Words: 12 (6×6)
Average Length: 5.00
This mini is brought to you by one of my favorite Donovan songs (there are many, led by “Jennifer Juniper” and “Sunshine Superman,” with the seed for this puzzle close behind; the title of the puzzle refers to a line in the song (“is gonna be a sudden craze”).
Words: 10
Average Length: 4.80
[THE CLUE FOR 1 ACROSS SHOULD BE PREFACED BY “FAMILIAR NAME FOR”]
I never know, when I’m constructing a puzzle for which the title or clues reference an old saying or nursery rhyme, whether the reference will be understood by people half my age. This is one such puzzle. Whether or not you get the reference, I hope you enjoy it!
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.
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!
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.)
NEW!!! Solve on line here
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.
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.
Jeff's Puzzles