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David Karp author page

5 puzzles by David Karp
with Jim Horne comments

TotalDebutLatest
59/30/20229/21/2024
SunMonTueWedThuFriSat
2000012
ScrabDebutFresh
1.672265%
David Karp
Sat 9/21/2024
MOZAMBIQUESAIL
AREYOUNUTSIFSO
ICANRELATETITS
DALANODESACHA
SLOWRETRIAL
MITESSARASOTA
HANDSTANGYNAM
ARTSPETCODAYO
STEMELEECODES
AIRFARESHUGOS
HAMITUPRIBS
ELITEHAITINFL
ALASPOTDECREME
RAMIANTICLIMAX
TWINPEACHEMOJI

Beethoven's Sixth Symphony, aka "Pastoral," is written in (which means it at least starts in) the key of F Major. That fact comes up in crosswords a lot. F Major is abbreviated here for the first time as FMAJ, but if a musician says it's "in F" that means the same thing. (Keys can also append "MINOR" or "FLAT". "SHARP" in a key name is extremely rare.)

Short crossword answers about keys can only be INA, INB, INC, IND, INE, INF or ING. All but INF can be clued in better ways. INF demands a musical clue, and the go-to F Major work is Beethoven's Sixth.

Why that particular work? I don't think it's because you're expected to hum the famous opening melody in your head and then go, "oh, that sounds like F Major." I suspect it's because of inertia. If you've done enough puzzles, you've probably seen that before, and the easiest way to clue it is to remind you of previous instances. More difficult later-week puzzles sometimes reference other works.

Sun 7/7/2024 Double Digits
TALCTASTEITZAPBAT
IKEAECHIDNADECOEND
EATHUMBLEPIELIP
STYRENEINHDALMA
MADAMATOASTYALIAS
BLINDEXPERIMENTS
ABELRETAILSUSIE
PLUSHEASEL
KATEMIDDLETON
MEDINACAROUSETYPOS
LEDAOBSMAIOWSSISI
SPURTANTOINEIRONIC
SPARRINGPARTNER
YENTAGENIE
SODOISTREAKERMA
PINKYANDTHEBRAIN
FALSEERODESVAINLY
IRESSTAGTALENTS
ZEDFATFINGERSYNDROME
EMULILTBELIEFSEMIT
REPOLECLAMATOASIS

While solving in the app, the grid will show normal-sized squares. You'll have to double some letters with your fat fingers. When solved, the grid will show the stretched digits similar to what's shown here.

Sun 3/26/2023 I Do, I Do ... Do!
DOGSPASGSPOTEARGASM
INAPILEICONSGROUPIE
PIERCINGSHREKGRASPED
STAINTOTOFOES
GIGIOORIGINSTORES
TUGCONSLIDONTHRASH
UTAHBEATDEFIBASPCA
FIVEPILLARSOFSLAMTOP
TCELLSITUHUGMORE
ALIASBINGEROBERTS
PICKINGONESBRAN
PAPADAMSTINKANODE
EGADLASAGARFRODO
TENCERTIFICATEOFCLAM
EGIRLTODADGEARALMA
RANOUTDEVICELAHSSN
SPITTINGMAGEPILOT
CLOYDOITBAHAI
PANTHERTHIRDEYEBLIND
ERASERSEERIETREKKIE
IMPASSEEXECSVESSELS

RegEx can help you find words and phrases with exactly 3 inner I's, but that's just the first step. Finding good phrases that can be sensibly clued with the third I missing, even with help from a Python script, will be a mostly manual process.

POW Sat 1/14/2023
MAAMSWHAPS
GALPALHIGHER
HOSTILETAKEOVER
ESCALERTEDIPO
ALASSPECSFLEX
DORISLAHSALLY
WALKIETALKIES
KORSMOOR
NOTRESPASSING
BEFITNECHEART
LIFEVIRALSPEW
AGSDOGSLEDSEE
THEBACHELORETTE
STAYATINURES
SNOBSTIGER
Fri 9/30/2022
CLAMHASTACAST
RILEECLATOCHO
IBEXNEATOLAIR
SEXIESTMANALIVE
PLACATEDEVE
AVENUESCOFF
SWANEENYETARO
HIGHSTAKESPOKER
IDEAHOCCORSET
NESTSNOBARS
DOCNAPTIMES
MORALOFTHESTORY
AKINBLEAKEVER
CROCROSIEMICA
KATEARTSYSETH
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