author By Jeff
Post date December 26, 2021
No Comments on My New Year’s Wish for You

Words: 78

Average Length: 4.74

Difficulty: In inverse proportion to 2021 …

… that is, assuming your 2021 was as challenging as most people’s. This grid shouldn’t put up too much of a battle: I didn’t want to make it difficult to uncover my New Year’s wish for y’all. So solve the puzzle, share it, enjoy your New Year’s celebration if that’s your thing, and come back next week (Jan. 2!) for the inaugural puzzle of 2022 (a “Set List” puzzle where you have to figure out the song titles in a concert of musicians who might not ordinarily play together).

puz | pdf | solution