One of my favorite recent innovations in the crossword space is Caleb Madison's Inferno puzzles at the Atlantic, which get harder and harder as you descend. I tried my own spin on it and... they're hard to make! My main conclusion is: hats off to Caleb! But I hope you appreciate my attempt. PDF Puz Fullscreen
I've been trying to keep to a cadence of at least one post per month on this blog, but February and most of March saw me in the metaphorical trenches. So, here's a last-minute technically-March-somewhere puzzle for your patience! I've been trying to name my themelesses to keep better track of them, and am glad I hit on a perfect title for this (admittedly lightly-themed) puzzle. Extremely excited for the upcoming ACPT (I will probably bring printouts of this puzzle to share there as well): at my second ACPT, I can't wait to upgrade from "knowing people's online handles, but not recognizing their names or faces" to "knowing people's names but still forgetting their faces." I will also be at Crossword Con the day before--say hi! And I will also be in scenic Carthage, New York the day after ACPT to try to see the eclipse; the forecast is "partly sunny," and I am extending a standing invitation to anyone who wants to go on an impromp
Got a puzzle in the New York Times! Play it here ; if you don't have an NYT subscription, you can probably figure out other ways to find it. This feels like a good opportunity to go a little more in-depth on my construction and publishing experience; some notes below! On constructing: This puzzle started with the oversized groups of black squares in the corners, because I liked the look of those big pools of ink. How the crossword looks before you solve it is part of the experience! (I think it's like the plating of a dish at a restaurant, in an awkward metaphor I've tried to force before.) With this many black squares, I could afford a pretty low wordcount, and I'm pleasantly surprised at the quality of fill I was able to get. (ENIGMATOLOGY, most famous as the invented major of a young Will Shortz, was a happy accident, not an attempt to curry favor!) I started filling from the top down; I'm a big fan of conversational fill, and SOIGATHERED is one of those phrases
I love the clue for 16A. also 29A was a great wake-up call, I haven't listened to her latest yet. mission accepted! (and thanks for the fun puzzle!
ReplyDelete