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Rebecca Goldstein author page

15 puzzles by Rebecca Goldstein
with Jim Horne comments

TotalDebutLatestCollabs
1512/2/20214/5/20246
SunMonTueWedThuFriSat
3221412
RebusCircleScrabDebutFresh
221.657743%
Rebecca Goldstein
Puzzles constructed by Rebecca Goldstein by year

Rebecca Goldstein, of Albany, Calif., is a research scientist at Merck, developing cancer immunotherapies.

Fri 4/5/2024
ONICEBANCPAT
LOCALCOLORPORE
GOOBSOLETELIED
ANNOMOXIEONYX
OHMAPPLYTO
LASSIEYESBUT
SILENTDISCOLOO
LOLSTIMORJAKE
UNOGOESBANANAS
ESPRITSWANKY
SPYSHIPLEE
WHODENOKIETNA
EASEBANNERYEAR
BRERINDISARRAY
BEDTESTHENNA
Mon 3/11/2024
GRAMLAKERAIL
LAMABRIMALDA
APPLESTOAPPLES
DIETSSIRTAT
ENDPICKLEBALL
SOUPNOSELLY
EPIPENDORKY
CORNHOLE
STARTUNEASE
STIRBLTLIAM
CANDYCRUSHTRI
ASKOOOOWENS
THEHUNGERGAMES
HERBCURECASE
ESSOHEADOPTS

The annual ORCA awards celebrate the best crosswords across all venues. Rebecca Goldstein just won the prestigious Constructor of the Year.

Sat 2/24/2024
LARARASPSRIRI
EVENTUALLYAHEM
GOLDENHOURCANS
SWOONSTOADETTE
NAPATHEBEST
COMENOWMITT
EPATIGONSBORG
NERONEWATSAIL
ANKHTENNISSKA
SEGOCLINKED
RETORTSYETI
HARDBOILTUGSON
ISAYSMARTPHONE
NOTECOMPOSTBIN
ONESANAISSATE
Thu 12/7/2023
OSCARPEARPUFF
LEASEELLEOSLO
DEFIBROOFTOAAR
EYESSITEELSIE
RAAATTLEFATAL
LIARSLIMO
IHADTOPERYMCA
SUIALCHEMYAHI
HTTPLUXNECKED
EMITBEALE
STAINPUSHUARA
SPECSPENSSTAN
POAOTTLESSTUNG
OKRAWOVEHERDS
TENTOPENORNOT

This puzzle's ALCHEMY changes lead (PB) into gold (AU).

In the rebus squares, the Across clues use PB, and the down ones use AU.

The app accepts any of these as correct in the rebus squares:

  • PB/AU
  • AU/PB
  • PB
  • AU
  • P
  • A
Sun 11/19/2023 Thanksgiving Meal Prep
BARKHULAELSEPAPAW
OHIOBRISNAPAECOLI
BANKROLLSGOOGLEAPPS
ASDOISNITSILOBOP
MMAASOFLETSGO
CHOOSESSIDESSTARTLE
HEHHOAXODESABATES
OLDSONGOLSENSRVLOT
PLEATSANIDEADEYES
SNAGSBLESSAVAST
ORETALKTURKEYRUT
ARENTSPEEDPANAM
ENDINGITEARELISHA
STEVESEWARDIWANTIN
UNWISEDASHPREYOTS
NASCENTSHEPHERDSPIE
RENOWNEROSSAT
OVACEOSORCATOPAZ
KICKTHECANTABLEWINE
ASKEWZANYALBAENYA
YESNOEPEELEADDEAL
Tue 9/26/2023
ACCRACHOPISIT
SOLARHIRETALE
SPAMFILTERALLA
TEMPMOIBLABS
SPAGHETTICODE
ROOHOEBFF
PHOTOLOANAIL
RAHFOODWEBRNA
ADSAVESESSEX
MAPCHEFAT
HAMBURGERMENU
CURESAVAPEND
ONELJAVAUPDATE
ACMEAGEDSATIN
THEEMOLEIDOLS
Sat 9/2/2023
ZOMBIEPUFFIN
ATOASTSERRANO
POODLEGOTNAKED
SEDGEFAIRMESS
SETFORLIFE
HAWSEALSARTIE
ADINTMISWARMS
IMNOTASCIENTIST
TIGRISFRIEPEE
INSETFROSHLTR
GOBLINMODE
SOARRUESHOTEL
CHEEZITSSONATA
AIRTIMEUHOKAY
BOOSTSMORELS
POW Sun 7/2/2023 About Two Feet
BTSSKIMWATCHDIMS
UAEONMEANITARECALL
THEELEPHANTMANAVENUE
WESTATEDEBHESS
HOYAARSTOLLBOOTHS
YEARNEDPIRATESY
BEBOPNINEAINT
THUNBERGOKRATEEMS
GEODEOAKIUDSLATE
ACTSNAPTIMETUBESAL
SHYSYMBOLICLOGICCUE
PHOOTOENBORANG
SUGARSTPOOPMERCY
BANTUSLEDLAHDIDAH
NONEAPESYIELD
YOUFLATTERMESNOWDAY
DECATEOSUAIME
INTLETAITSBEENREAL
STAFFSBIGSHOESTOFILL
SAVEASOVULERARENIA
SEEDOSTERSUESSET

See all the NYT crosswords with extra-large squares.

Thu 3/16/2023
MEMEGAMMAILSA
AXEDAROARFEUD
SPEWALKINGSAHL
SETINSNOBDWI
IDUNNOTANGLEEB
VIPEARAIRES
EASTHOWEMAST
WOULDEVER
ROILOSLOSTIR
SEERSSOBANA
TWDLEDUMMIDGUT
ARINASALATTE
YIPSTUMBLEWEED
UTAHERIESGARP
PELESPENDSMOG

Jeff and I sometimes disagree. You've seen tumbleweeds on TV, if not in person, and they maintain their inner structure as they roll (tumble) along, so you don't want "more randomness of the W placement."

Sun 2/19/2023 Simile Irresistible
NEONROBEAVIVPLANA
ALPOCHIAOBAMALOAVES
CLEARASCRYSTALDERBIES
LECHETENSMUONSOLDE
SHOPSGREENASGRASS
HIGHTOPSAAASSLOMO
ALLIEDENLISTANTFARM
SOUNDASABELLALBSLIEU
USEDCNBCKRISCODAS
PEDMOODDETESTSAVEME
PRETTYASAPICTURE
BIGAIRHOTPOTROMPNSA
ODORSSELAWIIGSOWS
BOATDUNKSMARTASAWHIP
ALLYSONSWEARSELAINE
PASHAHARMGOGETTER
SMOOTHASSILKBORAT
PALOOTHERPEONABOUT
ARMPITSPLEASEDASPUNCH
STEEPSTEMPTFATEMILE
MACROADUESTEWSTAY
Thu 10/20/2022
RCAAGESHAPPEN
ARMMORAIGUITY
GUYIVEGOTAPLAN
UMPEDCARSULLY
BOXSETGPS
ETTAHAIRBOW
ASHTWAINBLUR
COLAEONGAZE
THEYHELIOCON
SORORALRISK
EVATAMEST
CHEESDGEHAHAS
HARLEMSHAKEENT
UNABLEEMIREGO
BASALTESTEPOW

Jim here, sitting in for Jeff Chen, who is taking swimming lessons at THE Y.

There are so many ways Thursday constructors can twist the standard rules. Here are some popular violations:

  1. Rebus entries (more than one letter in a box)
  2. Answers entered backward*
  3. Writing outside the grid
  4. Writing inside blocks* (black squares)

1 and 2 are well supported whether you solve electronically or on paper. No. 3 doesn't work well in an app, but paper solvers have no problem. No. 4 is unique in that, no matter how you solve, there's no good way to scribble inside already black squares. This makes people cranky. (We get mail.)

To overcome this solver reticence, you at least need a solid justification. Today's BLACK SHEEP works. Liz Gorski turned all her consecutive black squares into BARs. We've had a Solar ECLIPSE, BACK in Black, black JACK, black ICE, etc. Jeff Chen did one with black CATS.

Do you love these puzzles or consider this nonsense an unforgivable sin? Perhaps it's a case of MORAL AMBIGUITY.

Disclaimer: I was curious how often these various gimmicks occurred. The two starred links above are newly created for this post, and it's likely neither is complete. Let me know if one of your favorites is missing.

PS: What are the answers that hide LAMB, assuming you don't want it at either the beginning or end of the word? Here are the ones we know of. No RegEx required.

Tue 9/20/2022
ATOMALGAARUBA
LACEPELTSIPON
TUTTUTTUTKAPUT
APARTSTAREETS
REDIALCEDAR
CHOWCHOWCHOW
CMASBAHHEAVE
HOTLEDAWAYNIB
ENNUIRIPADDS
ZOOMZOOMZOOM
PALERPROFIT
BIOERASECUOCO
IDIOMCANCANCAN
KENDOLIDSTARO
EATENELSASLEW
Wed 4/13/2022
ONSBUNCHOOZE
PECASAHIPROS
TAILDECORTERI
ITSOKDRIERORG
MISPLACESOSOON
IDOEIDLOCHS
SERVERPANKO
MASAVEXWRIT
LAPAZGENOME
RESETBEGSPA
GEOTAGGALOSHES
ORBPAPERSHARE
BABYSOCKSEMIR
ASIAURKELBAA
GEEKSTORYOLD
Mon 2/7/2022
PEDROAHEMMAVS
ADIEUSERAABIT
LINTROLLERDATA
STIRKEGPECAN
NOGREATSHAKES
OMGNAPHOOF
RASTAWESISLA
CREATEDAMONSTER
ASTILOXATEAM
LSATSTPPRY
DRAGONESHEELS
RELAYEATLOST
OMITPRIDEMONTH
NIKEBOZOASIDE
EXESSTEWPATSY
Thu 12/2/2021
SWATPASTAAVIS
RICHELFINMARE
INTERNLOCKATON
CIOLATINA
JAMAALAMERICIT
AMOSOCTETSICE
MINTNOESORB
BETRAYSMINERAL
ROWIBETLACE
ABEANGERSARMS
DRAGKINGSAYYES
VOLOESOAR
EGANSALTSHAKER
RUDEAGORACITE
BEARNOTEDEXAM
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