Tag: Medium Difficulty

Cryptic 4 – No longer thoughtful? Dear!

Post author By Jeff
Post date October 6, 2025
1 Comment on 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

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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

Tags Cryptic, Medium Difficulty

Themed

Going Underground

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

Tags Medium Difficulty, Themed crossword

Midi Themed

AFRICA

Post author By Jeff
Post date September 23, 2025
1 Comment on AFRICA

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!

Tags Medium Difficulty, Themed crossword, Travel

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

Tags Crosshare Monthly Midi Contest, Medium Difficulty, Midi

Themed

Like a 4.0 GPA

See 16 Across. Douro river, Portugal, Oct. 2022.

Words: 75 (16×15)

Average Length: 5.12

Here’s a straightforward themed puzzle, which you don’t need a perfect report card to solve.

online | puz | pdf | solution

Tags Medium Difficulty, Themed crossword

Cryptic

Cryptic 3 – Wiccan’s Choice Word Overheard

Post author By Jeff
Post date September 9, 2025
3 Comments on Cryptic 3 – Wiccan’s Choice Word Overheard

See 3 Down. Photo taken in Kinderdijk, Netherlands, Oct. 2019

Here’s my third foray into the world of cryptic crossword construction. Sending out huge thanks to @Nate, an experienced cryptician (if there is such a word) and member of the wonderful Crosshare community, for providing detailed comments and helpful suggestions on my first draft.

online | puz | pdf | solution

Tags Cryptic, Medium Difficulty

Mostly Musical Mini

Mostly Musical Mini 34

My dog (Max) peeking through a chair, with our piano in the background

Words: 16 (7×7)

Average Length: 5.00

This one goes from the Renaissance to today, with stops for Vivaldi, Tina Turner, a famous Irish playwright, and a classic French film.

online | puz | pdf | solution

Tags Medium Difficulty, Mini, Music

Before and After

Before and After 3 – EGOT, HR, TV

Post author By Jeff
Post date August 30, 2025
1 Comment on Before and After 3 – EGOT, HR, TV

Nothing to do with the puzzle – just one of my favorite photos from years past, taken in Sund, Norway in June 2017

Words: 67 (14×15)

Average Length: 5.13

The names in the three “theme” entries in this puzzle – 19, 32, and 50 Across – flow into one another, so that the three entries comprise five separate, well-known individuals.

online | puz | pdf | solution

Tags Baseball, Before and After, Medium Difficulty

Midi

G’Day Mates 2

Words: 11

Average Length: 5.09

Around a month ago, I posted G’Day Mates 1, a puzzle celebrating the wonderful Aussies I’ve met on my travels. That puzzle actually was the second “G’Day Mates” grid I constructed; the first one misspelled the seed entry. (I had been misinformed as to the spelling and, fortunately, checked it before hitting “Publish.”)

So here’s G’Day Mates 2, misspelling and all. Turns out, if the Aussies in question have tsuris, the misspelling works just fine. (“Tsuris” means “woes” in Yiddish.)

online | puz | pdf | solution