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.

Covering in the news?...................MASK

Crack jokes, perhaps?...................POTTYHUMOR

Does some sole searching?...............FISHES

Some real heady stuff?..................BEER

Center of a circle or square, maybe.....STATUE

Name of Washington's football team, as

of 2020.................................FOOTBALLTEAM

Clever Clue of the Month

November 2020
Clue: Final exam?..........................................AUTOPSY
Constructors: Kameron Austin Collins & Paolo Pasco; Editor: Will Shortz
NYT, Saturday, November 7, 2020

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.

Person with a line of credit?...........ACTOR

Final exam?.............................AUTOPSY

Large amount, originally 48 bushels (we 

kid you not)............................BUTTLOAD

Hearing aid?............................COURTREPORTER

Fail to keep off the grass?.............TOKE

Warning of reckless driving?............FORE

Clever Clue of the Month

 

October 2020
Clue: Navel base..........................................ABDOMEN
Constructor: Alex Eaton-Salners; Editor: Mike Shenk
WSJ, Thursday, October 1, 2020

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.

Navel base..............................ABDOMEN

Made tense?.............................PAST

Business whose clients might go belly 

up?.....................................PETSPA

Secret thing since the '50s.............ROLLONDEODORANT

Time's role in the book business........YELLOWER

Cut the cheese, perhaps.................GRATE

Clever Clue of the Month

 

September 2020

Clue: Head for the backcountry?..................OUTHOUSE 
Constructors/Editors: Amy Schecter and Christina Iverson 
Inkubator, Friday, September 11, 2020

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.

Venues for star-studded shows?..........PLANETARIA
Rotten to the Corps?....................AWOL
Gets one over on........................BOGEYS
Trustworthy woman?......................HEIRESS
Head for the backcountry?...............OUTHOUSE
Result of providing service and getting
nothing in return?......................ACE

Crossword Chat

 Matt Gaffney, Mike Miller, and Mike Shenk have a great conversation about crossword puzzles at this link. Especially informative is the section where Mike Shenk creates a puzzle and discusses the finer points of filling the grid. 

Clever Clue of the Month

 

August 2020
Clue: Cultural center?................................BIOLAB
Constructor: Greg Johnson; Editor: Stanley Newman
Newsday, Saturday, August 8, 2020

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.

Drops from a workout....................SWEAT

Ring highlights?........................GEMSTONES

Cultural center?........................BIOLAB

Where to get a mullet trimmed...........FISHMARKET

Mexican bar tender......................PESO

One may eat at your place...............TERMITE

Clever Clue of the Month

July 2020
Clue: Grounds crew?............BARISTAS
Constructors/Editor: Patrick Berry
The New Yorker, Monday, July 13, 2020

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.

Folks who share a joint?................CELLMATES

Constellation in the very middle of this 

clue, not counting spaces...............LEO

Word containing itself twice............ESS

Grounds crew?...........................BARISTAS

Movable type?...........................NOMAD

Skeptical comment from a podiatrist?....MYFOOT

Clever Clue of the Month

June 2020
Clue: Undercover asset?.........MATTRESSPAD
Constructors/Editor: Erik Agard
The New Yorker, Friday, June 5, 2020

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 Saturday.

Undercover asset?.......................MATTRESSPAD

Provider of Tour de France coverage.....LYCRA

"Cheese" products.......................SMILES

Spike of interest in movies?............LEE

Kind of artist who's not very good?.....CON

Olympic record?.........................MYTH

Clever Clue of the Month

April 2020
Clue: Toast words?.................IMAGONER
Constructor: Erik Agard & Leslie Rogers; Editor: Rich Norris
LAT, Saturday, May 16, 2020

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.

Martyr complex?.........................SHRINE

One who's used to adding pressure?......MATHLETE

One watching the kids?..................GOATHERD

Toast words?............................IMAGONER

Apt flowers for an optometrist's

office?.................................IRISES

Fix, as a toy...........................SPAY

Clever Clue of the Month

April 2020
Clue: Flight simulator?............STAIRMASTER
Constructor: Andrew Ries; Editor: Will Shortz
NYT, Saturday, April 25, 2020

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 Sunday.

Cabbage in a French cafe?...............EUROS

Relief pitcher of old...................ROLAIDS

Flight simulator?.......................STAIRMASTER

Like dates that lack a heart............PITTED

Off-season air fare.....................RERUN

Bender with a cap.......................KNEE

Clever Clue of the Month

March 2020
Clue: One with savings accounts?................HERO
Constructor/Editor: Evan Birnholz
Evan Birnholz's Washington Post Crossword, Sunday, March 1, 2020

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 Friday.

One with savings accounts?..............HERO

Threat bearing small arms?..............TREX

It has a lot of competition on TV.......ESPN

Rule that keeps you from spelling 

weirdly?................................IBEFOREE

Foul creature?..........................BALLBOY

Poison storage of the 1980s.............CDRACK

Clever Clue of the Month

February 2020
Clue: See the seasons pass quickly?....BINGEWATCH
Constructor: Aimee Lucido; Editor: Will Shortz
NYT, Friday, February 28, 2020

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 Wednesday.

Like a piggy just waking up.............TINGLY

Giant who was 5'9"......................OTT

Pet peeve?..............................LEASH

Looked over slides at home, say.........UMPED

Low-tech clickers?......................PENS
See the seasons pass quickly?...........BINGEWATCH

Clever Clue of the Month

January 2020

Clue: Makes even more gross?..........GETSARAISE 

Constructor: Evan Kalish; Editor: Rich Norris
LAT, Saturday, January 25, 2020

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 Monday.

Hand-to-hand combat locales?............POKERTABLE
Like this clue, which is unnecessarily 

verbose and could be way more succinct 

than it is..............................WORDY
For actress Shelley of Nia?.............PROLONG
Reacts to something depressing?.........SAYSAH
Makes even more gross?..................GETSARAISE
Brings home, as Twins...................DRIVESIN

Clever Clue of the Month

December 2019
Clue: Ring in one's ears....................CROPCIRCLE 

Constructor: Ed Sessa; Editor: Rich Norris
LAT, Saturday, December 14, 2019