Such a Lyrical Tease, This Fresh Crosswordese

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Ah, crosswordese. The double-edged sword of cruciverbalism.

Crosswordese is the catch-all term for those words that appear frequently in puzzles, and for the most part, only in puzzles. That’s not to say they can’t also be in common use, or part of everyday pop culture. But they definitely show up more often in crosswords than casual conversation.

In the past, we’ve featured rhyming works that attempted to highlight as much crosswordese as possible. But those are nearly a decade old, and while many of those words are still prominent in crosswords, plenty of other vocabulary words have nestled themselves in the pockets of crossword constructors in the meantime.

So I took a shot at concocting a bit of rhyming verse celebrating not just the past of crosswordese, but the present. I hope you enjoy!

We’ve seen SNEEs and INEEs and ETUIs so TWEE
ANOAs and ELANDs and the old ARAL sea.

We’ve OOHed and AAHed over AHAs and PHEWs,
ITO, UTA, and TATI, long gone from the news.

PSST, AHEM, and WHOA! Exclamations galore!
ARE SO and ARE TOO plus AM TOO and more.

OREO’s “Mountain: Comb. form” gave way to a snack,
ASHE’s namesake arena helped bring his name back.

Hurray for new RAEs, Carly _ Jepsen and ISSA
Charlotte, Norma, no more, constructors never miss a

Chance to drop some textspeak, TMI, BTW
IMO, SMH, OHO might I trouble you

for a CHAI TEA or BOBA or a hot bowl of PHO
or maybe let’s cool it, right OLAF and ELSA?

EVOO on salad, smoothie with ACAI berry,
ACELA is coming, we better not tarry.

EGO left SNL, AYO was a guest host
one-fourth of the way to an EGOT boast.

I don’t wish to ERR, RUE, or misrepresent:
is a Tolkien creature an ORC and an ENT?

So many NOOBS left out: ARIE, RHEA, ENOLA.
(India, Seehorn, and Holmes, in the footsteps of POLA.)

I suppose this endeavor’s gone A TAD bit AFAR,
maybe next time, just scribble TL;DR.

Did I manage to include your favorite crosswordese, fellow puzzler? Let me know in the comments section below! I’d love to hear from you.

A Hidden Message Word Search, with Musical Accompaniment by im sad alex!

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Who doesn’t love stumbling upon a puzzle where you didn’t expect one?

I’m sure many of us do. I certainly do!

So when musician and YouTuber im sad alex dropped a new song that included a word search in the video, you know I had to jump on that!

Alex claims all of their exes’ names are concealed in this grid, and if you find all of them, you’ll get a secret message.

Here’s a screenshot of the grid so you can take a crack at it yourself:

I wasn’t able to complete a perfect solve, but I found the following names: Patrick, David, Mark, Robert, Kyle, Chris, Sam, Greg, Joe, Eva, Leo, Chet, Pearl, Rasmus, and Cale.

It took a few tries, because there are other options like Jay, Earl, Abe, etc., but I got pretty close by solving as I tried to assemble the message hidden in the remaining letters.

The message I found read: It did not work out and I married a tall boy who loves me very very much and I love him very much too.

The only part I couldn’t resolve was the double E in the very last “VERY”.

But it was a fun challenge!

I highly recommend checking out Alex’s songs. They’re an entertaining mix of sweet and funny, and her voice is absolutely gorgeous.

I’ll conclude today’s post with my favorite imsadalex song, which is her duet with the very meme-able Dirt Man song:

Have you encountered any puzzles in unexpected places lately, fellow solvers? Let me know in the comments section below! I’d love to hear from you.

Valentine’s Framework For You to Solve!

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Hello fellow puzzlers! Happy Valentine’s Day! Or Happy Day After Friday the 13th! Or Happy whatever else you might be celebrating today!

To commemorate the day, I’ve constructed a little romance-tinged puzzly treat for you to solve.

It’s a heart-shaped Framework puzzle with a themed word list loaded with all sorts of shmoopy- and otherwise holiday-appropriate vocabulary!

[Click this link to download a PDF of this puzzle.]

Happy puzzling, friends!

Puzzly Suggestions for Valentine’s Day!

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puzzlelove

Valentine’s Day is only a few days away, but there’s still plenty of time to whip up a puzzly treat for the special someone in your life!

And naturally we’ve got a few suggestions…

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Jigsaw puzzles are the perfect metaphor for relationships, as they require separate pieces working together to complete the picture.

There are do-it-yourself jigsaw patterns you can utilize at most every art store or hobby shop. You could depict anything from a favorite photo to a specific Valentine’s message in the completed image.

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If jigsaws aren’t their style, you can always start with something simple, like a subscription to a puzzle service like The American Values Club Crossword. New puzzles every week or every month are a great gift.

If they’re more into mechanical puzzles, our friends at Tavern Puzzles offer several brain teasers that incorporate a heart shape.

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But if you’re looking for something more personalized, why not make a crossword for them yourself?

(Yes, you can also commission a top puzzler to do one for you, but you’d usually want to get the ball rolling on something like that well before Valentine’s Day.)

For example, Reddit user peregrinate shared a crossword they constructed for their boyfriend, including the lovely artistic way they rendered their gift!

Now, to be fair, crosswords can be tough and time-intensive to make, so if that feels a little daunting, why not try a Framework puzzle or a crisscross instead? They incorporate the same crossing style, but don’t require you to use every letter.

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It allows you to maintain a terrific word list all about you and your significant other without all the effort of filling in every square crossword-style.

Or you could write the object of your affection a coded love letter! All throughout history, people have employed different tricks and techniques to keep their private messages away from prying eyes, and you could do the same!

Whether it’s a simple letter-shifting cipher or something more complex, make sure your message is worth reading. =)

butterflylock
Image courtesy of ibookbinding.com

Plus you could learn a bit of letterlocking to add some flair, and a sense of puzzly secrecy and personalization, to your message. It involves a mix of precise folds, interlocking pieces of paper, and sealing wax in order to create a distinctive design or pattern.

Even if you don’t go the encryption route, the unique presentation of a letter-locked message makes a simple card or a heartfelt note feel more precious.

Have you considered a puzzle bouquet? You could grab some newspaper crosswords and origami them into flower shapes for a fun puzzle-fueled spin on a holiday classic.

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Or you could gather flower-themed puzzles and spell out messages in the grids.

Rows Garden immediately comes to mind, as do Daisy and Flower Power, which you can find in Penny Press magazines!

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Or you could hide jigsaw pieces around the house that, when put together, spell out a Valentine’s message or a picture of the two of you.

Put your own spin on the idea. A little bit of effort can go a long way, plus it doesn’t cost anything.

With a little more effort, you could whip up a scavenger hunt! You could leave clues around leading to a gift, or a romantic dinner, or some other grand finale. Maybe offer a rose with each clue. (You can do this without leaving the house, like a reverse escape room!)

Show off how much you know about him or her. You could make each clue (or destination, safety allowing) about your relationship or about your partner, allowing you to show off how well you know them… where you first met, favorite meals, favorite movie…

If you don’t want to leave things around where anyone could nab them, keep a few small tokens on you, giving one for each destination reached or clue solved. Heck, you could enlist a friend to text clues to your special someone once they’ve reached a particular destination!

Or for something less formal, you could make a game of your romantic wanderings and play Valentine’s Day Bingo.

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I found this blank template on Makoodle.com

Maybe go for a walk or take a drive with your loved one, and see if they can get bingo by observing different things. A couple holding hands as they walk, a Valentine’s Day proposal, outrageously priced flowers…

You could even channel-surf and see if you can get bingo from all the Valentine’s Day programming.

The possibilities are endless when you put your mind to it.

Image courtesy of Escape the Room.

What about a couples’ escape room date?

While many escape rooms are geared toward larger groups, you can absolutely find ones tailored to couples or pairs, giving you a more private opportunity to flex your puzzly skills with your significant other!

(Although I wouldn’t recommend surprising someone with an escape room date unless you’re VERY sure they’d like it!)

Or don’t go out, and solve a mystery from home, like the ones offered by our friends at Scarlet Envelope!

Unravel a murder or solve a crime from the comfort of your own space. Set the mood, get the food, and partner up to outwit a devious criminal!

There are any number of ways to add a personalized and puzzly twist to the holiday. Do you have any suggestions, fellow puzzler? Let us know in the comments below! We’d love to hear from you.

The “No ICE in Minnesota” Charity Bundle!

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Fuck ICE.

Hi! You might not have known my feelings, either morally or politically from reading this blog, so please allow me to get my stance out of the way bluntly and clearly.

Fuck ICE.

I’ve written about this corrupt administration’s policies in the past, discussing how they’ve affected the puzzle and game industry as it regards to tariffs, manufacturing, and so on.

And I’ve happily tried to help spread the word about puzzly efforts to organize against those and many other restrictive, harmful, and ignorant policies.

So I’m overjoyed to share another game-fueled charity effort for the betterment of this country…

The No ICE in Minnesota Charity Bundle.

Many puzzle and game companies have contributed to this bundle — featuring nearly 1500 games and downloads for tabletop games, video games, books, music, and more — and all they’re asking is a minimum donation of $10.

Their goal is to raise $100,000 for the Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota, and they’ll be collecting until March 13th.

Here is the full statement on their itch.io link:

We created this bundle to raise funds for Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota in response to the Trump administration sending ICE agents to the Minneapolis area and the reckless murder of an innocent people by ICE agents. ILCM provides free immigration legal representation to low-income immigrants and refugees in Minnesota and North Dakota.

They also work to educate the community about immigration matters and advocates for public policies which respect the universal human rights of immigrants. ILCM provides services based on capacity and has a generally high demand for services. The more we are able to fundraise, the more people they will be able to assist.

Please donate, or at the very least, share the link and help get the word out about this worthwhile cause.

The people of Minnesota have shown us the true heart of America, the power of speaking out, of organization, of standing up against the masked faces of violence, racism, and corruption, and the Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota deserves our support.

Thanks for reading today.

Oh, and one more time for the folks in the back, Fuck ICE.

Delving into the 2026 Boswords Winter Wondersolve Puzzles!

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boswords new

Tuesday night was my first chance to sit down and try my hand at the puzzles from this year’s Winter Wondersolve event. Given the talent involved amongst the organizers and constructors — as well as the always-reliable puzzles featured in previous Boswords-hosted events — I had high expectations, and I was not disappointed.

So let’s put those puzzles under the microscope and see what’s what!

Warm-Up: Opening Kickoff by John Lieb

Perennial Boswords warm-up puzzle master Mr. Lieb delivers a terrific puzzle to knock any ring rust off of solvers with this 16×11 football-shaped grid.

With both teams competing in this year’s Super Bowl (as well as one team’s coach) in the grid, the theme is on point and the smart construction makes this puzzle so accessible. It’s a first-class starter for a day of solving.

My favorite clue was the double use of “Like a haunted house” for both SCARY and EERIE, especially since they were in mirrored spots in the grid.

Puzzle #1: French Twist by Pao Roy

The tournament proper launched with this 15x grid that relied on pronunciation as much as wordplay, adding an “eh” sound to established phrases, like PURE NONSENSE becoming PUREE NONSENSE or SNAIL MAIL becoming SNAIL MELEE.

I appreciate a puzzle that takes you out of the traditional solving experience, so the fact that I had to say each theme entry aloud to get the most out of the solve was great fun. Add in the tight construction and you’ve got a strong opener on your hands.

Interesting grid entries included THE FONZ, HARISSA, TUMBLR, and DEEP CUTS, and my favorite clue was “Only Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee to win a National Book Award (for her memoir “Just Kids”)” for PATTI SMITH. I learned something in this puzzle!

Puzzle #2: Pandora’s Box by Wendy L. Brandes

Puzzle #2 was only a half-step or so tougher than Puzzle #1, remaining very solver friendly while still peppered with some great vocabulary.

This 16×17 grid had a marvelous visual element, with some of the bad things contained in Pandora’s Box literally escaping from their rows and longer entries, so CIVIC ENGAGEMENT only read CIVNGAGEMENT, as the rest of VICE was spelled out in the circled letters above.

With HOPE remaining in the box in the final themed entry, this puzzle’s beautifully visual style nicely encapsulated the classic myth. My favorite puzzle of the day!

Interesting grid entries included STRIATED, ENRON, USER FEES, and AMATEURISH, and my favorite clue was “Name contained in a wedding registry?” for GREG.

Puzzle #3: Skipping a Grade by Adam Aaronson (or dm ronson, perhaps?)

The most devious puzzle of the day belongs to Adam Aaronson, as this 16×17 grid featured theme entries where all of the As have been removed from phrases, turning BLACKSABBATH into BLCKSBBTH. With six theme entries plus the revealer STRAIGHT A’S, this grid was packed!

And it’s hard to deny the absolute insanity of writing FLLLLLLLL for “Refrain in a Christmas carol.” An unforgettable puzzly moment, to be sure.

Interesting grid entries included BEAN BAG CHAIR, RIZZLER, I’LL SUE, and CULT HIT, and my favorite clue was “India is in its alphabet, but not in it” for NATO.

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Puzzle #4: Themeless by Amanda Rafkin and Amie Walker

The tournament concludes with the toughest puzzle of the day, a 15x themeless grid with an S-shaped grid pattern that created a genuine flow while solving.

Two sets of clues were offered for the final puzzle — FLURRY clues on the easier side (approximately a NYT Wednesday level) and BLIZZARD clues on the tougher side of the spectrum (approximately a NYT weekend level) — but both offered their fair share of challenges for solvers of all skill levels.

I have gained a new appreciation for themeless puzzles over the last few years (in no small part thanks to Boswords’s seasonal themeless leagues), and this one was a highlight, for sure. Great long entries, fun fill, and really smart construction made the final challenge of the day a very satisfying solve.

Interesting grid entries included WHITE LIE, STRAY CAT, SCRAP PAPER, TARGETED AD, and THERE THERE. Both the easier and tougher sets of clues had some gems, so I’ll list them separately below:

FLURRY clues:

  • “Brass fastener, as in a kid’s model skeleton” for BRAD (love the specificity!)
  • “Ball culture affirmative” for YAS
  • ‘”You can totally pull off a Mariah Carey song at karaoke tonight,’ probably” for WHITE LIE
  • “Wool whose name becomes a country if you change one letter” for ANGORA

BLIZZARD clues:

  • “Draft pick?” for SCRAP PAPER
  • “Twosome in ‘Waiting for Godot'” for ACTS
  • “Whopper Jr.?” for WHITE LIE
  • “It might be right up your alley” for STRAY CAT

This year’s tournament felt like the perfect introduction to tournament-style solving and puzzles for a newbie competitor, and the wide array of themes, cluing, and grid entry vocabulary kept me engaged throughout the entire solve.

The cluing this year was topnotch, and I laughed out loud several times at the clever linguistic trickery on display.

Boswords events aren’t about difficulty, they’re about the joy of crossword solving and wordplay and all the delights that come with filling in these black-and-white grids, and this year’s Winter Wondersolve was no exception.

It’s the right mix of challenge and creativity for solvers accustomed to NYT-style solving, and I think the constructors and organizers did one heck of a job putting together the event. A hearty tip-of-the-hat to the hardworking puzzlers for pulling this all off!

I can’t wait to see what they cook up for us next.

And speaking of, the Boswords 2026 Spring Themeless League is coming soon! A weekly tournament that happens every Monday night from 9-10 pm Eastern in March and April (with a bonus livestream hangout!), the Spring Themeless League is the kind of community puzzly joy that is always welcome.

Registration for the event opens Saturday, February 15th, and they’ve already announced a killer’s row of constructors (in addition to the spot for the winner of their open submission contest).

This year’s line-up includes Kareem Ayas, Michael Berg, Malaika Handa, Katie Hoody, Rafael Musa, Jess Shulman, Byron Walden, and Stella Zawistowski.

Check out the Boswords website for full details!

Thanks for solving with me today. Did you tackle the challenge of the Winter Wondersolve, or will you be participating in this year’s Spring Themeless League? Let me know in the comments section below, I’d love to hear from you!