Congratulations to Mark Goodliffe, who set a new record this weekend with five consecutive wins at the London Times cryptic crossword tournament… then just about finished another puzzle while waiting for Jason James to come in second.
Cryptics are having an interesting week all over. Stephen Sondheim, the composer who helped introduce them to American audiences, has inspired a series of cryptic crosswords based on his compositions and plays, to his delight. And did you know India’s first Navy chief was also its first cryptic cruciverbalist? If you’re new to cryptics and these facts pique your curiosity, Penny/Dell Puzzles has a new cryptic solving guide that covers the basics admirably.
“SPOILERS apparently I am in today’s NY Times crossword (64-Down: ‘Game show douchebag Jennings.’)” (Ken Jennings)
By definition, any puzzle posted on this blog is a potential spoiler, but we only review crosswords that are currently available elsewhere. However, a certain well-known blog committed a lapse when it posted information about a New York Times puzzle that will not be released until next week, provoking an outcry in its comments section. I’m deliberately omitting any further information or a direct link for now, but if your need to know really supersedes your desire to solve next week’s puzzles unspoiled, Google the exact phrase “Next week, the New York Times…” (And readers, please don’t give it away in the comments either.)
Krizl is an interesting fusion of crosswords and jigsaw puzzles for phones and tablets.
You probably thought the All About Steve poster was as condescending as crossword marketing could get. Oh, no. Meet Alex Cross: its link to the crosswording community is that the title character has “Cross” in his name. Seriously, that’s it.
Still, at least Alex Cross is only after the price of a movie ticket, rather than asking $50 for a set of crossword-themed cufflinks. Who would buy such a thing– No. Stop thinking about it. You don’t need them.
OK, I have to ask – what’s wrong with those cuff links? I have a crappy pair of crossword cufflinks I bought off eBay a few years ago, and if these are of good quality then $50 doesn’t seem unreasonable. And, it’s a real crossword grid. Why the cuff link hate? I might just go buy a pair.
The cufflinks are kind of cute. Those skeleton things with a few same letters here and there are not entitled to be called crosswords. I really like this feature though. Thanks TC.