ACROSS LITE PUZZLE: [ THEMELESS MONDAY]
PROGRAM: [Across Lite]
PROGRAM: [Java]
PRINTOUT PUZZLE: [ THEMELESS MONDAY]
PROGRAM: [Adobe Acrobat]
Class of ’66 today. 66 words, that is. Pretty smooth and clean, if you ask me. It’s probably worth mentioning that I found inspiration for making this from Crossword Jesus #1, Patrick Berry. Who doesn’t get inspired from the original PB though?
Anyway, the other PB (Blindauer, that is) sent me a copy of “Patricks’ Puzzle Pandemonium,” which is a collection of every puzzle by somebody named Patrick that ran in the New York Sun. So that means lots of Berry. Some Blindauer. A dash of Jordan. And a blink-and-you’re-going-to-miss-him cameo from Merrell. This is quite possibly the most absurd packaging gimmick for puzzles, and yeah, there might be a smidgen of sour grapes because my name isn’t Patrick and therefore I’m left out. Here’s hoping the people at Sterling are working on doing a book of all the people named Brendan who had puzzles published in the Sun. (Brendan Heaney, Brendan Gorski, Brendan Payne, Brendan Nosowsky, etc.)
Needless to say the book is a gem of a solve. Loads of ultra smooth Berry themelesses in there, hence the reason I felt the need to try and pay homage to the master. I would be a fool if I didn’t mention at least a couple of the puzzles in there. Two, count ’em, two masterpieces from Blindauer and one of the other puzzling Brendans (Heaney): “Solving By the Numbers” (a tour-de-force execution of a so-obvious-why’d-it-take-somebody-so-long-to-make-it theme) and “Squares Away” (see previous parenthetical phrase). And Berry’s jumpin’ jiminy quint-stacked 15s in “Color Change” is a see-it-to-believe-it marvel.
As always, if I’m writing about the book, you should be buying one. So get thee to it. In the meantime, share the puzzle. New one on Thursday.
Went fine, except I wound up with MADEOUT for 10-Down. I guess I thought it was a Michael Jackson–Lisa Marie Presley reference?
Great crossing on 36-Down and 53-Across.
23D and its middle crossings were a complete guess for me. And someday I’ll get Eddy Grant and Eddie Money separated in my head.
That Patricks book is incredible, I bought a copy of it myself a while ago.
Loved 10-down. Funny. 40-across reminded me of a kickball team here in PDX named Man Chest Hair United. Also pretty funny 🙂 Thanks!
That whole ELIEL/LEY/OLAND/BANYANTREE crossing was abusive.
Crossing HATESEX/THEEX was genius.
Fun puzzle! Had reBOUND and aLLEGedLY for a while but easily fixed. Last letter in was P of NOTIP as I kept looking for a more BEQ-like interpretation of “stiff.”
Nice one! I botched a couple of the ROONEY crossings (how many ways can you spell SOOEY IE EE?), but it was a fun solve.
Sicko puzzle, really! No, I mean that in the nicest possible way! (Actually, it’s just that living in Arkansas means you hear SOOEY waaay too often to enjoy finding it under your crossword pillow on Monday morning.
BTW, Brendan, I was ever so surprised to find you in my kitchen. After you explained that you are now the expectant father of TWINS, I realized you had come for advice. Hey, too late! But just put your head down and try to survive the first four months and things improve rapidly after that, especially if you can grow an extra arm each. (Do NOT eat Philly Cheesesteak sandwiches late at night; the dreams are scary.)
Best of luck!