I’m really happy with the architecture on this one: only 29 blocks and 6 three-letter answers, with wide-open corners and lots of flow. Oh, and an opportunity to include one of my favorite Jackson Browne songs (55 Across) and historical fiction authors (30 Across). Throw in a crispy applesauce delivery device (40 Down) and a mecca for great bagels (38 Across) and you’ve got yourself a grid.
Words: 14
Average Length: 5.29
In the immortal words of President Carter, today’s effort to merge poetry and crossword construction is an “incomplete success.” With recent minis touching on haiku (5-7-5×5) and couplets (Iamb Gridding), I decided to tackle a longer form, known for its 14-line structure, iambic pentameter, and specific rhyme scheme. The goals: (1) construct a grid with the poetic form at 1 Across (check!), (2) make the clues fit the relevant poetic form (check!), (3) have the clues, when read top to bottom, make sense as this particular poetic form (buzz!!!). Alas, they don’t. I spent far too long trying to come up with fill that could be clued as a cohesive verse before deciding that I had better things to do, like sleep. The result isn’t what I’d hoped for, but I think it should still be a fun solve.
Just for yuks (or more likely, yucks), here’s the complete “1 Across”:
Will Shakespeare penned one hundred fifty-four
With learned talent, showing mast’ry true.
A three-D model, making one’s a chore
A doctor who takes care of teeth for you.
It’s shouted in La Liga on TV
Consumed, devoured, scarfed, or nommed it all
A Spanish word whose meaning is to be
An org that fights abuse of alcohol.
The dog who is the butt of Garfield’s jokes
A glowing substance in a retail sign
A bag you get for funding Terry Gross
A store that sells its merchandise on-line.
They’re caps that Scottish men often display
A common one: a pitcher’s E.R.A..
I think this one should play a bit gentler than most of my themeless puzzles. I’ll leave you with two gorgeous recordings of 47 Down, which is one of my favorite Beatles songs, early or late. (1) The original. (2) Cover version by Emmylou Harris:
Words: 68
Average Length: 5.53
The two grid-spanners were the seeds for this themeless, and once I had them in place I decided to design a grid with minimal 3-letter answers (only four, in this case). For solving accompaniment, here’s a link to the late, great Warren Zevon performing “Werewolves of London” (see the clue for 22 Across).
Words: 72 (17×13)
Average Length: 5.22
The seeds for this puzzle were 22 Across and 52 Across. Originally, I was going to use 22 Across in a themed puzzle set among the stacks; the clue was going to be PG-rated (you can reverse-engineer any number of possibilities once you solve the puzzle). I didn’t have enough good theme answers, though, so here it is in a themeless. 52 Across is something I don’t believe at all, at least with respect to individuals. People in groups are an entirely different matter:
“In individuals insanity is rare, but in groups, parties, and epochs it is the rule.” (Nietschze)
Words: 70
Average Length: 5.46
I had a lot of fun constructing this one. It started with 20 Across (a pun I’ve had in mind for a while) and 19 Down (a joke I heard from one of my fellow travelers to Australia and New Zealand, the incredibly nice and funny John C. from Ft. Worth, Texas, who along with his wife Charlotte and friends Urbin and Gay were wonderful travel companions). Next came 6 Down, crossed with 44 Across. Have fun!
Words: 70 (17×13)
Average Length: 5.46
35 Across was the seed for this grid, and having just finished listening to some Bowie, I decided to cross it with 8 Down. 10 Down and 61 Across are attempts to clue common crosswordese in a fresh way. Enjoy!
Words: 72
Average Length: 5.19
Themeless, semi-tough, a bit scrabbly (hopefully in a good way), with nods to Stevie Wonder, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Simon & Garfunkel, and William Royce Scaggs (a/k/a 45 Across). Enjoy!
Jeff's Puzzles