so happy to see a Diagramless...its been awhile.
Another vote for more Diagramless puzzles on Sundays! That was loads of fun.
3
A Sunday with a Diagramless is a special treat! Alas that it didn't last longer. I wish this puzzle recurred more often.
4
Thank you very much for the Diagramless puzzle. I still wish that they were in the regular rotation, as they are my favorite kind of puzzle.
4
For Starters flew quickly. For Spelling Bee, here's a vote for YENTE. Nurikabe was thankfully do-able without much ado, unlike last week's 22 square killer. Looking forward to discovering Bar Code. For newspaper solvers dealing with the hand-made fonts this week, there was an obvious issue with the 5x5 KenKen, but it yielded easily to the right solution.
Of all the variety puzzles, the Diagramless was the last one I learned to do and I'm certainly glad that I did. They are very satisfying to complete and today's no exception. I would be most satisfied if the variety puzzle alternated between the Cryptic and the Diagramless with an occasional 3-D Word Hunt thrown into the mix.
5
Three votes for Three-D Word Hunt. It has been too long since we saw that.
I think one of the great gifts of solving the Diagramless puzzles is how much the solver stands to learn about the construction itself - appreciating symmetry (or lack thereof), appreciating the subtle connections between clues and fill, appreciating how the thing came to be. I think solving Diagramless crosswords should be a "must" for beginning constructors, and I'm always glad to see one pop up.
I think one of the great gifts of solving the Diagramless puzzles is how much the solver stands to learn about the construction itself - appreciating symmetry (or lack thereof), appreciating the subtle connections between clues and fill, appreciating how the thing came to be. I think solving Diagramless crosswords should be a "must" for beginning constructors, and I'm always glad to see one pop up.
7
Add my vote for 3-D Word Hunt!
2
yes-- where has the 3D word hunt been? It's time for one!
Thrilled to see a Diagramless - my favorite puzzle; Quigley an extra treat!
6
Are the diagramless and acrostics, etc, available for those who don't have the paper copy of the newspaper? Either through the NYT Crossword app, or some other app? Thanks!
On the website. Acrostics can be done with the current on-line software or printed out, diagramless puzzles can be printed out.
Thank you!
PS - a couple of us posted notes on Saturday's puzzle comments in reply to a poster who asked for tips on solving Diagramless.
I was very glad that the puzzle didn't include a detailed note for me to try not to see while solving. I only discovered the little "1" marking the opening square after I knew where that square had to be. Had the opening square been located somewhere else, I probably would have seen it. Always happy to see a diagramless, and just as happy to see the Quigley byline.
2
I love the diagramless crosswords! I'm at the beach and was afraid I hadn't brought a pencil with me--because I can't do them in ink--but I found one, so all was okay. This one seemed on the easy side, since I got through the whole thing without breaking down in the middle and having to work from the bottom up once I got halfway. When I did look at the last 2 Across clues, STRIDENCE and SAPWOOD were not words I would have thought of anyway, at least not without a lot of crosses. It was fun trying to predict what the next facial feature/body part was going to be after I got EYEPOPPING and TONGUE-LASHING.
Like MJ, at first I wanted CHAI, and I misnumbered somewhere in the low 30s and had to go back and find that problem. But over all, it solved smoothly and easily.
Like MJ, at first I wanted CHAI, and I misnumbered somewhere in the low 30s and had to go back and find that problem. But over all, it solved smoothly and easily.
2
Spelling Bee is: Y + E F I N S T with ratings: 5=good, 10=excellent, 15=genius.
Interesting having Y as the must-have. It made for a lot of adjectives. But to my "infinite" regret, I couldn't "finesse" a "tsetse" without the Y!
Interesting having Y as the must-have. It made for a lot of adjectives. But to my "infinite" regret, I couldn't "finesse" a "tsetse" without the Y!
This instantly reminded me of the following palindrome, which I read somewhere a long time ago, and which was described (as best as I can remember it) as "One Roman soldier reassuring another, who became very nervous upon seeing a fly".
TSETSE NON EST EST.
TSETSE NON EST EST.
“For Starters” is also an enjoyable “middle” puzzle.
It sometimes seems a little too easy, though.
[SPOILER ALERT]
It went quickly, and then I got REGGAE and ZAMFIR through the crossings.
It sometimes seems a little too easy, though.
[SPOILER ALERT]
It went quickly, and then I got REGGAE and ZAMFIR through the crossings.
1
Afraid I was messed up with CHAI, but it seems it is also spelled CHA. A very sweet theme.