Pun of a Kind

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

For those of you who loved my first attempt at a meta, you're out of luck for this one, haha. First 17-by-17, though, which I haven't made since last year (har har - or ever). A few things of note as we start 2021: 1. I thank all of you for the kind feedback and constructive remarks you've given me on my puzzles so far. Unbeknownst to me, a thread here developed over my first attempt at a meta, including perhaps the unfair misdirect I gave in the title. The premise was that the four words in the middle - SAVERS, SHARES, SHEETS, and STAMPS - could all be preceded by the word "TIME" to make a valid word or phrase (time saver, timeshare, time sheet, and timestamp). And since they all form a square, it's a TIMES SQUARE (groan), the answer to the meta (note that the title was a reference to the famed ball at Times Square quite literally moving downward for the end-of-the-year countdown). If I ever do another one again, I'll make sure to have test-solvers...or...

Hello, puzzlers! One year ago, I had no idea what a meta even was - and so here's my first attempt at one! The answer to this meta is a place. If you think you have the answer, you can e-mail me at mrgraczyk at gmail dot com, and...I have no idea what you win yet. The satisfaction of a job well done, haha. We'll run this until the first of the year, I think. Sound good? Great! I hope all of you had a very merry Christmas and a happy holiday season! PDF / PUZ  

What's that? You want another puzzle before Christmas? Don't mind if I do! A special shout-out to Adam Nicolle , romkd, and Stephanie (who has a blog coming soon, I hope!) for test-solving the insanity. PDF / PUZ

It's a Christmas miracle! A festive, pun-laden romp just in time for the holidays. PDF