tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13082045512058378432024-03-14T23:31:35.525-07:00The Puzzle Society Crossword CrossingUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger250125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1308204551205837843.post-30578982573579722142019-10-16T16:00:00.000-07:002019-10-16T16:00:01.374-07:00Belated UpdateAs many of you know, The Puzzle Society Crossword was folded into the <a href="https://www.uexpress.com/puzzle-society?amu=/iwin-crossword">Universal Crossword</a> at the end of last year. Since then I have been editing the Universal Crossword, which features seven daily 15x15 puzzles and one Sunday 21x21 puzzle each week and the same kinds of crosswords and constructors as appeared in The Puzzle Society Crossword. The daily 15x15 puzzles appear <a href="https://www.uexpress.com/puzzle-society?amu=/iwin-crossword">online</a> and in newspapers worldwide; at present, the Sunday 21x21 puzzle is a print-only feature. Although there are no current plans to start up a blog similar to this one for the Universal Crossword, the puzzle is reviewed each day on Amy Reynaldo's <a href="https://crosswordfiend.com/">Diary of a Crossword Fiend</a> blog, and you can leave comments there. Finally, if you haven't already tried solving the Universal Crossword, click <a href="https://www.uexpress.com/puzzle-society?amu=/iwin-crossword">here</a> or on the icon at the top of the right-hand column—and enjoy!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1308204551205837843.post-30951132538549080782018-12-31T00:01:00.000-08:002018-12-31T00:01:04.966-08:00Farewell . . . and New BeginningsYesterday's puzzle was the last in The Puzzle Society Crossword, and so this blog, like the year, is coming to an end. I'll be posting an update here soon about what's next for me on the puzzle front, but in the meantime, thanks for solving the Puzzle Society crossword each day and stopping by the Crossword Crossing blog! Here's to new beginnings and a happy 2019 to all!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1308204551205837843.post-65979646441507774252018-12-30T00:01:00.000-08:002018-12-30T00:01:04.161-08:00"Color Spectrum," by Zhouqin Burnikel<h2>
Constructor's Comments</h2>
When I first proposed this theme to David back in February, I had ONE LIFE TO LIVE for OLIVE, which fully contains OLIVE in the end. He noticed immediately, of course. And the title is his again.<br />
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Thank you, David, for patiently guiding me through all the Puzzle Society puzzles this year.<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1308204551205837843.post-89863230082228325372018-12-29T00:01:00.000-08:002018-12-29T00:01:05.484-08:00"Cash Purchases," by Paul Coulter<h2>
Constructor's Comments</h2>
This started several years ago as a Sunday grid called "Heaven Cent." It was puns on currency that no one wanted. So it sat idle in my rejects file along with hundreds of others until David's call for submissions. Then I reviewed them all, submitted some as is, and refreshed other theme ideas into something better. I'm glad David liked this one and, as usual, that he was so helpful with improving it. I hope solvers found it ". . . something completely different," as Monty Python liked to say. SPLAT. Oops, forgot about that giant foot.<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1308204551205837843.post-85433615987580953202018-12-28T00:01:00.000-08:002018-12-28T00:01:02.215-08:00"First in Flight," by Ed Sessa<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoZ-7L0OQ_AOyhSGC7FnKwa-9eyhe4G26SRtkM6DFXPrArLQcZMaN3ibz_3Fyq1ZwG3QoN1YNShVW7fQrj1S7oO5nA_x1lHMX00FylqLl0s8rDNWDe4DD7OlMYXK_0TuGt03ozNGbuULR9/s1600/2018-12-28.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1070" data-original-width="1070" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoZ-7L0OQ_AOyhSGC7FnKwa-9eyhe4G26SRtkM6DFXPrArLQcZMaN3ibz_3Fyq1ZwG3QoN1YNShVW7fQrj1S7oO5nA_x1lHMX00FylqLl0s8rDNWDe4DD7OlMYXK_0TuGt03ozNGbuULR9/s320/2018-12-28.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1308204551205837843.post-21111687134116381622018-12-27T00:01:00.000-08:002018-12-27T00:01:05.569-08:00"Gross!" by Lynn Lempel<h2>
Constructor's Comments</h2>
I really can't think of much to say about this puzzle, it being a pretty common add-a-letter type. However, I do hope the theme doesn't apply to your holiday season! Here's to lots of good puzzling in 2019.<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1308204551205837843.post-81731491922509885322018-12-26T00:01:00.000-08:002018-12-26T00:01:00.387-08:00"Triple Play," by Jim Leeds<h2>
Constructor's Comments</h2>
"Triple Play" is one of my favorite 15xs after 22 years of published puzzle construction.<br />
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Each of the five theme entries has two words. The first word, a famous person's (name ending with a double letter), and the second word, beginning with that same letter, form recognizable but misspelled phrases.<br />
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For me, puzzle construction evolved from a skittish attempt into a passionate pursuit!<br />
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The joy of awakening to a publish date—the thought that that day, scores of folks, pen or
pencil at the ready, will be poring over cogent clues, trying to solve what came from my brain, is . . . is . . . well, there's nothing quite like it.<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1308204551205837843.post-14860200466411935512018-12-25T00:01:00.000-08:002018-12-25T00:01:04.901-08:00"Santa's Little Helpers," by Alex Eaton-Salners<h2>
Constructor's Comments</h2>
I don't often remember where I was when I came up with a particular puzzle idea. In this case, I have clear recollection. I was in the Mickey & Friends parking structure at Disneyland. Realizing that ELF ON THE SHELF was amenable to a symmetric layout with both ELFs placeable on "shelves" was the key insight driving the puzzle's creation. It was a bit challenging to find a block layout that worked without creating any pseudoshelves, but I'm pleased with how everything came together in the end. Happy Holidays!<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1308204551205837843.post-87524776840639242042018-12-24T00:01:00.000-08:002018-12-24T00:01:04.198-08:00"'Tis the Season," by Alan Olschwang<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1308204551205837843.post-36719069965357649872018-12-23T00:01:00.000-08:002018-12-23T00:01:05.816-08:00"Layering," by Paul Coulter<h2>
Constructor's Comments</h2>
I like the idea of themes that show a logical progression—BREAKFAST ___, LUNCH ___, TEA ___, DINNER ___, and that sort of thing. Add onto them a spacial element top to bottom, like ___ ONIONS, ___ CHEESE, ___ SAUCE, ____ CRUST, and that's a pretty good set. This one shows peeling off the clothes when you dress in layers. I like that David ran it as the cold weather sets in, so that the COAT in COAT OF ARMS is appropriate.<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1308204551205837843.post-6517504589291748652018-12-22T00:01:00.000-08:002018-12-22T00:01:11.438-08:00"Save Now!" by Doug Peterson<h2>
Constructor's Comments</h2>
Split-word puzzles usually feature the splits in the centers of the theme entries—for example, a "split END" inside SCREEN DOOR or a "split PEA" inside HOOP EARRING. For this theme, I thought it made more sense to have the DOORs as "wide open" as possible. I hope you enjoy the puzzle, and I also hope you're done with all your holiday shopping! As for me, I'll be avoiding the mall until we're well into 2019.<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1308204551205837843.post-79047693304439681622018-12-21T00:01:00.000-08:002018-12-21T00:01:01.866-08:00"Season's Grieving," by Harvey Estes<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1308204551205837843.post-51747163598516369682018-12-20T00:01:00.000-08:002018-12-20T00:01:07.830-08:00"See the Big Picture," by Ned White<h2>
Constructor's Comments</h2>
Major Spoiler Alert: The main challenge here was working without circled letters—per the Puzzle Society's software. My original puzzle circled six trees: FIR, OAK, RUBBER, ELM, SPRUCE, and TEA. So I thought that without the circles the puzzle was fairly hard to solve. The next challenge was to find the "mini-meta" suggested by MYOPIC at 68-Across. Simply enough, it's the first letter of each tree—FOREST—but "hard to see" for all trees.<br />
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I loved making this puzzle. But it happened so many months ago that I'd forgotten what the trick was and had to be rescued by my wife, Carla: "You've got FOREST buried in there," and, of course, my only response was a facepalm. How could I have been so myopic?<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1308204551205837843.post-17136451709843448262018-12-19T00:01:00.000-08:002018-12-19T00:01:06.470-08:00"Fashion Advice," by MaryEllen Uthlaut<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1308204551205837843.post-82506300821505869072018-12-18T00:01:00.000-08:002018-12-18T00:01:02.581-08:00"Men at Work," by Greg Johnson<h2>
Constructor's Comments</h2>
There were many choices for theme clues and answers—however, some of the job choices were a little off, and those duos missed the cut. I really wanted to use [Chase and Hector], but it just didn't work out.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4alaG8jbtQo0uYo36aQBCzogMxwz0ExqhuWDL7ffBeNBgTEgZl5KtLvjutXrbabYSXX69Di78iaWId6M_LJxQuNo5l4P_3ZsNzqpSATujl-yiaIAJZYiD-sXC6SXqztm4e3qyUemJrUcP/s1600/2018-12-18.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1070" data-original-width="1070" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4alaG8jbtQo0uYo36aQBCzogMxwz0ExqhuWDL7ffBeNBgTEgZl5KtLvjutXrbabYSXX69Di78iaWId6M_LJxQuNo5l4P_3ZsNzqpSATujl-yiaIAJZYiD-sXC6SXqztm4e3qyUemJrUcP/s320/2018-12-18.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1308204551205837843.post-23056689880610932602018-12-17T00:01:00.000-08:002018-12-17T00:01:02.864-08:00"Holey Cow," by Gary Larson<h2>
Constructor's Comments</h2>
This is my first acceptance with the Puzzle Society Crossword, and I couldn't be more excited. Two things I would like to mention: 1) I am not the <i>Far Side</i> cartoonist, and 2) no animals were harmed during the construction of this puzzle.<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1308204551205837843.post-58034890888753821312018-12-16T00:01:00.000-08:002018-12-16T00:01:11.018-08:00"Digital Communications," by Jim Peredo<h2>
Constructor's Comments</h2>
When I SNAP my fingers, my dog Penny comes running, probably because I've dropped some food on the floor or I'm going to take her for a walk. That idea was the impetus for this puzzle. But I was only going to build it if I could find enough in-the-language verbal equivalents of snapping one's fingers. I think I've done that, and the grid feels pretty lively to me. As a bonus, I was also able to pull off those stacked long Downs in two of the corners with only a little bit of gunk (ARTE, e.g.). The finishing touch was the title, which felt like a gift from the crossword gods. Thank you, crossword gods!<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1308204551205837843.post-60363692311828257522018-12-15T00:01:00.000-08:002018-12-15T00:01:00.162-08:00"Noms de Plume," by Jim Holland<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjliJSIJFRe0dZh_E95v5-zl98EoBeXA-BHT7Xdlf7U5mXwigcGesIlTWGfvvNoJt8q_Xyq0NbkNdEf8OHonJTzpShs0MjWsrciArHfdW1n3MfnRNB6Hjn7zQLSb32a9whXIUT6Q9edtTeF/s1600/2018-12-15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1070" data-original-width="1070" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjliJSIJFRe0dZh_E95v5-zl98EoBeXA-BHT7Xdlf7U5mXwigcGesIlTWGfvvNoJt8q_Xyq0NbkNdEf8OHonJTzpShs0MjWsrciArHfdW1n3MfnRNB6Hjn7zQLSb32a9whXIUT6Q9edtTeF/s320/2018-12-15.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1308204551205837843.post-26773468637338056522018-12-14T00:01:00.000-08:002018-12-14T00:01:06.067-08:00"Crunch Time," by Brian Thomas<h2>
Constructor's Comments</h2>
'Tis the season to drink some HOT COCOA and snuggle up watching ELF, my favorite Christmas movie. Throw in a day with a SKI (or maybe two!), and this puzzle is arriving at the perfect time of year—albeit unintentionally, because the wintry fill was a happy bonus to the theme. Speaking of the theme, I'm a big fan of some potato chips (unfortunately for my health) and poker (unfortunately for my wallet)—so combining the two seemed like a fun combo. Hope all enjoy and have a wonderful holiday season!<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1308204551205837843.post-57943312331325735892018-12-13T00:01:00.000-08:002018-12-13T00:01:01.998-08:00"Internal Conflict," by Jeffrey Wechsler<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5mgihocSHTsF2YVlL_qUrjheazwara6-URT5X7WugGym6xT-O_oSz3B14EubsUANe_gg3G9gU54LcHeMLNLvUfNchdIykVItPZ67EV-5VeckVC5kjSqjxGfISbs-6369hKd0GomfZ7H3_/s1600/2018-12-13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1070" data-original-width="1070" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5mgihocSHTsF2YVlL_qUrjheazwara6-URT5X7WugGym6xT-O_oSz3B14EubsUANe_gg3G9gU54LcHeMLNLvUfNchdIykVItPZ67EV-5VeckVC5kjSqjxGfISbs-6369hKd0GomfZ7H3_/s320/2018-12-13.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1308204551205837843.post-72003965465995241422018-12-12T00:01:00.000-08:002018-12-12T00:01:06.920-08:00"Curses!" by Andrew Zhou<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1308204551205837843.post-37806258584323403622018-12-11T00:01:00.000-08:002018-12-11T00:01:01.788-08:00"Extreme Weather," by Andy Kravis<h2>
Constructor's Comments</h2>
I constructed this puzzle almost a year ago. I hadn't really looked at it since then until I went back and solved it a few days ago, during which time I fell for—without exaggeration—12 of my purposely misdirecting clues. Hope you find them more memorable than I did.<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1308204551205837843.post-6260683164594444922018-12-10T00:01:00.000-08:002018-12-10T00:01:06.078-08:00"Mixology," by Larry Nargi<h2>
Constructor's Comments</h2>
I like puzzles and I like cocktails, so here we are. Although it's a fairly straightforward theme, I thought it would be fun. Thanks, David, for being on board with that and for making some good editing suggestions to improve the fill.<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1308204551205837843.post-42498893352522615922018-12-09T00:01:00.000-08:002018-12-09T00:01:05.132-08:00"Almighty Dollar," by Pancho Harrison<h2>
Constructor's Comments</h2>
This grid was essentially David's idea. The two previous grids I'd come up with did not have the 11-letter entries at 3- and 25-Down, and we were both having problems finding acceptable fill for a Monday-level puzzle. My original construction also had 23 three-letter words instead of David's 16, and only 11 five-letter entries as opposed to David's 24. His was a much better balance of four- and five-letter words, at 24 and 24.<br />
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So when he sent me his idea for the new construction, with the O-shape of black squares in the middle and the two long Down entries, it resolved most of the inherent fill difficulties. The title was also David's—best I could come up with was "Pinching Pennies," which doesn't actually make much sense! I've found that titles can be a bit problematic when one of the theme entries is a revealer.<br />
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My strong suit has never been 15x15s, so David's help was invaluable in this one, my debut puzzle for The Puzzle Society!<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1308204551205837843.post-29918329707705316862018-12-08T00:01:00.000-08:002018-12-08T00:01:08.468-08:00"Common Core," by Jim Quinlan<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1