Puzzle #26: Themeless Puzzle

 

If this grid looks a little funky to you, that's because it's a 14x14 -- just a hair smaller than your typical full-sized grid. The reason for that is because this puzzle started with the 33-Across entry and I figured I might as well make it a grid-spanning entry and adjust the dimensions of the puzzle accordingly because why not? As a person who is forever a decade behind on popular television, I just recently started watching Game of Thrones. I found the 33-Across phrase humorous at the moment, for reasons I've included in its clue. Hopefully this puzzle will be not too-challenging and enjoyable way to close out your holiday weekend. Until next time!

Amanda

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Puzzle #25: "Wait...Where's The Turkey?" by Amanda Rafkin & Ross Trudeau

 

Happy Thanksgiving, dear solvers! While full-sized grids are usually reserved for Sundays, this week comes with a special bonus puzzle by me and Ross Trudeau. It's so special in fact...that it's not solvable in any of the solving apps! This one you'll have to use that puzzle printer of yours to print out. So grab the folks in your bubble and gather round. We'd love to see the pics of your gravy-stained puzzles and/or your favorite solving nooks. Happy eating everyone, and be safe! 🦃🍂

Wait...Where's The Turkey PDF

Wait...Where's The Turkey SOLUTION

Puzzle #24: Themeless Puzzle

 

Sometimes I sit on a themeless grid for months before it comes together; other times, it all manages to come together in seemingly no time at all. This puzzle falls into the latter category. I intended to finish this last night and set it to publish early this morning, but alas I had one glass of wine and fells asleep at 8:30 last night, which is not embarrassing at all. As a clue writer I tend to be rather verbose, which makes me the perfect target for editorial trims. And while I am learning my lesson and beginning to self-correct, here on this blog sometimes I take the liberty of writing clues that are as long as I want simply because I can. I hope you find both this puzzle and your Sunday enjoyable. Until next time! 🙂

Amanda

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Midi Puzzle

 

We're right in the heart of football season, so I started this puzzle off with 8-Across and then went from there. 5-Down is a great example of something that, both as a constructor and solver, I wasn't familiar with but was happy to learn. Given that I would not consider this an inferable entry, I tried to make all of the crossings as fair as possible. 1-Down is going to tell you everything you need to know about middle school Amanda. If it brings on some nostalgia for you as well, then we are birds of a feather. Happy solving! 🧩

Amanda

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Themeless by Amanda Rafkin & Ross Trudeau

 

I've been too emotionally preoccupied to post any puzzles this week, so it is now with the collective sigh of a nation that I am happy to return with a themeless puzzle by me and Ross Trudeau. If I'm not mistaken, Ross and I have collaborated on somewhere between 30 and 40 puzzles since the dawn of our relationship. It truly is a collaboration for the ages and I can honestly say that I wouldn't be puzzling as I am if it weren't for him. As such, we've done just about every method of collaboration possible in terms of how we've gone about tackling a puzzle. This particular one was divided in such a way that Ross ended up being responsible for most of the grid and I ended up being responsible for most of the clues. This puzzle was made shortly after I'd started trying my hand at making themeless puzzles, and even though Ross is a theme machine, he can still be caught with his hand in the themeless cookie jar, as you get to catch a glimpse of today. These days, I probably make about the same number of themed puzzles as themeless puzzles, though as I say that I'm also staring at a big batch of half-completed themeless puzzles that I need to get around to finishing. Woof. We hope this puzzle (or at least a certain part of it) feels a little extra special in your heart today as we look forward to a more hopeful future with a new president-elect and a woman of color VP preparing to take office. The work is only just beginning!

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Puzzle #23: Guest Themeless by Brooke Husic and Will Nediger

 

Two fantastic people, one fantastic puzzle! I truly couldn't be more pleased to be running this phenomenal themeless by Brooke and Will. Great entries, incredible clues, and a 37-Across that's close to my heart for more than one reason, one of which being where I went to college (click here after solving to see what I mean). I don't want to say any more because I want you to be able to discover the joys of this puzzle completely on your own. I have no doubt that you'll be just as blown away as I was! Enjoy, and welcome to November!

Here's Brooke: Working with Will is the best, and I'm really proud of this puzzle we made together. I love Will's clues for 37-A and 47-A. I'm also very happy to be back on Amanda's site and am super grateful for her hosting this guest spot and being an all-around stellar friend!

Here's Will: Working with Brooke is a delight too! She wrote too many clever, creative clues for me to list, so you'll just have to dive right into the puzzle! Many thanks to Amanda, whose work I greatly admire, for the guest spot. 

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