Outside the Fox Puzzles: Year 4!

OUTSIDE THE FOX PUZZLES: YEAR 4
 
"Touchwords are my favorite crossword variant" - Daily Crossword Links
 
Outside the Fox Puzzles is a puzzle subscription service in the style of Joon Pahk's Outside the Box Puzzles (spelled with a B, not an F). It is the world's only puzzle subscription service to guarantee that none of the puzzles have been eaten by a fox. First order of business: the logo has had quite a glow-up courtesy of an artist who goes by Seruviel! (Seruviel also drew the artwork of July below the next paragraph.) Now, instead of being several pieces of clipart slapped together looking like an angry high school mascot commissioned on a budget of a half-empty can of Pringles, it actually looks cute! Thanks a lot, Seruviel!
 
Year 3 is approaching its terminus. As of this writing, 40 weeks out of 50 have been shared with the mailing list. All of the Year 3 puzzles have been written, but many await scheduling, 10 await testing feedback, and 1 awaits an illustration. Writing so many darned puzzles and trying to keep a healthy backlog is tough work for one person, so starting with Year 4, I have enlisted the help of July Foxe, the furry rascal you see in the new logo, in crafting my grids going forward. Though I will abdicate my position as "Head Fox" to July, I will remain in all Outside the Fox Puzzles bylines as his co-author and human assistant. And considering that July is fictional, he's going to need all the assistance he can get! Without further ado, I now pass the reins to July to explain how to subscribe to Year 4.
Greetings, dearest reader! I am July Foxe, Grant's new anthropomorphic fox co-author. Though Grant and I will work together to whip up some tasty puzzle dishes for your consumption over the course of the year 2027, I have promised not to eat any of them so as to keep the name accurate as it has been for the previous years. We hope you enjoy them!

Outside the Fox Puzzles uses the pay-what-you-want model; the minimum price for one year of puzzles is US$10, but you're absolutely welcome to pay more (and some do!). Every Tuesday for 50 weeks (January 5 through December 14, 2027), at 8:00 AM Central Time, we will release three new puzzles:

• A Touchword. This is a crossword variation of Grant's invention, featuring words which touch instead of crossing. These alternate between 11x11 (mini) grids on odd-numbered weeks and 15x15 (standard) grids 
on even-numbered weeks.
• A gridded logic puzzle. This could be any logic puzzle genre which is playable on puzz.link or its GitHub forks.
• A variety word puzzle. This could be just about anything. The only guarantee is that words and wordplay will be involved.

You will get three PDFs each week: one for the puzzles, one for the hints, and one for the solutions. You will also get two PUZ files for each Touchword (one for the normal version and one for the easy version), plus PUZ files for any variety word puzzles which I can offer in that format.
 
Additionally, a series of 25 variety puzzles, titled Happy Foxday, will be posted daily on May 1 through May 25, leading up to Grant's "Foxday" of May 26, on which date their answers will all be shared. (He's not actually a fox, but I'll let him get away with it on his birthday.) A similar set of 25 puzzles, Merry Foxmas, will be posted daily on December 1 through December 25, with their answers posted on Foxing Day, December 26. These variety puzzles will often include puzzles that are too offbeat to be posted as regular weekly offerings, such as story logic puzzles. Add those to the 150 weekly puzzles, and you have a total of 200 puzzles!
 
Becoming a subscriber to Outside the Fox Puzzles is a simple 4-step process:

Step 1: Add outsidethefoxpuzzles@gmail.com to your address book or whitelist to ensure smooth email delivery.

Step 2: Send my human assistant Grant a payment of at least US$10. You may skip this step if you were his Patreon supporter at the $20/month Ultra Fan level at any point during 2026 or 2027. Otherwise, go to https://paypal.me/mathgrant or https://venmo.com/u/GrantBadgerFox. (Wait, Grant's pretending to be a fox on Venmo? I'll need to have a word with him. . .) ABSOLUTELY IMPORTANT: Mention “Outside the Fox Puzzles Year 4” and the email address with which you want to subscribe!

Step 3: Request to join the Google group at https://groups.google.com/g/outside-the-fox-puzzles-year-4/. (This step is mostly optional, since Grant can usually invite you to the group or even add you directly if you gave him an email address with which to do so during step 2, but it does help. If you do this step, chances are the email address that Google will use is the Gmail address with which you were signed in; if that's different from the email address that you mentioned to Grant, then he will assume that the latter is the one you actually want.)
 
Step 4: Wait for Grant to manually vet your request and add you. You are now a member of the group and will receive a weekly dose of our "paw"zzles via email! If you joined after January 5, 2027, you may also dive into the archive of puzzles you missed while you wait for the next weekly email! Yappy solving! (Reach out to us via email at glmathgrant@gmail.com or outsidethefoxpuzzles@gmail.com if you have any issues.)
 
Want to subscribe to a previous year? You can instantly download all of year 1's puzzles or all of year 2's puzzles as a ZIP file! Year 3 will be added to this list as well once it's done.

We would like to publicly thank the Outside the Fox Puzzles testing team for their quality assurance efforts: Jason Boomer, John Bulten, Joseph DeVincentis, Kevin Orfield, Russ Kale, Sam Levitin, and Tower Lachesism.
 
OUTSIDE THE FOX PUZZLES SAMPLER
To entice you, here is a free sampler curated from the puzzles published thus far in Outside the Fox Puzzles! (Three puzzles from Year 3 have been added!) Click here for a PDF of all of the puzzles, click here for a PDF of all of the hints (the "hint document" referred to in the instructions of each puzzle), and click here for a PDF of all of the solutions.

YEAR 1, WEEK 13 (MARCH 26, 2024)
TOUCHWORD
Every row has one or more answers clued in order. Every letter shares an edge with at least one identical letter either immediately above or immediately below. The top and bottom rows are considered adjacent. If you want help, full answer enumerations are in this week’s hint document.
1 Seductress / One of the Great Lakes
2 State represented by Bernie Sanders / One of the Great Lakes
3 Pests / Ganders’ mates
4 Surname of the first host of Jeopardy! / Symbol for silence on a music staff
5 Thoroughfare associated with the British national press: 2 wds.
6 Brings back to an initial state / Seven Years in ____ (1997 movie starring Brad Pitt)
7 Word in the fine print of many beer ads
8 ____ of mass destruction / Like Larry’s songs in VeggieTales
9 “If the shoe fits, ____ it” / Phi’s predecessor
10 Rip to shreds: 2 wds. / Boca ____, Florida
11 Feminine hygiene item / 4:3, for example

YEAR 1, WEEK 20 (MAY 14, 2024)
TOUCHWORD
Every row has one or more answers clued in order. Every letter shares an edge with at least one identical letter either immediately above or immediately below. The top and bottom rows are considered adjacent. If you want help, full answer enumerations are in this week’s hint document.
1 Relocate / Common allergen / Typeface ornamentation
2 The Spy Who ____ Me / Antics / Browse, as the Internet
3 Portrait’s counterpart / Remove doubt
4 A sedimentary rock / Charm
5 Ointment / Mass of lymphoid tissue in the throat / Oaf
6 Like a cloud’s figurative lining / 2015 animated film about Riley’s feelings: 2 wds.
7 Share, with “up” / Starr of the Beatles / ____ Note (2006-2007 anime)
8 Stop-motion series whose opening theme is an instrumental version of “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God”: 3 wds.
9 Captain ____ and the Teen Angels (1977-1980 Hanna-Barbera cartoon) / ____ saving time
10 Walking stick / Spotted Central American cat / The Hateful ____ (2015 film)
11 Balsamic ____ / Cheer / Composer Stravinsky
12 MasterCard alternative / Use mouthwash / One under a legal age
13 Have different opinions / Symposium
14 “Consider it ____!” / Arborist’s concerns / This Is ____ Tap (1984 rock mockumentary)
15 Impressionist Claude / Brand of chocolate mints / Danger

YEAR 2, WEEK 20 (MAY 20, 2025)
TOUCHWORD
Every row has one or more answers clued in order. Every letter shares an edge with at least one identical letter either immediately above or immediately below. The top and bottom rows are considered adjacent. If you want help, full answer enumerations are in this week’s hint document.
1 Waterproof garment / Over / 2022 musical docudrama starring Austin Butler
2 Miniature toy residence / Boll ____
3 Jenkins who created the series The Chosen / Dopehead / Presidential ____ of Freedom
4 Remains of an animal / Senator’s tenure / ____ Ruins Everything (2015-2019 TruTV series)
5 Shapes seen in the Target logo / Wrongful civil act / Basic particle of matter
6 Vlasic offering / Baseball fielding position abbreviated with two identical letters
7 Group of wolves / Bind / Seize, as power
8 1985 film that ends, “Where we’re going, we don’t need roads”: 4 wds.
9 Giant pandas eat it / One wearing a toque, often / Fixed gaze
10 Spectacular failure / Purple flower / Play for time
11 American name for what Brits call football / Sneaked / Military exercise
12 Favorable outcome / Lascivious / Orange peel
13 Hot ____ sundae / Tendon / Current fashion
14 Stress-relieving toy / Gold brick / Part of a clarinet
15 Squeeze between the thumb and finger / “It takes two to ____” / Santa’s helpers

YEAR 3, WEEK 5 (FEBRUARY 3, 2026)
TOUCHWORD
Every row has one or more answers clued in order. Every letter shares an edge with at least one identical letter either immediately above or immediately below. The top and bottom rows are considered adjacent. If you want help, full answer enumerations are in this week’s hint document.
1 Common pants fly feature / Super ____ Bros. (1999 fighting game)
2 One who makes brass items
3 Manage / Wood-eating insect
4 Center, as of an apple / Platform on a rooftop
5 Tranquil / Minute amount
6 Snow White and the ____ Dwarfs / A component of natural gas
7 Worship / “For ____ is the kingdom. . .”
8 Rod’s partner / Carignane, for example: 2 wds.
9 Handled effectively, as a sword / Trickery
10 What a recovering banking addict might experience?
11 Alpine stringed instrument / Collect

YEAR 1, WEEK 12 (MARCH 19, 2024)
MID-LOOP

Illustrated rules on puzz.link | Solve on puzz.link
Rules summary: Draw a single loop composed of horizontal and vertical line segments connecting the centers of cells; the loop may not cross itself or branch off. Every dot must mark the midpoint of a horizontal or vertical line segment in the loop. If you want help, solving hints are in this week’s hint document.

YEAR 1, WEEK 16 (APRIL 16, 2024)
CROSS THE STREAMS

Illustrated rules on puzz.link | Solve on puzz.link
Rules summary: Shade some cells black. Numbers to the left of a row or above a column represent the lengths of the blocks of consecutive shaded cells in that row or column, in order. “?” represents a block of any length; “*” represents any number of blocks, including possibly none. No 2x2 area may be entirely shaded. All of the shaded cells must be connected through their edges. (The thick grid lines are a counting aid, but are otherwise meaningless.) If you want help, solving hints are in this week’s hint document.

YEAR 2, WEEK 27 (JULY 8, 2025)
AKARI

Illustrated rules on puzz.link | Solve on puzz.link
Rules summary: Place light bulbs in some of the white cells so that every white cell is illuminated. A light bulb illuminates its own cell and all other white cells in a straight horizontal or vertical line, up to the nearest black cell or the edge of the grid. No two light bulbs may illuminate each other. A numbered clue in a black cell represents how many of the white cells which share an edge with it (up to four) contain light bulbs. If you want help, solving hints are in this week’s hint document.

YEAR 3, WEEK 28 (JULY 14, 2026)
NURITWIN

Illustrated rules on pzprxs.vercel.app | Solve on pzprxs.vercel.app
Rules summary: Shade some cells black. Every outlined region must contain two connected blocks of black cells; these two blocks may not share an edge, but must be of the same size (though not necessarily the same shape). A number in a region indicates the size of the two blocks in that region. No 2x2 area may be entirely black. All of the black cells must be connected through their edges. If you want help, solving hints are in this week’s hint document.
 

YEAR 1, WEEK 10 (MARCH 5, 2024)
ANACROSSWORD

Solve the crossword using the clues provided. When the letters in the numbered squares are transferred to the same-numbered blanks, you will reveal a quote followed by its author. Work back and forth between the quote and the crossword to finish the puzzle. The clues are listed alphabetically by their answers; you must determine where each answer belongs. Additionally, spaces and punctuation are not provided for the quote. If you want help, the locations and full enumerations of the answers and the spacing and punctuation of the quote are in this week’s hint document.
__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32
__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64
__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96
__
97

CLUES
• Sailor’s greeting
• “Praise the Lord and Pass the ____”
• Irritate
• PopCap puzzle game in which players match gems
• Start up, as a computer
• The capital of Wales
• Certain onion relative
• Snowman in an animated Christmas special
• The Rocky ____ Picture Show
• Johnson Space Center’s city
• Immediate
• Character portrayed as a brown bear in Disney’s Robin Hood: 2 wds.
• “Monster ____” (Bobby “Boris” Pickett song)
• Like a boxing event on HBO: hyph.
• Wrinkly Chinese dog breed: hyph.
• Stiffening agent used in laundering
• Classic puzzle game whose spin-offs include Arika’s Japan-only The Grand Master arcade games
• Plane, train, or automobile

YEAR 1, WEEK 18 (APRIL 30, 2024)
PATHFINDER
In this puzzle, each answer starts in the correspondingly numbered square, goes in some direction, and makes one or more right-angled turns as it winds through the grid. When you have finished, every letter will be used in exactly two entries. If you want help, full answer enumerations and starting directions of the answers are in this week’s hint document.
1 Street ____ (4)
1 Goblet (7)
2 The Phantom ____ (Norton Juster novel) (9)
3 Boston ____ (2004-2008 series) (5)
4 Gad about (9)
5 Famous Edvard Grieg work (26, 7 wds.)
6 Accounting concern (7)
7 Glutinous grain with a gluelike texture (10, 2 wds.)
8 Board game in which players claim railway routes with train cards (12, 3 wds.)
9 Pieces of furniture housing printed materials (9)
10 Citrusy name of an ocean predator (10, 2 wds.)
11 The first tsar of Russia (15, 3 wds.)
12 Wormwood- and anise-flavored liquor (8)
13 Former German chancellor Angela (6)
14 Knight’s spear (5)
15 Samples, as food (6)
16 Computer directory (6)
17 Onion relative (7)
18 Have an excessive preoccupation (6)
19 Rich cake (5)
20 Goatlike companion of Dionysus (5)
21 Truck company with a bulldog in the logo (4)
21 Brief written message (4)
22 The lead singer of U2 (4)
23 Like Arial, but not Times New Roman (9, hyph.)
24 Tennis great Arthur (4)
25 Certain seabird (4)
26 Trends (10)
27 A beachgoer might want to get one (6)
28 Pressing need? (4)
29 Certain cut of pork (6)
30 Crowded (5)
31 Recently formed (7)
32 Long-barreled firearm (5)
33 ____ of contents (5)
34 ____ of ceremonies (6)
34 Singer-songwriter Alanis (10)
35 Climb (6)
36 ____ verb (“be”, for example) (7)
37 Natural incline (8)
38 Cold sensations (6)
39 Karate teacher (6)
40 Towards the back of a ship (6)
41 Psycho (1960) villain Norman (5)
42 Toss, as dice (4)
43 Jeweler’s unit of weight (5)
44 Comedienne Burnett (5)
44 Cloudy area of the lens of the eye (8)

YEAR 2, WEEK 24 (JUNE 17, 2025)
MIX-UP 
(The illustration is by Infernal.)
If you want help, an easier version is in this week’s hint document.
 
YEAR 3, WEEK 21 (MAY 26, 2026)
HIT SINGLES
The answers to the Play It Forward clues read along the record’s spiral groove in a counterclockwise direction from the outside in (space 1 through space 100), filling each space with a single letter. The answers to the Play It Back clues read in the opposite direction (space 100 through space 1), and the record will skip some of the letters along the way. The letters thus skipped, the titular Hit Singles, will spell a song title in Play It Forward order. The numbers give the starting and ending space of each Play It Forward answer; the Play It Back answers are in no particular order, and you must determine where they go and which letters they skip. If you want help, the starting and ending spaces of the Play It Back answers, the locations of the skipped letters, and full answer enumerations are in this week’s hint document.
PLAY IT FORWARD
1-5: Process by which coaches select players
6-12: Synopsis
13-17: Quotient between two values
18-26: Notoriously pungent cheese
27-31: In flight
32-37: Handle with fondness
38-41: Mountain in Sicily
42-46: “My Own ____ Enemy”
47-50: Grocery shopping need, often
51-55: Implied
56-59: Stereo alternative
60-64: My Big Fat ____ Wedding (2002 film)
65-69: “50 Ways to Leave Your ____”
70-73: Solemn vow
74-81: Rubber-like polymer used in some cooking utensils
82-88: Continue to endure
89-93: The surfaces underneath the feet
94-97: Notion
98-100: Vanilla Ice’s genre
PLAY IT BACK
• Armed forces
• Atkinson of Johnny English (2003)
• Battering ____
• Beetle larva
• Beget
• Bright signal light
• Bring to mind
• Epic poem about the fall of man: 2 wds.
• Four-dimensional analog of the cube
• Like a comfortable-to-use keyboard
• Lures
• “Mean Mr. ____” (1969 Beatles hit)
• Mesopotamian goddess of war
• Writing implement 

Wordy Wednesday 719: Anacrossword 53

WORDY WEDNESDAY #717
SUDOKUROSTIC 12 (answer)
Here is the answer to this puzzle. If you still wish to solve it yourself, please go here for the normal version of the puzzle, or here for the easier version of the puzzle. Here's a list of people who solved it (blue names indicate the testing team, and red names indicate Patreon supporters):
Jason Boomer **
Joseph DeVincentis **
Russ Kale **
Sam Levitin **
Cathy Bowen **
Derek Allen **
James Haddad **
Marie desJardins **
Michael Lebowitz **
Pavel Curtis **
Randy Rogers **
Ryan Faley **
Steve Levy **

WORDY WEDNESDAY #718
FINE DETAILS (hint)
As of this writing, 10 people have solved this puzzle. Haven't solved it yet? Here's an easier version. Send your answers to glmathgrant[at]gmail[dot]com within the next week to appear on the solvers list and be recognized for your puzzle prowess. Good luck, solvers!

WORDY WEDNESDAY #719
ANACROSSWORD 53
(click here for a PDF version)
This puzzle contains a word suggested by patron Cathy Bowen. Support me on Patreon at the Super Fan level ($5/month) and solve the monthly Patron Puzzle for a chance to suggest a seed word for a future puzzle, or at the Ultra Fan level ($20/month) to suggest one seed word every month!
Solve the crossword using the clues provided. When the letters in the numbered squares are transferred to the same-numbered blanks, you will reveal a clue to the final answer. Work back and forth between the blanks and the crossword to finish the puzzle. The clues are listed alphabetically by their answers; you must determine where each answer belongs. Additionally, spaces and punctuation are not provided for the final clue. 
__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32
__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64
__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88

CLUES
• Brazilian fusion of samba and smooth jazz: 2 wds.
• KFC container
• Moonstruck star
• Folk singer Woody
• Noted aviator Charles
• Flightless black-and-white bird with a yellow crest: 2 wds.
• Implement on a bicycle
• Woo
• Motto invoked before putting on a helmet, perhaps: 2 wds.
• Arctic hooter: 2 wds.
• Whole amount: 2 wds.
• The Big Bang ____
• Synonymicon

COMING NEXT WEEK. . .
* What's a 5-letter word for "Weatherman-turned-game-show-host Pat"?
* Patron Puzzle #149, which will be delivered on October 8, 2026, exclusively to Patreon supporters at the Super Fan level and up ($5 or more per month), is a pair of Codewords.

Submit your answers to glmathgrant[at]gmail[dot]com. Until next time, happy solving!

Outside the Fox Puzzles: Triple Crown Fox Derby #8

 (Click here for a PDF of all of the puzzles and the contest rules.)
 
Outside the Fox Puzzles is proud to sponsor the 8th Triple Crown Fox Derby! Up to three winners of this contest will receive their choice of one of these prizes, for themselves or for anyone else of their choice:
• A 1-year subscription to Outside the Fox Puzzles, which comes with 150 puzzles just like the ones in this contest!
• A $10 gift card for Grandmaster Puzzles, with which one can buy ebooks of beautiful logic puzzles written by talented authors from around the world!
• A 2-month Premium membership on Board Game Arena, with which one can play board games in real-time and turn-based modes against opponents from around the world!

My plan is to run these contests on the first Monday of every January, April, July, and October, at 12:01 AM Central Time. The entry deadline will be 13 days later (on a Sunday) at 11:59 PM Central Time; in this case, the deadline is Sunday, October 18, 2026, at 11:59 PM Central Time.

This contest combines a Touchword puzzle, a gridded logic puzzle, and a variety word puzzle with a fox race. Yes, in the real world, people bet on horse races and greyhound races, but in the fantastic world of Outside the Fox Puzzles, it is foxes who race. To participate in the contest, send an e-mail to glmathgrant@[at]gmail[dot]com. Your entry should include:
• Your answers to the three puzzles, as explained in their respective instructions. (Any format, including scans or photos of printed pages, screenshots, or plain text, will work, so long as I can read and judge it.)
• The name of the fox you'll be entering in the race (this is just for fun and has no effect on the outcome).
• The number of the gate your fox will start from (any integer between 1 and 50 inclusive) in each of the three races (the Kittucky Derby, the Sneakness Stakes, and the Tailmont Stakes). You can use the same gate any number of times.

The first race is the Kittucky Derby; to qualify, you must have submitted correct solutions to all three puzzles. The second race, the Sneakness Stakes, requires only two correct solutions, and the Tailmont Stakes requires only one. Winning an earlier race disqualifies you from a later race; otherwise, you can qualify for, and participate in, one, two, or all three races. The winner of each race is the fox that started from the lowest-numbered gate that nobody else selected! Unfortunately, when two or more foxes are crammed into the same gate, they have a tendency to fight each other and to not notice when the race has started. If no foxes qualify for a race, or if all qualifying foxes end up in fights, then there will be no winner.

The Triple Crown Fox Derby now also supports the three food banks featured previously in Kevin’s Puzzles at Home. For every valid puzzle solution received during the contest, I will add $1 to a money pool which will be split between the Food Bank of West Central Texas, the Food Bank for Larimer County, and the Palm Beach County Food Bank. The money pool is capped at $150 ($50 per food bank), and will be matched by three anonymous benefactors.
 
These statistics on the last six Triple Crown Fox Derbies may give you an estimate of how many entrants the current Derby will have and help you plan your strategy. Enjoy the puzzles, and yappy racing!
Derby #2: 21 triple solves, 23 double solves, 23 single solves
Derby #3: 22 triple solves, 23 double solves, 23 single solves
Derby #4: 13 triple solves, 15 double solves, 15 single solves
Derby #5: 19 triple solves, 21 double solves, 21 single solves
Derby #6: 10 triple solves, 11 double solves, 13 single solves
Derby #7: 16 triple solves, 17 double solves, 17 single solves

TOUCHWORD
Every row has one or more answers clued in order. Every letter shares an edge with at least one identical letter either immediately above or immediately below. The top and bottom rows are considered adjacent. To qualify for the Triple Crown Fox Derby, submit the completed grid.
1 2019-2021 drama series about a criminal psychologist who has to work with his serial killer father: 2 wds.
2 Political commentator / Borden’s cow mascot
3 2022 video game with a sword-wielding fox protagonist / Computer expert
4 “Mickey” singer Basil / Needlework of looped stitches
5 Slice of browned bread / “____ Man (I Think It’s Going to Be a Long, Long Time)” (Elton John song)
6 Constricting snakes / Tiny ornament
7 Get vegetables ready to be frozen, perhaps / Bury
8 President Arthur’s middle name / President Arthur’s first name
9 Place for gladiatorial combat / Dwell permanently
10 Get ready / “Roll ____!” (rallying cry at University of Alabama sports games)
11 An increase in numbers, as of an organism
RING-RING
Illustrated rules on puzz.link | Solve on puzz.link
Rules summary: Draw a number of rectangular loops composed of horizontal and vertical line segments connecting the centers of cells. Two loops may cross with one traveling horizontally and one traveling vertically through the same cell, but the loops may not otherwise overlap or share corners. The loops must pass through every white cell, but may not pass through black cells. To qualify for the Triple Crown Fox Derby, submit the completed grid.
THREE OUT OF NINE AIN’T BAD
Can you identify these 9-letter words with just three letters given? All of the words appear as uncapitalized entries in most English dictionaries. To qualify for the Triple Crown Fox Derby, submit the correct answers to at least 10 words.

 1. S_X_P____
 2. G_G_H____
 3. _RB____R_
 4. ET__U____
 5. B___FC___
 6. J___C_O__
 7. P_____H_O
 8. ___YGU___
 9. _N_K__K__
10. T__BS____
11. __DF____R
12. __PP___C_
13. _S_T_R___
14. __O_Y___Y
15. __E_Y___Y

Wordy Wednesday 718: Fine Details

WORDY WEDNESDAY #716
MINI TOUCHWORD 17 (answer)
Here is the answer to this puzzle. If you still wish to solve it yourself, please go here for the normal version of the puzzle, or here for the easier version of the puzzle. Here's a list of people who solved it (blue names indicate the testing team, and red names indicate Patreon supporters):
Jason Boomer **
Joseph DeVincentis **
Russ Kale **
Cathy Bowen **
Derek Allen **
James Haddad **
Joe Bernard **
Marie desJardins **
Michael Lebowitz **
Randy Rogers **
Patrick Jordan **
Ryan Faley **
Steve Levy **

WORDY WEDNESDAY #717
SUDOKUROSTIC 12 (hint)
As of this writing, 13 people have solved this puzzle. Haven't solved it yet? Here's an easier version. Send your answers to glmathgrant[at]gmail[dot]com within the next week to appear on the solvers list and be recognized for your puzzle prowess. Good luck, solvers!

WORDY WEDNESDAY #718
FINE DETAILS
(click here for a PDF version)
This puzzle contains a word suggested by patron Cathy Bowen. Support me on Patreon at the Super Fan level ($5/month) and solve the monthly Patron Puzzle for a chance to suggest a seed word for a future puzzle, or at the Ultra Fan level ($20/month) to suggest one seed word every month!
(The illustration is by Infernal.)
When it comes to the arts, Kevin and his friends know that the fine details make a difference. Can you find fifteen such details below?

COMING NEXT WEEK. . .
* What even is a "synonymicon"?

Submit your answers to glmathgrant[at]gmail[dot]com. Until next time, happy solving!

Wordy Wednesday 717: Sudokurostic 12

WORDY WEDNESDAY #715
PENT WORDS 143 (answer)
Here is the answer to this puzzle. If you still wish to solve it yourself, please go here for the normal version of the puzzle, or here for the easier version of the puzzle. Here's a list of people who solved it (blue names indicate the testing team, and red names indicate Patreon supporters):
Jason Boomer **
Joseph DeVincentis **
Russ Kale **
Sam Levitin **
Cathy Bowen **
Cindy Heisler **
Derek Allen **
James Haddad **
Joe Bernard **
Marie desJardins **
Michael Lebowitz **
Pavel Curtis **
Randy Rogers **
Richard West **
Ryan Faley **
Steve Levy **

WORDY WEDNESDAY #716
MINI TOUCHWORD 17 (hint)
As of this writing, 12 people have solved this puzzle. Haven't solved it yet? Here's an easier version. Send your answers to glmathgrant[at]gmail[dot]com within the next week to appear on the solvers list and be recognized for your puzzle prowess. Good luck, solvers!

WORDY WEDNESDAY #717
SUDOKUROSTIC 12
(click here for a PDF version)
Solve the clues by writing one letter per blank; the clues are alphabetized by the answers as a solving aid. Transfer the letters to the corresponding spaces and fill in the remaining spaces to form a valid sudoku, but with 9 different letters instead of numbers. (Each row, column, and box must contain those 9 letters in some order.) Treat the finished grid as a word search and look for a 6-letter word, which is this puzzle’s final answer. 
Break, as a cipher __ __ __ __ __ __
                   B4 E6 B7 F4 G6 H2
With “The”, “Light My Fire” band __ __ __ __ __
                                 E7 G7 C2 H4 D6
Contract one’s lips for a kiss: 2 wds. __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
                                       E4 H7 E2 C3 G8 C6 B3 C8
Total grouch (like a cat who just ate a lemon?) __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
                                                B2 H3 D8 B8 G2 C4 H8 E3
Hybrid eating utensil __ __ __ __ __
                      G4 H6 E8 F2 B6


COMING NEXT WEEK. . .
* A puzzle about fine details!

Submit your answers to glmathgrant[at]gmail[dot]com. Until next time, happy solving!

Wordy Wednesday 716: Mini Touchword 17

WORDY WEDNESDAY #714
MINI TOUCHWORD 16 (answer)
Here is the answer to this puzzle. If you still wish to solve it yourself, please go here for the normal version of the puzzle, or here for the easier version of the puzzle. Here's a list of people who solved it (blue names indicate the testing team, and red names indicate Patreon supporters):
Joseph DeVincentis **
Russ Kale **
Sam Levitin **
Cathy Bowen **
Cindy Heisler **
Derek Allen **
Joe Bernard **
Marie desJardins **
Michael Lebowitz **
Pavel Curtis **
Randy Rogers **
Patrick Jordan **
Ryan Faley **
Steve Levy **

WORDY WEDNESDAY #715
PENT WORDS 143 (hint)
As of this writing, 16 people have solved this puzzle. Haven't solved it yet? Here's an easier version. Send your answers to glmathgrant[at]gmail[dot]com within the next week to appear on the solvers list and be recognized for your puzzle prowess. Good luck, solvers!

WORDY WEDNESDAY #716
MINI TOUCHWORD 17
(click here for a PDF version)
In a crossword, words cross each other; in this puzzle, they merely touch. More specifically, all answers read across, and every letter shares an edge with at least one identical letter either immediately above or immediately below. The top and bottom rows are considered adjacent. (If you want more of these puzzles, the author offers the Touchword subscription service Outside the Fox Puzzles.) Arrange the letters in the shaded squares to form the final answer, a Scrabble-legal (unhyphenated, uncapitalized, etc.) 6-letter word. 
1 Wizard / Repeat
2 Jay relative / Dried plum
3 Ladder rung / Triton orbits it
4 Breastbone / High-strung
5 Two pints / Certain diacritical mark
6 Sci-fi series about Dr. Sam Beckett: 2 wds.
7 Recipient, as of a property title / Cut with a sickle
8 Genre fusing punk rock and heavy metal / Rigidly vertical
9 Resentment / Precise
10 Wades across / “You can trust your car to the man who wears the star” brand
11 Dense ecosystem of trees / Greek Muse of lyric poetry

COMING NEXT WEEK. . .
* What's a 5-letter word for "With 'The', 'Light My Fire' band"?

Submit your answers to glmathgrant[at]gmail[dot]com. Until next time, happy solving!

Wordy Wednesday 715: Pent Words 143

WORDY WEDNESDAY #713
CODEWORDS 36 (answer)
Here is the answer to this puzzle. If you still wish to solve it yourself, please go here for the normal version of the puzzle, or here for the easier version of the puzzle. Here's a list of people who solved it (blue names indicate the testing team, and red names indicate Patreon supporters):
Joseph DeVincentis **
Russ Kale **
Sam Levitin **
Cathy Bowen **
Derek Allen **
Michael Lebowitz **
Pavel Curtis **
Randy Rogers *
Ryan Faley **
Steve Levy **

WORDY WEDNESDAY #714
MINI TOUCHWORD 16 (hint)
As of this writing, 13 people have solved this puzzle. Haven't solved it yet? Here's an easier version. Send your answers to glmathgrant[at]gmail[dot]com within the next week to appear on the solvers list and be recognized for your puzzle prowess. Good luck, solvers!

WORDY WEDNESDAY #715
PENT WORDS 143
(click here for a PDF version)
This puzzle contains a word suggested by tester Russ Kale. Support me on Patreon at the Super Fan level ($5/month) and solve the monthly Patron Puzzle for a chance to suggest a seed word for a future puzzle, or at the Ultra Fan level ($20/month) to suggest one seed word every month!
In this puzzle, you must divide the grid into pentominoes (regions containing five cells each), and write a letter in each cell. The rows, reading from left to right, will contain the words hinted at by the Across clues. The letters in the pentominoes, in reading order (left to right starting with the top row), will form the words hinted at by the Pentominoes clues; these clues are presented in no particular order. (In the example, the rows spell PLANT, SHARE, and BITES, and the pentominoes spell the words PLANS, TREES, and HABIT.) Use the ACROSS answers to determine where the pentominoes are.
ACROSS (two answers per row):
1 Excerpt / Like a successful climber vis-à-vis a mountain
2 Lift up / “Neither cast ye your pearls before ____. . .” (Matthew 7:6)
3 Circle of light / On ____ of (representing)
4 ____ of concept / Cavalry sword
5 Star Trek: The ____ Generation / Enormous swarms
6 Williams of the San Francisco 49ers / Large farm
7 ____ acid / Drama set to music
8 Complain / Riding in an inflatable torus
9 Fuzzy ____ / Los Angeles mayor Bass
10 Rosalind’s lover in As You Like It / “If You Love Somebody ____ Them Free” (1985 hit for Sting)
PENTOMINOES:
• HALF OF THE FINAL ANSWER
• THE OTHER HALF OF THE FINAL ANSWER
• Ella of The Idea of You (2024)
• Pituitary ____
• Despise
• Came up
• Group of soldiers
• Less
• Baker’s garment
• Comic Silverman
• Humpback ____
• Fold in a skirt
• Adhere
• Something beyond what’s necessary
• Express a viewpoint
• Austrian economist Ludwig von ____
• ____ provocateur
• ____ as a daisy
• Frequently
• Parts of ears

COMING NEXT WEEK. . .
* What's an 11-letter, 2-word answer for "Sci-fi series about Dr. Sam Beckett"?

Submit your answers to glmathgrant[at]gmail[dot]com. Until next time, happy solving!

Wordy Wednesday 714: Mini Touchword 16

WORDY WEDNESDAY #712
LETRAVEX 7 (answer)
Here is the answer to this puzzle. If you still wish to solve it yourself, please go here for the normal version of the puzzle, or here for the easier version of the puzzle. Here's a list of people who solved it (blue names indicate the testing team, and red names indicate Patreon supporters):
Joseph DeVincentis **
Russ Kale **
Sam Levitin **
Derek Allen **
M. Sean Molley **
Michael Lebowitz **
Pavel Curtis **
Randy Rogers **
Ryan Faley **
SquishmallowsUnited **
Steve Levy **

WORDY WEDNESDAY #713
CODEWORDS 36 (hint)
As of this writing, 9 people have solved this puzzle. Haven't solved it yet? Here's an easier version. Send your answers to glmathgrant[at]gmail[dot]com within the next week to appear on the solvers list and be recognized for your puzzle prowess. Good luck, solvers!

WORDY WEDNESDAY #714
MINI TOUCHWORD 16
(click here for a PDF version)
In a crossword, words cross each other; in this puzzle, they merely touch. More specifically, all answers read across, and every letter shares an edge with at least one identical letter either immediately above or immediately below. The top and bottom rows are considered adjacent. (If you want more of these puzzles, the author offers the Touchword subscription service Outside the Fox Puzzles.) Arrange the letters in the shaded squares to form the final answer, a Scrabble-legal (unhyphenated, uncapitalized, etc.) 6-letter word. 
1 Large crowd / Have a taste test of
2 There are 32 in a Monopoly set / It may be measured in radians
3 Awaken / Tarry
4 Athlete like Alex Honnold: 2 wds.
5 ____ and pinion / Room
6 YouTuber who hosts the personal finance podcast Financial Audit: 2 wds.
7 Star / “What an annoyance!”
8 Central point of the circle in Leonardo da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man: 2 wds.
9 Hector / 1970 war drama starring George C. Scott
10 Ringlet, as in one’s hair / Splash with specks
11 Electrical wires / Spoil

COMING NEXT WEEK. . .
* What's a 5-letter word for "Ella of The Idea of You (2024)"?
* Patron Puzzle #148, which will be delivered on September 8, 2026, exclusively to Patreon supporters at the Super Fan level and up ($5 or more per month), is a Large Sudokurostic.

Submit your answers to glmathgrant[at]gmail[dot]com. Until next time, happy solving!

Wordy Wednesday 713: Codewords 36

WORDY WEDNESDAY #711
MINI TOUCHWORD 15 (answer)
Here is the answer to this puzzle. If you still wish to solve it yourself, please go here for the normal version of the puzzle, or here for the easier version of the puzzle. Here's a list of people who solved it (blue names indicate the testing team, and red names indicate Patreon supporters):
Joseph DeVincentis **
Russ Kale **
Sam Levitin **
Cathy Bowen **
Derek Allen **
Joe Bernard **
Marie desJardins **
Michael Lebowitz **
Pavel Curtis **
Randy Rogers **
KeoFam **
Patrick Jordan **
Ryan Faley **
SquishmallowsUnited **
Steve Levy **

WORDY WEDNESDAY #712
LETRAVEX 7 (hint)
As of this writing, 10 people have solved this puzzle. Haven't solved it yet? Here's an easier version. Send your answers to glmathgrant[at]gmail[dot]com within the next week to appear on the solvers list and be recognized for your puzzle prowess. Good luck, solvers!

WORDY WEDNESDAY #713
CODEWORDS 36
(click here for a PDF version)
This puzzle contains a word suggested by patron Joe Bernard. Support me on Patreon at the Super Fan level ($5/month) and solve the monthly Patron Puzzle for a chance to suggest a seed word for a future puzzle, or at the Ultra Fan level ($20/month) to suggest one seed word every month!
In the crossword puzzle above, every letter is represented by an integer from 1 through 26. You must decipher the code to reveal the words.

Arrange the letters in the shaded spaces to spell the final answer, a Scrabble-legal (unhyphenated, uncapitalized, etc.) 8-letter word. Note that all of the crossword entries are also Scrabble-legal.

COMING NEXT WEEK. . .
* What's an 11-letter, 2-word answer for "YouTuber who hosts the personal finance podcast Financial Audit"?

Submit your answers to glmathgrant[at]gmail[dot]com. Until next time, happy solving!

Wordy Wednesday 712: Letravex 7

WORDY WEDNESDAY #710
PENT WORDS 142 (answer)
Here is the answer to this puzzle. If you still wish to solve it yourself, please go here for the normal version of the puzzle, or here for the easier version of the puzzle. Here's a list of people who solved it (blue names indicate the testing team, and red names indicate Patreon supporters):
Joseph DeVincentis **
Russ Kale **
Sam Levitin **
Cathy Bowen **
Derek Allen **
James Haddad **
Joe Bernard **
Marie desJardins **
Michael Lebowitz **
Pavel Curtis **
Richard West **
Ryan Faley **
SquishmallowsUnited **
Steve Levy **

WORDY WEDNESDAY #711
MINI TOUCHWORD 15 (hint)
As of this writing, 14 people have solved this puzzle. Haven't solved it yet? Here's an easier version. Send your answers to glmathgrant[at]gmail[dot]com within the next week to appear on the solvers list and be recognized for your puzzle prowess. Good luck, solvers!

WORDY WEDNESDAY #712
LETRAVEX 7
(click here for a PDF version)
Write the 4-letter clue answers in the square tiles in the grid, one letter per triangle, so that adjacent triangles across tiles have the same letter. Each answer reads clockwise, starting in the triangle indicated by the arrow. Answers are alphabetized; you must determine which answer goes in which tile. The letters on the grid’s perimeter will spell the final answer, a song title, going clockwise from the leftmost triangle on the top edge. 
• Local ____ network ↓
• “Sole Survivor” band →
• Lumberjacks’ needs ←
• Country singer Langley ←
• Smooch →
• An animal’s den ↓
• Final ←
• Malicious →
• Beef or pork ←
• Wrack and ____ ←
• Pepper’s partner →
• Witnessed ←
• ____-indulgence ↑
• Stride →
• Arduous journey ↑
• ____ interface ↓

COMING NEXT WEEK. . .
* A Codewords!

Submit your answers to glmathgrant[at]gmail[dot]com. Until next time, happy solving!

Wordy Wednesday 711: Mini Touchword 15

WORDY WEDNESDAY #709
ANACROSSWORD 52 (answer)
Here is the answer to this puzzle. If you still wish to solve it yourself, please go here for the normal version of the puzzle, or here for the easier version of the puzzle. Here's a list of people who solved it (blue names indicate the testing team, and red names indicate Patreon supporters):
Joseph DeVincentis **
Russ Kale **
Sam Levitin **
Cathy Bowen **
Cindy Heisler **
Derek Allen **
Joe Bernard **
Marie desJardins **
Michael Lebowitz **
Pavel Curtis **
Randy Rogers **
Richard West **
Ryan Faley **
SquishmallowsUnited **
Steve Levy **

WORDY WEDNESDAY #710
PENT WORDS 142 (hint)
As of this writing, 14 people have solved this puzzle. Haven't solved it yet? Here's an easier version. Send your answers to glmathgrant[at]gmail[dot]com within the next week to appear on the solvers list and be recognized for your puzzle prowess. Good luck, solvers!

WORDY WEDNESDAY #711
MINI TOUCHWORD 15
(click here for a PDF version)
This puzzle contains a word suggested by tester Joseph DeVincentis. Support me on Patreon at the Super Fan level ($5/month) and solve the monthly Patron Puzzle for a chance to suggest a seed word for a future puzzle, or at the Ultra Fan level ($20/month) to suggest one seed word every month!
In a crossword, words cross each other; in this puzzle, they merely touch. More specifically, all answers read across, and every letter shares an edge with at least one identical letter either immediately above or immediately below. The top and bottom rows are considered adjacent. (If you want more of these puzzles, the author offers the Touchword subscription service Outside the Fox Puzzles.) Arrange the letters in the shaded squares to form the final answer, a Scrabble-legal (unhyphenated, uncapitalized, etc.) 6-letter word. 
1 The ____ Yard (2005 Adam Sandler film) / St. Louis has the world’s tallest one
2 Jousting implements / The House with a Clock in Its ____ (2018 film)
3 “I Wanna ____ With Somebody” (Whitney Houston song) / Resides
4 Created a cavity in / Black who voiced Anger in Inside Out
5 Middle / Small branch
6 Distinctly different
7 Autonomous vacuum brand / Brief tenure
8 Geometric diamond / Two cups
9 Neighbor of Mongolia and Myanmar / Baseball official
10 A penny is one / Wardrobe once used for storing weapons
11 A type of eel / What a Brit calls a flashlight

COMING NEXT WEEK. . .
* What's a 4-letter word for "Country singer Langley"?

Submit your answers to glmathgrant[at]gmail[dot]com. Until next time, happy solving!

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