Enigmas

[tablesaw]

When I was looking at my budget last month, I made one seemingly insignificant cut that's had a huge effect. I ended my subscription to Nikoli.

It's not going to save a lot of money, 550 yen per month is not a whole lot. But it's given me backa lot of time. The kind of logic puzzle that Nikoli serves up so consistently and elegantly is like an anesthetic for my brain. And I have a tendency to fire up the nurikabe and let everything else fall away.

Without Nikoli, I've gone back to the NPL wordplay magazine, The Enigma. At the end of last month, I spent a few hours trying to solve May's issue, and turned out a respectable sixty-five out of seventy-five flats. For June's issue, I'm (mostly) one puzzle away from completing the entire issue.

If anyone wants to trade hints for June 29, I'm open to it. I'd also like to have some confirmations regarding #65 and F6. For the latter, I have an answer which is probably not intended, but which is perfectly defensible (the double edge of bad cluing), and for F6, I have no real way of confirming if my consonants for 5 Across are correct.

MonNYTX: 4:30.

Comments

[nolly.livejournal.com]

Oi. I did not need that link.

[tablesaw]

As long as you don't subscribe, the supply will eventually run out and you can turn to a new fad.

The problems start when there are four or five new puzzles every day.

[cramerica.livejournal.com]

good for you for the unsubscribe. I left it out for the same reason. I have June sols if you want hints/confirms.

[elainetyger.livejournal.com]

Thank you for saying that about bad cluing. I hate vowelless anything, and believe there should be extra cluing to make up for what is essentially a large number of unchecked letters in a crossword (considering that most good puzzlers can tell whether a missing letter or two would be vowel or consonant). I am missing 4 and 5 across in F6, but have the other stuff you are missing. I also have NI2 for confirmations, if that's what's holding you up. I found June relatively easy, especially the crypts (not complaining there, not at all, and my holes are: 37, 40, 49, 57, 68; parts of 59, 61, 67; F6 4-5 across and F8 1 across with the corresponding downs.

[ertchin.livejournal.com]

You probably have gotten hints by now, but I just wanted to note that I got June 29 by pure dumb luck. The 5 in question has been stuck in my head for years as part of a humorous mental connection.