Words: 73
Average Length: 5.04
Here’s a mouth-watering yet calorie-free puzzle honoring New Orleans cuisine, with a side of some delicious puns. Laissez les bon temps rouler!
Categories
Tag: Medium Difficulty
Words: 10
Average Length: 4.40
Explanation/spoilers below the break
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1A: SPARE is a score in bowling and an emergency tire
6A: PEDALs are used to ride a bicycle and to stop a car
7A: ATOMS have nuclei, and Thom Yorke/Flea’s band was Atoms for Peace
8A: DEBS is short for debutantes and also the surname of Eugene V. Debs, a 5-time Socialist candidate for US President
9A: ERE is contained in both Where and There
1D: SPADE is a suit in a deck of cards and also a garden tool
2D: PETER Cottontail was Flopsy and Mopsy’s brother; a famous Tsar was Peter the Great
3D: ADOBE is a type of clay brick as well as the developer of Acrobat software
4D: RAMS are pick-up trucks from Dodge and an NFL franchise in Los Angeles
5D: ELS (elevated train) are operated by the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA), and Ernie Els is a noted member of the PGA Tour
Categories
Pleased to Meat You
Words: 72
Average Length: 5.25
[NOTE: 48 DOWN SHOULD REFERENCE 46 DOWN, NOT 46 ACROSS]
This is a pretty straightforward themed puzzle, other than the fact that you have to solve an algebraic equation to get 27 and 28 Down – and then translate the numbers into German. Have fun, share, and I hope you stayed awake back in 7th grade math class.
Words: 11
Average Length: 4.73
I wasn’t threatened too grievously after posting Venn Mini 1 last week, so here we go again! Think of each half of each clue as a circle in a Venn diagram; the answer will fit in the intersection between the two circles. It could be a common component, a word used in both “circles” but with different meanings, a name associated with both “circles,” or some other common ground.
EXPLANATIONS/SPOILERS BELOW
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1A: MOSS is a kind of bryophyte; Kate Moss is a supermodel
5A: COPPER is an essential element of both brass and bronze
7A: O’LEARY was the owner of the cow that started the great Chicago fire, and “Mr. Wonderful” on Shark Tank is Kevin O’Leary
8A: DERIVE is a term used both in calculus and in etymology
9A: SANE – besides meaning “sensible,” Aladdin Sane was one of David Bowie’s alter egos
1D: MOLES are enemy agents who’ve burrowed into a spy organization as well as rodents that burrow in gardens
2D: OPERA – The Marx Brothers are known for A Night at the Opera and Kurt Weill is noted for his music for The Threepenny Opera (esp. “Mack the Knife”)
3D: SPAIN – Toledo is a city in Spain and Columbus’s expeditions were funded by Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain
4D: SERVE – people serve in tennis and in the military
5D: COD – Cash on Delivery or a kind of fish
6D: RYE – Salinger wrote The Catcher in the Rye, and rye is a type of whiskey
Words: 10 (5×5)
Average Length: 4.20
I haven’t seen a puzzle like this before, although I’m sure the concept exists. Think of each half of the clue as a circle in a Venn diagram; the answer is found in the intersection between the two circles. It may be a shared trait or name, a constituent part of each category, a word associated with both “circles” but meaning different things in each context, or some other common ground.
Explanation/spoilers below:
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1A: FLEA is the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ bassist, and a flea is common parasite
5A: BRAND is a ranch “dressing,” or decoration, and Hidden Valley is a common brand of ranch dressing
6A: LINDA Rondstadt sang Blue Bayou (as did Roy Orbison, but he doesn’t fit), and Linda Blair starred in The Exorcist
7A: UTEs is the name both of an indigenous American people and a common shortening of “utility” for vehicles.
8A: EOS is a Canon camera and the Greek goddess of the dawn
1D: FRITO means fried in Spanish; a chimichanga is fried – and of course Frito is an iconic corn chip
2D: LANES are found in both highways and bowling alleys
3D: ENDS – a line segment has 2 ends, and codas are the ends of musical pieces
4D: ADA Lovelace is regarded by some as an early computer programmer, and the ADA is the professional organization of dentists
5D: BLUE is component of both Green (with yellow) and Purple (with red)
Words: 76
Average Length: 4.97
My Fab Feb started on the evening of the 1st with the birth of our granddaughter. (See the To My New Granddaughter post from Feb. 3.) Of course, there’s much more to celebrate in February, and this grid does its best to cover the highlights. Enjoy and share!
Words: 40 (11×11)
Average Length: 4.65
I interrupt my regular Wednesday and Sunday posting schedule with a special announcement (and crossword): Wednesday night (Feb. 1) at 10:57 pm, Sandy and I welcomed our first grandchild, Eleanor Mikayla Fuhrman. Ella and her Mom are doing great.
I had to mark the occasion with a puzzle, of course. It’s sappy, but you can’t blame me for that. After each clue there’s a bracketed comment (for Ella’s eventual benefit) relating the answer to something in our family.
I hope you enjoy it!
Categories
Travel Midi 5 – Singapore
Words: 46 (15×9)
Average Length: 4.87
My day in Singapore was a blur of phenomenal architecture, gorgeous gardens, and delicious food. Capturing all that in a grid is difficult, so take a look at my PuffinlessTravel write-up for some photos and sightseeing tips. This is the last Travel Midi, at least for a while – come back next Wednesday for what I think is a brand-new concept in Minis.
Categories
For Latin Lovers
Words: 72
Average Length: 5.19
Sometimes you just have to go with silly. Take common Latin expressions, “pun-ify” them, add some hopefully decent (and gently-clued) fill, and unleash goofiness upon the world (or at least the 150 or so Terrans who usually solve my puzzles). Explanations of the original expressions and alterations (spoiler alert) follow the photo.
17 Across: CARPE DIEM – “seize the day”
24 Across: ET CETERA – “and so forth” (ETA is common dreck fill, a/k/a crosswordese)
36 Across: ALEA IACTA EST – “the die is cast” – supposedly said by Julius Caesar upon crossing the Rubicon to invade Italy and begin a civil war. Kirstie Alley played Rebecca Howe, hence upon being cast in the part, 36 Across.
46 Across: SINE QUA NON – a necessary condition: “without which, no”. I realize that the universe of “classically-educated far-right conspiracy mongers” likely is a null set.
57 Across: NE PLUS ULTRA – “there is no better” – the beauty store in the answer currently is US-only, so hopefully non-US solvers can get this from the crosses.
Categories
Travel Midi 4 – Colombo and Phuket
Words: 40 (11×11)
Average Length: 4.45
Looking beyond the esthetics – this is by far the least attractive grid I’ve ever designed – I hope you enjoy today’s tribute to two fascinating spots in south and southeast Asia. I’d love to return to both countries at some point, having barely sampled their visual, historical, and spiritual charms. Click here to see some photos and my write-up.
