Chad Hazen author page
1 puzzle by Chad Hazen
with Constructor comments
See the 7 answer words debuted by Chad Hazen.
| B | A | J | A | M | B | A | S | I | Q | U | I | T | ||
| A | L | O | T | A | U | N | T | G | U | M | M | O | ||
| R | O | B | O | I | N | N | U | N | I | P | P | Y | ||
| D | O | P | P | E | L | G | A | N | G | E | R | S | ||
| S | F | O | T | E | E | T | O | O | K | |||||
| S | E | C | R | E | T | C | R | U | S | H | E | S | ||
| H | A | T | C | H | H | A | G | S | A | X | E | |||
| T | R | I | O | S | N | A | R | E | R | I | P | E | ||
| T | E | N | A | T | O | N | A | F | R | O | S | |||
| P | A | G | E | B | O | O | K | M | A | R | K | S | ||
| T | R | O | N | E | S | L | T | C | M | |||||
| T | H | E | L | I | K | E | S | O | F | Y | O | U | ||
| M | A | R | I | A | O | N | M | E | A | L | P | S | ||
| A | S | I | C | S | N | E | A | T | V | E | S | T | ||
| P | A | B | S | T | S | E | W | S | A | S | E | A |
Chad: Hello Crossworld!
I'm extremely excited to be making my debut today!
A bit about me: I'm a consumer insights professional who's a beer nerd. I have the best job in the world, as I get to apply my craft with the folks who make Samuel Adams, Dogfish Head (and other brands). So cool.
Like many other solvers, I was curious to try my hand at constructing. I've lost count of how many rejections I received prior to this (pretty sure it's north of 40!). And even this puzzle — once conditionally accepted — I struggled to get it where it needed to be for primetime.
Enter Jeff Chen. I've worked with him for some time — helping me learn the ropes — and knew that by bringing him in, he'd very quickly help get this where it needed to be. So, a shout-out to Jeff for being patient with me! Also, a big thanks to my mom, Sonia — from whom I inherited my puzzle-solving abilities. And to my wife, Tania, and son, Lucas, for humoring my crossword-constructing hobby.
The puzzle itself: The impetus came from a re-watching of the 80s classic, "Sixteen Candles", starring Molly Ringwald*. There is a scene during which Molly's character's grandma reams out a would-be suitor, saying, "And as for our granddaughter, I'm sure she has more than enough sense to stay clear of the likes of you!" That IMMEDIATELY set off a light bulb in my head for a potential theme. Clueing-wise, my favorites are 38D (as well as the answer itself) and, as a huge fan of "The Silence of the Lambs", 54D.
*Dear Molly: I have no idea if you solve crossword puzzles, but if you do — and do so on paper — I'd love to have your completed grid as a keepsake. Have your people call my people!