THEMELESS MONDAY: [ ACROSS LITE][ PDF]
PROGRAMS: [Across Lite] [Adobe Reader]
Huge loss in the puzzle world yesterday with Alex Trebek’s death. I know a lot of people who’ve appeared on “Jeopardy!,” more than a few of them winners, and even some big, big, big winners. I did the online contestant test a couple times in the long-shot chance that I too might have made it on the show. And well, let’s just say it was a case of diminishing returns. I peaked early (below the cut) and kept getting worse. C’est la vie. The best/closest I came to (ahem) appearing on “Jeopardy!” was when they called up Will Shortz and asked him to read clues from the Times crossword for a category. Will chose mine.
Another huge loss, for me anyway, was my close friend (and fellow BTO member) Jeff Breeze died unexpectedly yesterday. It’s just … I don’t really have any words about this. Here we are in much better times passing the mic at BTO’s last in-person concert. Not last-last, we’re not hanging it up. But it was the last show we did live. Anyway, we were at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, warming up the crowd before the debut of the wonderful documentary “The Blunderwood Portable.” Hard to believe this one. Laugh along with us, will ya?
It’s odd to say this after two memorial postings, but the work never stops. If you are looking for more puzzles, please consider The Hub Crossword (Sunday puzzles by me and Emily Cox and Henry Rathvon) and Marching Bands year six have begun. So if that To Do list needs even more puzzles, you know what to do.
Share the puzzle. New one on Thursday.
sorry about your loss 🙁
I was thinking of an Alex Trebek anti-crossword where the grid is filled in and the solver has to supply the clues. Kinda sad. Like losing an old friend.
Condolences. Very sorry to hear about Jeff.
Brendan, I join with the others in sympathy. Please know that Jeff Breeze, along with his loved ones and family members, are in my prayers.
Thank you for today’s puzzle. As usual, it’s terrific.
So sorry for your loss, Brendan. My deepest condolences.
Terrible to hear about Jeff, Brendan.
Just wondering, why is today’s puzzle rated ‘Medium’? I feel it’s about on par for your usual Hard Themeless Mondays.
May your friend rest in peace.
30A is a conjunction.
Here’s what i recall when Jeopardy! first came out. i Found the questions to be way too trivial for my own good. Fortunately, Alex and Merv were taking a hard look at the success of Trivial Pursuit and Games Magazine’s style of Crossword Puzzles and decided to cross the Rubicon. Mencken once said that nobody ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American People. Well, that kind of doesn’t apply here, for once.
Oddly enough, that more natural homophone hadn’t occurred to me. I just assumed BEQ was going for a poetic contraction — one that actually is a preposition.