Saturday, November 18, 2023

Black Crossword: Mini by Juliana Pache. .pdf, online.
Club 72: Freestyle 861 by Tim Croce. .puz, .pdf.
Crosshare Community: Daily Mini and Featured Puzzles.
David Alfred Bywaters: Alternate Endings by David Alfred Bywaters. .puz, .pdf, online.
Fordham Observer: The Show Must Go On by Abby Grunzinger. .pdf, online.
Fordham Observer: Saturday, November 18 (Mini) by Abby Grunzinger. .pdf, online.
See 17-Across: Break Increases by Brandon Koppy. .pdf, online.

Autostraddle: A+ Crossword Get a Little Personal by Kate Hawkins. .pdf, online.
Crossword Club: Daily Crossword by Ada Nicolle. .pdf, online.
Matt Gaffney’s Weekly Crossword Contest: ($) “That’s a Stretch” (Meta) by Matt Gaffney. Subscribe at Patreon.
Morning Brew: Smorgasbord by Mary Tobler .pdf, online.
Puzzmo: One-Off by Ken Stern. Online, account required.
Reason: Development Interrupted by Stella Zawistowski. .pdf, online.
Spyscape: Relative Secrecy by Rose Sloan and Will Eisenberg. .pdf, online.

Apple News : ($) Freestyle by Kelsey Dixon. News+ Subscription Required
Apple News Mini: ($) Daily Mini by Erik Agard. News+ Subscription Required
Crosswords with Friends: Smartypants Saturday by Lynn Lempel. App Store | Google Play
Crosswords with Friends: Midi Puzzle by Patrick Berry. App Store | Google Play
Crosswords with Friends: Mini Puzzle by Zhouqin Burnikel. App Store | Google Play
Daily POP Crosswords: by Mark McClain. App Store | Google Play, online.
Los Angeles Times: by Tom Pepper & Zhouqin Burnikel. Online, pdf. Free Cruciverb account for .puz.
Los Angeles Times Mini: by Elizabeth Gorski. Online.
The Modern Crossword: … But Seriously by Aaron M. Rosenberg & David Karp. Online, .pdf.
New York Magazine: Reinforce Your Brand by Matt Gaffney. .pdf, online.
New York Sun: ($) Final Scores by Paula Gamache. Reissues from 2004.
New York Times: ($) by Hoang-Kim Vu. Online, .pdf, app.
New York Times Mini: by Joel Fagliano. Online, app.
Newsday: Saturday Stumper by Steve Mossberg. Online, .pdf, backup online.
PlayFour: Daily Puzzle. Online
The Telegraph: Cross Atlantic by Ali Gascoigne. Online.
Universal: Universal Freestyle 99 by Spencer Leach. Online, pdf. .puz.
USA Today: Garlic Knots by Amanda Rafkin. Online, .pdf, app.
Vox: Bright Beatles’ Songs by Patrick Blindauer. .pdf, online.
Vulture 10×10: The Panem Puzzle by Stella Zawistowski. .pdf, online.
The Wall Street Journal: Getting a Head Start by Alan Arbesfeld. Online, .pdf. .puz.
Washington Post Daily Mini Meta: by Frank Longo. Online, .pdf.

Crossword Nexus Blog: Bonus Puzzle: The More The Merrier (dropquote) by Alex Boisvert .ipuz, .pdf, online.
Squared Away: Daily Puzzle. Online.

Financial Times: FT Crossword: Polymath number 1,257 by Aardvark. .pdf.
Financial Times: FT Crossword: Number 17,578 by Rosa Klebb. .pdf.
Financial Times: FT Weekend Magazine Crossword Number 666 by Aldhelm. .pdf.
The Globe and Mail: The Daily Cryptic Crossword. .pdf, online.
The Hindu Cryptic: #14023 by Afterdark. .pdf, online.
The Independent: Cryptic Crossword by Twin. .pdf, online.
WSJ Variety: Mix and Match by Emily Cox & Henry Rathvon. .pdf.

Other American-style crosswords:

Reviews and Discussion at Diary of a Crossword Fiend | Boatload Puzzles/AARP | Crosshare | CrosswordsBackwards | Cruciverbalista (en español) | Dictionaries6 | Easy Crossword | FreeDailyCrosswords | GameLab | Hard Crossword | r/crossword | Squares.io | YourPuzzleSource | XWord-Muggles Meta Calendar

Other Cryptic/Variety crosswords:

A Frame Games | cf.kmbweb.de Links Library | Harper’s ($) | Lovatts | Magpie ($) | Mokelfish Links Library | MyCrossword | NPL | Panda Magazine ($) | Private Eye | PuzzleCrypt archives | Puzzling StackExchange | r/crosswords | Split Decisions | Sydney Morning Herald ($) | The Telegraph | The Times (UK) ($), includes The Listener

Monday, September 4, 2023

Black Crossword: Mini by Juliana Pache. .pdf, online.
Crosshare Community: Daily Mini and Featured Puzzles.
Jeff’s Puzzles: Silly Soundalikes by Jeff Linder. .puz, .pdf
Monday Fills: Countdown by Dave Murchie. .puz, .pdf, online.
Muggle Meta Mondays: Ad Astra (Meta) by Capn Rick. .puz, .pdf.
Olio Grids: Strange Exchange by Brian Callahan. .pdf, online.
Roy Johnson’s Crossword Hub: Roy Johnson’s Cryptic #3 by RoyJohnson490. .puz, online.
xwordswithbabka: Sick puzzle, bro by Norah Sharpe and Dan Schwartz. .puz, online.
YourPuzzleSource: Daily Puzzle (Midi) by Phil Fraas. .pdf, online.

A-to-Z Crosswords: ($) Puzzle #71 by Peter Gordon & Frank Longo. Subscribe at link.
Atlas Obscura: September Themeless by Natan Last. .puz, .pdf, online.
Autostraddle: Mini Crossword – September 4, 2023 by Kate Hawkins. .pdf, online.
Crossword Club: Daily Crossword: September 4, 2023 by Kelsey Dixon. .pdf, online.
Lil AVC X: ($) 11/10, no notes by Ken Stern. Subscribe at link.
Planet Crossword: Digital Themeless by Zhouqin Burnikel. Online.

The Atlantic Mini: by Paolo Pasco. .pdf, online.
Crosswords with Friends: Movie Monday by Andy Kravis. App Store | Google Play
Crosswords with Friends: Midi Puzzle by Fred Piscop. App Store | Google Play
Crosswords with Friends: Mini Puzzle by Caitlin Reid. App Store | Google Play
Daily Beast: Sunset Cruise, Mon. Sept. 4, 2023 by Matt Gaffney. .pdf, online.
Daily POP Crosswords: by Beth Rubin. App Store | Google Play, online.
Los Angeles Times: by Marin Wells & Andrew Kingsley. Online, pdf. Free Cruciverb account for .puz.
Los Angeles Times Mini: by Elizabeth Gorski. Online.
The Modern Crossword: Monday, September 04, 2023 by Amanda Rafkin. Online, .pdf.
New York Magazine: Decisions, Decisions by Matt Gaffney. .pdf, online.
New York Sun: ($) Carmen by Byron Walden. Reissues from 2004.
New York Times: ($) by Tom Pepper and Zhouqin Burnikel. Online, .pdf, app.
New York Times Mini: by Joel Fagliano. Online, app.
The New Yorker: The Crossword: Monday, September 4, 2023 by Paolo Pasco. .pdf, online.
Newsday: In Uniform by Doug Peterson. Online, .pdf, backup online.
PlayFour: Daily Puzzle. Online
The Telegraph: Cross Atlantic by James Brydon. Online.
Universal: It’s Hard To Tell by Christina Iverson. Online, pdf. .puz.
USA Today: Heaven’s Above! by Olivia Mitra Framke & Sally Hoelscher. Online, .pdf, app.
Vox: by Patrick Blindauer. .pdf, online.
The Wall Street Journal: Just Sayin’ by Randolph Ross. Online, .pdf. .puz.
Washington Post Daily Mini Meta: by Andrew White & Pete Muller. Online, .pdf.

A Cleverly-Titled Logic Puzzle Blog: Kevin’s Puzzles at Home Season 5, Episode 1: Veg Out by Grant Fikes .pdf
Monday Fills Acrostics: Acrostic 206 by Dave Murchie. .pdf, online.
Redhead64: PUZZLE #455: Dial Tunes 4 .pdf.
Squared Away: Daily Puzzle. Online.
Steve’s Cryptic Crosswords: Puzzle 336 by Steve Townsend. Online.

Financial Times: FT Crossword: Number 17,513 by Peto. .pdf.
The Globe and Mail: The Daily Cryptic Crossword. .pdf, online.
The Guardian: Cryptic crossword No 29,166 by Brummie. .pdf, online.
The Hindu Cryptic: #13961 by Arden. .pdf, online.
The Independent: Cryptic Crossword by Umpire. .pdf, online.

Other American-style crosswords:

Reviews and Discussion at Diary of a Crossword Fiend | Boatload Puzzles/AARP | Crosshare | CrosswordsBackwards | Cruciverbalista (en español) | Dictionaries6 | Easy Crossword | FreeDailyCrosswords | GameLab | Hard Crossword | r/crossword | Squares.io | YourPuzzleSource | XWord-Muggles Meta Calendar

Other Cryptic/Variety crosswords:

A Frame Games | cf.kmbweb.de Links Library | Harper’s ($) | Lovatts | Magpie ($) | Mokelfish Links Library | MyCrossword | NPL | Panda Magazine ($) | Private Eye | PuzzleCrypt archives | Puzzling StackExchange | r/crosswords | Split Decisions | Sydney Morning Herald ($) | The Telegraph | The Times (UK) ($), includes The Listener

Tuesday, 7 February 2023

BEQ: Themeless Monday #709 by Brendan Emmett Quigley. .puz, .pdf, online.
Black Crossword: Mini by Juliana Pache. .pdf, online.
⟪Clever Name Here⟫: In a Pickle? by David B Ritterskamp. .jpz, .pdf, online.
Crosshare Community: Daily Mini and Featured Puzzles.
Crossword Dilemmas: How Long ’til Black Future Month? by Emma Lawson. .pdf, online.
The Daily Princetonian: A Bit Lite (Mini) by Bryan Zhang. Online.
LuterCross: Really?! by Matthew Luter. .pdf, .puz, online.
Metas On A Tuesday: Best Intentions (Meta) by benchen71. .puz, .pdf, online.
Muggle Meta Mondays: Missing Something (Meta) by Bird Lives. .puz, .pdf.
Olio Grids: This Puzzle Has Balls by Brian Callahan. .pdf, online.
YourPuzzleSource: Daily Puzzle (Midi) by Phil Fraas. .pdf, online.

Atlas Obscura: It’s Snow Fun by Laura Braunstein. .pdf, online.
Crossword Club: Daily Crossword: February 7, 2023 by Kelsey Dixon. .pdf, online.
Crossword Nation: ($) Der Crossword by Elizabeth C. Gorski. Subscribe at link.
Lil AVC X: ($) One-Off by Ken Stern. Subscribe at link.
Luckystreak+: ($) puzzle #114: on two candles (themeless) by Ada Nicolle. Subscribe at link.
Morning Brew: Brew Mini: Chill by Mary Tobler .pdf, online.

The Atlantic Mini: by Paolo Pasco. .pdf, online.
The Crosswords Club: ($) tktktk by tktktk. Subscribe at link.
Crosswords with Friends: TV Tuesday by Stella Zawistowski. App Store | Google Play
Crosswords with Friends: Midi Puzzle by Donna S. Levin. App Store | Google Play
Crosswords with Friends: Mini Puzzle by Nate Cardin. App Store | Google Play
Daily Beast: Launch Your Brand, Mon, Feb 6, 2023 by Matt Gaffney. .pdf, online.
Daily POP Crosswords: by Robin Stears. App Store | Google Playonline.
Los Angeles Times: by Darryl Gonzalez. Online, pdf. Free Cruciverb account for .puz.
Los Angeles Times Mini: by Elizabeth Gorski. Online.
The Modern Crossword: Tuesday, February 07, 2023 by Amanda Rafkin. Online, .pdf.
New York Sun: ($) The Eyes Have It by Lynn Lempel. Reissues from 2003.
New York Times: ($) by Ellen Leuschner. Online, .pdf, app.
New York Times Mini: by Joel Fagliano. Online, app.
The New Yorker: The Crossword: Tuesday, February 7, 2022 by Natan Last. .pdf, online.
Newsday: Palette Choices by Billie Truitt. Online, .pdfbackup online.
The Telegraph: Cross Atlantic by James Brydon. Online.
Universal: All the Right Angles by Wayne Harris. Online, pdf. .puz.
USA Today: Side Salad by Matthew Stock. Online, .pdf, app.
Vox: by Juliana Tringali Golden. .pdf, online.
Vulture 10×10: The Canuck Puzzle by Stella Zawistowski. .pdf, online.
The Wall Street Journal: Bringing Home the Bacon by Kristian House. Online, .pdf. .puz.
Washington Post Daily Mini Meta: by Andrew White & Pete Muller. Online, .pdf.

Aries Puzzles: ($) Rows Garden #10.6 by Andrew J. Ries. Subscribe at link.
Crossword Nexus Blog: Decisions Were Made… (Acrostic) by JibbyMAX. .ipuz, .pdf, online.
Garden Party: ($) Rows Garden #6.6 by Michael Blake. Subscribe at link.
Keynesian Cryptics: Quixotic Smorgasbord by Jack H Keynes. .pdf, online.
Monday Fills Acrostics: Acrostic 191 by Dave Murchie. .pdf, online.
Outside The Box: ($) Split Decisions by Grant Fikes. Subscribe at link.
Outside The Box: ($) Rows Garden #8.21 by joon pahk. Subscribe at link.

Financial Times: FT Crossword: Number 17,326 by Bobcat. .pdf.
The Globe and Mail: The Daily Cryptic Crossword. .pdf, online.
The Guardian: Cryptic crossword No 28,987 by Maskarade. .pdf, online.
The Independent: Cryptic Crossword by Tees. .pdf, online.

Other American-style crosswords:

Reviews and Discussion at Diary of a Crossword Fiend | Boatload Puzzles/AARP | Crosshare | CrosswordsBackwards | Cruciverbalista (en español) | Dictionaries6 | Easy Crossword | FreeDailyCrosswords | GameLab | Hard Crossword | r/crossword | Squares.io | YourPuzzleSource | XWord-Muggles Meta Calendar

Other Cryptic/Variety crosswords:

A Frame Games | cf.kmbweb.de Links Library | Harper’s ($) | Lovatts | Magpie ($) | Mokelfish Links Library | MyCrossword | NPL | Panda Magazine ($) | Private Eye | PuzzleCrypt archives | Puzzling StackExchange | r/crosswords | Split Decisions | Sydney Morning Herald ($) | The Telegraph | The Times (UK) ($), includes The Listener

Thursday, January 19, 2023

The Chicago Maroon: 54. The Long Hall by Pravan Chakravarthy. .pdf, online.
Crosshare Community: Daily Mini and Featured Puzzles.
Jeff’s Puzzles: Travel Midi 3 – India by Jeff Linder. .puz, .pdf
Jonesin’: “Pay Cut”–my interest is divided. by Matt Jones. .puz, .pdf, online.
M & M Crosswords: Haggis, Neeps, and Tatties by Martina Waluk. .pdf, online.
Olio Grids: Pop Trio by Brian Callahan. .pdf, online.
YourPuzzleSource: Daily Puzzle (Midi) by Phil Fraas. .pdf, online.

ClassiCanadian Crosswords: ($) Ship of Foolishness by Barb Olson. Subscribe at link.
Crossword Club: Daily Crossword: January 19, 2023 by Quiara Vasquez. .pdf, online.
Fireball: ($) Generally Speaking by David Tuffs. Subscribe at link.
Morning Brew: Brew Mini: Era by Mary Tobler .pdf, online.
Planet Crossword: Rearview Themeless by Taylor Johnson. Online.

The Atlantic Mini: by Paolo Pasco. .pdf, online.
Crosswords with Friends: Top 40 Thursday by Peter Wentz. App Store | Google Play
Crosswords with Friends: Midi Puzzle by Robyn Weintraub. App Store | Google Play
Crosswords with Friends: Mini Puzzle by Robyn Weintraub. App Store | Google Play
Daily Beast: New Tenant, Thur, Jan 19, 2023 by Matt Gaffney. .pdf, online.
Daily POP Crosswords: by Pam Amick Klawitter. App Store | Google Playonline.
Los Angeles Times: by Jerry Edelstein. Online, pdf. Free Cruciverb account for .puz.
Los Angeles Times Mini: by Elizabeth Gorski. Online.
The Modern Crossword: Thursday, January 19, 2023 by Anna Gundlach. Online, .pdf.
New York Sun: ($) Action Figures by Craig Kasper. Reissues from 2003.
New York Times: ($) by Daniel Bodily. Online, .pdf, app.
New York Times Mini: by Joel Fagliano. Online, app.
The New Yorker: The Crossword: Thursday, January 19, 2023 by Robyn Weintraub. .pdf, online.
Newsday: Climb Time by Stan Newman. Online, .pdfbackup online.
The Telegraph: Cross Atlantic by Russell Henwood. Online.
Universal: Movies by the Numbers by Joseph A. Gangi. Online, pdf. .puz.
USA Today: Touch Ups by Emet Ozar & Brooke Husic. Online, .pdf, app.
Vox: by Will Nediger. .pdf, online.
Vulture 10×10: The Courtroom Puzzle by Stella Zawistowski. .pdf, online.
The Wall Street Journal: Look Inward by Peter A. Collins. Online, .pdf. .puz.
Washington Post Daily Mini Meta: by Andrew White & Pete Muller. Online, .pdf.

AVCX Cryptic: ($) AVCX Cryptic by Ken Stern. Subscribe at link.
A Cleverly-Titled Logic Puzzle Blog: Wordy Wednesday 518: Codewords 21 by Grant Fikes .pdf
No-Feet McGee: Mystery Snoops by No-Feet McGee. .pdf, online.
The Rackenfracker: Rackenfracker #12: Table of Contents by The Rackenfracker. .pdf, online.

Financial Times: FT Crossword: Number 17,309 by Julius. .pdf.
The Globe and Mail: The Daily Cryptic Crossword. .pdf, online.
The Guardian: Cryptic crossword No 28,971 by Brendan. .pdf, online.
The Independent: Cryptic Crossword by Rodriguez. .pdf, online.
New Scientist: ($) #101 by Rasa. Subscribe at link.
The Spectator: ($) 2588: Necessary Evils by Mr Magoo. Subscribe at link.

Other American-style crosswords:

Reviews and Discussion at Diary of a Crossword Fiend | Boatload Puzzles/AARP | Crosshare | CrosswordsBackwards | Cruciverbalista (en español) | Dictionaries6 | Easy Crossword | FreeDailyCrosswords | GameLab | Hard Crossword | r/crossword | Squares.io | YourPuzzleSource | XWord-Muggles Meta Calendar

Other Cryptic/Variety crosswords:

A Frame Games | cf.kmbweb.de Links Library | Harper’s ($) | Lovatts | Magpie ($) | Mokelfish Links Library | MyCrossword | NPL | Panda Magazine ($) | Private Eye | PuzzleCrypt archives | Puzzling StackExchange | r/crosswords | Split Decisions | Sydney Morning Herald ($) | The Telegraph | The Times (UK) ($), includes The Listener

Crossworld News and Notes, November 2022


Across and Down” is a CBC documentary that follows a set of constructors as they fight to improve representation in crosswords. Constructors featured are Tass and Lita Williams, Natan Last, Nancy Serrano-Wu, Soleil St-Cyr, Ross Trudeau, and Nate Cardin. While the documentary is currently not available outside Canada, the accompanying articles “Seven crossword constructors fighting for better representation in the beloved puzzle” and “Bias in crosswords: how women, people of colour and LGBTQIA+ communities are overlooked” provide a bit of a sneak peek. We’re happy to see Queer Qrosswords, Women of Letters, and The Inkubator mentioned.

In digging up more about “Across and Down” we found an old, but excellent, article from the Halifax Examiner featuring Tass and Lita Williams and the making of culturally significant crosswords.

Celia Mattison, writing for Catapult Magazine in “Why I Started Writing Crossword Puzzles” describes her experience in redefining what “common knowledge” can be in crosswords.

From cryptic streamer Hayley Gold: “This month’s cryptic stream (featuring guests Ryan McCarty, Derek Allen, and No-Feet McGee — plus the boring regulars: Will Nediger, Al Sanders, and Two-Feet Hayley —though technically one is broken) will be on Friday, November 18 at 9 pm Eastern. Come one, come all for a cornucopia of classic cryptics, because that’s the only thing I’m thankful for.  Go to twitch.tv/bewilderingly to watch, or catch the VOD afterward for only 7 days (twitch lowered the number of days, so just come to the live show so ya don’t have to worry about it!)”


Congratulations to the new members of the Lil AVC X editing team for 2023: Derek Allen, Kavin Pawittranon, Kelsey Dixon, Ken Stern, No-Feet McGee, Olivia Mitra Framke, Rafael Musa, Rose Sloan, Sally Hoelscher, Sara Cantor, Steve Mossberg, and Will Eisenberg. We are so excited for the puzzles to come from this amazing lineup!

Lil AVC X is also recruiting constructors for the 2023 roster. Applications are due November 21.


Congratulations to Ada Nicolle who has joined the team at Crossword Club as both an editor and constructor.


Autostraddle, a progressive, feminist, LGBTQIA+ digital publication has begun offering crossword puzzles that center queer content. Puzzles so far are written by Brooke Husic and Rachel Fabi, with more constructors to come. Three mini puzzles each week are free to all, and a midi crossword is published Saturdays exclusively for Autostraddle’s A+ members.

A new crop of puzzle sources has come to our attention lately. We’re happy to share these in the Daily Links, but we also want to recommend them to our News and Notes readers. In standard crosswords we have learned of Completing the Square by Carter, Crossword Dilemmas by Emma Lawson, and Quid Pro by Andrew Anker; and in cryptics, Pix Puzzles by Pixlate and The Buzzle Blog by Celise. We have also started including The Chicago Maroon by University of Chicago students.

We’re also enjoying the work of Taylor Johnson and the ongoing suite of Lemonade Disco puzzles. Constructors of all experienced levels are encouraged to submit ideas. On the 17th of each month a new pack is released and the new prompt is announced.


Since the last News & Notes, Caryn L. Robbins (10/17), Rafael Musa (10/21), Joe Rodini (10/24), Nick Shephard (10/25), Ethan Zou (11/2), Juliet Corless (11/4), Jill Singer (11/6) made their NYT debuts! Congrats to everyone! Check out some of their other work we have enjoyed: Rafa’s AVCX+ “Can We Solve It? Yes We Can!” (with Kate Chin Park), Juliet’s work with The Daily Princetonian, Jill’s Spyscape “Inside Jobs“.


Thank you to our friends at the Fill Me In podcast, who in recent weeks have hosted a variety of guests to discuss topics in crossworld. Check out these episodes if you missed them: Rachel Fabi and Neville Fogarty talk about their work in making, solving, and streaming cryptic crosswords; Kate Chin Park and Will Eisenberg share their interesting origin stories; our own Matthew Gritzmacher discusses the history and future of Daily Crossword Links; and our own Shannon Rapp reviews some of her favorite indie puzzles over the last couple of months.


The New York Times is accepting applications for the second class of their Diverse Crossword Constructor Fellowship. Submissions open through December 1.

Beginning November 23 through January 3, 2023, The New York Times is accepting Sunday-size submissions only, directly by email to crosswordeditors@nytimes.com. All other submissions are closed until after January 3.


Have a news tip for us? An idea to pitch? A puzzle or puzzle site to share? Let us know!