DRAIN THE SWAMP: [ ACROSS LITE][ PDF]
PROGRAMS: [Across Lite] [Adobe Reader]
I had yesterday's New York Times puzzle. Get it here: [ACROSS LITE] [PDF]
How about a look back at some of my noteworthy themed puzzles from the year? Let's do this.
One of my favorite puzzles of the year was "Accent Walls," one of those "I'm surprised it hadn't been done before" gimmicks. No matter, I'll take sole ownership of that one, thank you very much. Two runners up both fit squarely in the simple theme department but have maximum fun written all over it: "Zip Your Lip," and "Oh. My. God!."
The puzzle that got the most email was "Surf's Up." It ranged from "WTF is wrong with you?," to "you've misspelled everything in this puzzle, Quigley," to "that was awesome." I love getting emails like that. In the same category of so-wrong-its-right themes, there's always "Back To Front."
Puzzles from the news? You bet. Behold this one that ran on the same day as the news broke (thank you, thank you). And of course, there was this fad that needed to be capitalized on themewise.
The algebraic puzzles seem to be a staple of mine, mostly because the well never seems to run dry and there's always news ways to spin the gimmicks. Here are two favorites that fit that category.
And lastly "Everything's Gonna Be All Right" was by far the visually pleasing shaped grid I'd made in 16. The theme is totally fine, but those weird curving chunks slicing through the middle flanked by tiny fingers of one and two squares at the top and bottom really struck me in an artistic sense. Who says puzzles aren't art?
If you liked these puzzles, remember I do 104 of these yearly on this here site. Always free and I hope to see you next year. Please consider, if you haven't already chipped in, a $10 tip to keep the site chugging along. This is the last time I'll be mentioning it, for on Monday I will randomly pick one donor who will receive a copy of "Drunk Crosswords," as well as a complimentary year's subscription to the indie puzzle of their choice. Read the appeal here. And thanks again for all who were able to give.
Share the puzzle. New one on Monday.
Brendan Emmett Quigley creates custom-made puzzles for all occasions: birthdays and bar mitzvahs, anniversaries and retirements. You name it. Need a puzzle for your website or your publication? He can do that, too.
Brendan's custom work clients have included The American Crossword Puzzle Tournament, BeerAdvocate, Boston Magazine, De Beers, The Decemberists, ESPN, The Improper Bostonian, Lollapuzzoola, McSweeney's, Phish, Reflexive, The Smithsonian Magazine, St. Martin's Press, Uncle John's Bathroom Reader, and Andrew Weil.
Call (617) 2-999-BEQ or click 
