Wordy Wednesday 23: Bonus Material

WORDY WEDNESDAY #21

CHEW ON THIS (answer)

It's been two weeks, so time to unveil the answer to this puzzle. If you still wish to solve it yourself, please go here for the puzzle, or here for a hint. Here's a list of people who solved it:
Adam Weaver **
Bo Green **
Brian Michalowski **
Bryce Herdt **
Cheryl Chan **
Christian H.P. **
Giovanni Pagano **
Izak Bulten **
Jack Bross **
Jack Lance **
James McGowan **
Jeremy Conner *
Jerry Rosman **
John Bulten **
Marc Enyedy **
Mark Tilford **
Neville Fogarty **
Paul Melamud **
Randy Rogers *
Sam Levitin **
Tim Harrod **
Walker Anderson *

WORDY WEDNESDAY #22

I'M TERRIBLE WITH NAMES (hint)

12 have solved last week's puzzle. Haven't solved it yet? Here's a hint. Send your solutions 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 #23

BONUS MATERIAL

(click here for a PDF version)

(click here for a PUZ version)

This week's puzzle is a contest! The winner of this contest will receive signed copies of the two issues (thus far) of Will Shortz's Wordplay in which I had the honor of being published. Unlike previous Wordy Wednesday offerings, there will not be a hint or an easy version of this puzzle next week; all solvers within the next two weeks will get two stars by their name on the solvers list. Next week's puzzle will also be a contest; a third prize drawing will be held for the people who appear on both solvers lists!

The Wordy Wednesday answer is a 5-letter word relevant to this puzzle's theme.

Wordy Wednesday 22: I'm Terrible With Names

WORDY WEDNESDAY #20

PENT WORDS 4 (answer)

It's been two weeks, so time to unveil 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:
Adam Weaver **
Bo Green **
Bryce Herdt **
Christian H.P. **
Giovanni Pagano **
Izak Bulten *
Jack Bross **
James McGowan **
Jeremy Conner **
John Bulten **
Mark Tilford **
Sam Levitin **
Tim Harrod **

WORDY WEDNESDAY #21

CHEW ON THIS (hint)

19 people have solved last week's puzzle. That's a huge number for this blog; I suspect a signal boost from meta crossword maven Matt Gaffney helped. (You should click that link, by the way, if you're good at meta crosswords; while "Forbidden Fruit" is a fair bit harder than my "Chew on This", I was able to solve it, so it can't be impossible. It's clever, too, which is always a plus.) Haven't solved it yet? Here's a hint. Send your solutions 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 #22

I'M TERRIBLE WITH NAMES

(click here for a PDF version)

(click here for a PUZ version)

I'm terrible with names. . . which is why this puzzle doesn't have one. The Wordy Wednesday answer is a two-word title to which the theme answers (two per 12-letter Across entry) all relate.

Wordy Wednesday 21: Chew On This

WORDY WEDNESDAY #19

REJECTED WORD GAMES (answer)

It's been two weeks, so time to unveil 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:
Adam Weaver **
Bo Green **
Bryce Herdt **
Cheryl Chan **
Christian H.P. **
Giovanni Pagano *
Izak Bulten *
Jack Bross **
James McGowan **
Jeremy Conner **
John Bulten **
Mark Tilford **
Sam Levitin **
Tim Harrod **

WORDY WEDNESDAY #20

PENT WORDS 4 (hint)

12 people have solved last week's puzzle. Haven't solved it yet? Here's an easier version. As per usual, this grid is partitioned for you, leaving you with the task of writing answers. Send your solutions 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 #20.5

PENT WORDS 4.5 (bonus!)

This puzzle was written for solver Adam Weaver. It's 6 rows tall instead of the usual 10 for a reason. There's no reward for solving this one; enjoy it as a bonus puzzle. :)

WORDY WEDNESDAY #21

CHEW ON THIS

(click here for a PDF version)

(click here for a PUZ version)

I would like to thank Ginger Fikes for donating a copy of the Crossfire software which I used to make this crossword as well as Wordy Wednesday #18. This is a meta crossword, meaning there's more to do than just solve the crossword answers, but you have to figure out what (veterans of Matt Gaffney's Weekly Crossword Contest will be intimately familiar with the concept). The Wordy Wednesday answer is a 10-letter proper noun.

Wordy Wednesday 20: Pent Words 4

WORDY WEDNESDAY #18

THAT CROSSWORD HAS WORDS ON IT (answer)

It's been two weeks, so time to unveil 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:
Adam Weaver **
Bryce Herdt *
Cheryl Chan **
Christian H.P. **
Edderiofer He **
Giovanni Pagano **
Hannah, Izak, and Penni Bulten *
Jack Bross **
Jack Lance **
James McGowan **
Jeremy Conner **
John Bulten **
Mark Tilford **
Michael Madsen **
Sam Levitin **
Tim Harrod **

WORDY WEDNESDAY #19

REJECTED WORD GAMES (hint)

12 people have solved last week's puzzle. Haven't solved it yet? Here's a marginally easier version. Send your solutions 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 #20

PENT WORDS 4

(click here for a PDF version)

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 above, 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 Card game in which getting 10 bags carries a penalty / Mathematician Niels Henrik ____
2 Tessellation, for example / "Good ____" (Food Network show)
3 Certain naval rank / "Us and ____" (Pink Floyd song)
4 Make amends / Dodge
5 "The ____ King" / All episodes of "Friends", nowadays
6 Prepare dough, perhaps / ____ Mim (antagonist of Disney's "The Sword in the Stone")
7 Website where people post short videos / Make affectionate
8 It might interrupt a programme on the telly / Operatic solo
9 Dryer build-up / Hogwarts, for example
10 Aromatic resin / Farm tool
PENTOMINOES:
* HALF OF THE FINAL ANSWER
* THE OTHER HALF OF THE FINAL ANSWER
* Bovine organ
* "America's Funniest Home Videos" surname
* Occurrence
* Bargain
* Permit
* Dip in Mexican restaurants
* Macaulay's "Home Alone" character
* "Unsafe at Any Speed" author Ralph
* Chew noisily
* "____ Been Kissed" (1999 romantic comedy)
* What Lancelot Ware and Roland Berrill founded
* Perform improv, for example: hyph.
* Ray in the ocean
* Not behind
* They might have buckles
* Sour cream partner
* Niamey is its capital
* Places to buy sandwiches

Wordy Wednesday 19: Rejected Word Games

WORDY WEDNESDAY #17

DOUBLE HELTER SKELTER (answer)

It's been two weeks, so time to unveil 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:
Adam Weaver **
Bo Green **
Bryce Herdt **
Christian H.P. **
Giovanni Pagano **
Izak Bulten **
Jack Bross **
James McGowan **
Jeremy Conner **
John Bulten **
Mark Tilford **
Michael Madsen **
Sam Levitin **
Tim Harrod **

WORDY WEDNESDAY #18

THAT CROSSWORD HAS WORDS ON IT (hint)

A number of people have solved last week's puzzle. Haven't solved it yet? Here's an easier version. Now you don't have to figure out which clue goes where! Send your solutions 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 BONUS!

Last week's Wordy Wednesday was made using software called Crossfire. The full version costs $50; I'm not yet confident enough in my ability to actually get a crossword published to justify getting it for professional purposes with my own money, which is why last week I suggested donating a copy. I do have some crossword theme ideas I'd like to try, including at least one meta, so you might see something interesting from me (here or elsewhere) if you do. Here's a PDF of another crossword I made using the demo of Crossfire, a simple 10x10 puzzle designed for use as part of a magic trick. I now offer this puzzle to my blog's readers as a bonus. Any amateur magicians (if any of those happen to be among my audience) who wish to use this puzzle for their own purposes should open the ODT file and change the name and date in 1-Across to their liking. Any professional magicians will need to note that the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 United States License under which all of my puzzles on this blog are released precludes commercial use, and negotiate something with me. Even if you're not interested in performing cheesy card magic, though, I hope you will enjoy solving the puzzle. :)

WORDY WEDNESDAY #19

REJECTED WORD GAMES

(click here for a PDF version)

A rejected submission for Will Shortz's Wordplay. Arrange the letters in the 7 shaded squares to form the final answer word.

THREE DOUBLE LETTERS
1. 16th state: J2 B2 D1 J3 P4 N3 E3 X3 Q1
2. Accountant: P1 H2 W2 H3 G5 H1 G2 U4 Q2 U3
3. It grinds beans: R2 T5 U2 E1 C5 S4 L3 H5 N1 Q3
4. His daughter is named Moxie CrimeFighter: U4 R3 W1 I2 P2 M3 T1 N1 B3 A5 S2 V3
ALPHABETICAL INITIALS
1. Popular smartphone game: A1 I4 K3 U3 C2 P1 P3 G1 Q4 M2
2. One method to determine something's age: J1 G4 D4 W3 J4 W5 U1 C3 D3 V1 E2 L4
3. Shocking barrier: C5 O1 S1 B1 A4 G1 N4 X1 U2 D2 H4 R2 G3
4. Pituitary gland output: X5 D4 C1 L1 L5 A2 B5 J4 U3 L3 T2 W4 L2
FOLLOW DIRECTIONS
1. Like current news coverage: N2 U4 J2 H2 B4 A3 Q1 U5 K5 K4 M4 A5 K1
2. Original "Concentration" host: B5 N2 L4 F4 O4 V4 R4 I2 S3
3. Like a southpaw: M5 F3 E1 D5 V2 T3 I1 U1 C4 O5
4. Legal precedence for a motorist: U3 V1 K3 S5 E4 V4 U2 P5 T4 R5
FOUR+FOUR=ONE
1. WARM+SHOO: X2 E5 X4 Q5 D4 H2 T2 U5
2. HENS+SIGH: K2 M1 X5 R1 F2 F1 O3 I5
3. COOL+CRIB: O2 G1 C1 B1 X1 T5 F5 I3
4. COIF+TENT: J1 W2 W1 E1 N5 A4 J5 V5