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February 2, 2012 Clever Clue of the Month Please vote for the best clue from January. The Clever Clue of the Month will be announced on Saturday (the 4th). Here are the nominees:
Snow man?
....................................LIAR
January 1, 2012 Clever Clue of the Month Please vote for the best clue from December. The Clever Clue of the Month will be announced on Tuesday (the 3rd) at approximately 9:00 PM Central. Here are the nominees:
Carmaker that
sounds like a belly button .....AUDI
December 1, 2011 Clever Clue of the Month Please vote for the best clue from November. The Clever Clue of the Month will be announced on Saturday (the 3rd) at approximately 9:00 PM Central. Here are the nominees:
Scene in Shakespeare? ........................ADO “Thank God, it's Friday” declarer? ...........CRUSOE Thanks for Tom Hanks, maybe? .................USERID Couples support ..............................TEE One who may eat her words? ...................ICER [“Throw the tennis ball!”] ...................ARF
November 1, 2011 Clever Clue of the Month Please vote for the best clue from October. The Clever Clue of the Month will be announced on Thursday (the 3rd) at approximately 9:00 PM Central. Here are the nominees:
Solutions for unfair situations? .............GALOSHES One seeking to catch some rays? ..............ORCA Wasted word? .................................HIC Double duty? .................................STUNTS Hitchcock double feature? ....................CHIN Fanta size? ..................................LITER
September 1, 2011 Clever Clue of the Month Please vote for the best clue from August. The Clever Clue of the Month will be announced on Monday (Labor Day) at approximately 9:00 PM Central. Here are the nominees:
Keeps going longer than is technically really necessary and then begins to start to become awkward, as a sentence .............RUNSON Winter depression ............................SNOWANGEL Withdrawals that may incur substantial penalties? ...................................HEISTS New Mexican, e.g. ............................NINO Weapon that comes in easy-to-carry and hard-to-carry varieties ......................MACE “Quick, grab a newspaper!” ...................EEK
August 1, 2011 Clever Clue of the Month Please vote for the best clue from July. The Clever Clue of the Month will be announced on Thursday (the 4th) at approximately 9:00 PM Central. Here are the nominees:
Do a course evaluation? ......................EAT Stage productions? ...........................WESTERNS Joints near shoulders ........................ROADHOUSES Bit of fan fare ..............................PEANUT Can of Prince Albert? ........................LOO Tales you can also read backwards? ...........SAGAS
July 1, 2011 Clever Clue of the Month Please vote for the best clue from June. The Clever Clue of the Month will be announced next Tuesday (the 5th) at approximately 9:00 PM Central. Here are the nominees:
Dancer's restraint? ..........................REIN Disagreeing like bookies? ....................ATODDS Lie detector for a supposed loser? ...........SCALE Six-pack alternative .........................BEERGUT Peer in a box ................................JUROR Pocket protectors? ...........................MISERS
June 1, 2011 Clever Clue of the Month Please vote for the best clue from May. The Clever Clue of the Month will be announced Saturday night at approximately 9:00 Central. Here are the nominees:
Burger King vis-a-vis McDonald's, fittingly ..ARCHRIVAL Nude custodian, maybe? .......................CURATOR It's heard around the water cooler ...........GLUG Where singles congregate in a bar? ...........TIPJAR Where you might find a pair of boxers ........PETSTORE Letters read with feeling? ...................BRAILLE
May 1, 2011 Clever Clue of the Month Please vote for the best clue from April. The Clever Clue of the Month will be announced Wednesday night at approximately 9:00 Central. Here are the nominees:
It might make you pretty late ................NEGLIGEE One apt to have an appt app ..................PDA Big name in lock-changing ....................CLAIROL One trying to make a living? .................JUDGE Butt loci ....................................ASHTRAYS Soap ingredient? .............................MELODRAMA
April 1, 2011 Clever Clue of the Month Please vote for the best clue from March. The Clever Clue of the Month will be announced Monday night at approximately 9:00 Central. Here are the nominees:
Point of eating? .............................TINE Clean up your language? ......................EDIT One who might keep a torch in his boot .......BRIT Job with many openings? ......................DENTIST Belted one out there? ........................ORION Those involved in cutting class at school? ...STYLISTS
March 1, 2011 Clever Clue of the Month Please vote for the best clue from February. The Clever Clue of the Month will be announced Thursday night at approximately 9:00 Central. Here are the nominees:
Messing with a script? .......................DEBRA What drives a baby buggy? ....................COLIC Taking credit? ...............................OWING Celebrity head shot ..........................BOTOX Opera annoyance? .............................POPUPAD Cell user often ..............................FELON
February 1, 2011 Clever Clue of the Month Please vote for the best clue from January. The Clever Clue of the Month will be announced Thursday night, the 3rd, at approximately 9:00 Central. Here are the nominees:
They're hung across roads ....................UIES Top secret? ..................................TOUPEE Common word in sign language .................SALE Stand-up guy? ................................NOSHOW One shooting the bull? .......................VET Where F is highest on the scale ..............GASGAUGE
January 1, 2011 Clever Clue of the Month Please vote for the best clue from December. The Clever Clue of the Month will be announced Tuesday night, the 4th, at approximately 9:00 Central. Here are the nominees:
Secretive group? .............................GLANDS Dos that are don'ts? .........................COMBOVERS Private place? ...............................BOOTCAMP Ring masters .................................JEWELERS Number of consonants in this answer ..........ONE Things used in semi circles ..................CBS
December 1, 2010 Clever Clue of the Month Please vote for the best clue from November. The Clever Clue of the Month will be announced Wednesday night at approximately 9:00 Central. Here are the nominees:
Doctors with spirits .........................LACES You've heard it before? ......................ECHO L on a T? ....................................LARGE One who can't stand to go? ...................GIRL One with his name in lights? .................WATT Reliever who closed out the Giants' World Series victory and who recently said this: “I'd like to be a crossword clue one day... I want my clue to be down, not across. The down ones are usually harder... How sweet would that be?” …............................BRIANWILSON
November 1, 2010 Clever Clue of the Month Please vote for the best clue from October. The Clever Clue of the Month will be announced Monday night at approximately 9:00 Central. Here are the nominees:
Sub standard device ..........................SONAR Cohort of Morley, oddly enough! ..............LESLEY Communicate digitally? .......................SIGN Driveling researcher? ........................PAVLOV Pass out facedown ............................DEAL Campaign weaponry? ...........................MUD
October 1, 2010 Clever Clue of the Month Please vote for the best clue from October. The Clever Clue of the Month will be announced Friday night at approximately 9:00 Central. Here are the nominees:
Letters from your parents? ...................DNA Put off retirement ...........................STAYUPLATE Watches one's language? ......................LIPREADS Union representative? ........................YANKEE It's often carried around a gym ..............ODOR Sound elicited by an electric can opener? ....MEOW
September 25, 2010 Gobsmacked By a Crossword Puzzle According to one writer, on Wednesdays Will Shortz steps into another world with clues like “Gobsmacked” which even Webster's New World Dictionary doesn't define.
September 20, 2010 Oldest Crossword Constructor Today's NYT crossword puzzle breaks a record. At 96, Bernice Gordon is the oldest person to create a crossword puzzle for the New York Times. Her first NYT entry appeared in 1952.
September 15, 2010 Gryptics – The Next Generation of the Crossword Les Foeldessy, a self-professed puzzle fanatic from Toronto, has created a new genre of crossword puzzles. He calls them Gryptics. The definition clues are completely gone, and some lettering is outside the grid. His goal was to 'find interesting words, avoid obscure ones, and achieve eclectic juxtapositions'. For example, in a traditional crossword puzzle there would be a clue such as DOWN 7)Jewelry-store purchase or 5)Union symbol and the answer would be something like tungsten rings or wedding rings. But in a Gryptic puzzle these initial clues are not provided.
He recently put together a book of 100 puzzles ranging in difficulty from easy to hard. If you get stuck, there's a hints section included with extra letters provided.
I received the book last Friday, did a couple easy puzzles, a couple hard puzzles, and then gave the book to my wife, Faith, to see what she thought. Faith, not a crossword person, was immediately addicted. I found it difficult to pry the book out of her hands the rest of the weekend.
The rules are simple: 1. The letters outside the grid remain where they are; they form the beginnings and endings of words longer than six letters. 2. Fill in the missing letters on the grid to complete the six Across and six Down words. 3. All words to be entered are six letters or more. 4. There is only one possible solution.
Here is a sample (easy puzzle) from Les's website:
I shared this one with some experienced crossword solvers and they found it a little too easy. I had to agree – it had the feel of a Monday puzzle. However, puzzles like this, from the beginning of the book are great for non-crossword solvers (like my wife), giving them practice before they get to the more difficult puzzles further on in the book.
I then shared a difficult puzzle with some experienced solvers. They found it more challenging and more interesting. An interesting observation from one of the solvers was that it contains words never seen in regular crosswords. Another solver suggested that 'it would be cool if the whole puzzle had a central theme, like foods, or math vocabulary, or medical terms'.
Faith and I are enjoying the book and, I'm sure, will continue working on these until every box is filled. If you're interested, the book can be ordered from the Gryptics website.
September 8, 2010 A New Puzzle Link and a Puzzle You Don't Want to Miss Perhaps you've noticed... I added a new link to my list of free printable puzzles last month. The great puzzle constructor, Patrick Blindauer, has created a web-site and, among other things, he is offering a new puzzle every month. This month's puzzle, 'Decompression Chambers', was extremely satisfying. I don't want to give anything away – I'll just say this: using all caps when solving will be helpful in figuring out the theme.
September 2, 2010 Does Mental Activity Prevent Dementia? A new federally funded study finds that doing crossword puzzles, learning a foreign language, and other mental activities really do protect our minds. However, when the decline does finally begin, it happens a lot faster among people who have been mentally active.
September 1, 2010 Clever Clue of the Month Please vote for the best clue from August. The Clever Clue of the Month will be announced Wednesday night at approximately 9:00 Central. Here are the nominees:
Brand name of products that suck .............ORECK Stiff crates .................................HEARSES Joint tenants ................................PRISONERS Street clothes? ..............................SKIWEAR Stock options ................................BROTHS Press release? ...............................CIDER
August 1, 2010 Clever Clue of the Month Please vote for the best clue from July. The Clever Clue of the Month will be announced Monday night at approximately 9:00 Central. Here are the nominees:
Cape horn? ...................................VUVUZELA Steel worker? ................................ROBOT Intro for John? ..............................DEAR Tube test? ...................................PILOT It's hard to run on it? ......................EMPTY Cover of the Bible? ..........................FIGLEAF
July 15, 2010 Can Sleep Improve Crossword Solving Ability? Researchers have established a theory that getting good sleep improves the memory and assists to build relations between slackly related information.
July 1, 2010 Clever Clue of the Month Please vote for the best clue from June. The Clever Clue of the Month will be announced Thursday night at approximately 9:00 Central. Here are the nominees:
Green party V.I.P.? ..........................STPAT Fits on a hard drive? ........................ROADRAGE Winner at dieting? ...........................LOSER Higher calling? ..............................UPHERE Inedible doughnut part? ......................HOLE Black listing? ...............................ASSET
June 1, 2010 Clever Clue of the Month Please vote for the best clue from May. The Clever Clue of the Month will be announced Tuesday night at approximately 9:00 Central. Here are the nominees:
Stick with it ................................FORK Eggs on yeggs ................................ABETS Source of relief? ............................BULLPEN Head of Buckingham Palace? ...................LOO One in debt? .................................SILENTB Stranded carrier .............................RNA
May 18, 2010 Crosswords and Alzheimers, Cryptic Crosswords, Word Finder, a Crosswordese Test, and a Backward Crossword.
May 2, 2010 Clever Clue of the Month Please vote for the best clue from April. The Clever Clue of the Month will be announced Monday night at approximately 9:00 Central. Here are the nominees:
Something to wait for? .......................TIP Glass elevator? ..............................TOAST Strip in a bar? ..............................LEMONRIND House rules enforcer? ........................PELOSI Sentence structure? ..........................JAIL Place for extra notes on the piano? ..........TIPJAR
April 15, 2010 An interview, a couple new puzzles, more on brain fitness, Chatroulette, Scrabble, and a puzzling argument
April 3, 2010 Puzzles you don't want to miss There were a couple excellent puzzles on April Fool's Day that you probably don't want to miss. All of the clues in the NYT puzzle were rearranged and flip-flopped. It made for a fun, challenging experience. The Fireball Puzzle was the most open grid I've ever seen. Without giving away too much, let me whet your appetite with the clue for 2-down: It's not connected with guacamole in any way............ ANSWERTOTWODOWN (Yes, that really was the answer to 2-down.) Also, it's the first puzzle I've ever seen with ISHKABIBBLE as part of an answer.
April 1, 2010 Clever Clue of the Month Please vote for the best clue from March. The Clever Clue of the Month will be announced tonight at approximately 9:00 Central. Here are the nominees:
Mint green? ..................................USDOLLARS Hit bottom? ….................................SIDEB Semi professionals? ..........................TEAMSTERS Pickup line locale? ….........................DEPOT Made unbearable? .............................NEUTERED Spot order? ….................................SIT
March 21, 2010 The Island of Lost Puzzles, the Myth of Crosswordese, Updating UFS Puzzles, Crosswords and Successful Relationships, and Crossword Puzzles in the Modern Age
March 1, 2010 Clever Clue of the Month Please vote for the best clue from February. The Clever Clue of the Month will be announced Tuesday night at approximately 9:00 Central. Here are the nominees:
Old rubber? ..................................ALADDIN Sound heard repeatedly in gargling? ..........HARDG Facial spots? ................................SPAS Brief fashion statements .....................MINISKIRTS “Yo, Hadrian!” ...............................AVE Thatcher follower …...........................SAWYER
February 25, 2010 New crossword champ, Wayne Robert Williams is back, and Ethan Friedman puzzle
February 1, 2010 Clever Clue of the Month Please vote for the best clue from January. The Clever Clue of the Month will be announced Tuesday night at approximately 9:00 Central. Here are the nominees:
Colt's fan club? .............................NRA Well running group?: Abbr. ...................OPEC Reason for a lighter conviction? .............ARSON Cigarette additive? ….........................SINTAX Choose paper over plastic? ...................PAYCASH One may be responsible for many banks ........SNOWPLOW
January 29, 2010 A new punctuation mark and Merl Reagle's #1 pet peeve
January 8, 2010 Great Puzzle Alert In this golden age of crosswords we see a number of really good puzzles every month. But every now and then a great puzzle emerges which stands head and shoulders above the rest. That happened yesterday with Xan Vongsathorn's NYT puzzle. It's a rebus puzzle with an 'exterminate' theme. I really don't want to give away any more than that. If you haven't done it yet, this is one you definitely do not want to miss.
Let me share some of the comments about it over at Crossword Fiend: “Holy cow... amazing... wow, wow, wow” “Brilliant” “One of the best puzzles I've seen in a long, long time” “Very, very nice” “Loved it” “Just wow... awesome” “Stunning” “More Vongsathorn, please!”
Quick – get off my web-site and do the puzzle now! And then see what Xan had to say about creating it.
January 1, 2010 Clever Clue of the Month Please vote for the best clue from December. The Clever Clue of the Month will be announced Monday night at approximately 9:00 Central. Here are the nominees:
Punk rock? ...................................PEBBLE Pet name for Attila? .........................HON Counter-productive people? ...................SALESCLERKS One helping a dictator .......................STENO Dangers for the over-70 crowd ................RADARTRAPS Competition among mail carriers? .............JOUST
December 10, 2009 The youngest constructor, brain training, brain-fitness, and almost identical puzzles
December 1, 2009 Clever Clue of the Month Please vote for the best clue from November. The Clever Clue of the Month will be announced Tuesday night at approximately 9:00 Central. Here are the nominees:
Fortune readers ..............................CEOS Response to getting a ring? ..................HELLO Brest milk ...................................LAIT Dodging the draft? ...........................ALEE Green org.? ..................................PGA Look to a friend for answers, perhaps ........CHEATS
November 17, 2009 In the News Trying to impress a friend with quick crossword solving ability – but what's an eight letter word for: Error in grammar or manners? Answer Girl has answers for the important questions in life: Why can't the crossword puzzle be on an odd-numbered page? Why can't all of the crossword puzzle be on the same half of the page? Being an election judge myself I can relate to these judges during an off-year election... How the health care system overhaul and trying to solve a 2000-clue crossword puzzle are similar.
November 1, 2009 Clever Clue of the Month Please vote for the best clue from October. The Clever Clue of the Month will be announced Monday night at approximately 9:00 Central. Here are the nominees:
Women who get high? ..........................SOPRANOS Remote ancestor? .............................KNOB One who has a guest for dinner? ..............CANNIBAL Revolutionary dance move? ....................PIROUETTE It's in much poetry? .........................TIS Ball-bearing gadgets? ........................TEES
October 22, 2009 In the News Will Shortz visits Vanderbilt and does a Q&A. Great-great-grandmother claims solving crosswords 'is clue to a long life'. Wayne Robert Williams returns to creating crossword puzzles. The secret to a 70-year marriage revealed: doing the daily crossword. What lawyers do during non-billable hours...
October 1, 2009 Clever Clue of the Month Please vote for the best clue from September. The Clever Clue of the Month will be announced Friday night at approximately 9:00 Central. Here are the nominees:
Run out of clothes? ..........................STREAK Top secret? ..................................TOUPEE Fix a clog? ..................................RESOLE Place to curl up and dye? ....................SALON Secret target? ...............................ARMPIT Refrain from farming? ........................EIEIO
September 1, 2009 Clever Clue of the Month Please vote for the best clue from August. The Clever Clue of the Month will be announced Tuesday night at approximately 9:00 Central. Here are the nominees:
War alternative ..............................OLDMAID Pre-engagement bender? .......................KNEE Lemon aid? ...................................CASHFORCLUNKERS Wet bar? .....................................SOAP Misses again? ................................EXWIVES Biblical birthday party ......................MAGI
August 1, 2009 Clever Clue of the Month Please vote for the best clue from July. The Clever Clue of the Month will be announced Monday night at approximately 9:00 Central. Here are the nominees:
Strauss's material ...............................DENIM It may make people jump to a conclusion ..........SACKRACE Hole in a sweater? ...............................PORE Foul language user? ..............................REFEREE Part of a pick-up line? ..........................TAXI Course for Crusoe? ...............................ANAGRAM
July 1, 2009 Clever Clue of the Month Please vote for the best clue from June. The Clever Clue of the Month will be announced Thursday night at approximately 9:00 Central. Here are the nominees:
Stock exchange ...................................MOOS It may be worn on a sneaker ......................TREAD Pitching staff? ..................................ADMEN It helped eliminate some pounds ..................EURO Supreme leader? ..................................ROSS Antony's loan request? ...........................EARS
June 1, 2009 Clever Clue of the Month Please vote for the best clue from May. The Clever Clue of the Month will be announced Tuesday night at approximately 9:00 Central. Here are the nominees:
Street address ...................................BRO Mark of fine writing? ............................TWAIN Collector's items ................................DEBTS Most ready for commitment? .......................INSANEST It definitely isn't fast food ....................ESCARGOT Dead giveaway? ...................................ESTATE
May 22, 2009 Follow-up Questions for Peter Gordon Peter Gordon, who edited the NY Sun crossword before the Sun went out of business a few months ago, was interviewed by Jim Horne of the Wordplay blog a few days ago. Instead of just leaving a link to the interview, I decided to ask Peter if he'd like to answer a few follow-up questions. He graciously agreed...
It was interesting to learn that you're a math person. My perception is that there are a lot more math people interested in crossword puzzles than English / literature people. Do you agree with that perception? If so, do you have any theories as to why that is?
Everyone seems to talk about the music connection. I never bought that. Yes, seven times a winner at the ACPT has been a musician, but that's just because Jon Delfin has won it seven times. If he were a bricklayer, then would there be a crossword/bricklayer connection? The math connection seems more widespread. I was a math major. Mike Shenk was. I believe Stanley Newman was. Randolph Ross taught math. Richard Silvestri is a math professor. Bob Klahn started out as a math major, but switched to computers. There may be others. I have no theories, but I'll make two up on the spot: 1) Mathematician are used to problems with definite right answers. Crosswords appeal to that aspect of us. 2) We're used to thinking in two directions at once from all that X and Y coordinate stuff we did. (Later, Peter confirmed that Randolph Ross, Stanley Newman, and Henry Hook were all math majors. He also pointed out that four-time ACPT champ David Rosen teaches math.)
One of the things I really enjoyed about your Sun puzzles was the abundance of clever clues. Are there some clever clues from your time there that stand out as your favorites?
You had fewer than 10 repeat clues one year! That's impressive. I bet I can guess a few of them: Jai ____, "Dies ____" (hymn), and ____ Bator. Am I correct?
These
were the eight 2007 repeats: Thank you, Peter Gordon, for taking the time to answer these questions for us.
If you love great crossword puzzles, this would be an excellent time to sign up for The Sun Crossword. As soon as 1776 people sign up the puzzle will start up again.
In the meantime, Mr. Gordon has been doing a weekly puzzle for The Week magazine. The good news is that this puzzle is a news junkie's dream. The bad news is that, at least for now, it doesn't print out very well. Peter does assure me that they will eventually get around to doing an AcrossLite version. I will probably add a link for this puzzle to my Links page later this evening.
May 1, 2009 Clever Clue of the Month Please vote for the best clue from April. The Clever Clue of the Month will be announced Monday night at approximately 9:00 Central. Here are the nominees:
Contact sport? ...................................PHONETAG Mobile home, briefly .............................ALA Bad marks at a prep school? ......................ACNE Tit for tat, for example? ........................TYPO Facetious fivesome? ..............................AEIOU Greeting you shouldn't say at the airport ........HIJACK
April 22, 2009 Crossword Protocol You see a week old, half-finished puzzle on your mother's kitchen table. Should you finish it? Mr. Know-It-All answers this important question.
April 1, 2009 Clever Clue of the Month Please vote for the best clue from March. The Clever Clue of the Month will be announced Thursday night at approximately 9:00 Central. Here are the nominees:
Front runners? ...................................DESERTERS Title holder .....................................SPINE Unloaded? ........................................SOBER Course shunned by losers? ........................DESSERT Camel droppings ..................................ASH Still the most ...................................CALMEST
If you need one of these explained... March 20, 2009 Cruciverbalist? Uncle Sam Needs You The US Government needs a few good cruciverbalists – or at least they could have used some back in 2007 and 2008. Governmentattic.org informs us that the US Office of Government Ethics (OGE) developed a series of ethics crossword puzzles to enhance ethics training for executive branch employees. According to the the OGE:
The puzzles may be used for a variety of purposes. For example, you may distribute the puzzles: · During in-person annual ethics training · As part of written annual ethics training during the two years in which you do not provide verbal training · As part of a leadership initiative aimed at your agency's supervisors, encouraging them to discuss the answers with their employees at a staff meeting · During presentations to employees · As part of your ethics or agency newsletter. Regrettably, the OGE apparently didn't consider hiring an experienced crossword constructor. These are not quality themed puzzles that you'll look forward to solving at the breakfast table tomorrow morning. It's too bad – with the low fees constructors demand, quality puzzles probably could have been created for half the cost.
OK, I realize your curiosity is killing you. Here are the puzzles in PDF format: General Things You Should Know About Ethics
March 1, 2009 Clever Clue of the Month Please vote for the best clue from February. The Clever Clue of the Month will be announced Monday night at approximately 9:00 Central. Here are the nominees:
Slinger's weapon? ................................MUD Minor key? .......................................ISLET Gets dark outside ................................TANS Hamburgers are near its mouth? ...................ELBE Frank account? ...................................DIARY Poles on the equator, maybe? .....................EXPATS
If you need one of these explained... February 27, 2009 Sunrise, Sunset?
No doubt, if you've been solving crosswords for more than a couple years, you realize Peter Gordon's New York Sun puzzles are among the best, if not the best. One simple criteria for testing the quality of crossword puzzles is clever cluing. Peter's Sun puzzles have won our clever clue of the month more than any other puzzle out there.
Perhaps you've also heard that the New York Sun went out of business a few months ago. Peter still had about three or four months of puzzles which he made available for a small fee.
Now, in order to continue, he'll need between 1000 and 2000 people who will commit to subscribing for a small fee. Please, please go to the Sunrise site today and make the commitment. Then, spread the word.
One more thing. If you go to the Sunrise site and make the commitment, let Mr. Gordon know that you heard about it here at crosswordese.com. It would be a tremendous encouragement to me if Peter sent me an email telling me I sent a couple hundred people his way. February 2, 2009 Clever Clue of the Month Please vote for the best clue from January. The Clever Clue of the Month will be announced Tuesday night at approximately 9:00 Central. Here are the nominees:
Initial hurdles for those who want to join the Supremes? ..LSATS Numbers? .........................................OPIATES Country 'house,' maybe? ..........................IPOD Class that ends before labor day? ................LAMAZE Change your locks? ...............................DYE Elbows on the table? .............................PASTA
If you need one of these explained... January 24, 2008 More Puzzles I strive to have the best list of quality printable crossword puzzles on the internet. In this striving I am always on the lookout for new sources. I have just added two new sources: Matt Gaffney is one in a very small group of crossword creators which would be considered the top tier. He provides a new puzzle every Friday afternoon. After completing a very difficult puzzle, have you ever thought, “I deserve something more than just the satisfaction of solving a hard puzzle?” Well, Mr. Gaffney does offer something more. You can send him your completed puzzle and have the chance of winning one of his books. Another top tier creator is Brendan Emmett Quigley. This workaholic offers three puzzles a week! His site also offers musings on culture and a tip jar. January 2, 2009 Clever Clue of the Month Please vote for the best clue from December. The Clever Clue of the Month will be announced Monday night at approximately 9:00 Central. Here are the nominees:
Hall of fame .....................................DARYL Spanish flowers? .................................RIOS Handled ham? .....................................CBER Defense establishment? ...........................ALIBI Works in bed? ....................................WEEDS Royal headwear? ..................................CAP
If you need one of these explained... December 31, 2008 In the News The jury's still out regarding crossword puzzles and the prevention of Alzheimer’s. But, crosswords can be healthful in other ways. Here's a story about a man who used crossword puzzles to help him quit smoking. And here's a story about a study showing that working on crossword puzzles may help reduce anxiety. December 1, 2008 Clever Clue of the Month Please vote for the best clue from November. The Clever Clue of the Month will be announced Tuesday night at approximately 9:00 Central. Here are the nominees:
Cartoon character with his own club ..............BAMMBAMM Planet name? .....................................LOIS Remote possibility? ..............................MUTE Have trouble with “sisters,” maybe? ..............LISP What an out patient may be in? ...................COMA Something the U.S. Government keeps an eye on ....GREATSEAL
If you need one of these explained... November 27, 2008 Grand Opening of the Crosswordese Store Just in time for Christmas we are officially opening the Crosswordese Store (right). Here you will find some great gifts for the crossword lovers on your list. Perhaps a subscription to Games magazine... or - you've seen the movie Wordplay – now, buy the DVD and enjoy it over and over again. As a bonus, if everyone visiting this page purchases three items, your beloved web-master will be able to go to the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament in Brooklyn in February. November 9, 2008 In the News
November 6, 2008 Great Puzzle Alert! In 1996 Jeremiah Farrell and Will Shortz teamed up to give us what many consider to be the greatest crossword puzzle ever. On election day that year they gave us cluing that allowed the solver to come up with BOBDOLE_ELECTED or CLINTON_ELECTED right across the middle of the puzzle.
Two days ago Kevin Wald and Peter Gordon teamed up to create a similar puzzle – this time with a MCCAIN and OBAMA theme. There's some other stuff going on in this one, too, which makes it a real joy to solve. It's a Sun Puzzle (formerly New York Sun), so if you haven't yet subscribed, this may be the time to do it. November 2, 2008 Clever Clue of the Month I want to thank all of those who submitted clever clues this month. I'm not able to do every puzzle every day, so I'm sure we're missing some great clues every month. Any help in this area is always appreciated.
Also, I want to thank those who helped me narrow my list of many clever clues down to six. If there are others who would like to be a part of this, please let me know.
Please vote for the best clue from October. The Clever Clue of the Month will be announced Monday night at approximately 9:00 Central. Here are the nominees:
Flip comment? ....................................TAILS Going places? ....................................LAVS Unable to part? ..................................BALD Expiration notice? ...............................OBIT Mass-produced answer? ............................AMEN Short pants? .....................................GASPS
If you need one of these explained... October 23, 2008 New York Sun-set Many of you may have noticed, as I did, during the last couple weeks the New York Sun puzzle was unavailable. For those of us addicted to this wonderful puzzle it was a difficult time. Finally, a couple nights ago I received an email from Peter Gordon, the editor of the puzzle. The bad news: the New York Sun has ceased publication. The good news: the puzzle is still available. Since Peter Gordon still has to make a living there is a modest fee now. Go to Cruciverb.com for details. October 1, 2008 Clever Clue of the Month I'd like to thank everyone who helped me compile this list. Please vote for the best clue from September. The Clever Clue of the Month will be announced Thursday night at approximately 9:00 Central. Here are the nominees:
Northern hemisphere? .............................IGLOO Phrase that could end a single life ..............IDO Fire insurance? ..................................TENURE Small construction company .......................LEGO John, to Ringo ...................................LOO Curly poker? .....................................MOE
If you need one of these explained... September 20, 2008 In the News
September 1, 2008 Clever Clue of the Month Please vote for the best clue from August. The Clever Clue of the Month will be announced Tuesday night at approximately 9:00 Central. Here are the nominees:
VW predecessors? .................................STU Stand for something? .............................EASEL Johnson and Johnson, e.g. ........................VEEPS Split to be tied .................................ELOPE Strings of islands? ..............................UKES Average guy? .....................................DOW
If you need one of these explained... August 1, 2008 Clever Clue of the Month Please vote for the best clue from July. The Clever Clue of the Month will be announced Saturday night at approximately 9:00 Central. Here are the nominees:
Like most people? ................................ASIAN Opt for the window instead of the aisle? .........ELOPE King's realm .....................................HORROR Nearly 29% of Tel Aviv? ..........................VEES Bank holdup? .....................................LINE I can come after these ...........................EFGH
If you need one of these explained... July 31, 2008 Crossword Humor The Crossword Fiend has alerted us in her blog of an animation, Garson Hampfield, Crossword Inker. It's hilarious – although only an avid crossword solver would think so. July 1, 2008 Clever Clue of the Month Please vote for the best clue from June. The Clever Clue of the Month will be announced Wednesday night at approximately 9:00 Central. Here are the nominees:
Bad spelling? ....................................HEXES Bolt with no threads? ............................STREAK Write of passage? ................................OBIT Stressful type? ..................................ITALICS Emulated running mates? ..........................ELOPED Can opener? ......................................TOILETSEAT
If you need one of these explained... June 16, 2008 Crosswordese.com on the radio This past weekend we were mentioned a couple times on Public Radio. Actually, it was a re-airing of a broadcast from February. The program is A Way With Words a 'lively language show' with Martha Barnette and Grant Barrett. It was fun to hear Martha quiz Grant on some of our Clever Clues. June 2, 2008 Clever Clue of the Month Please vote for the best clue from May. The Clever Clue of the Month will be announced Tuesday night at approximately 9:00 Central. Here are the nominees:
Rabbit relative ..................................BEETLE One of three in Fiji? ............................DOT It's full of holes? ..............................GOLFCOURSE What kids grow up to be ..........................GOATS Hearing aide? ....................................LAWYER Having the highest queue rating? .................NEXT
If you need one of these explained...
May 3, 2008 Clever Clue of the Month April 1, 2008 Clever Clue of the Month March 29, 2008 Great Puzzle Alert! March 11, 2008 Pete's Crosswordese Quiz March 5, 2008 Same People, Different Place March 3, 2008 Clever Clue of the Month February 4, 2008 Poetry Contest February 1, 2008 Clever Clue of the Month January 5, 2008 New Awards, Art Form January 2, 2008 Clever Clue of the Month December 4, 2007 Great Puzzle Alert! December 2, 2007 Clever Clue of the Month November 30, 2007 The opera of the era is on the stereo in your area November 20, 2007 Great Puzzle Alert! November 6, 2007 David Diebold's New Site November 1, 2007 Clever Clue of the Month October 22, 2007 Sudoku Has Its Day October 1, 2007 Clever Clue of the Month September 30, 2007 Quick Links September 17, 2007 Great Puzzle Alert September 3, 2007 Clever Clue of the Month August 25, 2007 Great Puzzle Alert! August 21, 2007 Great Puzzle Alert! July 31, 2007 Clever Clue of the Month June 30, 2007 Clever Clue of the Month June 29, 2007 Great Puzzle Alert! June 1, 2007 Clever Clue of the Month May 23, 2007 Interview with Stanley Newman May 1, 2007 Clever Clue of the Month April 10, 2007 Great Puzzle Alert! April 3, 2007 Great Puzzle Alert! April 1, 2007 Clever Clue of the Month March 28,2007 Interview with Tyler Hinman March 1, 2007 Clever Clue of the Month February 1, 2007 Clever Clue of the Month January 23, 2007 The State of Crosswords January 2, 2007 December's Clever clue of the Month December 1, 2006 Clever Clue of the Month November 1, 2006 Clever Clue of the Month October 2, 2006 Clever Clue of the Month September 1, 2006 August's Clever Clue of the Month August 1, 2006 July's Clever Clue of the Month July 15, 2006 Who Writes Better Puzzles, Humans or Computers July 1, 2006 June's Clever Clue of the Month June 10, 2006 6 Days 'til Wordplay June 1, 2006 May's Clever Clue of the Month May 1, 2006 April's Clever Clue of the Month April 15, 2006 The Perfect Crosswordese Meal April 1, 2006 Clever Clue of the Month for March March 15, 2006 Crosswordese Hall of Fame March 1, 2006 Your Opportunity to Vote February 11, 2006 30 Minutes of Fame January 1, 2006 Happy New Year December 3, 2005 Christmas Shopping August 20, 2005 Crosswordese and the Arts June 26, 2005 Alzheimer’s and Crossword Puzzles March 12, 2005 More Great Links March 1, 2005 Chicken Strata ala King February 12, 2005 Spelling Bee February 1, 2005 A 75th Anniversary January 22, 2005 Unexpected Pleasures January 1, 2005 Let The Adventure Begin
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