Grid Size: 9 x 9
Although I haven’t read any of her books (yet!), Rebecca Yarros has become quite a legend in the 4-Down world. Hope you enjoy the solve!🐲
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Grid Size: 5 x 8
My wife and I used to travel internationally with some frequency in the pre-COVID times. Then the world shut down, life got busy, and it just wasn’t a priority for us. Excited for this opportunity to expand our horizons again.🌍
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Grid Size: 15 x 15
Difficulty: Not quite sure, but probably not hard enough for you to scream “Serenity Now!”Sometimes you make a puzzle that’s deemed “too niche” by a mainstream outlet, and you’re like “OK, I’ll just send this to an indie publication.” And then the indie publication’s like “this is a good puzzle, but it’s just too niche for our audience.” Where do you go from there? To oliogrids.com, of course. If it’s niche, we’ll host it! Constructors note: I haven’t posted a full-size puzzle here in almost 2 years, so please don’t go back in the archive. I can’t vouch for the quality of any of those grids😬
Anyway, I’m thrilled to have been able to work on this puzzle with Amie Walker. If you don’t know Amie, she’s a wildly prolific constructor who’s had puzzles published in just about every outlet out there today (including something like 4 puzzles in the last 8 days!). Like me, Amie’s also one of the editors/mentors over at Lil AVCX. 🔌: get all your friends and loved ones AVCX subscriptions this holiday season!
As mentioned earlier, this puzzle won’t necessarily be for everyone, BUT if you happen to be a fan of a certain ‘90s sitcom about “nothing,” you might really enjoy this one. Hope you have a safe and happy Festivus!
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Grid Size: 11 x 11
Crosshare.org has been doing a monthly midi contest for a few years now where constructors build an entire 11×11 puzzle around a single word or phrase. It’s always delightful to see how people’s minds generate such different ideas around a prompt. Thanks to Kieran Boyd for encouraging me to enter this month (after quite a lengthy absence from the contest!). This month’s theme is “On the Farm.” Happy solving!
It’s been an eventful last week for me in the Crossworld. I had my second New York Times puzzle on Tuesday (12/10) with Lil AVC X roster phenom and friend Geoffrey Schorkopf. I also had my USA Today debut on Saturday (12/14) with the puzzle “Hi Hi!” – thanks to all for solving! You can check out the write-ups for the NYT and USAT puzzles courtesy of the New York Times Wordplay blog and Sally Hoelscher’s always excellent Off the Grid.
One more fun plug! I’m back with Lil AVC X as an editor/mentor for 2025. If you haven’t already purchased an AVC X subscription as a holiday gift for that crossword lover in your life, now is the perfect time. There’s so much incredible content over there, it’s well worth the price!
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Grid Size: 5 x 8
I’m trying to get back in the swing of making more blog minis. Hopefully this is the first of a few of them this month. I’m a big fan of the “?” clues in this one. Hope you enjoy them as well!
ICYMI – I had the December 5th Apple News+ puzzle. If you’re a subscriber, you can still solve it here.