Clever Clue Nominees

Please vote for the best clue from December (either by email or comments below). The Clever Clue of the Month will be announced on Monday.

Creature that always uses the 

sidewalk?...............................CRAB 

Competition in which the winner always 

gets the last word?.....................BEE

There's one in this cule................ERROR

Canniest, for instance..................ANAGRAM

Heat-storing device.....................HOLSTER 

Offering from a master of deduction?....TAXTIP

Aha Moments

Crossword puzzle solvers are thrill seekers at heart according to Observer.com writer, Matthew Kassel, in a recent article: Chasing The 'Aha' Moment: The Rise of the Meta Puzzle.

Over the past few years, a new kind of puzzle has been gaining popularity among hardcore crossword people—one that promises to deliver, over and over again, the elusive kind of pleasure devoted cruciverbalists crave. Called the meta puzzle, it functions like a hit of crack compared to the line of cocaine that is a regular crossword.

The Wall Street Journal now offers a free weekly meta every Thursday. Hedge fund manager, Peter Muller, also offers a free meta, the Monthly Music Meta.

There are also a couple metas that are available for a small fee. Matt Gaffney has been creating his Weekly Crossword Contest for about eight years and Peter Gordon does about ten metas a year as part of his Fireball Crosswords.

Clever Clue of the Month

November 2015

Clue: Drop, like flies?......................................UNZIP
Constructor: Ed Sessa, Editor: Will Shortz
NY Times, Thursday, November 26, 2015

Clever Clue Nominees

Please vote for the best clue from November (either by email or comments below). The Clever Clue of the Month will be announced on Thursday.

Window shutter?.........................ESCAPEKEY

"Not activist Yoko!!!"..................ONO

Memorable '70s Ford.....................GERALD

Drop, like flies?.......................UNZIP

Verb that's an anagram of itself........STIFLE
Sun spot?...............................WANTAD

Clever Clue of the Month

October 2015

Clue: Walks on water?..........................PIERS
Constructor: Natalia Shore, Editor: Mike Shank
Wall Street Journal, Saturday, October 10, 2015

Clever Clue Nominees

Please vote for the best clue from October (either by email or comments below). The Clever Clue of the Month will be announced on Tuesday.

Coming off the market...................SAYINGIDO

Block party?............................TAXPREPARER

Walks on water?.........................PIERS

Driving hazard..........................SLICE

Pickup spots?...........................SCRUFFS

Soul seller.............................KIA

Watch Rex Parker solve a crossword puzzle

News

Wall Street Journal's puzzle master Mike Shenk

• In this golden age of crossword puzzles, things have just gotten even brighter. The Wall Street Journal, which up till now has had only a weekly puzzle, is now giving us daily puzzles! "The reaction has been joy," said the Journal's Senior Deputy Managing Editor Mike Miller in a CNN article. 

• You'll want to check out Across and Down, a weekly(?) crossword cartoon by Hayley Gold, a cartoonist and puzzle enthusiast from New York. Here's a frame from a recent posting:

Clever Clue of the Month

September 2015
Clue: Rock alternative.......................SCISSORS
Constructor/Editor: Peter Gordon
Fireball Crossword, Friday, September 25, 2015

Clever Clue Nominees

Please vote for the best clue from September (either by email or comments below). The Clever Clue of the Month will be announced on Saturday.

Things that can be popped on hogs.......WHEELIES

Twisted here this is....................SYNTAX

Fire-prevention program at school?......TENURE

Building with several levels, perhaps...TOOLSHED

Pro in the ledger-domain: Abbr. ........CPA

Rock alternative........................SCISSORS

"Unforgettable" - Merl Reagle

Merl Reagle will be missed.

Clever Clue of the Month

August 2015

Clue: Friday series originally airing on
Thursday...........................................DRAGNET
Constructor: Theresa Schmidt, Editor: Mike Shenk
Wall Street Journal, Friday, August 21, 2015

Clever Clue Nominees

Please vote for the best clue from August (either by email or comments below). The Clever Clue of the Month will be announced on Thursday.

$250 TV buy since '75...................ANO

Slips of paper?.........................ERRATA

Notes for a staff.......................MEMO

Old-fashioned letter opener.............STEAM

Mideast diet............................KNESSET

Friday series originally airing on 

Thursday................................DRAGNET

Crosswordese Puzzle

The PuzzleNation Blog offers up a puzzle with nothing but crosswordese:

Clever Clue of the Month

July 2015

Clue: 50 or more people?................................AARP 

Constructors: Ellen Leuschner & Jeff Chen, Editor: Will Shortz
NY Times, Sunday, July 26, 2015

Clever Clue Nominees

Please vote for the best clue from July (either by email or comments below). The Clever Clue of the Month will be announced on Monday.

Cover to protect from the heat? ........ABET

Obsession promoter .....................CALVINKLEIN

Take a toy that doesn't belong to you ..DOGNAP

Force unit .............................POLICECAR

50 or more people? .....................AARP

Gave somebody inexpensive diamonds? ....DEALT

Clever Clue of the Month

June 2015

Clue: Bangs on the head?...............................HAIR
Constructor: Melanie Miller, Editor: Rich Norris
LA Times, Sunday, June 14, 2015

Clever Clue Nominees

Please vote for the best clue from June (either by email or comments below). The Clever Clue of the Month will be announced on Friday.

Falls for a newlywed?..............NIAGARA                          

Reading material for the future?...TEALEAVES

Invasive plant.....................SPY

Criminal who welcomes a hanging?...ARTFORGER

Bangs on the head?.................HAIR

Two in a row?......................SPAT

Where Ott and Orr Are Most Valuable: 15 Across, or Maybe 7 Down

Mel Ott hit 511 home runs in his career and was a worthy entrant to the Hall of Fame. By most measures, he falls just a bit short of greats like Babe Ruth, Walter Johnson and Hank Aaron.

But in one way, Ott is quite simply the greatest baseball player who ever lived. Remainder of article

Clever Clue of the Month

May 2015

Clue: Exhibitionists?........................................CURATORS
Constructor: Barry Silk, Editor: Will Shortz
NY Times, Saturday, May 2, 2015

Clever Clue Nominees

Please vote for the best clue from May (either by email or comments below). The Clever Clue of the Month will be announced on Wednesday..

Exhibitionists? ....................CURATORS

Bachelor pad? ......................FUTON
Popular Cook book of 1977 ..........COMA

One giving you a pointer? ..........UNCLESAM

What chemists find attractive? .....ANIONS

They're burned by pirates ..........BOOTLEGCDS

Reagle and Shortz on Oprah

Clever Clue of the Month

April 2015
Clue: Pen that's no longer used......................ALCATRAZ
Constructor: David Phillips, Editor: Will Shortz
NY Times, Friday, April 10, 2015

Clever Clue Nominees

Please vote for the best clue from April (either by email or comments below). The Clever Clue of the Month will be announced on Monday.

Pen that's no longer used ..........ALCATRAZ

Counter intelligence? ..............SALESASSISTANTS

Sacks of diamonds?..................BASES

Drier times ........................WASHDAYS

Fight a losing battle? .............DIET

Bad change of scenery? .............VANDALISM

A Man A Plan A Palindrome

Clever Clue of the Month

March 2015
Clue: It reveals character flaws.......................SPELLCHECK
Constructor: Frank Longo, Editor: Peter Gordon
The Post Puzzler No. 256, Sunday, March 1, 2015

Clever Clue Nominees

Please vote for the best clue from March (either by email or comments below). The Clever Clue of the Month will be announced on Saturday.

It reveals character flaws .........SPELLCHECK
They catch busses at stadiums ......KISSCAMS
Familiar Bible setting .............HOTEL
Behind in French class? ............DERRIERE
Grey area ..........................OLDWEST
Company with a harrowing history? ..DEERE

Fireball Newsflash Crosswords

20 current events crosswords over the course of a year.
Puzzle answers taken from current news.
6 bucks.

Try a sample puzzle and see a video here.

Late Night Rambles // Crossword Puzzles

Clever Clue of the Month

February 2015
Clue: Site of unexpected change?...................SOFA 

Constructor: Paul Coulter, Editor: Rich Norris
LA Times, Friday, February 6, 2015

Clever Clue Nominees

Please vote for the best clue from February (either by email or comments below). The Clever Clue of the Month will be announced on Tuesday.

Site of unexpected change? ........SOFA

Ball boy? .........................DESIARNAZJR

Processed food? ...................ATE

Pyramid builder ...................CHEERLEADER

One whose work is at an end? ......INDEXER
You can rest your butt there ......ASHTRAY

Kate Draper: "Crossword Puzzle"

Clever Clue of the Month

January 2015
Clue: Pen output, with or without its first letter....OINK
Constructor: Marie Kelly, Editor: Mike Shenk
Wall Street Journal, Friday, January 9, 2015

Clever Clue Nominees

Please vote for the best clue from January (either by email or comments below). The Clever Clue of the Month will be announced on Tuesday.

Tiny characters in "E.T."?.......................PERIODS

Inaugural addresses?.............................STARTERHOMES

Pen output, with or without its first letter.....OINK

I.M. sent to a construction site?................PEI

Bum wraps?.......................................LUVS

Annoying pharmaceutical rep?.....................PILL

Crossword Puzzle Murder

Clever Clue of the Month

December 2015

Clue: Pack animal?...........................................JOECAMEL
Constructor: Brad Wilber & Doug Peterson; Editor: Will Shortz
NY Times, Friday, December 19, 2014

Clever Clue Nominees

Please vote for the best clue from December (either by email or comments below). The Clever Clue of the Month will be announced on Monday.

Killer that hangs around the porch?..............BUGZAPPER

Certain union member.............................WIFE

Ends of some board meetings?.....................MATES

Cheeky couple?...................................BUTTOCKS

Pack animal?.....................................JOECAMEL

Digital filer's target...........................TOENAIL