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Eli Cotham author page

2 puzzles by Eli Cotham
with Constructor comments

Total	Debut	Latest
2	5/3/2024	7/13/2024

Sun	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat
0	0	0	0	0	1	1

Scrab	Debut	Fresh
1.51	15	83%

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Constructor (1)Hide comments

See the 15 answer words debuted by Eli Cotham.

Sat 7/13/2024
T	O	T	O		C	O	P	A		L	I	A	R	S
W	P	A	M	U	R	A	L	S		E	C	L	A	T
I	T	S	A	S	E	T	U	P		M	I	L	N	E
N	I	T	R	A	T	E	S		N	O	L	I	T	A
C	O	E		F	E	N		T	O	N	Y	N	O	D
A	N	T	Z				H	U	R	L
M	A	H	E	R	S	H	A	L	A	A	L	I
	L	I	K	E	H	E	L	L	I	W	I	L	L
		S	E	V	E	N	T	E	N	S	P	L	I	T
				E	R	R	S				A	S	T	O
G	O	S	S	I	P	Y		N	B	A		H	E	W
I	M	P	A	L	A		Y	E	A	H	S	U	R	E
S	N	A	R	L		H	A	I	R	M	E	T	A	L
T	I	N	G	E		I	L	L	R	E	P	U	T	E
S	A	X	E	S		D	E	L	E		T	P	E	D

Fri 5/3/2024
M	E	A	N		B	I	G	D		T	P	A	I	N
A	L	S	O		A	C	L	U		W	E	D	G	E
D	E	A	D	T	R	E	E	E	D	I	T	I	O	N
A	N	H	E	I	R	A	N	D	A	S	P	A	R	E
M	A	I		B	E	G		A	C	T	S
			N	I	T	E		T	H	E	Y	I	P	S
R	E	C	O	A	T	S		E	A	R	C	L	I	P
A	R	O	W								H	E	P	A
C	O	S	L	E	P	T		V	A	L	I	S	E	S
E	S	T	E	L	L	A		A	V	E	C
			T	I	E	R		M	E	A		A	O	L
G	A	S	S	T	A	T	I	O	N	S	U	S	H	I
T	H	I	S	I	S	A	N	O	U	T	R	A	G	E
O	O	Z	E	S		R	I	S	E		A	M	E	N
S	K	E	E	T		E	T	E	S		L	I	E	S

Hi everyone, I'm proud to present my NY Times debut puzzle. I'm a Realtor in the Portland, OR metro and have been building puzzles (mostly bad ones) for a few years now.

I built this grid without having any specific seed words in mind; I only knew I wanted four fun and fresh words for the long slots, so I'd go with the best ones that fit. I found GAS STATION SUSHI first and figured that it was basically a pass/fail term for editors, and if it failed, it would take the whole puzzle with it. So once I stopped worrying about that-- I've failed before, and I will again-- I seeded that half of the puzzle with it and seeded the top half with AN HEIR AND A SPARE, which surprisingly had never been used in the NY Times. By the way, the clue I submitted for AN HEIR AND A SPARE was "Two princes?", but the editors changed it presumably so nobody would get earwormed by the Spin Doctors song. I am pretty happy, though, that my GAS STATION SUSHI clue survived. I was batting around different variations of "a little fishy," "fish in a Shell," etc. before my much-quicker wife Nicole landed on the obvious: "Shell fish." Gold.

The lesson I took from this one being accepted is that the best entries for a themeless puzzle are the ones that are the closest to being unacceptable to use. There's a fine line between a clue being fresh and fun and being too narrow, or esoteric, or colloquial, or just plain "huh?" Big thanks go out to the aforementioned Nicole and the good folks on Crosscord, who have helped me improve considerably. I'll be back!

XWord Info Home

73 ms

T	O	T	O		C	O	P	A		L	I	A	R	S
W	P	A	M	U	R	A	L	S		E	C	L	A	T
I	T	S	A	S	E	T	U	P		M	I	L	N	E
N	I	T	R	A	T	E	S		N	O	L	I	T	A
C	O	E		F	E	N		T	O	N	Y	N	O	D
A	N	T	Z				H	U	R	L
M	A	H	E	R	S	H	A	L	A	A	L	I
	L	I	K	E	H	E	L	L	I	W	I	L	L
		S	E	V	E	N	T	E	N	S	P	L	I	T
				E	R	R	S				A	S	T	O
G	O	S	S	I	P	Y		N	B	A		H	E	W
I	M	P	A	L	A		Y	E	A	H	S	U	R	E
S	N	A	R	L		H	A	I	R	M	E	T	A	L
T	I	N	G	E		I	L	L	R	E	P	U	T	E
S	A	X	E	S		D	E	L	E		T	P	E	D

M	E	A	N		B	I	G	D		T	P	A	I	N
A	L	S	O		A	C	L	U		W	E	D	G	E
D	E	A	D	T	R	E	E	E	D	I	T	I	O	N
A	N	H	E	I	R	A	N	D	A	S	P	A	R	E
M	A	I		B	E	G		A	C	T	S
			N	I	T	E		T	H	E	Y	I	P	S
R	E	C	O	A	T	S		E	A	R	C	L	I	P
A	R	O	W								H	E	P	A
C	O	S	L	E	P	T		V	A	L	I	S	E	S
E	S	T	E	L	L	A		A	V	E	C
			T	I	E	R		M	E	A		A	O	L
G	A	S	S	T	A	T	I	O	N	S	U	S	H	I
T	H	I	S	I	S	A	N	O	U	T	R	A	G	E
O	O	Z	E	S		R	I	S	E		A	M	E	N
S	K	E	E	T		E	T	E	S		L	I	E	S

T	O	T	O		C	O	P	A		L	I	A	R	S
W	P	A	M	U	R	A	L	S		E	C	L	A	T
I	T	S	A	S	E	T	U	P		M	I	L	N	E
N	I	T	R	A	T	E	S		N	O	L	I	T	A
C	O	E		F	E	N		T	O	N	Y	N	O	D
A	N	T	Z				H	U	R	L
M	A	H	E	R	S	H	A	L	A	A	L	I
	L	I	K	E	H	E	L	L	I	W	I	L	L
		S	E	V	E	N	T	E	N	S	P	L	I	T
				E	R	R	S				A	S	T	O
G	O	S	S	I	P	Y		N	B	A		H	E	W
I	M	P	A	L	A		Y	E	A	H	S	U	R	E
S	N	A	R	L		H	A	I	R	M	E	T	A	L
T	I	N	G	E		I	L	L	R	E	P	U	T	E
S	A	X	E	S		D	E	L	E		T	P	E	D

M	E	A	N		B	I	G	D		T	P	A	I	N
A	L	S	O		A	C	L	U		W	E	D	G	E
D	E	A	D	T	R	E	E	E	D	I	T	I	O	N
A	N	H	E	I	R	A	N	D	A	S	P	A	R	E
M	A	I		B	E	G		A	C	T	S
			N	I	T	E		T	H	E	Y	I	P	S
R	E	C	O	A	T	S		E	A	R	C	L	I	P
A	R	O	W								H	E	P	A
C	O	S	L	E	P	T		V	A	L	I	S	E	S
E	S	T	E	L	L	A		A	V	E	C
			T	I	E	R		M	E	A		A	O	L
G	A	S	S	T	A	T	I	O	N	S	U	S	H	I
T	H	I	S	I	S	A	N	O	U	T	R	A	G	E
O	O	Z	E	S		R	I	S	E		A	M	E	N
S	K	E	E	T		E	T	E	S		L	I	E	S

Eli Cotham author page

2 puzzles by Eli Cotham with Constructor comments

2 puzzles by Eli Cotham
with Constructor comments

T	O	T	O		C	O	P	A		L	I	A	R	S
W	P	A	M	U	R	A	L	S		E	C	L	A	T
I	T	S	A	S	E	T	U	P		M	I	L	N	E
N	I	T	R	A	T	E	S		N	O	L	I	T	A
C	O	E		F	E	N		T	O	N	Y	N	O	D
A	N	T	Z				H	U	R	L
M	A	H	E	R	S	H	A	L	A	A	L	I
	L	I	K	E	H	E	L	L	I	W	I	L	L
		S	E	V	E	N	T	E	N	S	P	L	I	T
				E	R	R	S				A	S	T	O
G	O	S	S	I	P	Y		N	B	A		H	E	W
I	M	P	A	L	A		Y	E	A	H	S	U	R	E
S	N	A	R	L		H	A	I	R	M	E	T	A	L
T	I	N	G	E		I	L	L	R	E	P	U	T	E
S	A	X	E	S		D	E	L	E		T	P	E	D

M	E	A	N		B	I	G	D		T	P	A	I	N
A	L	S	O		A	C	L	U		W	E	D	G	E
D	E	A	D	T	R	E	E	E	D	I	T	I	O	N
A	N	H	E	I	R	A	N	D	A	S	P	A	R	E
M	A	I		B	E	G		A	C	T	S
			N	I	T	E		T	H	E	Y	I	P	S
R	E	C	O	A	T	S		E	A	R	C	L	I	P
A	R	O	W								H	E	P	A
C	O	S	L	E	P	T		V	A	L	I	S	E	S
E	S	T	E	L	L	A		A	V	E	C
			T	I	E	R		M	E	A		A	O	L
G	A	S	S	T	A	T	I	O	N	S	U	S	H	I
T	H	I	S	I	S	A	N	O	U	T	R	A	G	E
O	O	Z	E	S		R	I	S	E		A	M	E	N
S	K	E	E	T		E	T	E	S		L	I	E	S