Mini tic tac toe

 

It's summer in the strange schedule of university, so you know what that means: it's time for another experimental mini! Or should I say... twelve minis? This is an unfortunate departure from the usual theme of this blog-- my apologies, we'll be back to our regularly scheduled programming soon. I try to get my non-science puzzles published in outlets where possible, but I truly had no idea where to publish this.

This puzzle, or I guess these puzzles, are best done on paper, but if you don't have access to a printer, I recommend writing the grids down on paper once you've filled them. Finding someone else to do this with is not optional, though. Make a friend.

One last administrative thing: My subscriber emails haven't been working for the last few months, and I'm trying to fix it. Please let me know if you have signed up for email updates but did not receive an email about this puzzle.

PDF (solution included)

Charged Interactions

 

It's finals season and I'm stuck inside with a cold, so naturally, it's time for another blog puzzle! This one is shaped like the periodic table, so I can finally make the bad joke that I update this blog periodically.

When I set out to make a puzzle with the periodic table as a grid, I had envisioned it being pretty big-- there are a lot of elements! It turns out, though, that it's more of a midi. The shape constraints also led to a lot of 2-letter entries, so I did my best to make the words fun and the crossings fair.

I've discovered I really like incorporating meta elements, so there's a short meta answer this time. The instructions are visible on the PDF and online version!

The Seaweed Is Always Greener In Somebody Else's Lake

Hello again and sorry about the last couple of puzzle-less months!

Getting crossworld business out of the way first: I'm thrilled to announce that my puzzle "You're Projecting" is nominated for an ORCA Award, specifically "Best Themed Crossword". Voting is open until mid-February, so vote here for your favourite puzzles of the year!

Anyway, enough about orcas. Today's puzzle is about a different sea (and land!) creature: the humble crab.

Many species have evolved into crablike creatures, and similarly, this puzzle is evolving into a puzzle about crabs. The starred entries are each one or two letters away from being different species of crab, and it's up to you to figure out which letters need to be replaced to evolve a crab! When you put all the replaced letters together (the letters you originally filled in and are discarding), from left to right and top to bottom, you'll get the title of an appropriate song to play when this puzzle is finished. 

(The song is NOT "Under the Sea", I'm not going that easy on you.)

I Feel The Earth Move

 

Me from the future here. I didn't write much about this puzzle in the original blog post. I recommended solving it on paper at the time, but looking back, I think it's perfectly solvable online. Of course, that means I have to make a new embed link since all the Crosswordr embed links are dead now. RIP Crosswordr o7

Car-dinal Sins

It's reading week, which means that I have some time on my hands, so I've made a new puzzle I'm very excited about! But first I'm going to give you all access to this Words on Fire meta puzzle from 2023, because something crazy is happening in Toronto. Some spoilers for the puzzle subject follow, so here is the puzzle. Keep reading after you're done, especially if you live or have lived in Ontario. (and an update from me from the future, lol)

Meta instructions: Two different styles of urban planning are present in this puzzle. You will need to navigate around both in search of the letters that spell out the meta answer. The letters can be read in the order they are presented in the grid (left to right, top to bottom), and clues that contain at least one meta letter are starred. The answer is a 26-letter phrase that describes why navigation is so much harder in one section of the puzzle than in another.

If you follow @cruciverbology on Twitter/X, you know that I like modes of transportation that are not cars. Unfortunately, the Ontario provincial government does not agree. In a laughable attempt to decrease traffic in Toronto, Premier Doug Ford is trying to ban new bike lanes in the city and even rip out some existing ones. This will make it impossible for many Torontonians to get around safely, and it's frankly embarrassing that Ford thinks this is a good idea in 2024.

Ontarians everywhere, please call your MPPs and tell them not to support this bill (it's called Bill 212 or the Reducing Gridlock, Saving You Time Act). Also, please sign the I Love Bike Lanes petition if you haven't already!

Update from the future: The bill passed, but Cycle Toronto successfully challenged it in court. As of 2026 the Bloor, University, and Avenue bike lanes are still up.