Mon 8/1/2016
| D | I | P | | S | L | O | G | | O | T | T | E | R | |
| O | D | S | | H | O | W | E | | L | O | A | D | E | D |
| T | O | Y | D | O | L | L | S | | D | O | M | I | N | O |
| | C | O | O | L | E | S | T | | T | E | T | O | N |
| A | C | H | E | | | T | O | U | C | H | D | O | W | N |
| N | E | O | | C | C | S | | R | A | P | | R | N | A |
| Y | O | U | T | O | O | | A | B | R | A | M | | | |
| | T | O | M | M | Y | D | O | R | S | E | Y | | |
| | | T | E | P | E | E | | O | T | T | A | W | A |
| S | N | O | | T | E | L | | A | T | E | | C | O | P |
| T | O | P | D | O | L | L | A | R | | | C | H | O | P |
| A | T | T | A | R | | S | L | I | D | O | U | T | | |
| L | E | S | T | E | R | | T | O | D | O | L | I | S | T |
| L | A | T | E | S | T | | A | S | A | P | | N | O | W |
| T | O | R | T | E | | R | O | Y | S | | G | L | O |
As with many of our puzzles, we come up with a revealer first and then try to build a crossword theme around it. This idea came from a tattoo on the back of a guy's hand we saw. It said "To Do" and then had the numbers 1 through 4 listed below it. He would take a pen and write down the things he wanted to get done every day on his hand. Really. Although neither of us are going to get tattoos, we thought that we would honor such a clever idea in a crossword puzzle!
The themers we came up with were not very long so we decided to include five of them. This is tricky because we hate to use 3 letter fill and try to limit their use. There are more of them than we would prefer in this puzzle, but we felt it was worth it to get the five theme answers. The two cheater black squares in the corners were necessary to keep the open corners from having crummy stuff in them.
Hope you enjoy the puzzle.
Tue 2/10/2015
| S | P | A | T | E | | A | M | O | K | | H | A | W | S |
| N | A | S | A | L | | R | O | T | O | | O | D | O | N |
| O | U | T | O | F | S | O | R | T | S | | M | I | M | E |
| O | L | E | S | | U | S | E | | | S | E | E | Y | A |
| T | A | R | | F | E | E | L | I | N | G | P | U | N | K |
| | O | S | A | Y | | | N | A | T | L | | | |
| H | A | I | T | I | | C | H | A | P | | A | S | T | O |
| U | N | D | E | R | T | H | E | W | E | A | T | H | E | R |
| B | A | S | E | | E | I | N | E | | P | E | O | N | S |
| | | L | E | A | N | | | P | E | S | O | | |
| W | A | Y | B | E | L | O | W | P | A | R | | T | A | P |
| A | S | I | A | N | | | Y | S | L | | R | E | P | O |
| S | T | E | N | | I | N | T | H | E | D | U | M | P | S |
| T | O | L | D | | D | O | H | A | | A | D | U | L | T |
| E | N | D | S | | S | T | E | W | | T | Y | P | E | S |
It's great to be back in the New York Times after a 7-year sabbatical!
The inspiration for this puzzle came from a weekly column in the local paper about English grammar and expressions. It has been 2 years since we completed this puzzle, so our collective memories are a bit foggy. But we believe the columnist made some pun with the expression OUT OF SORTS. We ran with that idea and came up with a bunch of other puns about professions. These included things like: the horse trainer was THRILLED TO BITS, the submarine captain had a SINKING FEELING, the strangler was ALL CHOKED UP (OMG can you imagine!). We realized there had to be something more in common with the theme and settled on a professional not feeling well.
We decided to try to include 5 theme answers. This has usually been difficult for us. We hate very many three letter fills and drawn the line at 20. Luckily there are only 17 in this puzzle. We also try to have 2 or 4 good long down fills. This obviously gets tougher with the increased theme density. The long fills in this puzzle worked out nicely (although we were not thrilled about a plural HOMEPLATES).
We wish we could comment on our clever original clues, but those typically get mostly rewritten for a puzzle this early in the week. Hope you enjoy the puzzle and demand more of ours!
Mon 6/25/2007
| S | C | A | T | | A | D | A | M | S | | A | C | H | E |
| H | A | R | E | | R | E | B | U | T | | S | H | O | T |
| I | R | O | N | | E | L | E | N | A | | P | A | T | S |
| P | A | S | S | F | A | I | L | C | L | A | S | S | | |
| S | T | E | E | R | | | | H | E | S | | E | S | S |
| | | S | E | P | I | A | | | S | W | A | T | H |
| A | G | A | | Y | E | S | N | O | A | N | S | W | E | R |
| T | U | T | U | | T | A | T | A | R | | W | A | V | E |
| O | N | O | F | F | S | W | I | T | C | H | | Y | E | W |
| M | I | N | O | R | | | C | H | O | I | R | | | |
| S | T | E | | A | L | E | | | | R | O | L | E | S |
| | T | R | U | E | F | A | L | S | E | T | E | S | T |
| C | L | I | O | | A | L | L | A | H | | A | P | S | O |
| H | A | M | S | | F | A | T | S | O | | T | E | E | N |
| E | Y | E | S | | S | T | A | T | E | | E | R | N | E |
Tue 10/25/2005
| S | A | T | | K | R | I | L | L | | T | I | L | T | S |
| P | E | R | | I | N | D | I | A | | I | C | A | H | N |
| I | R | E | | L | A | S | T | S | A | M | U | R | A | I |
| E | I | E | I | O | | | H | E | R | B | | A | N | T |
| L | E | S | T | W | E | F | O | R | G | E | T | | | |
| | | S | A | B | E | | | O | R | A | N | G | E |
| C | H | A | | T | R | A | I | T | | | C | O | E | D |
| L | I | S | T | T | O | S | T | A | R | B | O | A | R | D |
| A | R | I | A | | | T | O | N | E | R | | H | E | Y |
| D | E | S | I | R | E | | | T | A | U | S | | | |
| | | L | O | S | T | H | E | R | S | H | E | E | P |
| S | T | A | | O | S | H | A | | | S | A | R | G | E |
| L | U | S | T | F | O | R | L | I | F | E | | O | R | E |
| A | B | A | S | E | | E | A | S | E | L | | D | E | L |
| P | A | P | E | R | | E | S | T | E | S | | E | T | S |
Wed 8/10/2005
| L | A | D | E | | G | E | N | T | S | | R | O | T | C |
| E | N | I | D | | A | G | O | R | A | | E | M | I | L |
| A | D | A | M | | T | A | R | O | S | | A | N | N | A |
| D | E | N | O | T | E | D | M | U | S | I | C | I | A | N |
| S | A | N | E | | | | P | E | R | T | | | |
| | | D | E | P | O | S | E | D | M | O | D | E | L |
| W | A | C | | D | O | D | O | | | A | R | O | S | E |
| A | L | O | T | | L | E | N | D | S | | S | C | A | N |
| N | O | I | R | E | | | I | C | E | D | | S | I | T |
| D | E | F | I | L | E | D | C | L | E | R | K | | | |
| | | B | A | S | E | | | | E | E | L | S | |
| D | E | B | U | N | K | E | D | P | R | I | V | A | T | E |
| A | T | I | T | | I | D | A | H | O | | I | B | E | X |
| Z | O | N | E | | M | E | D | I | T | | N | E | V | E |
| E | N | D | S | | O | R | A | L | S | | S | L | E | D |
Mon 6/27/2005
| G | R | I | N | | L | A | G | O | | F | E | D | E | X |
| R | E | N | O | | A | B | U | T | | A | D | E | L | E |
| A | S | S | T | | S | O | L | E | | R | I | L | E | S |
| P | A | P | E | R | O | R | P | L | A | S | T | I | C | |
| E | W | E | | A | R | T | | L | I | I | | | | |
| | C | R | E | D | I | T | O | R | D | E | B | I | T |
| S | T | U | | A | V | A | | S | E | N | A | T | E |
| N | E | I | L | | | E | K | E | | | G | R | A | D |
| A | M | O | E | B | A | | E | N | D | | E | L | L | |
| W | I | N | D | O | W | O | R | A | I | S | L | E | | |
| | | | N | O | R | | M | A | I | | Y | M | A |
| R | E | G | U | L | A | R | O | R | D | E | C | A | F |
| L | O | P | E | S | | T | E | R | I | | L | O | N | I |
| A | L | I | N | E | | E | P | E | E | | B | R | E | R |
| S | E | C | T | S | | S | O | D | S | | A | N | T | E |
Tue 12/21/2004
| B | A | S | E | D | | E | G | A | D | | P | A | R | S |
| I | R | E | N | E | | R | I | D | E | | T | R | O | T |
| G | E | E | N | A | D | A | V | I | S | | A | C | M | E |
| S | M | I | L | E | | E | D | I | T | | E | E | R |
| | S | U | S | A | N | S | A | R | A | N | D | O | N |
| O | U | T | S | I | D | E | | S | E | R | A | | | |
| A | P | O | | N | O | R | D | | | T | Y | P | E | A |
| R | O | B | S | | N | O | E | A | R | | S | H | A | G |
| S | N | E | A | K | | | B | R | E | T | | O | R | E |
| | | L | A | S | S | | O | P | E | N | E | N | D |
| J | A | C | K | N | I | C | H | O | L | S | O | N | | |
| E | M | U | | E | C | H | O | | A | T | T | I | C | |
| T | U | R | K | | K | E | V | I | N | B | A | C | O | N |
| E | S | S | O | | O | M | E | N | | A | T | I | L | T |
| R | E | E | D | | F | E | R | N | | N | E | A | T | H |
Tue 11/23/2004
| W | A | S | P | | L | A | S | S | | B | I | N | G | O |
| I | D | O | L | | U | S | T | A | | U | R | B | A | N |
| M | O | N | A | | C | A | I | N | | S | E | A | L | E |
| P | R | I | N | C | E | P | R | I | N | T | S | | | |
| S | E | C | T | O | R | | | T | A | O | | A | L | T |
| | | S | U | N | D | A | Y | S | U | N | D | A | E |
| P | E | A | | P | E | A | L | | A | T | E | A | S | E |
| L | A | M | B | | | D | O | G | | | O | P | E | N |
| A | S | P | E | C | T | | N | E | A | P | | T | R | Y |
| C | E | L | L | A | R | S | E | L | L | E | R | | | |
| E | L | Y | | P | E | I | | | A | R | I | S | E | S |
| | | M | U | S | S | E | L | M | U | S | C | L | E |
| P | A | P | A | L | | T | R | I | O | | K | A | L | E |
| A | G | A | Z | E | | E | G | A | D | | E | R | I | K |
| T | O | L | E | T | | R | O | M | E | | D | E | E | S |
Mon 10/25/2004
| T | A | T | A | | O | N | U | S | | P | R | A | D | O |
| O | B | I | T | | F | E | S | T | | R | E | S | I | N |
| M | E | E | T | S | F | A | C | E | T | O | F | A | C | E |
| S | T | R | I | P | | | G | R | A | F | | P | E | A |
| | | L | A | N | E | | E | M | I | L | | | |
| S | T | A | N | D | S | T | O | E | T | O | T | O | E |
| A | L | I | | K | A | T | E | | | S | N | A | R | L |
| L | E | A | N | | K | E | E | P | S | | G | R | A | M |
| P | E | R | O | N | | | N | E | A | L | | D | T | S |
| S | T | A | R | E | S | E | Y | E | T | O | E | Y | E | |
| | | A | M | I | N | | R | E | G | S | | | |
| A | B | E | | E | G | G | S | | | A | C | H | O | O |
| W | A | L | K | S | H | A | N | D | I | N | H | A | N | D |
| A | D | L | A | I | | G | O | O | D | | E | L | I | E |
| Y | E | A | T | S | | E | W | E | S | | W | E | T | S |
Mon 1/12/2004
| N | E | S | T | S | | B | O | S | S | | E | G | A | D |
| O | N | T | A | P | | A | L | T | O | | N | O | D | E |
| A | D | E | L | A | | Y | E | A | S | | S | L | O | T |
| H | O | T | C | R | O | S | S | B | U | N | | D | R | E |
| | | S | R | O | | | S | E | E | D | I | E | R |
| N | E | B | | O | N | U | S | | M | A | I | L | | |
| A | R | E | | W | A | R | M | W | E | L | C | O | M | E |
| R | O | D | E | | | A | I | R | | | E | C | O | N |
| C | O | O | L | M | I | L | L | I | O | N | | K | A | Y |
| | F | L | A | N | | E | T | T | E | | S | T | A |
| C | A | N | A | S | T | A | | | T | W | A | | | |
| A | M | A | | C | O | L | D | C | O | M | F | O | R | T |
| R | U | I | N | | N | O | R | A | | A | I | M | E | E |
| O | S | L | O | | E | N | O | S | | T | R | A | N | S |
| B | E | S | T | | S | E | P | T | | H | E | R | D | S |
