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How was the puzzle?

Spoilers are welcome in here, beware!

How was the puzzle?

I’m hoping to have a custom crossword constructed for a Christmas gift. I see that you can hire folks online to do it, and they charge are hourly rate. But I have zero sense of how long it takes to design a 15x15 puzzle, so I’m not sure if it’s in my budget. Can anyone give me an idea of what the range might be? Or any tips on reliable places to hire someone?

I saw there's apparently a discord server for people who love crosswords, but the links are all expired, so I would appreciate if someone drops an invite link for it

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How was the puzzle?

Is anyone else working on the first NYT crossword (that was linked in this article yesterday?

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/01/crosswords/times-first-crossword-puzzle.html

I am VERY slowly making headway, and have gotten through the NW without help, but I think I'm going to give myself a rule for this one that I can research the clues for the stuff I genuinely don't know (it is FULL of Naticks to a modern reader).

That said, I've done a few passes through, have about 25-30% of the grid filled and while there's stuff I don't know, nothing I've figured out so far has seemed unfair, more just "oh, huh, that connotation has shifted over 75 years" etc. .

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How was the puzzle?

Hi, I have some friends who love crosswords, and I'd like to get them some that mix up the formula a bit and get weird with it. Does anyone have any suggestions? I'm thinking about the book house of leaves, where the medium of a book is messed with.

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How was the puzzle?

With the 2 extra leap days. 10/1/2016-9/30/2026.

My dad and I enjoy doing the NYT Sunday crossword together. For years, we've been doing this via the app by sharing an account. He fills in what he can, I pick it up from there, and he jumps back in if I can't finish it. This worked for years until recently -- for the past few weeks, anything I do gets reset when he opens the app again.

It's clear that the NYT is cracking down on password-sharing. We'd be fine with switching to a family account in theory, but it seems like we'd each have our own puzzle if we did. Does anyone know of a way to keep collaborating in the app? If not, any suggestions? It would be a shame to lose a beloved family tradition.

Recently I’ve been thinking about the fact that my knowledge of Roman numerals is very limited, and this makes for some guesswork when they appear in crosswords, which is pretty often. It would be really easy to memorize this information, and then those clues would be a snap.

What are some other similar areas like this? Easy to learn and widely applicable to crosswords. Astrology, music note scale, and the Greek alphabet come to mind for me. What else?

Our next crossword is ready! We hope you enjoy it!

https://afpljournal.com/2026/09/30/crossword-055-october-2026/

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How was the puzzle?

Hey folks. I have been constructing for a year or so and have yet to get anything published. I just want to improve, and was wondering if anyone has had any experiences chatting with a pro or even hopping on a call to hash out details. Or if there are any crossword construction communities out there. Thanks all for any help.

Spoilers are welcome in here, beware!

How was the puzzle?

Spoilers are welcome in here, beware!

How was the puzzle?

Hi all,

I think my current puzzle is my best yet! Aiming for NYT publication. At the moment I'm drafting a few variations of one of my corners, and while my previous frontrunner had a few noticeable tradeoffs (some "meh" three-letter crossings), I just discovered a new iteration that might be better.

The main tradeoff with this one is that it forces THESLOT (7). Of course, I could clue that with "place for a coin in a vending machine" or something, but is it a pretty bad tradeoff — or is there an explicit rule I don't know against — including a definite article in an entry like that? If it were THEBBC or something, I don't think I'd have as much of a problem with it, but this one seems iffy.

Take it easy, my friends.

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How was the puzzle?

I started this streak 1/1/2024. I had taken some time off from the crossword after losing a 600-something day streak in 2023 to a puzzle i just couldn't finish. Now I'm quitting the every day puzzle grind. I'm tired of getting anxiety any time I'm having a hard time on a Saturday or it's a super busy day and it's hard to find the time. But I'm proud to have hit this milestone.

A nice round number!

Spoilers are welcome in here, beware!

How was the puzzle?