In my previous puzzle post (BWS Puzzle #12: Network Programming), I mentioned that the final grid there was "pretty heavy on the 3 letter entries". In fact, out of 54 total words in that puzzle, 22 of them were 3s; that's just over 40%. Yikes!
Consequently, I set myself a challenge for this next puzzle: no 3s whatsoever!
I thought that might be difficult in a big grid, so I'm starting small with a 10x10 themeless. You can see the histogram of word lengths in the image below. There's an abundance of 4s and 5s this time, along with a handful of 7s and 10s. You may also notice some pleasing symmetry in the grid: each corner is a 4x5 or 5x4, and the four central squares are each crossed by exactly two 7s.
As usual with these midi themeless puzzles, I picked a few of the 10s based on stuff that's on my mind or happening recently. In particular, 4-Down and 14-Across come from a recent dinnertime conversation, and I was delighted to notice that they could cross each other like so.
I think this one will be kinda challenging, what with fewer short inroads to crack into the grid. I also tried to make some of the clues trickier than usual. So, I'm labeling this "hard" but I don't think it's "devilishly hard". (If you want some truly mind-bending and humbling themeless puzzles, check out Brooke Husic's blog and choose the "extra hard" versions.)
Because of this, I promise to make the next puzzle (upcoming this weekend) nice and easy. And maybe that's a trend I can continue: making each puzzle the "opposite" of the previous one along some axis, whatever that might be (3s, difficulty, etc.) We'll see how that goes... 🙂
Enjoy the solve, and share if you do! Constructive feedback in the comments is always welcome.
Comments
Post a Comment