Category: EV Crosswords
EV 1720 (Hints)
Enigmatic Variations 1720 (Hints)
Failure by Chalicea
Hints and tips by Phibs
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Hard on the heels of Curmudgeon’s Shambles, we have a Failure from her alter ego, Chalicea. I asked ChatGPT, “The theme of a crossword setter’s recent puzzle called ‘Shambles’ was the Charge of the Light Brigade. Their latest puzzle is called ‘Failure’, and apparently concerns the failure of a plan. What might that plan be?”
EV 1718 (Solution)
EV 1719 (Hints)
Enigmatic Variations 1719 (Hints)
Inspired by Skylark
Hints and tips by Gabriel / Jpeg
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Skylark apparently has set an inspired puzzle for us. Is AI inspired by the preamble?… Continue reading
EV 1717 (Solution)
EV 1718 (Hints)
Enigmatic Variations 1718 (Hints)
Wanted by Kruger
Hints and tips by Phibs
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Since I couldn’t see anything in the preamble that would give ChatGPT a fighting chance of identifying the theme, I asked instead, “Why might a crossword setter choose the pseudonym Kruger?” I was pleased to learn that this was “a fun and subtle question — and in crosswords, setters often choose pseudonyms that have wordplay, personal resonance, or a hint of mischief built in.”
EV 1716 (Solution)
EV 1717 (Hints)
Enigmatic Variations 1717 (Hints)
In Absentia by Gaston
Hints and tips by Gabriel
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Gaston often seems to have French themes, so you perhaps would have expected Wicksparrow’s recent offering to have been a Gaston oeuvre – though who knows?… Continue reading
EV 1715 (Solution)
EV 1716 (Hints)
Enigmatic Variations 1716 (Hints)
Puzzle by Arcadia
Hints and tips by Phibs
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I gave Claude as much information as I could glean from the preamble: “In a themed crossword puzzle, we are told that we must highlight cells in a block in the completed grid which cryptically represent a puzzle referred to by an entry in the Oxford Dictionary of Quotations. What might this puzzle be?” Good luck with that, matey…