Tag: Medium Difficulty

Categories
Mini

Apparently So

Words: 18

Nothing to do with the puzzle – just an interesting sidewalk display in Zurich, Switzerland, from my trip there earlier this month

Average Length: 4.56

I read something Friday morning that included the phrase in 5 Across, and then 9 Across popped into my mind, which tells you how insufferable my mind can be at times.  Then I came up with 1 Across (which I might have seen in a puzzle before), and decided I had to make the grid work with those three entries as the top three acrosses.  After I finished a draft, I came up with “Herr apparent” as a clue, but couldn’t think of a corresponding  answer.  Perhaps you’ll see it in a future grid!

online | puz | pdf | solution

Categories
Themed

Hits the Spot

See 7 Down. The statue in the back is Cristo Rei; photo taken in Lisbon, Portugal, Oct. 2022

Words: 73

Average Length: 5.10

Today’s puzzle is clued very gently (for me) – guess I was in a particularly mellow mood when I constructed it.  I figure it’s a good tonic after last Thursday’s jeremiad.

online | puz | pdf | solution

Categories
Themed

King? Tut!!

Sign at the October 18 No Kings rally in Rockville, Maryland

Word: 78

Average Length: 4.64

Trigger warning: if you think the current occupant of what’s left of the White House is doing a bang-up job running what’s left of our country, this puzzle will upset you.

Apology: There’s no online option for today’s puzzle because, in the current political environment, I didn’t want to risk bringing haters’ wrath down on other distribution outlets.

Disclaimer: The puzzle resembles a word ladder, but it’s really not – turns out I could connect 1A to 67A by changing only 3 letters.

puz | pdf | solution

Categories
Mini Themed

A Garden-Variety Puzzle

Sunrise on the Douro River (Oct. 2022) (see 10 Down)

Words: 18

Average Length: 4.67

The seeds for this puzzle, which you’ll identify while solving, originally were ideas for a cryptic puzzle (for obvious reasons).  Having said that, 15A, a non-seed entry, has my favorite clue. 

online | puz | pdf | solution

Categories
Midi

To My New Grandson

Words: 30

Average Length: 4.73

At 10:36 this morning, my wife Sandy and I welcomed our second grandchild, Noah, into the world.  Noah is 20 inches and 8.2 pounds, and he and his parents (Andrea and Eli) are doing great.  I had to mark the occasion with a puzzle, of course!

online | puz | pdf | solution

Categories
Themed

Genres

Nothing to do with the puzzle – a photo I took last week in Interlaken, Switzerland

Words: 70

Average Length: 5.34

Today’s puzzle follows a tried and true – meaning hoary – model.  Hopefully, it’s fresh nonetheless, as 55 Across should be. 

I just got back from 2 weeks in France, Switzerland and Liechtenstein. I posted extensively about the trip on my travel blog, Puffinlesstravel.com – if you’re interested, please check it out!

online | puz | pdf | solution

Categories
Cryptic

Cryptic 4 – No longer thoughtful? Dear!

1 Across was the seed for this cryptic.  For those who aren’t baseball fans, “de la Cruz” in 5 Down refers to a young superstar for the Cincinnati Reds. Explanations below the photo.

online | puz | pdf | solution

Monte Carlo harbor, Monaco – the epitome of 1A

_____________________________________________________________

Explanations:

1A: No longer = ex + thoughtful = pensive —> expensive (dear)

6A: Anagram of “realities”

7A: Double definition

8A: “H” inside spy agency (CIA) —> chia (seed)

10A: “Within” signals a letter string

11A: Queen of Sheba’s = Leda’s + platter = tray —> led astray

1D: Anagram of copies + synonym for mate

2D: “I hear” signals homonym; incomplete (part) + bookworm (nerd) —> partnered (joined with)

3D: Trotsky backs into = Noel (reverse of Leon), a synonym for carol

4D: Begin —> first letter of each word + cold one (beer), with Harp repeated as the definition

5D: de la Cruz (Elly) cradles (contains) e.g. (for example), ant (tiny crawler) —> el+eg+ant+ly

Categories
Themed

Going Underground

Replica of Lascaux (April 2023)

Words: 70

Average Length: 5.20

In April 2023, I took a wonderful tour offered by  Smithsonian Journeys visiting caves in France and Spain containing paleolithic art.  (I wrote about it extensively on my PuffinlessTravel blog if you’re interested – just search for posts tagged Smithsonian.)  Today’s puzzle isn’t archeologically significant, but then again, there’s no risk of running into any bats, so no worries if you’re chiroptophobic.

online | puz | pdf | solution

Categories
Midi Themed

AFRICA

Cape Town, South Africa’s legislative capital (Dec. 2023) – the only African capital I’ve been to so far

Words: 42 (11×11)

Average Length: 5.00

I love travel and I love puns – hence this puzzle, seeded by six different African capitals.  Five are clued punnily; the sixth resisted my considerable efforts to come up with an even mildly humorous clue.  Sad to say I’ve never been to any of these cities (yet).

online | puz | pdf | solution

PS – I’m leaving today for a couple of weeks in France, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein. I’ll be writing about the trip and posting lots of photos on my PuffinlessTravel blog. Please stop by if you’re interested!

Categories
Midi Themed

It’s Autumnatic!

Staffen im Breisbau, Germany (Oct. 2019)

Words: 42 (11×11)

Average Length: 4.71

This is my entry into Crosshare’s Monthly Midi Crossword Contest.  The theme for the contest is “Fall,” but not strictly in the seasonal sense.  Taking up the challenge, 11 of the 42 entries relate to some meaning of fall.

I learn things from crosswords almost every day, but in cluing this one, I learned something that truly surprised me – check the clue for 5 Down. 

online | puz | pdf | solution