Pun of a Kind

  Meta #14 PDF  /  PUZ Let's try this title again, haha. 1.  Meta #13 recap #13 answer:  THE FIRST NOEL Correct entries: 23 Winners:  DrTom and RPardoe  - congrats!! Pretty straightforward: A bunch of punny phrases with the first "L" (but not the second!) of common expressions removed, which phonetically gives us the first no-L or " THE FIRST NOEL ," the answer to this meta. The bonus was that not only were there no other Ls in the grid - but there was not a single "L" in any clue whatsoever! That took...longer than I would have liked it to, haha. 2. So, suffice it to say, I'm pretty much just Mr. Meta now. Metas have an intriguing element that have captivated me, and I wouldn't be surprised if I renumber my old puzzles eventually to represent the meta aspect. Gaffney's puzzles hooked me in the middle of '20 and haven't let go since! (That reminds me...I have to do this week's!). I did not know at the time that there was such a ...

Link now public - sorry for the confusion!! PDF You can get this introduction on the first page of the PDF. Hello, puzzlers! ‘Tis the season to be solving…another conundrum by yours truly! If you feel like decking the halls with a wild enigmatic ride, then read on! This year’s challenge is a crostic (sometimes called an anacrostic), which you can see depicted on the following several pages. If you know all about crostics, fine, skip all of this – but if you want some guidance on how they work, the premise is simple (the premise, not the puzzle itself!): there are a series of [CLUE S] that you will answer (similar to those of a crossword). When you answer a clue, place one letter in each of the appropriate spaces in the [ANSWERS] region (thus, you know the length of all of the 30 answers already). Then, you will transfer these letters to the corresponding spaces in the [GRID] (note that the spaces in the grid are both numbered and also labeled with the letter corresponding to the clu...

Meta #13 PDF  /  PUZ Crossword enthusiasts of America, unite! I hope we have had a very happy and carbohydrate-infused Thanksgiving. It's an intense universe out there sometimes, but crosswords can be rather therapeutic for me, and I hope they give you as much happiness as they give me. I am brimming with gratitude for each of you and for every kind word and comment you've given me this past year. In a non-meta sense, I concede that my craft needs some work, but I tend to be quite spontaneous with my voice in the indie sphere. I presume any zaniness makes up for the standard ANOA or ETUI that enters into the grid (I enjoy those sometimes!!). (If you are continuing to read this...uh, why, there's a meta to crack!) 1.  Meta #12 recap #12 answer: ACTUARIAL SCIENCE Correct entries:  19 Winner:  benchen71  - congrats!! (I don't want to regurgitate anything, so breakdown of the meta here !) 2.  Today's meta, so I think, is  1  of 5 (Did I judg...

PDF  /  PUZ What, it's a non- meta??? (Yes, yes it is.) I'm playing fast and loose a bit with this one but wanted to practice rapid-fire construction and cluing, so this one was churned out in a day or so. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday, and certainly gratitude can help me, as long as I remember how pivotal that practice is.  Wishing you and your loved ones many happy festivities today! Mikey G

Meta #12 PDF  /  PUZ Stop! Meta time! 1. Puzzle #11 recap Puzzle #11 answer:  ZARF Correct entries:  17 Winner: Frankie  - congrats!! We had five themers in this puzzle, all going down  and all the first  of their kind (Mickey Mouse cartoon, element, Super Bowl winner, state, and amendment), making the answer FIRST DOWN ! (This was made a bit more challenging by several who saw the prompt as "sports team" instead of "sports term "). 2.  Today's puzzle has a Level of 3.5  of 5. Expert meta creator Joshua Rubin  (who's made almost 50!) helped with test solving and gave super feedback - thanks!! Good luck!! Mikey G This meta is solved after you find the two-word answer to the mystery question.

Meta #11   PDF  /  PUZ A much tougher meta this time, in honor of my favorite beverage! 1.  September recap September answer:  ZARF Correct entries:  13 Winner:  Meg  - congrats!! We had four themers in this puzzle all about COFFEE BEST DRINK EVER, along with the title "Make It a Double" and my predilection toward clue-based hints. I try to be vigilant against dupes and would never  place words intentionally in the grid in clues without there being a purpose to it. Four non-coffee related words in each of the themers are "doubled" in the clues elsewhere in the grid. BABY = "Baby Blues" character = ZOE PROPER = Proper = APT YOURSELF = "Check this out for yourself!" = READIT SPILL = Take a spill = FALL The first letters spell ZARF , something that contains coffee (a mini-hint with "contained" in the meta prompt). I actually first heard of this word due to another cruciverbalist! It can both refer to the cardboard sleeve around the cup, in...

PDF  /  PUZ Just call me Mr. Meta (three in a row!). I have become enamored with the meta, including Gaffney's epic weekly challenge (that I began about one year ago), so that might be slowly what this blog becomes. Additionally, thanks to the persistence of many steadfast muggles, we hit the quarter-century mark last week! 1.  August #2 recap August #1 answer: (CHICAGO) CUBS Correct entries: 25 Winners: Darth  and dudeski  - congrats!! In honor of the Gaffney meta whose answer was  COMEDY CENTRAL, here was a meta with four of the five NL Central used in hilariously  punny themers (my favorite). The missing one was my beloved CUBS, the answer to the meta. Says ky-mike: The CUBS are missing. Kinda describes this season, doesn't it? Bahahaha, yes. But, indeed, I've worn Cubbie blue since '92 - and that will never change. 💙 2.  Today's puzzle has a Level of  2  or 2.5  of 5 and is a tribute to my favorite beverage. Good luck!! Mi...

PDF  /  PUZ This is turning into a meta-fest pretty quickly, haha - but since there's becoming a greater overlap between this blog and the Muggles forum, I don't think you guys will mind! Here's a bonus meta before I go TEACH  again, which was our meta answer for the past puzzle! (Note we're still on track to have one at the end of August also!)   1. August #1 recap June answer: TEACH Correct entries:  13 Winner: hoover  - congrats!! We literally went back to school on this one, as each longer entry had five schools scattered throughout the entries, written backward. DRAWFORTH = HOWARD CITYBLOCK = COLBY INAROUNDABOUTWAY = AUBURN NOVELIDEA = ELON HELPMEOUT = TEMPLE The first letters of the theme entries are HCAET, which - of course - spelled backward is TEACH , which is what I will once again do beginning this upcoming week! Hoover , the winner, mused on why I included those five schools. The short answer: They were the only ones that worked, hahaha. ...

PDF  /  PUZ Well, I'm trying not too cry too loudly after my beloved Cubbies had a fire sale to close out the trade deadline - so don't be surprised if that shows up in the puzzles, haha. And it's the end of the month, so you know what that means: meta time! First, a recap on the previous one:   1.  July recap June answer:  1776 Correct entries: 17 Winner:  Laura M and oldjudge  - congrats!! It's hard to tell what's going on with just those two entries, but those happened to be entries clued at #37 and #48. (Note plenty of red herrings - include one very literal!) The title of the puzzle, "Use the Fourth," hints that we are to do something with "fourth," and in this case, it's the letter in the fourth position of every  clue (this took a while, haha). Taking the fourth letter of every clue, in fact, spells out the directive: FIND THE PRODUCT OF THE CLUE NUMBERS OF THE GRID ENTRIES TO START AND END WITH THE SAME LETTER. And the only two  are ...

PDF  /  PUZ Puzzlers of the world, welcome! I hope we're having a wonderful summer - mine has been extremely busy, and I'm on vacation now, so I'm already working on my to-do list: Do crosswords Write crosswords Play with my GINGER CAT BEST CAT EVER And that pretty much sums it up, haha. Here's a puzzle from my end to celebrate...well, I think you'll see. Another meta drops next Friday, which reminds me, I need to get cluing on that! Keep on puzzling! Mikey G

  PDF  /  PUZ Another meta hot off the presses - though last month's was the one that was truly all about that Hot Stuff! More on that in a bit. If I had the bandwidth to make a meta a week, I definitely would - but I'm busy with all of my other pursuits, including work, so a monthly meta will have to suffice! (There's plenty of other metas out there to keep you busy, for sure!!)   1.  June recap May answer:  JUNE CARTER (CASH) (to celebrate June, of course!) Correct entries:  8 , haha - maybe a little trickier this time! Winner: LesY   One of my favorites to this day! I wouldn't likely use the word SHEW  unless I absolutely 100% couldn't find a better crossing (or felt like referencing Ed Sullivan!). The five entries highlighted above have clues that end with something that could be considered "hot," hence the title! (The longer theme entries are meant to nudge you into looking at the last words of five of the clues - I might not always be t...

PDF  /  PUZ My Cubbies had an excellent May - so you know I'm on cloud nine! (The Giants were playing World Series level baseball this past weekend - what a series.) I'm teaching summer school but also hope to post some more non-meta puzzles here, though I'm very aware the metas get the most traffic! As always, wait for the last weekend in the month for those. 😀 I was honored to be part of Rachel and Claire's first crowd-sourced puzzle here , which you should solve first if you haven't already before you tackle the one below! I also solved it again because I can't remember anything. This grid was made several months back (like a handful on my end!) but haven't had time to clue it until now. A big shout-out to Will for test-solving and to Ricky for seed inspiration! Stay cool out there! Mikey G Editor's note: Don't eat the aux cord.

PDF  /  PUZ Meta solvers of the world, unite! I've been trying to average three puzzles a month, but I've had a very busy May, so I was only able to do a couple this time. I love this newfound craft and have a lot to learn, so thank you for coming alongside me on this journey!   1.  April recap: April answer:  BASEBALL DIAMOND Correct entries: 10 Winners:  boharr  and  DannyVee  - congrats!! It was only a matter of time before the first baseball crossword (and maybe not the last!). There is a quite literal BASEBALL DIAMOND  in the middle of the grid, with various clues circling the grid (much in a similar fashion to a baseball diamond, though I wish I could've fit in a HOME RUN along the way).   2.  Today's puzzle has a Level of 2.5  of 5, according to world-renowned meta test-solver Paolo Pasco. See if you can unravel the hints and find our mystery person this time around!   The answer to the meta is a 20th-cent...

PDF / PUZ Puzzlers of the world, welcome! I hope we are having a fantastic May thus far - and I have a puzzle for you below! I'm always looking at specs, and obviously, the puzzling experience is not necessarily related to that, but I was happy to pull off my first 15-by-15 with 34 squares and five themers! And, as always, if you don't like the theme, pretend it's a themeless! That's my new philosophy, haha. A super shout-out to Norah, who gave incredible feedback! You can find her puzzles here . Until next time! Mikey G

Update (4/25, 9:30 am): Correct PDF now posted - sorry about that!! PDF  /  PUZ Hello, puzzlers of the world! We're closing (not on a house, just on the month), which means it's meta time!   1. March recap: March answer:  LITTLE WOMEN Correct entries:  20 Winners:  BarbaraK and Matt  - congrats!! I hope to have more literary metas in the future! I'm a big bookworm, although I hadn't read this one! It's almost universal knowledge that Beth, Meg, Amy, and Jo are the sisters in LITTLE WOMEN , this meta's answer. The bonus  was that the surname of all four sisters is...March, fitting for the March meta! A special shout-out to C=64 , who also  tested this month's meta and cracked that bonus!! He wins...the satisfaction of a job well done (gee, thanks).   2.  Today's puzzle has a Level of  1.5 , maybe of 5. I'm hoping to have some redemption here for a previous meta and if you know, you know.   The answer to the meta is a p...

PDF / PUZ Hello, crossworld! I hope we are off to a great spring, a fantastic season because a) we can finally start to solve our crosswords outside and b) baseball!!!!!  It's hard to study the full scope of American history (though technically the sport is based on the British activity of rounders) without examining the indelible impact of this amazing, iconic pastime. In case you're wondering where my allegiance lies, my household bleeds Cubbie blue, and the 2016 World Series victory is still one of the happiest memories we cherish to the this day. And as a result, today's puzzle...has nothing to do with baseball, whoops (maybe soon!). Special thanks to kormad for the deep, incisive test run! Happy solving! Mikey G  

Hi! I'm a crossword! PDF / PUZ / Solution

PDF / PUZ It's the last weekend of the month, which means it's meta time! Links above - and in-site puzzle and submission form are below! A couple of notes:   1. A quick recap of the last one, one of my faves to date: February answer: TONE Correct entries: 17 Winners: C=64 (again!!) and Frankie - congrats!! The four 9-letter entries each have three consecutive letters in a row, which (along with the title) is meant to hearken back to a classic telephone. Using the standard arrangement, DEF = 3, GHI = 4, MNO = 6, and ABC = 2; the four letters in the grid that correspond to those numbers spell TONE, the meta answer!   2. Today's puzzle has a Level of 1 of 5 - so let's strive for a record! And, if you think there's no rhyme or reason to my meta levels...you're absolutely right!!   The answer to the meta is a two-word title. Loading… Happy solving! Mikey G

Hello, crossworld! 1. We start off with the most important business: my best friend Ginger Cat has a birthday today, turning 2 years old! Best cat ever! (There are no salmon birthday cakes, I checked.) 2. Next, we had drawings over the weekend for the December and January metas that I am completely behind on (oops). December goes to Wendy (who wonders if she can still call herself an amateur if she won!) and January 's two winners are C=64 and ky-mike . Nicely done! The Meta Hall of Fame is updated! Here is January's grid, which had 23/23 correct answers (previously revealed as GARNET ). I'd like to thank the Academy (and Microsoft Paint). 3. There are henceforth two winners for each meta. For the first drawing, each individual has a 1/ n chance of being chosen ( n = total). For the second drawing, your chance increases the earlier you submit. If you are the p th individual who submits ( p = position), your chance of being chosen is: Isn't math wonderful?   4...

Don't get used to this. (It is worth noting that many of these clues are like my normal ones anyway.) PDF / PUZ    

Well, it's the last Friday of the month, so you know what that means! It's another Mikey meta! Let's see if I can keep this up all year, haha. Level: 3 of 5. I know, I know, I need to update the Meta Hall of Fame from last time. I'm a millennial, so it'll get done in a few years or so. I am still reeling from a crazy Week 3 Gaffney this past week that I got just under the wire with a little nudge along the way - as always, shout-out for my fellow muggles for that! That takes my record to 21-5-1 since I dove headfirst into this wild and wacky world. No regrets! Special shout-out to Brian and Mollie for test-solving this one! If you think you have the answer, you may submit it by e-mail at mrgraczyk at gmail dot com or, preferably, at this form . Tentative deadline is Friday, March 5 at 11:59 pm, central. Happy solving! Mikey G PDF / PUZ   The answer to the meta is a 4-letter word.

My mom was the test-solver on this one and basically summed it up with, "Well, I got all your puns har har, but the rest was hard. You know I don't like math." She also loved the theme. "Oh, there was a theme?" I hope you are staying warm with lots of puzzles this winter! Until next time, Mikey G PDF / PUZ

I think I did this right. Katja Brinck came in clutch this time with some fantastic, last-minute feedback and great edits, so much appreciated for the test-solve and the kind words! All 23 participants to the January meta got the correct answer of GARNET, my mother's (and January's, of course!) birthstone. I will post that to the Meta Hall of Fame when I remember, so hopefully before March (2027). Have a lovely Sunday, and remember, YAY SPORTS! Mikey G PDF / PUZ

Take two! It's time for another Mikey meta! (Please clap.) Level: 1 of 5 - so this is a great time to join the Meta Hall of Fame !! (Consider this my gift after the last one, haha.) Some shout-outs in order. I want to thank all the wonderful people at XWord Muggles for their support, camaraderie, and kind words - what a great community! Second, a huge shout-out to Mollie Cowger , whose feedback has been amazing and invaluable for this one - and she launched a new site too, so check it out! If you think you have the answer, you may submit it by e-mail at mrgraczyk at gmail dot com or, preferably, at this form . Tentative deadline is January 31 at 11:59 pm, when I'll probably still be tutoring the best students ever! Until next time - less cross words, more crosswords! Mikey G PDF / PUZ

Sort of, haha. This was one of my birthday presents to my mom, who test-solved it and was contractually obligated to say she loves it. She only likes the Mondays and Tuesdays, so my goal was to make the cluing a bit easier on this one if possible. I'm back to work now, so I'd say one puzzle every 10-14 days or so sounds fair. Groupies, please form an orderly line. I hope your 2021 is off to a great start! Mikey G PDF / PUZ

I will echo Ricky Cruz, whose blog is here , for this one. You are way better off staying out of social media right now. Just keep a news broadcast open to stay informed, and make the most of today. And of course, today more than most, enjoy the puzzle! I'm going back to work soon, so the puzzles will not post with as much frequency - but I have loved getting to know a lot of you and thank you guys for the warm welcome to this community! Today's puzzle challenge was to construct an entire puzzle, clue it (which I love but takes me forever), have it test-solved, and post it within 24 hours. It was a bit grueling, but we did it! Another shout-out belongs to Quiara , who test-solved this and gave great feedback on a very short notice!! Mike PDF / PUZ