Best themeless puzzle: Byron Walden’s interlock involving AMOSOZ, JMCOETZEE, HEYMRDJ and ABOUTSCHMIDT on 1/6/06 NYS. Giddying.

Best theme, daily size: Relished the dot-to-dot [STAR] hidden in Patrick Blindauer’s Digital Connections on 3/24/06 in the Sun. And smitten by Pete Muller’s Cross Currents on 1/27/06 NYS, where AC/DC alternated according to entry direction.

Craziest, most innovative twist: I’m with Amy on Mr Hook’s HEARTTRANSPLANT. Only lexicology’s Lex Luthor could imagine such mayhem. And special mention to Joe DiPietro’s RABBITAPE theme in the NYX – coupling animals in nouveau Noah-style. Plus Patrick Merrell’s P-paean on 8/31/06 in the Times.

Toughest puzzle to solve: Pete Muller’s head-banger Following Directions on 7/14/06 NYS that asked you to swap answers WHENEVER A NUMBER REFERENCES BOTH A DOWN AND ACROSS. Boggling, beautiful and Google-proof. And yes, that MATCH rebus by Michael Shteyman's, if only for a Saturday NYT springing a rebus on us!

Toughest construction feat: Still in awe of Jeffrey Harris and Patrick Berry’s HALF-ABETIC gem on 12/1/06 in NYS. And Ethan Friedman’s BOBDOLE/CLINTON reprise entailing a BLACK/WHITE alternative on 27/7/06 in NYX.

Most entertaining crossword: For zinger tally, Gary Steinmehl’s Zounds on 7/6/06 – suffixing Z to five phrases, from RUNAROUNDSUEZ to POPUPADZ. And a ‘twisty’ rebus workout , TIE GAME by Lynn Lempel on 7/19/06 in NYS where [ROPE] ran rings around us. But really, weekly, how spoilt are we?!

Funniest or most dastardly clue: Ben Tausig always serves up smirks with such clues as John to George, Ringo and Paul? [LOO], The simple life [AMOEBA], It may have a gate attached [SCANDAL] and Turner on TV [KNOB].

So a Golden Oreo to each mention – and happy new year to fellow Fiendsters. Thanks for all your American tuition through 06, and may solvers and compilers alike be struck by regular epiphany.

Resolution challenge: to salt away the cream – so to speak – and vote for those puzzles which rock your boat in 2007. Siya, DA
DA | Homepage | 12.31.06 - 9:06 pm | #

DA, let me give you an "amen, brother" for the mention of Pete Muller's "Following Directions." Yep, that one took me about 30% longer than Hook's killer. I love the monster puzzles that liquefy entire lobes of my brain.
Orange | Homepage | 12.31.06 - 9:28 pm | #

I'll second your vote for "Lay of the Land". Although I only really got seriously into this after Wordplay (in mid-June), I'm willing to go ahead and call that one "Puzzle of the Year."
Mike | Homepage | 01.01.07 - 3:40 am | #

For crossword books: I don't do the Sun puzzles on a daily basis, but I do like to buy a collection now and then-- I just finished the second collection of 'Cranium-Crushing' puzzles edited by Peter Gordon-- Much good stuff, with contributions from all the usual suspects.
Matt | 01.01.07 - 9:58 am | #

I can only speak with any authority on NYT puzzles since 9/25/06. I have strong feelings about only one of these categories, and that's "newbie" (HATE the word, btw) constructor. Quarfoot, hands down. I'm pretty sure he'll have my favorite themeless of the year, too (he and Walden are my current themeless heroes). If my initial reaction is any kind of gauge, then DQ's Sat Dec. 16 puzzle would win. (You remember, Orange - the SAME SEX puzzle...)

I think Lay of the Land deserves a Construction Feat nod, but for some reason it wasn't my favorite Sunday. As I said (elsewhere), Gorski's New Year's Eve Sunday puzzle was phenomenal on all levels. But I'm going to have to browse my own blog and get back to you. Berry's "Look Inside" was pretty nifty (Nov. 12).

Most Difficult is NOT a category many are going to agree on (except maybe the Very Top solvers).

Klahn's disguised LISTON / ALI [with ALI hidden in THALIA] crossing in his fabulous 12/2 Saturday should get a non-themed architectural cleverness award. That puzzle also had SKORTS and SWISS CHARD and ALIBI IKE and other superrich fill.

[It may be a bear to throw down] = AREA RUG - I liked that a lot (BEQ, 11/11). Honorable mention: [One subjected to disarmament?] = VENUS DE MILO (DQ, 10/7)

More later, as it occurs to me.
Michael
Michael | Homepage | 01.01.07 - 1:02 pm | #

Best theme – daily size.

That’s easy, and surely everybody will agree. March 2nd, 2004 was the 100th anniversary of the birth of Dr. Seuss. The theme of the NYT puzzle, by Barasch/Shortz, was, of course, Dr Seuss.

It was brilliantly done, DRSEUSS, YERTLETHETURTLE, HORTONHEARSAWHO, OOBLECK, SPRINGFIELDMASS, APERSONSAPERSON, AUTHORS, TGEISEL, …
dan | 01.01.07 - 3:58 pm | #

I recall being especially wowed by PBerry's "Famous Crossings" Sunday, and I think he deserves a special Golden Oreo for the awesome Starbucks puzzle contest (in spite of the blatant marketing aspect of the whole thing). Incredibly brilliant was the "For Purposes of Comparison" tie-in, in which millions of people solved a puzzle that contained a hidden puzzle without even knowing it.
pauer | 01.01.07 - 4:34 pm | #

I think the hardest daily puzzle this year (with the help of your blog search feature) was the Patrick Berry 5/18 Sun puzzle, "This & That", featuring two (mostly) opposite rebus answers contained in each theme answer - the last one absolutely destroyed me, if I remember, and I ended up throwing in the towel with almost the entire bottom-right quadrant blank. Kudos for the clever execution, of both the puzzle theme and my solving confidence at the time. Turns out I hadn't heard of the answer before, and the rebus made it doubly impossible (if that's possible).

As I've wanted to get a bit more comfortable with tougher puzzles in general, my favorite books have been Frank Longo's Cranium-Crushing Crosswords and Will Shortz' X-Treme X-Words. I also picked up a Cathy Millhauser book at a discount some time ago; her puzzles are a lot of fun, and can vary in difficulty a bit more than you might expect. I always appreciate a good sense of humor in themes more than anything.

I tend to forget more puzzles than I remember, fortunately, so I'll stop here for now.
Howard B | 01.01.07 - 8:42 pm | #

Ooh, Howard, you're right about that Berry puzzle. That one took me a little bit longer than the killer Muller.

And Patrick, I second your comments on Berry's Starbuckstravaganza. The final tiebreaker crossword was wickedly tough—it took my team of four people about an hour to piece the gimmick together and finish the puzzle.
Orange | Homepage | 01.01.07 - 9:19 pm | #