Today was a good NY double header. Enjoyed both the debut in the Times and the great theme in the Sun. Both solid starts to the week.
jannieb | 07.28.08 - 8:01 am | #

Those of you who don't do the Jonesin' puzzle, I encourage you to click the link at the very top of the post (beneath the date and title) and go download this week's puzzle. It's more like a Thursday puzzle, difficulty-wise, and I always find a tougher puzzle to be a welcome treat on a day filled with the easiest crosswords.
Orange | Homepage | 07.28.08 - 2:05 pm | #

You can also get the Jonesin puzzle by signing up for it at Matt Jones' site and he'll email it to you on Monday morning.
larry | 07.28.08 - 2:36 pm | #

I'd also encourage everyone to sign up for the Matt Gaffney weekly contest at http://crosswordcontest.blogspot.com

They're quite challenging and lots of fun to solve. They've quickly become the highlight of my week.
Al Sanders | 07.28.08 - 4:00 pm | #

Yeah, I second Al's recommendation to check out Matt Gaffney's crossword contest. There's always some sort of hidden answer you need to ferret out. If you can't figure out the contest answer this week, don't be daunted—this one was tougher than the previous ones. I would be blogging about these puzzles after the Tuesday-noon deadline has passed, but Tuesdays are Hectic Day for me.
Orange | Homepage | 07.28.08 - 5:51 pm | #

Do you know the lag between the Jonesin' puzzles that you blog vs. those that appear in syndicated weekly papers? The most recent in mine was titled:"I'm going to have to cut you off" does that ring a bell?
guelon | 07.28.08 - 7:40 pm | #

Congrats, Al, on winning last week's Gaffney jackpot. I agree with the comments here. Filling in the grid is only half the fun. There's always another twist, with just enough hints to point the way if you know where to find them.

Off to do the Jonesin' so I don't have to avert my eyes anymore.
JJF | 07.28.08 - 9:27 pm | #

guelon, that puzzle was blogged by orange back on june 30.

this week's MGWCC defeated me. it's the first time that's happened. i got the grid filled in okay (with some difficulty!), but i can't quite work out what the answer is. i haven't paid it full attention since i'm on vacation, but it's still kind of a bummer. all of the previous ones have been a lot of fun, though.
joon | 07.29.08 - 12:03 am | #

Guelon, the Jonesin' folks have no control over the scheduling at various newspapers. You should definitely sign up at the Jonesin' Google Group to get the latest puzzle e-mailed to you at the beginning of the week (in Across Lite and JPEG formats), and sync up with the blog discussion.
Orange | Homepage | 07.29.08 - 12:23 am | #

Joon, sadly we have to keep our mouths shut about the MGWCC until Friday, and there's nowhere to blog about it anyway. Although I've joined the group, I seem to be unable to leave comments.
Seconding those above who find it great fun. Even though I reached *an* answer to this week's puzzle I have only about 10% confidence that it's *the* answer. That man's tricksy.
Jim in NYC | 07.31.08 - 6:06 am | #

Does the word ANTA qualify as crosswordese?
I seem to remember this from the Maleska era but I am not sure. Was this like ANOA for Celebes ox or at least comparable?
Bill from NJ | Homepage | 07.31.08 - 1:41 pm | #