Let's Have a Cold One!

Difficulty ● ● ◐ ○ ○

Puzzle Notes

Dear Crossword Nation Subscribers, 

On this final Tuesday of Winter 2021, we bid farewell to one of the longest and most-persistent cold snaps in memory. Last Thanksgiving, as we approached the holidays in pandemic mode, we were promised a lo-o-o-ong, co-o-o-old winter. And so it was, ladies and gentlemen!

Let's be honest: today's puzzle has a strange-looking grid. When 12- and 13-letter themers are involved, grid patterns can get wonky. This resulted in a seriously low word count for a themed puzzle – 68 words. We rate this as a more-difficult-than-usual “Tuesday” puzzle, in that the fill may be a bit tougher than the thematic entries. But you’ll be the judge of that!

Welcome to Week 511 of Crossword Nation. We cordially invite you to solve “Let’s Have a Cold One!” as your diversion of the week.

In crossword book publishing news: Artist Hayley Gold, creator of the crossword-y webcomic Across and Down, just launched a new Kickstarter project. It’s titled LETTERS TO MARGARET: A Crossword Graphic Novel. The book is a fusion of comics and crosswords – a perfect combo, IMO. Please check out Hayley’s Kickstarter page for more info!

Be well and happy, Dear Ones.

Cruciverbally yours,

Liz


Solvers of The New Yorker puzzles: Check out my latest crossword (a moderately-challenging diversion, per the editors) in The New Yorker!


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Happy solving and be well!

Liz Gorski

www.crosswordnation.com