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 Friday.

Where you might catch a large-mouthed 
bass....................................OPERA
Idle laughter source?...................ERIC
What a loser brings up?.................THEREAR
Hit record?.............................SHINER
Tish cule is ridded with them...........TYPOS
Rule broken by deities?.................IBEFOREE

Puzzle containing the best clue nominees

In two weeks the 2016 Orca Award winners will be announced. The Orca Awards is the annual tribute to the best crossword puzzles of the year. One of the categories is the Bob Klahn Award for Best Clue. Sam Donaldson has created a puzzle incorporating all ten best clue nominees. Click this link for a PDF of the puzzle.

Youngest Crossword Constructor

A 13 year-old has just broken the record for youngest NYT crossword constructor. After eight rejections, Daniel Larsen created a puzzle that met Will Shortz's standards and was published last Tuesday. 

The seventh-grader's puzzle had a very fun theme: things Elmer Fudd might say: TWEEHOUSE (tree house), SWATMACHINE (slot machine), WHISKEYMOVE (risky move), WOWEDMOUTHS (loud mouths), and QUACKOFDAWN (crack of dawn). I also enjoyed the clever clue: Man's nickname that's just wonderful? MARV.

For more on this story and insight into Will Shortz's crossword selection process click on this article.

Clever Clue of the Month

January 2017

Clue: They're going places?..............TOILETS
Constructor/Editor: Elizabeth C Gorski
Crossword Nation, Tuesday, January 31, 2017