John Kugelman author page
5 puzzles by John Kugelman
with Jeff Chen comments
John Kugelman, of Gainesville, Va., is a software engineer and musician.
| U | N | D | R | E | S | S | E | S | M | A | J | O | R | S | I | N | |||||
| P | A | R | I | S | T | E | X | A | S | T | I | M | E | L | A | P | S | E | |||
| D | O | U | B | L | E | C | L | I | C | K | S | E | C | O | N | D | M | A | T | E | |
| O | H | M | S | R | A | D | I | O | S | P | E | A | K | C | O | D | |||||
| A | L | E | X | D | E | E | D | K | I | T | E | ||||||||||
| I | T | S | A | B | E | T | E | B | I | L | L | E | Y | E | M | A | S | K | S | ||
| R | A | P | D | U | O | O | N | E | A | F | T | E | R | A | N | O | T | H | E | R | |
| A | L | I | S | T | C | L | O | N | K | U | M | P | S | O | P | T | |||||
| N | O | R | P | O | L | A | S | F | A | R | A | S | O | U | T | T | A | ||||
| N | I | G | H | T | B | I | R | D | I | P | O | O | H | H | |||||||
| T | H | I | S | B | E | A | R | S | R | E | P | E | A | T | I | N | G | ||||
| E | N | D | N | Y | U | R | A | G | E | R | O | O | M | S | |||||||
| B | A | S | E | D | L | E | G | L | I | F | T | A | R | O | I | C | E | ||||
| A | C | T | A | I | D | E | O | U | T | D | O | I | F | N | O | T | |||||
| T | H | E | M | U | M | M | Y | R | E | T | U | R | N | S | A | L | L | O | W | S | |
| H | E | A | R | T | I | E | S | V | A | L | E | T | C | L | E | A | R | L | Y | ||
| D | I | E | D | C | E | N | T | M | A | T | S | ||||||||||
| E | L | I | S | T | A | R | K | I | L | L | E | R | G | A | S | P | |||||
| B | A | C | K | U | P | C | O | P | Y | P | A | I | R | O | F | P | A | N | T | S | |
| B | R | A | I | N | D | U | M | P | M | A | L | L | S | A | N | T | A | S | |||
| S | A | M | A | D | A | M | S | R | E | S | U | R | G | E | N | T |
| A | M | B | I | G | O | N | G | D | A | N | G | C | V | S | ||||||
| C | O | I | N | S | A | W | O | R | D | I | G | O | R | S | L | I | T | |||
| K | N | O | C | K | O | N | W | O | O | D | S | O | M | E | T | O | R | O | ||
| N | A | I | L | S | A | R | I | A | L | S | E | N | E | G | A | L | ||||
| F | I | S | T | K | N | I | T | T | I | N | G | N | E | E | D | L | E | |||
| C | E | C | E | G | R | A | S | S | R | K | O | S | L | A | V | |||||
| U | M | A | M | O | O | N | P | I | E | T | I | N | S | N | I | C | ||||
| B | U | R | N | A | F | T | E | R | R | E | A | D | I | N | G | A | C | D | C | |
| A | R | M | A | N | I | S | E | A | R | L | S | O | O | T | I | E | R | |||
| R | A | S | C | P | U | S | F | A | T | L | E | N | O | |||||||
| A | R | C | H | A | E | O | L | O | G | I | C | A | L | D | I | G | ||||
| D | I | A | L | D | O | T | N | A | V | E | O | F | T | |||||||
| P | O | R | T | E | N | D | S | I | R | E | S | C | O | U | R | G | E | |||
| D | O | P | E | B | L | A | S | T | F | R | O | M | T | H | E | P | A | S | T | |
| F | R | O | S | C | E | N | E | R | Y | O | A | T | S | D | U | A | ||||
| B | R | A | H | N | E | O | A | D | O | B | E | W | I | I | S | |||||
| P | U | T | D | O | W | N | O | N | P | A | P | E | R | F | O | O | T | |||
| E | S | C | A | P | E | E | I | S | L | A | M | A | W | I | N | G | ||||
| A | T | O | M | I | V | A | N | F | R | E | N | C | H | R | O | A | S | T | ||
| R | E | D | S | R | E | N | T | T | A | B | L | E | S | U | G | A | R | |||
| T | R | E | D | R | N | O | N | A | S | T | T | A | X | I |
| P | R | O | B | B | U | S | E | S | A | G | A | S | P | P | E | D | I | |||
| D | O | V | E | A | M | U | S | T | J | E | L | L | O | O | N | E | S | |||
| F | U | E | L | S | S | P | E | C | U | L | A | T | I | O | N | O | P | A | L | |
| S | T | R | I | P | E | S | A | P | E | X | P | I | L | L | A | G | E | |||
| E | A | T | S | P | O | T | W | I | S | E | A | S | S | E | S | |||||
| H | O | L | D | S | W | A | T | E | R | G | I | L | S | I | R | S | ||||
| E | L | O | M | O | N | O | H | O | L | L | A | L | E | A | D | S | ||||
| W | I | S | P | S | G | O | E | S | A | L | L | I | N | A | S | N | E | R | ||
| E | V | E | L | F | U | D | G | E | S | F | A | C | T | S | O | T | T | O | ||
| D | E | T | A | I | L | S | G | A | P | S | I | S | U | Z | U | |||||
| R | O | N | C | O | Y | O | N | H | U | T | P | E | R | M | S | |||||
| T | E | A | M | O | A | M | I | S | P | E | N | C | A | P | S | |||||
| M | E | N | S | T | A | K | E | S | O | R | D | E | R | S | E | S | A | U | ||
| G | R | E | E | D | D | O | N | T | S | T | A | R | E | T | S | A | R | S | ||
| M | A | U | V | E | D | O | R | I | S | A | P | B | S | L | E | I | ||||
| R | I | C | H | N | O | N | S | E | T | S | A | T | E | A | S | E | ||||
| H | E | A | D | C | A | N | O | N | R | I | C | O | S | O | N | |||||
| O | N | L | E | A | V | E | F | O | N | Z | I | Q | R | A | N | G | E | |||
| V | O | N | N | E | X | C | H | A | N | G | E | S | N | U | M | B | E | R | S | |
| E | L | E | C | T | U | P | A | C | I | M | A | G | E | L | E | A | P | |||
| R | A | T | E | O | S | A | G | E | T | A | X | E | S | E | D | D | Y |
| V | O | R | T | E | X | E | S | D | I | S | C | I | P | L | E | |||||
| I | N | A | I | L | E | D | I | T | P | I | N | O | T | N | O | I | R | |||
| S | U | P | E | R | D | U | P | E | R | J | U | N | K | D | R | A | W | E | R | |
| A | S | T | R | O | S | E | E | P | A | G | E | P | E | N | S | |||||
| A | Y | E | R | D | E | F | Q | U | E | E | R | |||||||||
| A | L | E | C | W | A | N | D | E | R | A | R | O | U | N | D | T | O | W | N | |
| S | U | N | K | S | T | O | R | E | R | E | M | A | I | N | F | O | O | |||
| P | R | O | S | T | F | B | O | M | B | B | E | S | T | A | C | T | O | R | ||
| I | C | K | A | L | I | E | N | O | M | A | N | I | A | W | E | S | ||||
| C | H | I | C | K | E | N | T | E | N | D | E | R | S | S | T | R | O | D | E | |
| L | E | A | K | E | Y | E | M | A | I | D | ||||||||||
| P | I | P | E | I | N | F | L | I | C | K | E | R | O | F | L | I | G | H | T | |
| E | L | E | A | A | C | E | L | A | L | A | P | E | L | E | A | R | ||||
| C | U | R | R | I | C | U | L | A | M | E | S | S | I | S | E | I | Z | E | ||
| A | V | E | C | A | R | E | S | S | N | I | T | E | R | A | C | E | S | |||
| N | U | M | B | E | R | O | F | T | H | E | B | E | A | S | T | T | O | S | S | |
| P | E | T | E | R | A | S | L | T | E | E | N | |||||||||
| V | O | T | E | T | I | M | C | O | O | K | R | O | B | I | N | |||||
| A | N | O | F | F | E | R | Y | O | U | C | A | N | T | R | E | F | U | S | E | |
| S | T | R | E | A | M | E | R | S | R | O | B | O | C | A | L | L | S | |||
| T | O | Y | D | R | I | V | E | W | H | I | T | T | L | E | S |
| A | S | P | C | A | C | A | R | B | I | S | S | A | E | M | I | T | S | |||
| C | H | A | U | T | A | U | Q | U | A | B | E | A | U | N | O | L | A | N | ||
| M | I | S | T | E | R | B | U | N | N | Y | M | A | G | S | D | O | L | M | A | |
| E | V | S | M | E | A | N | I | E | L | E | T | G | O | B | A | G | ||||
| F | O | B | E | S | T | E | E | R | E | F | U | E | L | S | ||||||
| W | E | A | R | A | B | L | E | T | H | I | N | G | T | O | T | A | S | T | E | |
| E | V | I | L | L | A | U | G | H | T | S | O | A | N | A | ||||||
| E | E | L | E | T | R | E | R | B | I | R | U | N | E | O | S | U | ||||
| G | E | E | K | S | B | E | A | R | I | N | G | G | R | I | F | T | S | |||
| S | A | T | O | N | T | A | X | M | E | N | G | R | A | N | T | E | E | |||
| C | L | O | T | H | A | S | H | U | P | S | Y | D | E | A | R | |||||
| O | P | T | I | M | A | L | A | U | N | T | I | E | D | U | N | K | S | |||
| W | H | E | N | I | T | P | A | I | N | S | I | T | R | O | A | R | S | |||
| L | A | D | S | E | E | R | T | A | T | D | K | N | Y | U | T | E | ||||
| I | S | R | E | P | I | J | U | L | I | E | N | N | E | D | ||||||
| T | H | R | E | E | M | A | R | E | S | Q | U | E | A | L | S | A | D | A | Y | |
| W | E | E | K | D | A | Y | O | D | E | U | M | T | E | E | ||||||
| Y | E | S | A | D | R | A | G | W | I | P | E | R | S | R | Y | E | ||||
| A | T | T | I | C | T | H | R | O | N | E | S | S | T | O | W | A | W | A | Y | |
| T | H | E | E | U | L | E | A | R | R | O | S | E | P | A | R | A | D | E | ||
| T | E | R | R | E | E | M | M | A | O | N | E | S | D | R | Y | A | D |
Been a while since we've seen a Spoonerisms theme. You can search Sundays by title on our site — that turned up one from over a decade ago, another that played on celebs, and a third that tripled its switching. Given that Spoonerisms are so well-worn in crosswords, it's important to do something above and beyond. I like that John tightened up his concept by only playing on common sayings.
(Although, is MISTER MONEY BAGS a "saying," per se?)
WEARABLE THING TO TASTE is such an apt description of a Ring Pop. (Whoever came up with the Ring Pop concept, I hate you and the sticky drooly messes you've enabled my kids to make.) Fun spelling change from TERRIBLE to WEARABLE, too.
GEEKS BEARING GRIFTS isn't a strong spoonerism, since it involves the same starting consonants, but what a great result, so timely for our age of crypto scams. I hope Sam Trabucco escaped the black hole that is the Alameda Research / FTX scandal.
I found it inelegant to not involve all parts of the sayings, i.e. THING and TO didn't do any spoonerizing. After more thought, though, it seemed impossible to achieve this while sticking with common sayings, since so few maxims are only two words.
It would have been nice to be consistent with flipping the fronts of the first and last word, as THREE MARE SQUEALS A DAY took me forever to piece together. I appreciate the funny imagery, but I'm not sure it was worth the confusion.
I'm glad that Will Shortz has been spreading these out and that John did something little different in this overdone genre.