Tag: Medium Difficulty

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

Categories
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

Categories
Cryptic

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

Categories
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

Categories
Before and After

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

Categories
Midi

G’Day Mates 2

I tried it so you don’t have to. Don’t.

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

Categories
Midi

Bird, Diz, and LBFF

Mia after a nap spent chasing chipmunks in her dreams

Words: 28 (9×9)

Average Length: 5.29

3 Down and 21 Across were today’s seeds, though I’m kind of taken with the clue for 15 Across.

online | puz | pdf | solution

Categories
Themed

Jazzy You Know Who

See 49 Across. Photo taken in Kotor, Montenegro, Oct. 2024

Words: 78

Average Length: 4.74

You don’t have to solve crosswords for long before figuring out that some names come up over and over again.  Well, more accurately, some first or last names (ENO, ISSA, ALOU, ESAI …). 

One of the most commonly used names – a first name, in this case – belongs to a wonderful singer who deserves to have her full name, along with the song that is often used to clue her, contained in a puzzle.  This puzzle, in fact.  And, because that song can be read as an imperative, I decided to take its instruction to heart in more than two dozen of this puzzle’s entries.

online | puz | pdf | solution

Categories
Midi

Go With the Flow

Here’s an additional clue for 16 Down. Photo taken in Cologne, Oct. 2019.

Words: 28 (9×9)

Average Length: 4.93

The seeds for this puzzle, not surprisingly, were 4 and 24 Across, which make use of the title in different ways.  14 Across also was a seed, just because I like the logic of it.  Fitting  4 Down in was serendipitous – or therendipetouth, as Sylvester would say. 

online | puz | pdf | solution