Puzzle Ninety-Seven: Any Day Now

Still putting finishing touches on the JPZ version of the variety cryptic I promised, so here's a themed puzzle I hope you enjoy. .puz / PDF

As I approach the 100th puzzle here, and the blog's fifth anniversary (which I think is in August or September; hopefully I haven't missed it), I keep trying to think of ideas for a really cool meta puzzle of some sort and all I can think is that it will never be as good as Puzzle #100 on Paolo Pasco's blog Grids These Days, the mindbending "Remedial Chaos Theory," which you are required to attempt if you are reading this and haven't done so already. Paolo has constructed some other legendary metas, like his puzzle "The Butterfly Effect" for Matt Gaffney's Weekly Crossword Contest; his July 2023 Barbenheimer puzzle for AVCX, and the meta puzzle he printed one copy of and left on the giveaway table at ACPT 2023. I solved it from a photo taken by Stella Zawistowski, who retrieved it; you really may have to do some legwork to find that one, but it will be worth it.

And you might notice the PayPal donate button below (again). As discussed in more detail in my last post, I have some extra bills to pay at the moment. So if you've enjoyed the puzzles on the site and care to donate a small amount to support it, I'd be grateful.

 

Constructed by Richard D. Allen using PuzzleMe's crossword generator

Puzzle Ninety-Six: Snack Break

I've always been fond of this puzzle (I actually thought I'd published this puzzle a while back). No .puz file, but you can download and print a PDF through the PuzzleMe applet below.

A Trans Person Made Your Puzzle just launched. Get a set of puzzles from an all-star list of trans and nonbinary constructors, including Ada Nicolle and Francis Heaney, for a donation of $10 or more to a US charity that aids transgender people. 

Up shortly: some cryptic puzzles I've been toiling upon with the help of better clue-writers than I.

And you might notice the PayPal donate button below, which hasn't appeared on the site in.a couple of years. I kind of hate to ask for money given all the other people in the world who need it more, but due to illness and death in my family, I had to take about four months away from work earlier this year, and though I have savings, I didn't budget for that, and bills have piled up. The cost of operating the site is only about $150 a year, but it takes a lot of time to make these puzzles, imperfect as they may be, especially the meta puzzles, which I'd estimate take about 10 hours a month to construct, post and do followup for (giving nudges, writing up answers, emailing winners, etc), which is why they don't always show up on the last Thursday of the month like I mean them to. So if you've enjoyed the puzzles on the site and care to donate a small amount to support it, I'd be grateful.

 

Constructed by Richard D. Allen with the crossword puzzle creator from Amuse Labs

Puzzle Ninety-Five: Colorful Character (meta)

 Easy (and small) one this time.

I had the Universal crossword back on February 18 if you want to backtrack, it should still be available.

The meta answer is a cartoon character. Entries are due at 12 PM, Friday, March 7.

Submit answers via Crosshare link below, which also provides PDF and .puz downloads. 

Puzzle Ninety-Four: The Limits of My Language (18x15 themeless)

My wife challenged me to construct a puzzle with 40-Across as a seed entry. 2 years later, it's here.

.puz / PDF

Apologies for the lack of a January contest meta, and for the delay in posting answers for Thanks I Hate It from October and the Super Secret Contest Meta, whose deadline was December 31. I have been dealing with a whole lot since December and where I have a number of non-meta puzzles already in the queue, I haven't had the mental energy to create a contest meta in a couple of months. I hope to bring it back, but for now the meta contest has to go on hiatus. 

I have a Universal puzzle set to run on February 18. I posted a few new PuzzGrids (Connections / Only Connect-style puzzles) this fall. And if you're a National Puzzle League member, I debuted as a contributor to The Enigma last issue with two flats.

Puzzle Ninety-Three: Reach for the Stars (meta)

Cassette cover scan by Rene Walter.

Once you're done with this puzzle, take a moment to check out my AVCX Classic puzzle, published yesterday: "All-Around Incredible," and my article on Crossword Craze, a chronicle of notable moments in crossword history during the pivotal year of 1924, about Foster's Cross-Word Puzzles, a short-lived crossword variant.

The meta answer is something that might be in the stars for a star. PDF and .puz available through Crosshare below. The deadline is 12 PM EST, Thursday, December 12, 2024. 

Puzzle Ninety-Two: Thanks I Hate It (A Spooky Season Puzzle)

 

UPDATE (2/26/2025): A PDF of answers and explanations is available here.

Before we get to the puzzle, let's talk about VOTING.

I am going to assume that puzzle solvers are sane, responsible people nd as a result are planning to vote for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz, or already have. (If you're a Trump voter, stop reading here. And I mean stop reading this blog for good. This isn't the place for you.)

I have worked as a volunteer doing voter protection, vote curing and poll observing since 2012. Here is important information for anyone who hasn't voted yet. State laws vary on these points, but these are general principles.

• CHECK YOUR REGISTRATION to make sure you are still registered, and confirm your assigned polling place, before heading to the polls. There have been all kinds of voter disenfranchisement schemes this year. If there's a problem, report it to your local Board of Elections ASAP. If you're not registered, see if your state has same-day registration.
• BRING APPROVED ID if you have it, and check the list of approved IDs beforehand if your state requires voter ID. Republicans in my state, North Carolina, have successfully instituted very restrictive voter ID laws beginning this year. Even if your state doesn't have voter ID laws, why not just bring it anyway? If you don't have the right ID and still need a voter ID card, contact your local BoE ASAP.
• VOTE EARLY IF YOU CAN to avoid unexpected lines and in case something goes wrong.
• VOTE THE WHOLE BALLOT because state supreme courts and state legislatures control things like who will have the right to bodily autonomy, and which states will have some semblance of fair elections. You would be shocked to learn how many people don't flip the ballot over.
• KNOW THAT THERE ARE ACCOMMODATIONS FOR THE DISABLED in place even in restrictive states like NC. They include curbside voting and the ability to have someone else fill out your ballot for you, though this may require the involvement of a poll worker.
• CAST A PROVISIONAL BALLOT if necessary but DON'T LEAVE WITHOUT VOTING.

On to the puzzle. A little departure today, in the spirit of last December's puzzle suite. You will submit the four shorter answers via the Crosshare link below. Instructions (also posted on the Crosshare page):

The Crosshare page is just a way to submit answers to the PDF-only puzzle available at the Dropbox link below. You'll have the ability to submit the full meta answer once you enter the four shorter answers correctly. Please use the honor system and don't check / reveal on Crosshare unless you think you've got at least three of the answers, as solving the meta will be fairly trivial if you have all four correct four-letter answers.

Deadline is Wednesday, November 6 at 12 PM EST (to make sure there's no conflict with Election Day).

PDF link: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/4ziyxje86c5imjgrinhnb/LD92_ThanksIHateIt.pdf?rlkey=nimsqb9mdp890plom395pstf5&st=ssew2daj&dl=1 

Crosshare link: https://crosshare.org/crosswords/4YCBUHxgV1aPkzxhxWVs/thanks-i-hate-it

Many thanks to Crosscord members bolgat and Onefin for play-testing and providing helpful feedback.

Puzzle Ninety-One: Hangers-On (meta)

Heading out of town so rushing this one a little. Should have come out yesterday but such is life. The meta answer is an eight-letter word. Submissions due Friday, September 27 at 3 PM Eastern time. .puz and PDF available through Crosshare applet below.