Spencer Leach author page
4 puzzles by Spencer Leach
with Jeff Chen comments
See the 38 answer words debuted by Spencer Leach.
| I | S | A | I | D | T | E | M | P | I | H | E | A | R | C | G | I | ||||
| B | A | L | S | A | C | H | R | I | S | T | I | S | L | E | A | R | M | |||
| A | L | A | R | M | T | H | E | R | A | Y | S | H | O | T | D | A | T | E | S | |
| R | E | M | A | R | I | A | S | A | L | A | A | L | B | E | E | |||||
| S | O | W | S | E | A | R | D | A | Z | E | T | H | E | C | O | U | N | T | ||
| I | C | K | C | L | O | R | O | X | A | S | T | E | R | S | ||||||
| M | E | N | U | T | H | A | T | S | O | A | N | T | E | G | P | A | ||||
| C | I | T | E | S | T | H | E | S | E | E | L | U | G | E | D | L | A | S | ||
| O | R | A | L | I | N | R | E | Y | A | L | I | E | B | A | C | K | ||||
| N | O | S | I | R | E | E | S | E | E | S | I | N | S | O | R | E | S | |||
| S | C | R | E | W | S | T | H | E | T | I | T | A | N | S | ||||||
| B | E | T | T | A | D | R | I | E | S | T | H | B | O | S | H | O | W | |||
| R | A | H | S | O | V | E | R | T | K | N | E | E | L | I | M | O | ||||
| I | T | E | S | P | I | N | E | H | O | N | O | R | T | H | E | D | E | W | ||
| E | T | D | U | R | L | S | T | O | N | E | M | E | E | V | E | N | ||||
| H | E | R | B | A | L | D | E | L | U | X | E | O | L | E | ||||||
| H | E | A | T | T | H | E | B | E | E | T | S | G | O | A | L | L | I | N | ||
| O | R | D | E | R | J | A | N | P | U | T | T | Y | N | E | S | |||||
| P | I | S | S | A | R | R | O | P | R | E | S | S | T | H | E | M | E | A | T | |
| I | C | E | C | H | A | R | O | P | T | S | T | O | A | O | R | T | A | |||
| S | H | A | T | O | O | K | P | I | E | T | A | H | I | T | O | N |
| A | D | V | I | L | B | O | O | B | O | O | S | |||
| S | O | R | B | E | T | L | A | N | O | L | I | N | ||
| I | N | H | E | A | T | P | O | K | E | B | A | L | L | |
| S | T | E | A | D | Y | G | I | G | M | A | V | S | ||
| J | A | M | L | E | X | S | A | T | ||||||
| D | I | D | S | O | E | E | R | I | N | E | S | S | ||
| I | N | S | B | A | W | L | E | D | A | Q | U | A | ||
| A | X | E | S | M | H | F | L | U | U | S | B | |||
| Z | I | T | I | A | I | S | L | E | S | A | H | I | ||
| T | S | W | I | Z | Z | L | E | S | P | R | I | T | ||
| O | N | E | A | C | S | H | E | P | ||||||
| D | O | J | A | O | N | T | O | P | O | F | I | T | ||
| B | R | U | I | S | I | N | G | D | O | N | E | Z | O | |
| B | A | R | M | E | N | U | S | N | E | E | Z | Y | ||
| Q | B | S | A | C | K | S | E | S | T | A | S |
| W | O | Z | B | B | Q | P | O | R | K | B | U | N | ||
| A | L | E | S | Y | O | U | A | R | E | H | E | R | E | |
| V | I | N | E | P | R | I | D | E | F | L | A | G | S | |
| Y | O | G | A | P | A | N | T | S | L | O | R | E | ||
| A | B | U | S | E | D | B | E | E | ||||||
| D | R | O | S | S | A | J | A | X | F | L | U | |||
| J | U | D | A | S | C | Y | A | N | W | R | I | T | ||
| E | V | E | R | Y | B | O | D | Y | G | O | H | O | M | E |
| T | E | N | D | E | R | R | S | B | A | S | E | S | ||
| E | T | S | S | A | K | E | B | A | T | T | Y | |||
| C | H | U | A | P | E | M | A | N | ||||||
| T | A | L | E | I | M | O | N | A | D | I | E | T | ||
| B | O | R | E | I | N | M | I | N | D | A | X | L | E | |
| B | R | E | A | K | D | A | N | C | E | Y | O | B | A | |
| C | O | A | T | H | A | N | G | E | R | N | A | M |
My stranded-on-a-desert-island food would be BBQ PORK BUNs. Their pillowy softness, the rich aroma when you gently break it open, the redness so artificial that it looks like the Joker kissed it … I'd die of scurvy, but I'd die a happy (and chunky) man.
QUIT DAYDREAMING crossing EVERYBODY GO HOME as the puzzle's backbones? Talk about sucking the life out of the party! BORE in mind is right. Colorful, evocative answers, though, no doubt.
Several years ago, I helped a guy make a themeless around CRAPEHANGER, which tickled him (but which Will and Rich thought was too weird). Too bad I couldn't convince him to change it to something more like COATHANGER, which got a childlike riddle for a clue today: what has a hook and sometimes two claws?
I'm not the target since I exclusively wear 20-year-old t-shirts, but I'm sure COATHANGER connoisseurs laughed. (Claws apparently are notch-like features toward the ends?)
The cluing was spot-on today; Saturday-hard but written at a level that delivered great a-has. [Sports stud] … whoever will finally bring back my Sonics to Seattle? The Moneyball analyst behind the 2002 Oakland A's surge? Ah, the CLEAT!
BBC as [English Channel] has been used a few times. A spelling BEE needing a "spell checker" was brilliant, though!
And the best for last, PRIDE FLAGS are waving at those on their way out (of the closet). Playing on both "out" and "wave" makes for a fantastic twofer.
Although some long entries were downers — screw you, I'M ON A DIET, I'm gonna eat a dozen bao! — there was so much to enjoy elsewhere.
| C | R | I | M | P | N | S | F | W | I | D | I | G | ||
| H | U | M | O | R | E | Y | R | E | M | E | G | A | ||
| I | M | P | R | I | S | O | N | E | D | P | L | O | P | |
| P | O | L | E | D | A | N | C | E | B | A | T | T | Y | |
| S | U | I | E | T | S | S | O | L | A | C | E | |||
| R | E | A | P | S | S | R | I | R | A | C | H | A | ||
| S | P | A | C | E | T | I | M | E | O | A | R | |||
| P | R | O | M | O | C | O | D | E | ||||||
| C | D | C | A | R | T | C | E | N | T | E | R | |||
| H | E | A | D | D | E | S | K | S | O | L | E | S | ||
| E | N | B | I | E | S | T | A | D | J | O | B | |||
| M | I | F | F | S | P | L | A | Y | E | R | O | N | E | |
| L | E | A | F | D | R | O | P | S | A | H | I | N | T | |
| A | C | R | E | V | A | S | E | T | E | N | E | T | ||
| B | E | E | R | D | Y | E | D | H | A | S | T | Y |
1-Across can be so important for drawing a solver into your puzzle. This rock climber was elated to write in CRIMP! I used to hate crimps, but I've come to appreciate the challenges they provide.
A lot of strong material, the SPACE TIME / PROMO CODE / ART CENTER star stack anchoring things well. I enjoyed the throwback clue to the arcade cabinet in PLAYER ONE's clue, the spicy SRIRACHA, and I do my fair share of HEADDESKs.
I draw a circled C every time I run across a clever clue, and today's puzzle had more than the seven seas. [Bit of tea, to Brits] is usually SPOT. Even when I got the crossings to fill in RUMOUR, it didn't make sense — until I figured out the tea was in the sense of "spill the tea."
I might have dissected that HUMOR until it died. (Fantastic quote by E.B. White!)
[Game with a lot of instructions] reminded me of when Jill and I played Betrayal at House on the Hill with another couple recently. Two hours later, we still hadn't gotten to the betrayal phase, what with all the complicated directions! Much simpler instructions in SIMON SAYS.
The telltale question mark often gives away too much, but [A little bit of company?] was fun. A single share of STOCK in a company is indeed a little bit.
If you haven't heard of ENBIES, think of NBs, as in "non-binaries." Clever phonetic usage.
Even going down to 68 words, Spencer kept their grid clean and elegant. Maybe a nit-picker could argue over NSFW, but I've seen the Not Safe For Work tag many times by now.
If I could only unsee the contents of those forwards.