Thursday, December 31, 2015

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

Friday, December 11, 2015

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.


Wednesday, December 2, 2015

Clever Clue of the Month


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

Monday, November 30, 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

Monday, November 2, 2015

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



Saturday, October 31, 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

Saturday, October 10, 2015

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:


Saturday, October 3, 2015

Clever Clue of the Month


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

Wednesday, September 30, 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

Wednesday, September 2, 2015

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

Monday, August 31, 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

Sunday, August 9, 2015

Monday, August 3, 2015

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

Friday, July 31, 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

Thursday, July 2, 2015

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

Tuesday, June 30, 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

Thursday, June 11, 2015

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

Wednesday, June 3, 2015

Clever Clue of the Month


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

Sunday, May 31, 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

Sunday, May 3, 2015

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

Thursday, April 30, 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

Friday, April 3, 2015

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

Wednesday, April 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

Wednesday, March 18, 2015

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.

Tuesday, March 3, 2015

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

Saturday, February 28, 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

Tuesday, February 3, 2015

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

Saturday, January 31, 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

Monday, January 5, 2015

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

Thursday, January 1, 2015

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