THEMELESS MONDAY: [ ACROSS LITE][ PDF]
PROGRAMS: [Across Lite] [Adobe Reader]
Manny Nosowsky used to make themeless puzzles like this with the six marquee answers intersecting along the middle. Depending on where you place the black squares along the edges (those four T-shaped masses in today’s grid), you can either give the puzzle room to breathe by putting them in the center row and columns. Or you can close them off by pushing them off to the side like I did today. See how each corner tapers off to a an “easy” small connecting bit? Little Construction 101 for you to mull over. Anyway, no surprise that I started at 33-Across and took off from there. Also love the clue for that one as well. Hope you enjoy it.
ANNOUNCEMENT: My Diagramless Kickstarter went live this morning. $15 will get you 30 diagramless puzzles sent to you every other week starting September 28th. That’s right, in a month. So yeah, loads of fun stuff in there is yours for the taking. So get on board and make this a reality.
Share the puzzle. New one on Thursday.
Solid puzzle. 33A was the class of the bunch, but it gave itself away. Liked the construction.
Under 15 minutes — fairly routine for me — hard but fair. Thank goodness for “check.” Thanks!!!
I was tempted to nerdily point out that 15A is a particular genre that isn’t really what deadmau5 does… But hey, looks like once in a while he does, eg http://www.youredm.com/2014/04/06/deadmau5-offers-2-hour-live-full-techno-actual-good-music-set/
Q,
A comment not on this puzzle, but on your entire program: I ran out of NYT Crosswords online (resorted to doing Wednesdays!) 1993 to present. I do a Saturday in 12-22 min. Ten a day often. Was head to Times of London, for a fee, when I found yours. No exaggeration to say you kinda saved my life. Serious addiction. I’m working on it… Thanks so much.
Lon Reynolds, Seattle