RETURNING GIFTS: [ ACROSS LITE][ PDF]
PROGRAMS: [Across Lite] [Adobe Reader]
Throwback Thursday today. An almost eight years old one at that. Have I gotten better or worse? You tell me. Enjoy, if you haven't done it already.
And since we're looking backwards, lets review some of the highlights from BEQ.com this past year, shall we? Yes we shall. Probably my favorite puzzle of the year was this one. I didn't make much of a deal about it seeing as it was a milestone puzzle, but truth be told I loved the theme. A close second was this one, with the completely out there endgame. Taking third place was this one. I had said it probably couldn't be done in Across Lite, and to be honest, it probably could have been. But in reality, I liked the extra clues that were included in the PDF.
I generally take a lot of inspiration for clues and theme answers from the news. Here's an example of a theme from the headlines. And another. But the word that pretty much stopped everybody in their tracks was COVFEFE, and although I couldn't find a way to make a theme with that answer, I managed to find a brilliant way to included it in this one.
Some odds and ends: This Summer marked the beginning of Boswords, what I hope will be an annual event. I made a real toughie for that one. Puzzles like this one are always a bear to make, but hopefully enjoyable to solve. While putting this post together, I couldn't for the life of me figure out what the theme was for this one. I eventually got it, but ya gotta love it when that happens. Sort of the opposite of this one, whose theme I'm surprised we don't see more of. Or maybe we do and I just can't remember any examples right now. And lastly, this one isn't appearing on anybody's best of lists, but for my money, was a really entertaining one to develop.
Reminder: This is the LAST DAY of the end of the year drive. Long story short: the site is free and will always remain free. Just sayin' that if you've enjoyed my work this back half of the year, a $10 tip keeps me happy and productive. Plus, I'll send you two Sunday-sized puzzles as a thank you. PayPal or Venmo (@TheBEQ) preferred, but if you want to send a check, email me. Want more puzzles? Throw in an additional $10 per title: Marching Bands or Diagramless. Thanks again to all who have been able to chip in.
One randomly selected donor will get more BEQ swag. Huzzah!
Share the puzzle. New puzzle 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 
