This is the crossword puzzle thread

Oh, I wasn't criticizing the *syntax* of your clue, Tracer, I just think that the general idea of it highlights the awkwardness of a phrase beginning with ISA or BEA. Since "V-8 candidate" would be a perfectly appropriate clue for just plain VEGETABLE, the extra letters in the fill look sort of clunky/ugly.

I should probably just go back to the drawing board with this one.

yeah

"flower head" = cauli is demonically brilliant, i agree

the extra letters in the fill look sort of clunky/ugly.

Even with a clue like "Constitutes a V-8 candidate" or "What a V-8 candidate must do," I should note.

Also, for what it's worth, I'd like to avoid straightforward references to vegetables, since this would be a theme entry.

Thanks for the feedback on CAULI, though! That makes me feel a bit better about it.

trying to come up with some thing like "not a mineral or animal" but it's a tough one

There are three ways around this, as far as I'm concerned:

1. Clue it more innocuously, i.e. "Lies around in a stupor."
2. Come up with another phrase that ends in VEGETABLE, is playful/idiomatic rather than literal (i.e., ROOTVEGETABLE wouldn't work), and contains 15 letters or less. (I couldn't.)
3. Replace VEGETABLE altogether.

I don't want to get into the theme here, but I think #3 might be my best bet.

Flower head for damaged ear or 180 in the Golden State (5)

Don't know what you should do about VEGETABLE exactly, but if your audience was ILM, maybe you could mention that Beach Boys song.

oh oh! how about something like "ketchup _____ (Reagan claim)"

Ha. That's a good one. Kind of a long partial, though!

Actually kind of like where Jordan was going upthread: "Is not animal or mineral" = ISAVEGETABLE

At least I don't dislike it more than GREENBELT...

Ken, did you happen to do this week's Fireball crossword? It was a vowelless crossword from Frank Longo. I'd never done of those before, but it was pretty fun!

Haven't done it yet, but I did a sample one before and then bought the book and did the first few. Yeah, it's a whole different animal from a regular crossword.

I wonder how easy they'd be to make. I imagine there's a bit more flexibility, i.e., SCP could be SCOPE, SCOOP, ESCAPEE, etc.

Yes. As a solver, even after you've filled it in from the crosses you might not know what the answer is supposed to be. Or if you have a mistake it's harder to see it. I finally did the Fireball and I messed up the cross of 20A and 21D.

As of this week, you don't need to wait a day to unlock the NYT puzzle to check your solution. Which is a good thing.

Today's Halloween puzzle by Elizabeth C. Gorski is very nice and features a few answers that classical music fans may enjoy and one that will make jazz d-bags very happy.

Did a Fireball called "Crossword Show-Off" that was a lot of fun.

Was that the most recent one, Ken?

No, the most recent one is called "Swap Meet," which I haven't done yet, but for a second I thought it was the most recent one because for both of them PG recommended .pdf over .puz.

Xan Vongsathorn is my new favorite constructor.

I just printed out 10 Fireball xwords to do on the plane to Sydney next week.

They might have to put you in the hospital after you get off that plane!

You should also print out 10 Washington Post Puzzlers for the return trip.

(I wonder how many of those puzzles John has done so far)

Last Fireball of the year.

Ha John, did you do today's Times?

(I wonder how many of those puzzles John has done so far)

Ha. I started all of them but gave up on a few.

Ha John, did you do today's Times?

No, I let my subscription lapse, hoping that I'd get a new one for Christmas. :)

Should I check it out?

last sunday's was nice

Yes, John I think you have to do it.

Sunday's gimmick was nice but made solving it pretty hard

i felt so proud of myself for catching on to the rebus, those usually mess me up

Yes, John I think you have to do it.

Wanna e-mail me the .puz file (assuming you're able to)?

Don't think... Oh wait

Never knew that was Shaw!

So wonder when the first John Barry related DRNO clue will appear?

You coming in March, jaymc?

I'm not, alas. Decided to go to the EMP Conference instead. (Not that they're at the same time, but I just can't feasibly do both.)

Sure I get it. BBB is coming, no doubt.

Indeed.

When will I learn that "surfing" in a crossword clue never has to do with The Beach Boys?

One month to go

OK, Thursday's puzzle had not one, but two clues that seemed to be just plain wrong.

Which ones?

While I'm here, the NYT had a puzzle last weekend, I think, with stray squares in it (i.e. not crossed with anything)... what was the idea there? Can't remember ever seeing that before.

If it's the puzzle I'm thinking of, the theme of it was "V-2," and there were two V-shaped groups of black squares in the grid, so that left two uncrossed square, each of which was also filled with the letter V.

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-P9jAtFM-RI8/TWmv6bQSZEI/AAAAAAAAI_M/uXRkBTiUynA/s400/Feb27.jpg

Slick.

That Sunday puzzle was pretty nice.

The clues in question on Thursday:
46A Santo Domingo greeting.
60A Gilbert ___, author of "A Void," a 290-page novel without the letter E

Do they speak Haitian Creole in Santo Domingo? Seems like the wrong country on the wrong side of the island. Maybe some do but it seems misleading.

Is it correct to refer to a translator of a work as its author? Maybe in this case he had to do so much he should be considered an author.

No, it is not correct! Possibly co-author for something as complex as A Void, but in this case I would have stuck to 'translator'. Or cited a book he had actually written.

Just noticed in that Sunday puzzle...

HUMVEES
MTV
RSVPS
VIETNAMVETS
CHIVIED
VIS
SOV

...all with the VEE sound. I should take notice of the title of the puzzle more often.

Don't remember SOV being in there. Let me study the handy image upthread

Oh yeah, of course

Another interesting thing is that the unchecked last letter of OLAV could have been F if not for the theme