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.
Categories
Tag: Themed crossword
Categories
Jazzy You Know Who
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.
Categories
Streaming Tunes
Words: 79 (16×15)
Average Length: 5.01
Every so often, when angling for a theme, I cast my line once again into the musical deeps. For today’s puzzle, I landed four tunes (18, 25, 41, and 52 Across) whose titles fit nicely into a piece that premiered three centuries ago (66 Across). I hope the solving experience is smooth sailing!
Categories
In the Beginning
Words: 72
Average Length: 5.14
I set myself a construction challenge on this one – come up with a grid where the revealer crosses all four theme answers. I succeeded in doing so, but at the expense of including a passel of 3s. Have at it, and enjoy!
If you’re a fan of all manner of word puzzles – crosswords, Rows Gardens, acrostics, snake charmers, spirals – do yourself a favor and check out Jeanne Breen’s brilliant new puzzle site, In Pursuit of Puzzles.
Categories
Cook the Books
Words: 91 (17×17)
Average Length: 5.32
A super-sized collection of silly literary puns – how can you resist?
Categories
For Brian and Sly
Words: 41 (12×11)
Average Length: 5.41
We lost two more rock icons in June – Brian Wilson, the creative force behind the Beach Boys, and the incomparable Sly Stone, producer, bandleader, songwriter, singer, and multi-instrumentalist who created some of the catchiest, funkiest, most socially powerful hits of the late ‘60s and early ‘70s. I picked one well-known song from each of these geniuses as the seeds for this puzzle.
If you’re intrigued by Sly Stone, there’s a terrific documentary from Questlove about him: “Sly Lives! A/k/a the Burden of Black Genius.” And if you haven’t seen it yet, please check out Questlove’s “Summer of Soul,” a documentary about the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival with some of the greatest music you’ll ever hear.
Categories
What’s the Matter?
Words: 55 (12×13)
Average Length: 4.73
The clue/answer pair for 21 Down popped into my head and I went looking for other possible theme answers. I couldn’t come up with enough good ones for a full-size puzzle, so here’s a large-ish midi. Enjoy!
Categories
Pi and Phi
Words: 75 (17×13)
Average Length: 5.17
I’d been playing around with this theme idea for a while and decided it was time to quit dilly-dallying. The grid’s not real pretty and placement of one theme answer breaks with symmetry, but hopefully all is forgiven for the sake of entertainment.
Categories
Themeless 104
Words: 77 (16×15)
Average Length: 5.25
The seeds for this grid were 21, 41, and 57 Across – the first book in my favorite crime fiction series, an extremely rare baseball feat, and a brilliant music mockumentary, respectively. Throw in a bit of T.S. Eliot and some more terrific books (“All the Light We Cannot See,” “Nickel Boys,” “Tremor”) and a couple other baseball-related clues, and you have a fair idea how I spend my free time.
Jeff's Puzzles 