Puzzle 224 – “Look! Up in the Sky!”
puz here / pdf here / solution here
Let’s talk about symmetry, friends.
It’s a longstanding convention that crossword grids have symmetrical patterns, and that’s still a requirement at most mainstream outlets, though some (primarily USA Today and the Universal) break that rule regularly. I’ve published asymmetrical grids with USA Today… but I’m a symmetry guy at heart. There’s lots of metrical rhymed poetry that I love. There’s countless verse-chorus-bridge pop songs that I love. And I can’t help but feel that in any creative endeavor, part of the work comes in playing within the restrictions of form. (I also tend to find symmetrical grids more aesthetically pleasing.) All that to say: to my memory, this week, here’s the first asymmetrical puzzle (by just one block!) that I’ve posted to the blog. But hey, when you find a good theme set of 15, 13, and 14 letters, what’s a guy to do?
Whether you’re a symmetry person or not, hope you dig this one, as always. Happy solving, yall. Comments welcomed.
Terrific theme that absolutely warrants the asymmetry! Lots of nostalgia in this one for me: 32A (looms large on my life’s soundtrack), 44A (a favorite TV show during medical school), and 59A (memories of grad school).
Thanks! I soooooo wanted to make a symmetrical theme set work, but this set of three was the best I could make work. Still pleased with how it came out.
I’m not much of a crossword-grid aesthete, so symmetry doesn’t matter to me. And I’m always looking for crosswords that are educational, funny/punny, and historically nostalgic.
Your puzzles always contain those three elements, and I thank you so very much! (As Peter Gabriel would sing, you’re going “Big-Time” in the crossword world!)
Aww, that’s very kind. I do find symmetrical grids more satisfying, but the occasional deviation from that is okay, I suppose…
You may already know this, but there’s a Minnesota-specific variant of 59A that replaces the answer with “GREY DUCK” – when I moved here, I had no idea what was going on, but MN natives swear by it.
This is news to me!
good one thanks!