![]() Some puzzles can truly be characterized as "inspired." This one, however, came from my "I really ought to compose a puzzle" muse. That said: daily crosswords in most markets carry no titles consequently, constructions utilizing a "reveal" entry appeal to me because they offer the solver an "aha" moment. ![]() "Reveal" entries are sometimes as long as the theme answer phrases. Then I found four suitable long entries that seem to be first-timers, which is always fun: BUms arounD, BUrma roaD, BUll-noseD, and BUttonwooD.Īs to the development of the grid: I don't remember what I had for lunch yesterday, so other than making sure the reveal was in the grid - near the bottom to delay the "aha" - I honestly don't recall if there were tricky regions of the construction.įor example, the theoretical-but-probably-not-useful reveal AFTERMATH could be a hint for the same-length answer MAJOR DOMO (as in MATH MAJOR) as well as unrelated answers like SYMBOL FOR LEAD and TEST MARKET.Ĭasting about for ideas for this puzzle I thought of IN BUD, which is apt for springtime. The grid design has lots of relatively isolated areas with many options everywhere. I knew I was aiming for Monday-Tuesday difficulty and tried to keep the fill on the straightforward side. Besides powerful firewall protection against malicious Denial of Service(DoS) attacks, the DrayTek Vigor is designed with more advanced security feature. I like a puzzle that reminds me spring is around the corner (fingers crossed). A real treat to see crocuses starting to emerge as I go for long runs, so a puzzle themed on IN BUD was very welcome. they have the letters BU and D at their ends.īUMS AROUND is a great answer snazzy stuff. And I smiled at BUTTONWOOD - it's a nice enough entry in itself, but it made me think how incredible this theme would be if there were four entries which satisfied the BU*D pattern AND were actually things that were currently in bud? Anyway, too much to hope for, methinks. Interesting layout today, one which sort of segments the grid into nine subsections. I don't mind the NW and the SE, but generally I think it's best to avoid sectioning off the NE and SW so severely. To me, it takes away from the overall flow of a crossword, choking down to a single entry which must be figured out (ON A BET or UPTICK) to move through that necking point. I also found the placement of revealer a bit inelegant, as it's in a random-ish spot of the grid. I would have preferred IN BUD to be where UMPED is, for example. This is simply a personal preference - having a revealer with no symmetrical entry is perfectly fine but feels so much cleaner if it's in a margin or at the final across entry. Burn Immediate Effect (1min): Reduce maximum health by 50 points. Open Wounds: Receiving a second leg injury damage health by 10 points. Bleeding (5min): Loose 0.25 health per second. Trauma Effect (2h): Move 10 slower and power attacks cost +15 stamina. Not a lot of long fill today, but COOKBOOK carried a nice clue to it, and PARDON ME could only have been made better by referring to the old Grey Poupon ad. Immediate Effect (1min): Move 30 slower and power attacks cost +45 stamina. (I can't tell you how many times my brother and I have giggled over that old commercial.) And BEAN BAG is a great entry in the grid. Usually short fill is like a chief of staff: the best you can hope for is you don't notice anything.
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