Yes, today I have a wrestling-inspired crossword for your puzzly enjoyment.
All-Elite Wrestling’s pay-per-view WrestleDream is tonight, so what better day to unleash a power slam-fueled bit of cruciverbalism into the world, I ask you?
This slightly-asymmetrical grid is hoping accessible enough to non-wrestling fans — pro wrestling terms are their own brand of crosswordese — but the gimmick bringing together the wrestling theme entries is pretty universal, I think.
John Oliver is a household name after his work on The Daily Show and Last Week Tonight, but did you know he and his comedy partner Professor Andy Zaltzman have played a part in the history of cryptic crosswords?
Nineteen years ago this month, they created The Bugle, a half-hour satirical comedy news podcast that covered the biggest, smallest, weirdest, and Hugo Chavez-est news stories of the day. This podcast spanned the Atlantic, as Andy would record from England and John from America.
Subtitled “an audio newspaper for a visual world,” The Bugle would go on to last hundreds of episodes before Oliver departed. But it was resurrected by Zaltzman in 2016 (relaunching and jumping straight to episode 4001) and has now launched a network of informative and comedic broadcasts.
So, what does this beloved podcast have to do with cryptic crosswords?
Well, nineteen years ago when The Bugle debuted, one of the recurring features was their groundbreaking Audio Cryptic Crossword. Each episode, Andy would read a single cryptic crossword clue, including answer length and its grid position.
(Oh, and there was a prize offered to the first person to complete the puzzle. That prize? The right to treat yourself to a cup of tea and a sit down after a job well done.)
As the weeks went on, Zaltzman continued to offer new clues. Well, most of the time. On a few occasions, he would accidentally repeat a clue listeners had heard before.
Eventually the actual puzzle grid was revealed on The Times website for solvers, indicating this was an actual puzzle and not just a bit.
As the ACC progressed and more clues were revealed, Oliver grew increasingly dismissive of and exasperated by the entire endeavor.
At one point, Oliver compared the crossword to the Third Reich. Zaltzman quickly agreed, calling the crossword “a triumph for persistence, doggedness, and the value of standing up to pressure from the other side of the Atlantic,” and that “people were glad when the war was over, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t the greatest part of British history.”
Oliver doubted whether anyone was keeping track of clues or attempting the puzzle, while Zaltzman would talk about the “billions” of listeners choosing sides in the Audio Cryptic Crossword debate. (It is also worth noting that, at one point, it was suggested that several lines from the Book of Revelations were not divine scripture, but were, in fact, cryptic crossword clues.)
From October 15th, 2007 to May 19th, 2008 when the final clue was revealed, the question remained: had anyone written down all the clues, figured them out, and submitted a completed puzzle?
We wouldn’t have to wait long for the answer.
The very next week, the email section featured a message from loyal Bugler and crossword enthusiast Elliot from the UK, who included a picture of his complete (and correct!) Audio Cryptic Crossword.
It seemed that Andy was right, and John’s claims that no one was bothering with the ACC were mistaken.
After the conclusion of the feature, attempts to replace the Audio Cryptic Crossword with other audio puzzles and games failed miserably.
There was an Audio Spot-the-Difference, an omnishambles of an Audio Sudoku, an Audio Tic-Tac-Toe game (or Audio Naughts-and-Crosses for UK readers), and an Audio game of Bridge, among others.
John wasn’t enthusiastic about any of them. And none of them could fill the Audio Cryptic Crossword-shaped void in Andy’s heart.
So what about the actual puzzle?
You can find the grid and the clues online, but there’s not a convenient place to solve it without potentially seeing the answers as well.
I decided to fix that.
I went through the first 29 episodes of The Bugle and transcribed the clues (some of the online archives didn’t get the wording quite right), then retyped the grid, including the two set letters from the original grid.
So if you’d like to test your puzzly mettle against the Audio Cryptic Crossword, now’s your chance!
Now, as you can see, the cluing is interesting. Many of the clues thematically matched the news stories they covered on a given week, and the cluing practically drips with snark. (Although it does quite admirably follow the rules of cryptic-style cluing.)
12-Across was accidentally read on two different episodes of The Bugle, and there were minor differences, so I included both versions. Similarly, Andy offered a ridiculously long second clue for 16-Down just to irk John, so I was duty-bound to transcribe both.
17-Down, on the other hand, jokingly presented one clue for girls and one for boys as The Bugle’s contribution to “International Gender Stereotyping Week.”
And that’s the end of the story for The Bugle‘s Audio Cryptic Crossword, the world’s first (and possibly only) serialized cryptic crossword in audio form.
Well, sorta.
Zaltzman frequently encouraged Bugle listeners to edit Wikipedia articles and forum posts about The Bugle to make them as ridiculous, lie-filled, and entertaining as possible, and the legacy of the Audio Cryptic Crossword did not escape the machinations of Buglers.
According to the fan lore of the show, “Elliot” was actually John in disguise (first as Gordon Sumner, aka the musician Sting, then as François Marie Arouet (aka the philosopher Voltaire), intentionally spoiling Andy’s secret (and very confusing) plan for world domination.
John bragged about this online: “Haha everybody, look at me, I’m awesome. I defeated and foiled Andy Zaltzman’s plans for world domination with a discreet undertone and a lot of anonymity. Signed, John Oliver”.
In his fury, Andy battled John atop Big Ben in London, alternating between martial arts strikes and awful puns. This bombastic duel soon became a tag team match, as Florence Nightingale joined on the side of Andy, while the Queen, Her Majesty Herself, joined on John’s side.
The battle raged on until Big Ben suddenly exploded. Emerging from the wreckage was the true victor of the fight, an impala. (This is a reference to an ongoing gag in the show about Andy making fun of impalas. I think an eland, gnu, or okapi would have been more apropos, given that a crossword puzzle started all this chaos.)
The impala pranced away in victory to return home, sit on the couch, make fun of lions, and savor his triumph.
Thus, the saga of the Audio Cryptic Crossword came to an end, both officially and fictionally.
Whether you prefer what actually happened or the epic, action movie-fueled silliness of the fan version, there’s no denying that the Audio Cryptic Crossword was something new, a symbol of the deep intelligence and subversive energy that represented The Bugle at its best.
Thanks for taking this stroll through puzzle history with me.
Were you or are you a Bugle listener? Did you tackle the Audio Cryptic Crossword? Let me know in the comments section below! I’d love to hear from you.
If you’re not a roleplaying game fan, you might not be familiar with LARPing or Live-Action RolePlaying.
Essentially, it’s playing a tabletop storytelling game in a more interactive fashion. There is dressing up, combat, physically accomplishing tasks, and interacting with other players and NPCs (non-player characters that support the narrative).
They are currently raising funds for their first GRIT Ukraine program, enabling Ukrainian facilitators to lead a 12-week LARP program with Ukrainian young people living in Poland to strengthen resilience, communication, emotional awareness, problem-solving, and connection with Ukrainian youths.
Here is part of the mission statement from their website:
Ukrainian families have been living within the immediate violence of war from Russia’s full scale invasion. They have had to leave behind homes, schools, and people they love. Even after reaching safety, the ground can still feel unsteady.
Parents are trying to build a life in a new country while carrying concern for the one they left. Children and teenagers are learning how to belong again while the adults around them are still trying to catch their breath after so much upheaval.
GRIT creates a structured space where young people can reconnect with others, practice making choices, and rediscover their capacity to shape what happens next.
GRIT stands for Games for Resilience and Interactive Transformation. It is a culturally grounded, trauma-informed program developed by Cultura Connector, a U.S.-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
Image courtesy of DrachenFest US.
It might sound silly, but LARPing can absolutely help someone find confidence in themselves and a community of likeminded people.
It happened to me in high school.
Making friends who brought me into their game taught me about storytelling, about trust, about letting go and enjoying myself and wholeheartedly embracing what I loved to do. LARPing was my gateway to the world of roleplaying games, a hobby and passion that has stuck with me for decades.
Please share the link and donate if you can. It would be so amazing to reach out to young people halfway around the world and show them the magic of storytelling while helping build them up.
There’s a lot going on in the intertwined worlds of puzzles and games, so let’s skip the intro and get to the good stuff!
Happy Birthday Puzzmo!
After celebrating 1,000 days of Puzzmo back in July, this puzzle app has another milestone to celebrate tomorrow.
There has been a countdown running on the app for a while now, and it’s counting down to the three-year anniversary of Puzzmo!
I don’t know what they have in store on Tuesday, but considering how much care and attention goes into each day’s puzzles and games, I’m sure they’ve got something up their sleeves.
Their flagship “Interactive Nutcracker in Swingtime” Club Drosselmeyer event has performances set for December 4th, 5th, & 6th AND December 10th, 11th, 12th, & 13th.
As the organizers themselves say, “Prepare yourself for another season of magic and mayhem, romance and revelry, champagne and sugarplums.”
It’s always worth celebrating when a new public space opens up for chatting about puzzles.
MyCrossword is a website allowing cryptic crossword solvers and setters to share their work and sample puzzles. It is a hub of creative expression and puzzly fun.
Raider at MyCrossword has written a welcoming post, and I hope the forums soon fill up with excited solvers and engaging discourse about the world of cryptics.
(Oh, and thank you to Tom at MyCrossword for providing the feature image for this part of the post.)
Two Puzzle Game Sites to Try Out!
One of the coolest things about running PuzzCulture is getting to learn about new puzzles and creators in the puzzle space. Several enterprising constructors have reached out to me recently, and I’m pleased to help spread the word about their puzzly endeavors.
The first is Andres Echenique’s crossword-inspired deduction puzzle, CrossEights Daily.
This free daily puzzle challenges solvers to figure out the eight crossing 8-letter words, four across and four down.
You can get hints Wheel of Fortune-style and place certain letters in order to help you figure out the words.
But since only some of the letters are overlapping, it’s up to you to puzzle out starting and ending letters (which can be difficult if you’re not if you need an -ED, -ER, or -ES).
There’s a running leaderboard for speed and efficiency of solving, and I found the combination of deduction and letter-picking luck really fun.
CrossEights Daily is a relative newcomer to the puzzle world, so I thought for my other recommendation today, I’d discuss a puzzle website that has been around since 2006!
Yes, LiveSudoku.com has been sharing free Sudoku puzzles for two decades now, allowing for head-to-head play worldwide, printable booklets, and solving assistance.
I spoke to Maya at LiveSudoku and learned some very cool facts about the site.
The site has more than 10,000 daily players, and there are 14 different languages available for players (including Turkish and Greek, which were just added this summer).
The community aspect of this site really appeals to me, and I’m happy to help spread the word to other Sudoku fans in the audience.
Ronald Wladich, a prolific dine-and-dasher in Southwest Florida, left a calling card for some of his crimes by leaving a crossword puzzle book behind instead of paying his tab.
(You know, it’s never a good sign when a thief patterns himself after the Wet Bandits from Home Alone.)
A total of five restaurants reported being part of this cruciverbalist crime spree, which is part of how he got caught.
Restaurant employees began trading stories about this crossword-loving crook and they recognized a familiar blue sweatshirt, drink order, and of course, a love of puzzles.
He was also charged with DUI for riding his bicycle into a Wendy’s parking lot while intoxicated.
No one has yet reported on what crossword books were preferred by this thief. (Why don’t people ask the truly important questions!)
Did I miss any puzzly news or fun board game stories from the last few weeks? Let me know in the comments section below! I’d love to hear from you.
I had a chance to sit down and try my hands at this year’s tournament puzzles. As always, I have some thoughts.
So, without further ado, let’s see what the Midwest Gridfest constructors had in store for solvers this year!
Puzzle #1: “Well, It’s About Time”by Kate Jenson
This 16×15 grid was an excellent starter for the tournament, offering solid accessible cluing (with some regional color and trivia) and an impressive swathe of long, varied entries all ending with “MN.” This puzzle was tied together nicely by the grid-spanning revealer MINNESOTA GOODBYE.
I wasn’t wild about LEAVES OF AUTUMN as an entry, which kinda felt like a lyric or line of verse that was reworded in Yodaspeak in order to fit a rhyme. (Though a quick internet search does seem to support the constructor, so this is quite possibly a me problem.)
But for the most part, this was a strong kickoff to a day of puzzle-solving.
Interesting grid entries included MASON WASP, BIANNUAL, and OFF-PUT, and my favorite clues were “Beauty brand with a six-shade ‘Ford Mustang’ collection” for OPI and “What a castle by the sea might be made of” for SAND.
Puzzle #2: Local Flavorby Mike Graczyk
The growing number of crossword tournaments each year across the US means we get more interesting location-specific clues, in addition to regional touches of personality. (As a trivia nerd, that’s a huge bonus for me.)
That’s absolutely the case with this 15x themeless crossword.
Now, unlike our constructor, I don’t begrudge people a little ketchup on their hot dogs (and that’s coming from someone who worked at a hot dog stand on and off for the better part of a decade). But I still quite enjoyed (almost wrote “relished” there) all the local references and “flavor” promised by the title.
There are some good crossings in this well-constructed grid, but the cluing is where Graczyk shines.
Interesting grid entries included MARSALIS, ONE AND DONE, SEARS TOWER, and JULES, and my favorite clues were “Feature of Grand Rapids and Green Bay” for HARD G, “Be a little shy” for OWE, and “Its name technically changed in 2009 (What’chu talkin’ ’bout… Willis??)” for SEARS TOWER.
Puzzle #3: Team Spiritby Rena Cohen
This 21x crossword, like Snickers, was guaranteed to satisfy any solvers in desperate need of some sports-based punnery.
Common phrases like BANG FOR YOUR BUCK and GUARDIAN ANGELS were clued to reference Midwest sports teams, and Cohen packed seven of them into the grid, including a grid-spanning centerpiece that taught me that there’s a hockey team called the Minnesota Wild.
Mix that with some excellent grid fill and a tightly constructed grid (UNIDEAL notwithstanding), and you’ve got an eye-catching behemoth to mark the Midwest midpoint of the tournament.
Interesting grid entries included BOCA RATON, LEFT A TIP, BELOW PAR, FIDELIO, PHOENICIA, and BAD PUNS (untrue when it comes to the puns in this puzzle), and my favorite clues were “Garment whose name evolved from French baby talk” for TUTU and “You might have one to get out of an escape room” for HOUR.
Puzzle #4: Take a Michigan Leftby Emily Biegas and Sala Wanetick
I’ve solved several excellent collaborations by Biegas and Wanetick this year, so when I saw this byline come up in Puzzle #4, I knew I was in for something good.
What I didn’t know was how devious it would be.
This 15x puzzle featured four theme entries with U-turn signs accompanying them, as well as four black lines at various spots in the grid. It was clear that some sort of wordplay / answer manipulation would be at play here. I figured I would have to go beyond the actual answer to each clue to understand the gimmick involved.
For instance, 17-Across was clued “____ space (stairways, corridors, etc.)”, and the grid crossings resulted in LIMODRIVER. I knew LIMINAL was the answer, and I kept looking around, trying to find a way to replace letters or spell it out with neighboring letters in some way.
But I couldn’t suss it out.
This was, in fact, the second tournament puzzle this year where I completed the grid well within the allotted time, but I definitely didn’t UNDERSTAND the puzzle within the allotted time. (Puzzle #4 at Lollapuzzoola 19, I remember you.)
But after completing the rest of the tournament puzzles and then coming back to stare baffled at my completed grid for far too long, I reached out to a fellow puzzler who I knew was in attendance at the tournament, and she thankfully reassured me that I wasn’t alone in my befuddlement. In fact, many solvers needed the puzzle’s gimmick explained to them with visual aids.
As it turns out, I was on the right path, looking for the answer in a path beyond the actual entry. But U-turn arrows are curved, and so was the path to the answer, including diagonals. (Each one would stop at one of those black lines in the grid.)
WOOF. This one was a doozy. Impressively constructed and smartly clued, to be sure. But a doozy nonetheless.
Interesting grid entries included OK FINE, TEST RUN, SEMPER FI, and DEEP RED (sadly not clued to reference the Argento film), and my favorite clues were “Totally fasten-ated?” for RIVETED and “They turn thoughts into actions” for SYNAPSES.
Wait, wrong one…
Puzzle #5: Chicago Styleby Zachary Edward-Brown
After my struggle with Puzzle #4, I regained a little confidence as I tackled this 15x grid that matched Puzzle #1’s welcoming energy, enjoying a breezy, smooth solve.
The theme entries were established phrases that became something new when CHI was added — my favorite was NO NOTES becoming CHINO NOTES — and the grid fill was great fun. Has SKINEMAX ever appeared in the NYT Crossword? (I just checked XWordInfo, and it has not. You scooped them, Zachary!)
Interesting grid entries included SMIRCH, EASY TIGER, PAC-MAN, NO OFFENSE, and the aforementioned SKINEMAX, and my favorite clues were “One assisting with coursework?” for SOUS CHEF and “Archenemy of Odlaw” for WALDO. (Deep Where’s Waldo? lore there!)
Puzzle #6: End of the Roadby Jess Rucks
This 15x themeless was the perfect capper to the day’s solving, as Rucks presented a tight grid with loads of long entries crossing and buckets of personality in the grid fill.
There were two sets of clues available for the championship themeless, MINNESOTA NICE and CHICAGO FIRE, depending on your preference.
And Rucks excelled with both sets of clues, hitting the difficulty of each version perfectly and offering tons of style and wordplay to solvers of all ability levels. One of my favorite themeless puzzles this year.
Interesting grid entries included THE GOAT, PSYOPS, ACTION STAR, GICHIGAMI, and the fun pair of OKAY I GIVE and OH GOD NO.
As for favorite clues, here’s a list:
MN NICE: “Guy who totally sleighs at gift-giving” for SANTA
MN NICE: “Life phases, like ‘villain’ or ‘healing'” for ERAS
MN NICE: “What one must do to be the last one standing, so to speak, in musical chairs” for SIT
CHI FIRE: “They’re all talk, to some degree” for ORALS
CHI FIRE: “It leads to suffering, per Yoda” for HATE
CHI FIRE: “Present day figure” for SANTA
CHI FIRE: “Many Gen Alpha members (already!?)” for TEENS
CHI FIRE: “Doodle bug?” for FLEA
BOTH: “Original name for Lake Superior (“great water,” in Anishinaabemowin)” for GICHIGAMI
Plus some shameless puns and a Golden Girls reference. Outstanding clues.
Tiebreaker: Calculus Classby Will Eisenberg
Waiting in the wings for any ties was this 12×9 Midwest midi packed with snark (quite apropos for MEAN GIRLS DAY, one of the grid-spanning answers).
It was a fun, quick solve and a terrific light dessert after a crossword feast.
And, for those who STILL weren’t solving-sated, there was a bonus themeless crossword by Kaye Brown, a Ben Bass cryptogram, and a Mini Meta Suite curated by Sally Hoelscher. Attendees were absolutely spoiled!
Last year’s Midwest Crossword Tournament puzzles made a big impression on me when I solved them earlier this year, so my expectations were high going into this year’s tournament. And for the most part, this year’s puzzles easily met those lofty expectations.
There were a few odd grid entries, but otherwise the construction this year was terrific. The themes were accessible and full of Midwestern color.
I obviously struggled with Puzzle #4, but that’s not a flaw in the programming, that’s a feature. There should always be one or two puzzles that ratchet up the challenge level and test your puzzly mettle, and Puzzle #4 succeeded at that.
Did you tackle this year’s Midwest Gridfest, fellow puzzlers, either from home or live in person? Let me know in the comment section below. I’d love to hear from you!
(I know it’s Halloween season, but it’s never too early to look forward to holiday puzzly goodness for later in the year!)
If you’re a puzzle fan, you’re absolutely spoiled for choice when it comes to puzzly events to explore. Crossword tournaments, treasure hunts, escape rooms, puzzles by mail, puzzles by email, puzzles on your phone.
But I guarantee you’ve never experienced anything like Club Drosselmeyer.
Imagine getting all gussied up in your best 1940s-appropriate garb and grabbing your tickets before heading out to a show in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
What kind of show, you ask? Well, a vaudeville-style variety show with live music, enchanting and exciting performances, and all sorts of mysteries and intrigue playing out before your eyes, all set during the heady days and nights of World War II.
And what if there was an elaborate puzzle hunt tying the entire show together?
In a nutshell, that’s a Club Drosselmeyer event.
And tickets are available this Thursday for their latest immersive show!
There are performances set for December 4th, 5th, & 6th AND December 10th, 11th, 12th, & 13th for a two-hour whirlwind of puzzly theatricality. As the organizers themselves say, “Prepare yourself for another season of magic and mayhem, romance and revelry, champagne and sugarplums.”
Although I’ve never gotten to attend a Club Drosselmeyer event in person, a few years ago I participated in their virtual Club Drosselmeyer Interactive Radio Broadcast of 1943, and it remains one of my all-time favorite puzzle experiences.
I enjoyed two hours of wonderful music while tracking a rogue flying toaster, unraveling a criminal conspiracy during an air raid, decoding secret messages, helping a starlet choose the right lipstick for her show, and even performing a magic trick!
Club Drosselmeyer is run by a small and incredibly dedicated group of writers, performers, puzzlers, and musicians who put their all into this event every single year, and I simply cannot sing their praises loud enough.
But if you can’t wait for December…
Our friends at Club Drosselmeyer have cordially invited you to a wedding!
That’s so many new opportunities to check out this delightful “playable theater” experience.
It seems our good friends, Jack and Norah, are finally getting married. You know Jack and Norah, right? Of course you do, EVERYBODY knows Jack and Norah! They both work at Harmonics Inc. (Not the game studio, the global telecom services company founded by the Lane family. Right, that one.) Their reception will be at the W Boston Hotel downtown. They’re thrilled that you’re coming and we’re absolutely certain it will be an entirely normal wedding with absolutely no surprises at all.
…
The Wedding Party will have all of the Drossely craziness that you love but set in 2026 — and with dinner! This wedding will have it all: wonderful food, champagne and custom cocktails, decorations, a charming bridal party, spies, puzzles, intrigue… all the best things of a totally regular normal-person wedding.
Who doesn’t love a wedding with all the pomp and circumstance and spies and secret plots and potentially world-endangering threats?
You know, wedding stuff!
Nope, we’re STILL not done with puzzly Drosselmeyer promotions!
Blood Hunt is a comedy vampire bar crawl on Halloween night in Malden, Massachusetts! It’s What We Do in the Shadows with a puzzle hunt twist, loaded with fun characters, good drinks, and silly, spooky fun.
Check out the pitch:
You are newly turned. Freshly fanged. Tragically immortal. And before dawn, you must pass trials administered by the most unhinged elders the undead world has to offer. You and your coterie have until dawn to prove yourself worthy of the ancient vampire council — four locations, each with trials and elders who have survived plagues and empires and are somehow most annoyed by you specifically.
Can you endure all four stops and prove your vampiric value?
Will you be attending any of these delightful immersive puzzly experiences, fellow solvers? Let us know in the comments section below! We’d love to hear from you.
