This is the crossword puzzle thread

i've lost the ability to do cryptics again. just when i thought i was getting the hang of it.

What cryptics are you doing exactly? There are some easy ones in the Fraser Simpson New Yorker books or, surprisingly perhaps, in the Mensa cryptic books by Cox and Rathvon, puzzles which were originally in a Canadian newspaper.

jaymc, I just looked at the scoreboard again and noticed that you finished exactly eight places behind Ben Tausig.

Hi Jaymc, (don't know KL's alias), et al.

I wrote a lengthy recap of last weekend's Brooklyn tournament that you can check out here.

The link is: http://benbassandbeyond.blogspot.com/2010/02/2010-american-crossword-puzzle.html

That is all.

Already read the that when I saw it linked on the official tournament page but thanks, b.

Take back what I said about winning the D. Even to win that you've got to do really well, considering that the first and second place finishers in D were 56th and 66th overall. If he had been in D instead of C, new poster beyond, who did quite well, would barely have taken third place. Competition is stiff.

Apropos of which is Ryan Hecht's blog post for today http://bemoresmarter.squarespace.com/blog/2010/3/2/ryan-solves-the-nyt-tue-3-2-10.html

Hmm, looks like I dropped a single place.

Me too. Man, I really enjoyed going to that contest. Can't believe we have to wait a whole year. Guess I'm gonna have to try to go to this year's Lollapuzzoola.

wait a whole year for the next one.

Latest Inkwell 43-Down made me think of ilx.

jaymc, I have an idea for you: next March 15, you should write a puzzle with the word "IDES" hidden in it all over the place.

or just IDE

Oh yeah, what max said.

Has anyone figured out how to submit today's NYT puzzle when using the ap? Completing it leaves a blank space(?), so 'submit' does not accept the puzzle.

Ah, did it on paper so did not have this problem. Actually I remember them saying something about the blank space, but don't remember having one. Let me check the blogs.

Um, where is the blank space?

Dead center, unless it requires a 7-letter rebus fill-in.

I don't know what you have there, but this guy, for example, has the solution: http://www.crosswordmanblog.com/

I swear I tried it with an 'H'. Hmm. Maybe something else is screwy. Tnx!

Yep. D'oh!

Overcoming Dictionary Resistance

Merl Reagle's clue "Morlock menu mainstays" made me chuckle this weekend.

Maybe even better than the classic Sun Crossword clue "Barbecue buttinskis."

i got my ACPT refund check in the mail earlier this week, endorsed by mr. shortz himself! they enclosed the puzzles as well - i aced the first three so far...

Wow, did he deduct anything for sending you the puzzles?

yeah, it was a partial refund

NY Times this Sunday had a clue reading simply "muff". People in the cafe LOL'd. Not actually doing the puzzle myself, I never found out what that was all about.

Did that puzzle, don't remember what that answer was.

jaymc is never coming back to thread now that he is Jeopardy superstar.

I'm here! I just haven't been doing very many puzzles lately. Mostly just the Tausig ones, because they're in free newspapers that I pick up for my commute.

Muff probably = ERR, right?

Ha, that's what I thought it must be without bothering to look it up.

This morning I did the crossword in the Red Eye (Chicago Tribune's tabloid for commuters). Ye gods.

One clue was "African nation." The fill was ZAIRE. Which means they're either using 15-year-old puzzles or indiscriminately selecting clues from an old database. These are unsigned puzzles, so for all I know they're created entirely by a software program.

Also, the solution for Saturday's puzzle was shown, and I noted that the grid contained EIGHT cheater squares, which is pretty inexcusable for a themeless puzzle.

offer them your services!

I try to stay away from stuff like that. I figure if Amy R doesn't blog it, I don't have to do it. What does Jon Stewart say in Worldplay, something like "I will, on occasion, in a hotel do a USA Today puzzle, but I won't feel good about myself"

word.

btw, i don't know if they're syndicated widely, but i have a special hate for the puzzles that show up in milwaukee's free weekly. they're sunday-size and really hard, but also with a lot of (imo) terrible cluing and occasional mistakes. even when i finish them i don't feel especially happy about it.

Yeah, I usually don't do the RedEye puzzle, either, but I forgot the book I'm reading, so I needed something to do on the train.

Figured it was something like that.

i've lost the ability to do cryptics again. just when i thought i was getting the hang of it.

― thomp, Friday, 26 February 2010 14:38 (1 month ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

What cryptics are you doing exactly? There are some easy ones in the Fraser Simpson New Yorker books or, surprisingly perhaps, in the Mensa cryptic books by Cox and Rathvon, puzzles which were originally in a Canadian newspaper.

― The Great Rick Roll Swindle (James Redd and the Blecchs), Saturday, 27 February 2010 02:52 (1 month ago) Bookmark

oh hey thanks! i didn't see this at the time

i'm doing the (uk) guardian's monday-friday crosswords, which are sort of frustratingly irregular and unreliable, difficulty-wise and adherence-to-convention-wise; i should probably get a book and work through it. it feels a bit too much like taking it seriously though.

Ha, I do can't do those Guardian puzzles at all either, even clues that I might have gotten in another context. If you want to see the answers explained, though, go here: http://fifteensquared.net/category/guardian/

This book is great, but unfortunately seems to be out of print: http://www.amazon.com/Random-House-Guide-Cryptic-Crosswords/dp/0812935454/ref=sr_1_12?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1270494951&sr=1-12

apparently i can blame the british

jaymc, you can briefly be seen in the Time Magazine video of the ACPT.

Ha! Only b/c I was two seats away from Trip Payne.

Yes, exactly.

Tausig's latest, "Zee Change," gave me a run for my money.

Puzzle people posting record (for them) slow times on today's NYT. Me it was as slow as usual but no slower, although couldn't get the NE, so it was a DNF.

Didn't do as well as this guy http://www.crosswordmanblog.com/, but I had the same difficulties he had.

i did alright on that tausig (though it's a little more challenging that usual) but got stick in the northwest corner.

(stupid sports clues crossing each other)

oh i see