Two weeks until the Indie 500 Crossword Tournament arrives! Sign up now!

Some mini- and vague-as-possible spoilers about today’s puzzle approaching: we’ve got ourselves a 70-word themeless, and while I didn’t originally plan for the similar clue angles at 1- and 62-Across, I thought it was funny how that sorta worked out. I built this grid around the seed entry at 17-Across, which my brother Justin did last weekend and which my oldest brother Matt completed several years prior. That leaves me as the only Birnholz child left to give it my all. And let’s just say I’m definitely planning on giving it my 0%. So this is my way of saying, Good show, Other Birnholzes! I doff my out-of-shape hat to you. But I won’t be forgiving either of you for this sponsored Facebook ad. Yeah, that’s a real ad, and it cuts me and my wussy unfit ass right to the quick.

So they can scratch that off their Bucket Lists. But I had a Bucket List moment this week, too! And for that, I have to give a major, major round of thanks to Sam Ezersky and his gem of a puzzle here. Never thought I’d see the day. And if that weren’t enough, Erik Agard then went ahead and dropped in this clue for 1-Down the very next day! Y’all are too kind, fellas. And all of you out in Solver Land should be checking out their weekly puzzles.

Enjoy today’s puzzle. There will be a new one on May 23.

       





My post about crossword fill and creativity on Tuesday really sparked some discussion! It drew my largest single-day view count since I began this website, thanks largely to Rex Parker for linking to it on his site and various venues. Suffice it to say, I put a high premium on fill, which may explain why I like to draw from the themeless well as often as I do — with no theme to worry about, it’s as pure an exercise in filling a grid as there is. Themed puzzles can have smooth fill too, of course, but they generally start with more constraints before the fill comes into play.

Anyway, if you’re new to Devil Cross because you clicked on one of Rex’s links, welcome! Stick around, take a load off, enjoy some puzzles, what-have-you. Today’s 70-worder features what I believe is a first for Devil Cross, at least among my regular puzzles that don’t include Something Different or variety grids. Can you guess what it is? (Solve the puzzle first, and then highlight the blank space below to find out the answer.)

It’s a pangram, a puzzle that uses every letter at least once. I didn’t set out to make one of these today. In fact, I often avoid Scrabbly letters if it means the fill will be smoother. But that’s how it turned out. And well, it’s kinda funny that I published a pangram today given that I just recently criticized a puzzle that used only eight letters in the entire grid.

Please note: there’s a good chance that I will NOT be posting a new puzzle next Saturday, April 25. I need the time to do some work for the Indie 500 Crossword Tournament, as well as some other stuff related to Life. (Oh, have you not signed up for that tournament yet? Please go do that.) However, though I may not post a puzzle, I am of course willing to run a guest puzzle in my place. So if you’ve got something that tickles your fancy, and it tickles mine too, send me a message and we’ll discuss it. It doesn’t have to be a regular crossword, either — just something you think people would enjoy. Speaking of guest puzzles, check out Erin Milligan-Milburn‘s very first crossword, posted on Erik Agard’s Glutton for Pun website. It’s a fine, fine debut, if’n I do say so.

Enjoy today’s puzzle. There will definitely be a new one on May 2.