US-Style puzzles with a theme
Hello, Crossworders!
It’s August, and I’d like to take this opportunity to pay tribute to something I’ve really been enjoying lately. Today’s is a gentle themed crossword. If you don’t get what’s going on initially, I hope this inspires you to check it out!
Thanks to Brooke Husic for the test solve!
Next week is cryptic week, and I’ll have a themed standard cryptic as well as a quiptic (if time allows). Thanks for stopping by. Take care and enjoy!
solve online / puz / pdf / solution
Hello, crossword folks!
I hope everyone who wants to has been able to get some grilled goodness lately. I found myself inspired to do this puzzle while enjoying an absolute bounty of meats and other delicacies. This non-cryptic crossword is about as gentle as they come on Square Pursuit, and I hope it treats you right.
Thanks to my wonderful partner Arielle and Brooke Husic for the test solve!
Take care and enjoy. Next week is a cryptic week. See you then!
solve online / puz / pdf / solution
Hello crossword folks!
Thanks for coming by! Today’s crossword is pretty specific, and dedicated to a gem from a generation before mine. If this theme misses you, I hope the rest of the puzzle is plenty of fun. If you have an ironic or unironic love for the topic matter like I do, I hope it’s extra fun!
Thanks so much to Brooke Husic and David Gold for the test solve!
Take care, enjoy the puzzle, I’ll see you next week with a tricky unthemed cryptic.
solve online / puz / pdf / solution
Hello, hello, Crossword Friends!
This week’s themed crossword is a timely offering. Without saying too much, it’s my feeling that it’s important to consider a lot of different experiences when showing appreciation. This one’s on the breezy side among my puzzles, but has a bit of the bite I think you’ve come to expect if you come around here regularly. By the way, if you do come around here regularly, I really appreciate you!
I also appreciate Brooke Husic who has been crushing it on puzzles in all sorts of places lately (with more excellent stuff coming soon!) for test solving.
I also appreciate all the great cryptic vibes I’ve been getting from folks lately! Next week’s puzzle is a challenging cryptic by this blog’s standards, so it’s likely to be accompanied by another one of my introductory-level quiptics in its near vicinity. I also have a fun collaboration popping up somewhere soon and a gentle newspaper puzzle in the next couple of weeks.
Take care, enjoy, and go thank somebody you love!
solve online / puz / pdf / solution
Hello, crossfolks!
It feels like ages since I’ve done a standard crossword here at Square Pursuit, and I hope the extra column of letters in this 16×15 makes up for it a bit! It was pretty wild to fill this grid after making so many cryptics and other kinds of puzzles as I have been lately. It was kind of like going back to the gym after a week or two on the couch. Gentle-ish difficulty, with some stuff in the grid that I’m pretty pumped to work in.
Thanks so much to ace constructors Brooke Husic and Quiara Vasquez for giving this one a test drive. I always look forward to the next Steely Dan reference in a Quiara puzzle and I’m excited/terrified about Brooke’s upcoming Boswords themeless challenger.
Next week is cryptic week, and it’s not the easiest puzzle I’ve ever made. I’ve heard reports of a lot of beginning solvers enjoying the Quiptic, so there’s going to be one of those this weekend too in case you’re not sure sure about tackling the big one next Wednesday.
Take care, enjoy, and see you soon!
solve online / puz / pdf / SOLUTION
Hello, crossword people!
I’m so glad to be kicking March off with a 17x themed puzzle! I’ve been dishing out the tough puzzles lately, so we’re dialing it back on this one. There shouldn’t be much to scare folks away this week, but it does have a bit more mustard on it than a newspaper puzzle of a similar type.
Speaking of newspapers, keep your eyes open in the next couple of months — I’ve got some ones I’m proud of dropping soon. As for the blog I’m really looking forward to the open schedule for year two, and have a fun cryptic coming at you next week. Thanks so much to Brooke Husic and Jake Eakle for the test solve on this one, and a very special thanks also goes out to my wonderful and supportive wife Arielle, who took the plunge and dealt with this one rather handily as well!
Take care and enjoy the puzzle! One week until the March cryptic, and two until a nice hard themeless!
solve online / puz / pdf / solution
Hello, crossword fans!
It’s themed week at Square Pursuit! I hope this puzzle gets you up and moving on a wintry Wednesday. It shouldn’t be as tough as last week’s offering but it’s got a few sneaky clues in there and some trivia I love.
This one was quite a challenge in its original form, and I want to give thanks to test solvers Brooke Husic, Will Eisenberg, and k0rmad for fighting through it and giving me some smoothing-out advice. Those who are looking for a rough ride can go back to the collab cryptic from last weekend with MentalPlayground or the choose-your-own clues themeless from a few days before. This weekend I’ve got a gentle-ish variety cryptic that I’m so excited about, and an anniversary themeless to follow!
Take care and enjoy the puzzle. Variety cryptic in 3 days, tough themeless in 7!
Hello, Crossfolks!
Whoa, 50 weeks of Square Pursuit! So happy to celebrate with one of my favorite crossword people and collaborators, Enrique Henestroza Anguiano. This is not our first time making puzzles together but it’s the first one to see the light of day. We connected over some serious culinary interests this time around — it was hard not to get hungry while making this crossword!
Here’s Enrique:
Excited to be back on Square Pursuit with a culinary crossword collab! This one started with an observation about 28-Across, and it was deliciously fun to elaborate the theme with fellow gourmand Steve. It’s been a joy working together, and I expect you’ll see this byline again in the future. Fair warning: don’t solve this on an empty stomach.
As always, it’s great to get to make and talk puzzles with like-minded folks. Thanks to the wonderful test solving team of Brooke Husic and Matthew Stock, who made our puzzle so much better with their work. This weekend is the first Saturday of the month, so if you’re up for something different, I hope you’ll drop by for a cryptic!
Take care and enjoy the puzzle!
Hello, Sailors!
Since everybody seems to be singing shanties or making puzzles about them, I’ve decided to throw my hat in the ring with today’s offering. It’s a little tricky, but I hope it’s a fun one!
Thanks for all the lovely feedback on last week’s themeless and variety cryptic. It just makes me want to keep pushing to make better puzzles. It’s great to have you along with me! On the invaluable test solving team this week, we’ve got Brooke Husic, Will Eisenberg, and Ryan Fitzgerald. Thanks so much for the help!
Belt out some sea songs, grab some grog if that’s your thing, and enjoy the puzzle! I’ll see you next week with a regularly-scheduled themeless!
Hello, intrepid solvers!
It’s the first themed puzzle of the year and I’ve got a bit of a challenge for you this week. This one was a real pleasure to fill up with words, many of which are exciting to me. I hope it’s fun for you!
2021 is definitely going to be a big puzzle year for me, and I’m looking forward to sharing my work with you. Thanks, as always, for showing up! My gratitude to Brooke Husic and Mike Lieberman for the test solve this week.
Enjoy the solve, take care of yourselves, and stay tuned for a themeless offering in one week!
Square Pursuit 