Beneath The Surface

  PDF  /  puz  /  online  /  Solution PDF Hot off the press with this month's cryptic. Thanks to Evan Jenkins for test solving and providing feedback to tidy up a couple clues. Like some of my earlier cryptics, this one began with the four longest entries in the middle of the puzzle. 16A allowed the use of a rarer cryptic mechanism that I hope provides a nice "aha moment". Happy solving!

 [ PDF ] [ Online ] [ Solution ] It's been a few months since my last puzzle in the PD genre, and what better time time than Halloween to have some devilish  wordplay fun? After writing two minis earlier this year, I wanted to see what I could make work in a slightly larger grid. Most PDs I've seen are 12x12 barred grids with the longest entries being 9-10 letters long, such as this Azed grid which includes THUNDER GOD, INTERSTATE, ORCHESTRAL, etc. As a start I settled on an 8x8 grid with the longest answers being 6 or 7 letters. As mentioned in the instructions, the undeviled passage at 15-Down reconstitutes two proper nouns. There was a debate in my mind about whether this mechanism would be fair play; but in the end I went with it for several reasons, chiefly that I spent a long time investigating alternatives and could not come up with anything better! Besides, the undeviled passage makes sense, the two propers should be recognizable, and the solver has crossings for all ...

 [ PDF ] [ puz ] [ online ] [ solution ] We're back on schedule this month. This puzzle has slightly more anagrams/jumble mechanisms than most of my other cryptics to date, but also a couple rarer mechanisms to keep solvers on their toes. Oh, and if you don't get how 28-Across works, just keep looking at the clue a little longer--hope you'll get a nice 'aha!' moment out of it. Bonus variety puzzle coming Halloween weekend, and then another cryptic next month. Happy solving!

  PDF  -  puz  -  online  -  solution Lots of assorted family visits and other goings-on, plus a good deal of time needed for American-style crosswords (wrote and submitted a couple solo puzzles, plus working on two collaborations, including an upcoming debut publication for a mentee), means this month's cryptic is late--but better late than never! Thanks to Evan Jenkins for testing this out and suggesting some ways to tighten up the clues. I'll be aiming to get the October puzzle up on the 13th, but October's often a busy month at work so we'll see how things play out. Happy solving!

  PDF  -  puz  -  online  -  Solution Hope you are having a good summer! How is it already the middle of August? This puzzle falls on Friday the 13th, so a Happy Colgate Day to those of you that celebrate. The clue at 1, the seed entry, is definitely my favorite in the puzzle--it took a few weeks to get the surface to read as naturally as possible. I hope you'll get a kick out of it when you see where it leads. I tried a different black square layout in this grid, such that the Across entries starting on the left, and the Down entries from the top, have their first letters unchecked (all the answers have at least half their letters checked, however). I'm curious, does this change your solving experience? Have your say in the comments. Thanks for visiting, and enjoy the puzzle!

PDF puz online solution It's the six-month anniversary of Beneath The Surface! Thanks to all the folks who have visited this site to try out my puzzles, I hope you're having fun. This month I decided to incorporate a mini-theme to help me seed the puzzle with interesting entries. I'm really pleased with a couple of the surfaces that I managed to find for the clues here, especially 2, 3, 12, and of course 27. Hope you'll enjoy it! Check back here August 13 for a brand-new cryptic. I've also been playing with an idea for a variety cryptic bonus puzzle, so keep your eyes peeled!

  PDF puz online Solution 9x9 block cryptic for a bonus offering this month. Back with another 15x15 cryptic on July 13.