THEMELESS MONDAY: [ ACROSS LITE][ PDF]
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It’s time for a mini “Behind the Puzzle” episode. But darn it, we still don’t have a suitable theme song. Okay, why don’t you click here and then manually fade it out when you get the idea? Let’s hear it for low-tech solutions!
Since we need a little SPOILER SPACE, and while we’re on the topic of music, I’d like to bring up something so screamingly obvious, I’m shocked it took this long to be brought up. Solver Jake Zavracky of Brooklyn writes: “There was something sort of euphoric about doing your crossword and listening to the new Oneohtrix Point Never. It’s like being bombarded with math; it hits all these pleasure centers.” Later, he mentioned in a tweet that Brian Eno was his soundtrack to a solve. The music nerd in me loves this. Soundtracks to solving. If you’re like me, you’re listening to music all the time. And probably solving a puzzle or two, too. So, I encourage each and every one of BEQ fans from now on to mention their Soundtrack to Solving in the comments section below. Genius.
Now, as for that mini “Behind the Puzzle” episode: I gotta say I love it when the perfect answer and clue come together. To the surprise of probably nobody, 4-Down was the seed entry, and I continued making the puzzle in a counterclockwise fashion. 33-Down was a happy little accident. And I guess while we’re here, 40-Across was one too, but I digress. I love answers like 33-Down because I wasn’t planning on getting that in there per se, but it was new and it fit and those are pluses. Now when a near-perfect clue was crafted for that answer, it gives that answer the feel that everything else was built around it. Cryptic puzzles are built that way: a “must-use” clue or answer or combination of the two are the seed entries. But for whatever reason, I don’t make my themelesses that way. When we have satisfying combinations like 33-Down, maybe I should start?
Share the puzzle. New one on Thursday.
Frankly, I wish Jesus would just return right before the start of the Super Bowl. & The seventh enneant gave me trouble. Lots of trouble. I don’t play games of any kind so I thot 42A was ONGO. Changed it to once and that got me on the way. 33D was driving me crazy. Thot the last four were -DEPT. And 4D was utterly insane spelling.
Soundtrack to Solving: Elizabeth Shepherd, Midnight Sun
Soundtrack to Solving: “Three Chords Good” by Graham Parker and the Rumour.
Soundtrack to Solving: “Everybody’s on the Run” by High Flying Birds
Soundtrack to Solving: “Mojo Presents Johnny Marr and Friends.” Have not heard the new MBV yet.
My wife and I like to save up the week’s puzzles and do them together as a day-starter on weekends. We go to the local coffee-shop, so our Soundtrack to Solving is whatever they play. Last time it was the very best of Iron Maiden, and the time before that it was Fleet Foxes. I guess the answer is: “eclectic”?