John Lampkin author page
11 puzzles by John Lampkin
with Constructor comments
| B | O | O | B | O | O | B | I | O | S | O | R | B | ||
| E | N | F | O | L | D | O | B | I | E | V | E | E | ||
| A | L | A | O | D | E | W | E | L | L | W | E | L | L | |
| C | O | I | N | S | T | I | A | A | R | I | A | |||
| O | A | K | A | N | N | S | E | A | G | L | E | |||
| N | N | E | L | E | O | T | A | R | D | O | V | A | ||
| S | T | A | T | U | S | E | R | R | E | D | ||||
| T | H | A | I | R | A | D | I | O | A | D | D | S | ||
| W | O | R | T | H | T | E | A | B | A | G | ||||
| A | T | E | A | V | E | N | G | E | R | W | O | W | ||
| P | A | U | L | A | T | O | R | T | O | U | R | |||
| M | A | M | M | A | I | A | S | O | L | T | I | |||
| I | N | A | P | A | N | I | C | Y | O | G | A | A | T | |
| S | T | P | S | E | R | A | E | N | L | A | C | E | ||
| S | S | S | T | R | E | Y | A | G | E | N | T | S |
The AM/FM radio will soon be a thing of the past if it isn't so already, but it's still fodder for a challenging Thursday gimmick. The editorial team commented that although they seldom accept two-way rebuses, the concept here was entirely appropriate so they gave my RADIO transmission a warm reception and suggested some fine-tuning. As submitted, my grid had circles in the rebus squares (radio buttons) and easier clues which would have made the solve a bit easier, Wednesday level say. I applaud the changes and thank Will and company for the sharp editing.
| B | A | R | H | A | R | E | F | O | R | A | G | E | ||
| A | W | E | O | P | E | L | R | O | U | T | E | S | ||
| L | A | D | G | R | A | I | N | O | F | S | A | L | T | |
| M | Y | H | A | T | P | T | A | T | R | E | E | |||
| A | R | I | D | I | T | S | A | L | I | E | ||||
| O | U | N | C | E | O | F | S | E | N | S | E | |||
| O | L | D | S | L | E | T | A | T | S | T | U | D | ||
| P | E | E | P | L | Y | G | P | A | A | S | A | |||
| S | E | D | E | R | S | C | O | O | E | K | E | S | ||
| P | O | U | N | D | O | F | F | L | E | S | H | |||
| D | R | I | P | P | E | D | F | E | M | A | ||||
| A | R | E | S | A | R | E | A | S | P | E | N | |||
| T | O | N | O | F | B | R | I | C | K | S | E | R | E | |
| R | O | A | D | I | E | V | O | I | T | E | L | O | ||
| A | L | L | E | G | E | E | N | D | S | K | E | N |
I originally submitted this puzzle in reverse order, moving from the heavy to the light, using CRASH DIET as the revealer. Will suggested eliminating the revealer and reversing the order to make a Monday-suitable grid with cleaner fill. But my original idea still works! Just solve from bottom to top, and you will lose weight—guaranteed!
| S | H | A | W | R | O | B | O | T | S | N | U | B | ||
| H | O | S | E | A | L | O | N | E | O | O | Z | E | ||
| I | N | N | E | R | P | E | A | C | E | I | S | I | T | |
| R | E | A | D | Y | T | O | R | U | M | P | L | E | ||
| T | Y | P | E | D | E | S | E | C | A | P | ||||
| R | E | M | A | P | S | T | O | R | E | |||||
| R | E | P | R | U | L | E | O | F | T | H | U | M | P | |
| U | C | L | A | S | A | L | V | O | E | N | O | S | ||
| S | L | U | M | P | E | R | L | A | N | D | T | R | I | |
| T | A | N | I | A | A | L | T | E | R | |||||
| S | T | K | L | U | G | B | A | S | R | A | ||||
| D | U | M | P | A | N | D | D | U | M | P | E | R | ||
| A | M | O | R | P | L | A | Y | I | T | S | A | F | E | |
| D | A | W | G | E | L | D | E | R | E | D | E | N | ||
| Z | O | N | E | R | O | A | S | T | S | E | R | A |
As a faux gourmet chef, I take pride in my signature dish — sliced watermelon. While I was test-thumping a few melons at the market, it occurred to me that P. T. Barnum's GENERAL TOM THUMP would be the perfect guy for the job of watermelon selector. Even better, with fifteen letters in his name, he would be a perfect candidate for a NY Times crossword! So I set to work to find other change-UMB-to-UMP words and created a workable set.
Irony of ironies though: Will found this themer to be the weakest of the bunch so he suggested that I spit out this seed entry, so to speak, and leave the hapless General lying on the cutting room floor. The remake is a good bit stronger than the original though, so I firmly believe that General Tom Thump is looking down at us today from the great watermelon patch in the sky and smiling. Let's all smile back.
| T | O | O | L | I | D | T | A | G | S | S | P | A | ||
| E | A | V | E | S | E | R | I | E | S | P | O | T | ||
| C | H | E | E | S | E | C | U | R | L | S | O | I | L | |
| H | U | R | P | E | A | R | K | O | N | A | ||||
| S | H | E | F | O | R | K | L | I | F | T | S | |||
| D | E | T | A | C | H | H | O | O | T | S | A | T | ||
| I | V | E | S | A | S | C | O | T | S | |||||
| P | E | P | P | E | R | M | I | N | T | T | W | I | S | T |
| A | P | O | G | E | E | A | R | E | A | |||||
| S | T | I | R | R | E | R | R | E | N | O | W | N | ||
| W | I | N | E | P | R | E | S | S | Y | E | N | |||
| E | D | D | Y | E | A | S | E | R | B | I | ||||
| A | B | E | D | I | D | D | L | Y | S | Q | U | A | T | |
| T | I | E | A | D | A | G | E | S | E | L | S | E | ||
| S | T | P | M | O | D | E | S | T | D | E | E | M |
Australian Psychologist Alan Richardson took a group of basketball players, divided them into 3 groups and tested each player's ability to make free throws. The first group would practice 20 minutes every day. The second would only visualize themselves making free throws, but no real practice was allowed. The third group would not practice or visualize. The results were astounding. There was significant improvement on the group that only visualized; they were almost as good as those who actually practiced!
In a similar experiment, solvers of today's NY Times puzzle showed nearly the same increase in muscle tone as those gym rats who spent their time working out and getting all hot and sweaty! Those who solved puzzles from other venues actually showed a slight decrease in muscle tone except for the hand that held the pencil or pen. Researcher I. Mosley Guest attributes the phenomenon to that same power of visualization as in the free throw study. Apparently, just the very thought of doing curls and lifts and a twist as you write in the answers is enough exercise for the day, with the bonus of not needing to shower afterward.
We in the cruciverbal industry have long known that crosswords do make us smarter. For today at least, and with the final theme answer notwithstanding, they can make us physically fit as well.
| O | W | N | C | C | C | R | A | G | T | A | G | F | I | S | T | S | ||||
| W | H | O | S | W | H | O | F | E | R | R | A | R | I | I | N | U | I | T | ||
| L | A | S | T | T | A | N | G | I | N | P | A | R | I | S | B | A | M | B | A | |
| S | M | E | E | S | N | E | R | T | S | P | A | T | S | T | W | I | T | |||
| B | A | T | T | E | N | S | P | S | I | A | C | U | R | A | S | |||||
| C | E | L | L | R | E | C | I | T | A | L | T | H | E | B | A | B | E | |||
| L | I | E | T | O | T | E | S | L | A | S | I | T | E | M | S | A | P | |||
| O | N | E | H | O | P | I | G | U | E | S | S | G | E | T | M | E | ||||
| T | E | D | P | O | L | G | R | O | U | N | D | S | F | E | L | L | T | O | ||
| S | U | D | A | N | E | S | E | B | L | A | M | E | O | N | ||||||
| A | L | F | M | I | S | S | Y | S | O | L | E | R | R | O | Y | |||||
| G | O | L | I | A | T | H | O | B | S | E | S | S | E | D | ||||||
| A | T | O | D | D | S | I | N | E | E | D | A | H | U | G | O | F | A | N | ||
| T | U | P | A | C | G | O | S | T | A | G | E | S | P | A | N | A | ||||
| E | S | P | A | S | A | N | S | L | A | K | E | D | A | H | I | N | T | |||
| Y | I | P | P | I | E | S | U | R | A | N | I | U | M | O | R | E | O | |||
| O | L | D | B | O | Y | L | O | P | P | E | N | N | A | N | T | |||||
| B | A | I | O | S | A | D | A | T | E | L | M | E | R | E | R | L | E | |||
| E | P | S | O | N | S | E | V | E | N | D | A | Y | S | I | N | M | A | Y | O | |
| Y | U | C | K | Y | H | A | I | R | P | I | N | O | P | T | E | D | I | N | ||
| S | P | O | S | E | E | N | C | O | R | E | N | E | H | E | N | S |
Add-a-letter and remove-a-letter gimmicks have each been done to the saturation point so today it's challenging to come up with a fresh and entertaining take. Hybrids that combine both these gimmicks have been done but are less common and because of the added layer of complexity, are inherently more interesting.
Hybrids increase constructing options because many entries work both ways. For example, SUM WRESTLER (removing the O) also works by adding an O as DIM SUMO, "Not the brightest mawashi wearer?"
One of my favorites now litters the cutting room floor: TIC-TACO, "All-in-one entrée and breath mint?" For someone who is so easily amused as I am, brainstorming lists of this nonsense with friends is half the fun, and I tip my hat to my bud, Gary Soucie, who has bounced back many a winner over the years without ever wanting credit.
Will rejected my first draft for lack of a coherent rationale and title. Nancy Salomon to the rescue! Nancy, who has mentored many constructors, uncorked the New Year's Eve title which led to acceptance. Thank you, Nancy, and best wishes to all for a Happy & Healthy.
| B | L | A | H | A | S | S | C | A | R | A | T | |||
| L | O | L | A | E | P | A | M | U | R | A | L | S | ||
| O | P | T | I | O | N | A | L | T | R | I | V | I | A | |
| W | E | A | T | H | E | R | V | A | N | E | E | A | R | |
| I | B | I | S | E | S | A | I | R | ||||||
| S | H | E | O | D | E | C | O | L | L | E | G | E | ||
| C | A | M | A | Y | B | O | W | L | O | V | E | R | ||
| A | M | P | S | E | M | O | T | E | S | I | L | O | ||
| B | U | T | T | D | I | A | L | S | T | E | E | D | ||
| S | P | Y | R | I | N | G | M | E | L | W | E | E | ||
| C | O | G | M | A | O | R | I | S | ||||||
| A | S | H | D | E | A | D | B | A | T | T | E | R | Y | |
| L | E | A | D | E | N | M | I | S | S | A | C | U | E | |
| P | A | I | N | E | D | A | L | E | B | R | E | W | ||
| S | T | R | A | P | N | E | D | S | U | D | S |
The seed for this one was "It's on the house" which popped into mind upon seeing a WEATHER VANE on a house here in my Florida community. There are more than a few which strike me as an odd home decor choice for Florida since one can act as a lightning rod. Next to hurricanes, lightning is our greatest export.
I was happy to see that Will kept my clue for SILO which I find to be terribly amusing, but then I'm easily amused.
| S | T | R | E | E | T | F | A | I | R | C | O | G | S | |
| P | O | O | L | N | O | O | D | L | E | A | N | O | N | |
| R | O | U | G | H | R | I | D | E | R | N | E | B | O | |
| E | N | T | R | A | I | L | S | O | U | T | L | A | W | |
| E | S | S | E | N | E | S | S | O | L | O | I | N | G | |
| C | C | S | P | A | T | E | R | N | A | L | ||||
| S | T | J | O | E | M | E | L | E | E | E | N | O | ||
| M | I | E | S | L | I | K | E | D | G | R | A | B | ||
| A | G | R | S | O | N | E | S | P | O | S | S | E | ||
| R | E | S | E | R | V | E | S | D | A | S | ||||
| T | R | E | A | T | E | D | P | A | S | S | I | N | G | |
| A | M | Y | T | A | N | C | O | N | T | I | N | U | E | |
| L | O | I | S | E | M | A | N | C | I | P | A | T | E | |
| E | T | T | A | S | E | N | T | I | M | E | N | T | S | |
| C | H | E | T | T | R | A | I | N | E | D | E | Y | E |
I teach piano and composition for a living. After a lesson, a student mentioned POOL NOODLE in conversation. Because I lead a sheltered life, that was new vocabulary. Because I'm a constructor it was an omen and a seed!
| P | I | E | R | S | S | A | T | E | P | I | T | S | S | T | A | B | S | |||
| A | R | L | E | N | C | R | O | P | O | P | E | C | P | O | S | E | Y | |||
| W | A | S | G | O | N | E | I | N | A | F | L | A | S | H | R | O | S | A | S | |
| E | A | R | C | A | N | D | Y | R | E | S | T | E | D | K | I | T | T | |||
| E | A | S | T | C | O | N | S | M | I | T | O | S | I | S | ||||||
| B | L | E | W | T | H | E | J | O | I | N | T | B | E | N | E | F | I | T | ||
| A | I | R | D | U | C | T | T | A | P | E | E | L | F | |||||||
| C | L | A | S | S | Y | R | T | E | S | A | B | A | S | E | R | O | B | |||
| H | I | T | T | H | E | R | O | A | D | G | L | O | M | T | O | R | O | |||
| R | I | C | E | R | S | L | I | P | P | E | D | A | W | A | Y | |||||
| M | O | N | A | R | C | H | C | R | O | O | N | E | M | E | R | A | L | D | ||
| F | L | E | W | T | H | E | C | O | O | P | I | R | O | A | M | |||||
| A | I | L | S | A | L | L | Y | M | A | D | E | T | R | A | C | K | S | |||
| S | O | L | B | A | L | O | O | F | E | T | E | E | S | C | R | O | W | |||
| M | A | N | U | N | E | R | R | I | N | G | U | A | E | |||||||
| C | O | O | L | E | S | T | Q | U | I | T | T | H | E | S | C | E | N | E | ||
| P | U | R | V | I | E | W | B | U | T | T | A | S | E | A | ||||||
| U | T | N | E | D | O | T | O | A | T | I | N | S | P | I | R | E | S | |||
| T | O | A | D | S | R | A | N | L | I | C | K | E | T | Y | S | P | L | I | T | |
| T | U | T | O | R | D | U | E | T | F | O | I | L | M | E | L | E | E | |||
| S | T | E | N | O | S | T | R | O | O | N | L | Y | S | T | A | G | E |
When I started constructing six years ago my goal was to land a Sunday NYT. At last! My success is no doubt due to the fact that I recently gave up all impure thoughts. It might also be due to the 12 theme entries and 122 theme squares but one never really knows for sure, does one.
The seed was TOOKOFF [The ecdysiast ...] I was then pleasantly surprised to discover how many idiomatic ways there are to depart, but just enough to make for a tight theme. Now that my goal is achieved it seems safe enough to revert to impure thoughts, yes?
| C | E | D | A | R | Z | I | O | N | P | H | I | L | ||
| A | M | O | R | E | I | R | A | E | R | O | N | A | ||
| P | I | G | I | N | A | P | O | K | E | E | G | G | Y | |
| E | L | I | E | E | O | N | D | A | S | H | E | S | ||
| S | E | E | T | H | R | U | O | S | O | L | E | |||
| T | O | O | T | A | T | K | E | A | N | U | ||||
| J | I | H | A | D | S | T | O | W | Y | V | E | S | ||
| U | S | A | S | O | W | S | E | A | R | E | R | E | ||
| D | E | M | I | L | I | E | S | O | U | N | D | S | ||
| D | E | F | O | E | C | A | R | H | O | P | ||||
| I | N | I | N | K | A | T | T | A | C | H | E | |||
| A | S | S | I | S | I | G | N | U | T | A | I | L | ||
| R | I | T | Z | P | O | R | K | B | A | R | R | E | L | |
| A | L | E | E | A | R | A | L | D | E | E | R | E | ||
| B | O | D | S | T | O | B | E | S | E | W | O | N |
| S | H | O | O | T | O | U | T | E | L | I | S | H | A | |
| H | A | R | R | U | M | P | H | R | E | N | T | A | L | |
| E | S | T | I | M | A | T | E | S | A | T | I | R | E | |
| A | T | E | E | N | O | R | E | A | S | O | N | |||
| R | O | A | N | S | N | O | L | T | E | K | O | S | ||
| T | U | B | Y | A | Z | T | E | R | P | |||||
| S | A | L | A | R | Y | C | A | P | M | A | R | I | A | |
| T | H | A | T | F | E | E | L | S | S | O | G | O | O | D |
| R | O | S | E | S | T | W | E | N | T | Y | O | N | E | |
| I | M | E | D | P | E | E | L | E | O | |||||
| P | E | R | H | A | R | D | G | L | U | N | A | S | ||
| B | R | I | G | A | D | E | S | R | O | L | E | |||
| S | P | E | E | D | O | I | L | L | G | E | T | I | T | |
| W | H | A | L | E | D | N | E | A | T | I | D | E | A | |
| M | I | M | O | S | A | G | E | M | S | T | O | N | E |
| K | I | T | H | F | L | E | X | A | T | B | A | Y | ||
| A | B | R | A | L | A | V | E | S | H | U | T | E | ||
| N | O | I | R | O | D | I | N | S | E | R | T | A | ||
| J | O | C | K | F | U | L | L | O | N | U | T | S | ||
| I | K | E | O | N | E | S | A | M | A | T | O | L | ||
| T | L | C | W | I | E | O | R | A | ||||||
| J | E | E | R | L | E | A | D | E | R | S | P | I | T | |
| A | L | L | E | Y | Q | U | E | S | C | E | N | T | ||
| M | I | T | E | J | U | M | P | C | H | A | N | G | E | |
| U | S | O | M | I | A | H | A | M | ||||||
| P | E | N | P | A | L | G | L | A | D | S | T | P | ||
| J | E | S | T | P | R | O | T | E | C | T | O | R | ||
| B | R | O | N | C | O | O | R | T | A | L | P | O | ||
| E | T | H | N | O | P | U | C | E | P | E | A | L | ||
| T | E | N | E | T | S | T | A | R | O | O | Z | E |