This is the crossword puzzle thread

Which ones?

While I'm here, the NYT had a puzzle last weekend, I think, with stray squares in it (i.e. not crossed with anything)... what was the idea there? Can't remember ever seeing that before.

If it's the puzzle I'm thinking of, the theme of it was "V-2," and there were two V-shaped groups of black squares in the grid, so that left two uncrossed square, each of which was also filled with the letter V.

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-P9jAtFM-RI8/TWmv6bQSZEI/AAAAAAAAI_M/uXRkBTiUynA/s400/Feb27.jpg

Slick.

That Sunday puzzle was pretty nice.

The clues in question on Thursday:
46A Santo Domingo greeting.
60A Gilbert ___, author of "A Void," a 290-page novel without the letter E

Do they speak Haitian Creole in Santo Domingo? Seems like the wrong country on the wrong side of the island. Maybe some do but it seems misleading.

Is it correct to refer to a translator of a work as its author? Maybe in this case he had to do so much he should be considered an author.

No, it is not correct! Possibly co-author for something as complex as A Void, but in this case I would have stuck to 'translator'. Or cited a book he had actually written.

Just noticed in that Sunday puzzle...

HUMVEES
MTV
RSVPS
VIETNAMVETS
CHIVIED
VIS
SOV

...all with the VEE sound. I should take notice of the title of the puzzle more often.

Don't remember SOV being in there. Let me study the handy image upthread

Oh yeah, of course

Another interesting thing is that the unchecked last letter of OLAV could have been F if not for the theme

I urge all of you to try today's most excellent Post Puzzler by Karen M. Tracey which can be easily downloaded using this webpage, which I also recommend: http://www.fleetingimage.com/wij/xyzzy/11-wp.html

Advance notice: The Penguin Classics Crossword Puzzles -- which features at least one puzzle by me -- comes out August 30.

awesome!

(btw i'm finishing up a track that incorporates some of b3n taus1g's field recordings. gonna go after that coveted crossword nerd/dubstep crossover audience.)

Will that book have any puzzles in it by Alan Arbesfeld, jaymc?

No idea who else is in it. (Or rather, I think Ben told me last year but I forgot.)

L.A. Times on Saturday had interesting gimmick. Still didn't enjoy solving it though

LA Times appears to have returned to some earlier level of difficulty. Today's puzzle was quite fun. NY Times was impossible.

Loved this in the LA Times:
1a Candy vehicle (4)

Will Shortz (@Will_Shortz)
7/27/11 9:47 PM
An innocent NYT crossword clue I wrote for ROCK CANDY: Something hard to suck on? Test-solver Frank caught it before it ran. [Whew!]

Test-solver Frank should have warned him about the answer FULL SPEEDO AHEAD

From I believe an LAT crossword a couple weeks ago, apropos of ILX:
Name-dropper: S___

Thursday's puzzle was awesome, although there is a spoiler on this thread, but I had forgotten about it. Today's was tough but fun.

Btw, I think "Test-solver Frank" is LONGO.

Makes sense.

Crossed paths with Will yesterday but didn't get a chance to discuss this with him.

Just wondering what people's best times are for a weekday puzzle? I think I can average ~12 minutes for early-week puzzles. /strict amateur

Online, I can usually do a Monday puzzle in about 4:00. Probably longer on paper, though.

I can usually do the Monday in about 4 minutes too. The really top solvers can do it in 3 or even sometimes 2 minutes.

Just looked at the some of the champ's times for the past week- 1:36 for Tuesday! 4:34 for Sunday!

I used to be able to do an average Sunday puzzle in 18 minutes, if I didn't fall asleep whilst solving it. Now I've gotten it down to about 12, although that deepens on whether I have gotten enough sleep, have a sinus infection, etc.

But both jaymc and I have participated in tournaments so it is probably not fair to compare with our times.

I used to be able to do an average Sunday puzzle in 18 minutes, if I didn't fall asleep whilst solving it. Now I've gotten it down to about 12, although that deepens on whether I have gotten enough sleep, have a sinus infection, etc.

Damn! I take the whole week to do Sunday puzzles.

Been doing the Times puzzle on and off since 1978 and started doing it seriously two years ago so I wouldn't feel too bad if I were you

No worries, I'm just marveling at yall's real skillz.

Aargh, I came in about 60th in this weekend's tournament, need to start practicing and stop posting to this thread.

Lollapuzzoola?

Yup.

You can still play at home, I think, for ten bucks.

Knew I messed up puzzle three a little, have no idea how I got so many wrong on puzzle two, which I thought I had clean, maybe I shifted a theme answer by one letter. Didn't bother to check anything at all, though, before handing in.

OK, I see what happened, ha.

BEQ's 36A today: Hipster's lid

Wait that's not from today, it's older.

Saturday Times puzzle was the Lollapuzzoola final.

Looks like the book with jaymc puzzle in it comes out in two weeks.

Just tried to win that Penguin book, but I read my email too late and was beaten by the usual suspects (:

Who's offering it as a prize? I actually haven't seen it yet -- I think I was supposed to get an advance copy but never did.

Ben T sent out a mini contest with the inkwell email. I can forward it to you if you want.

Aargh. He just emailed me. I was fourth, just missing the cut.

Saturday Times puzzle was the Lollapuzzoola final.

It took me almost twice as long to solve it as it did the champion. (18:05 vs. 9:00) I knew I was off on the wrong foot when I started off 1A with "tepee" and it turned out to be "hogan."

I had seen it before and it still took me quite a while to solve.

I can forward it to you if you want.

Thanks, but no need, I was just curious.

Too late I just did. You can send him your answers when you ping him about your complimentary copy.