GRIDLESS

Welcome

2011-06-01T23:58:00.002+10:00

Welcome crossword connoisseurs, wordgame wizards, practised puzzle professionals, indifferent dabblers - to GRIDLESS where every clue is a puzzle and every answer, a clue.

Check out our puzzle range:

>>THE BACKBONE

Baffling cryptic word games full of word magic. How many answers will it take before you discover the answerline?

>>OUISA’S LADDER
The test of a true film buff! Strive to resist the lure of internet assistance and test your mettle relying on memory alone!

>> CROSS-STITCH
You haven't finished these fiendish Double Crostics until you've discovered the secret message revealed by a labyrinthine path of arrows!

>>THE PLAGIARIST
The Plagiarist is the most quote-filled, quotable acrostic ever!

>>REGULAR X
While these crosswords are called regular, in fact they all exude a certain X-factor!

LEARN WHAT'S HAPPENING AT GRIDLESS: CHECK OUR "NEWSFLASH" COLUMN HERE.

NEWSFLASH

2011-06-01T23:22:00.002+10:00

4 February 2011 We've just discovered how to convert our piles of .pdf puzzle documents into formats accepted by Blogger which means you can get ready for an onslaught of new Gridless puzzles. Some of our .pdf files show puzzles that we've already published to this blog but with the .pdf files' beautiful layout and formatting - often with illustrations - it will be worthwhile converting them in publishable .jpeg or .gif file formats for display here on Blogger. If none of this makes any sense to you, don't worry - we barely understand it either. In any case, look forward to new and new-look puzzles!

31 July 2009 Gridless is having one of those months. We are moving apartment, we are changing our day jobs. On top of that -- and right in the middle of all that -- we are flying to Perth for reunions with friends...So our great new puzzles won't be posted until next month. We have a new Gridless, new Cross-stitch puzzle...lots of new stuff. We just don't have time!

30 June 2009 Many newspapers feature a nine-letter word puzzle but at Gridless, our "Nine Letters" puzzle, like all our puzzles, is a little bit different. It features either a "second step" or, in the event of an obscure or uncommon nine letter word answer, an extra clue to help our punters. At Gridless, we endeavour to put a twist in all our puzzles, making them different from the rest!

"Nine Letters" originally appeared in our "Odds and Ends" category but will now feature regularly as its own, single standing puzzle type. Just look to the puzzle archives to find it and good luck finding that elusive nine-letter word!

8 April 2009 A reader pointed out to us that our REGULAR X 002 puzzle, "Gravity!", contained an error. This has been corrected and the puzzle has been re-posted in what we hope is its error-free form. While we were at it, we took a moment to make the puzzle look better and we even improved a couple of the clues.

19 February 2009 Cross-stitch puzzles have improved! I've tweaked the publication process and can now produce Cross-stitch puzzles with bigger grid squares, larger text, and easier-to-read clues and references. Compare early editions of Cross-stitch with those numbered 10 and greater (to be published from next month). And let me know what you think!

Given time, I may even head back and update some of my older Cross-stitch posts.

18 February 2009 I've decided to keep a running list of newsflashes for my readers. Keep abreast of changes at Gridless by clicking the NEWSFLASH link. It'll always be available at the top of the PUZZLE ARCHIVE.

I've included some back entries.

27 December 2008 Gridless has unveiled its latest mind-bending puzzle creation: WORD BANK!

Word Bank puzzles will be appearing regularly on the blog starting tomorrow! Let me know what you think. I enjoy creating them. I hope you enjoy grappling with them.

19 February 2008 Gridless has gone international! Today, for the first time, a Gridless puzzle was published by Smart-Kit, an American-based website devoted to all things puzzling. Alright, so it was published to the internet...but I am counting it as a successful global expansion!

Meanwhile, my Gridless puzzles continue to be published in a puzzle publication. Six times a year!

I am very proud of my small successes so soon!

14 May 2007 Gridless has achieved its first success! My series of Gridless puzzles will be appearing in a puzzle magazine that is published in Australia, the UK, NZ and I think even Canada. First issue out in June/July.

1 April 2007 I've been tinkering with other puzzle ideas and have posted some on the blog. I am pleased to have had my puzzle blog recognised over at http://www.puzzlinks.com/. A small review has appeared of my first puzzle.

1 March 2007 I've published a second puzzle, "Gridless 002 - Orders". I intend to publish one such puzzle once a month and hopefully on the first of each month. I've changed the name of these puzzles from "Categorix" to "Gridless". And the site, while originally called "Gridless Crosswords," is now simply "Gridless".

1 February 2007 "Gridless Crosswords" is born with the publication to this blog of my first puzzle, "Categorix 001 - Directions". It is a puzzle I made while I was at home looking after my terminally-ill father.

The Backbone 009

2011-02-05T22:03:00.008+11:00

CURSES!

Can you see why number eleven in our latest puzzle left us turning the air blue with profanities? When you discover the backbone, a vertical word or phrase, you'll understand bleeping everything!

WANT MORE? EMAIL gridlesscrosswords@gmail.com FOR MORE PUZZLES WITH A TWIST.

To print this puzzle:
1. Click on the image to view the puzzle as an .html page

2. Right click on the page and select "..Save As"

3. Temporarily save the puzzle as a .bmp or file to your desktop.

4. Ensure the puzzle fits to one A4 page before printing.

Regular X 003

2011-02-04T01:04:00.009+11:00

TEAR-JERKER

It isn't our aim to upset you but with twelve of the clue answers sharing a mystery theme that sees them undergo a change before entry into the grid, we suspect this Regular X - "Tearjerker" - will cause more than a few tears of frustration! 1 DOWN explains everything and will help you see that this frustrating crossword isn't all that hard afterall!

NEED HELP? EMAIL gridlesscrosswords@gmail.com FOR ANSWERS, QUERIES, CONCERNS...OR JUST TO VENT YOUR FURY AND OFFER YOUR CRITICISMS OF UNFAIR CLUES!

To print this puzzle:
1. Click on the image to view the puzzle as an .html page
2. Right click on the page and select "..Save As"
3. Temporarily save the puzzle as a .bmp or file to your desktop.
4. Ensure the puzzle fits to one A4 page before printing.

Odds and Ends 006

2010-07-18T01:26:00.008+10:00

ANIMALS ON PARADE 2

Here we go again but with a difference!

Starting at the shaded middle square and moving one square at a time, left, right, up and down but never diagonally, can you reveal the parade of animals that is marching through the grid? The tail letter of each animal will form the head letter of the next.

Unlike last time, this animal parade winds back over itself - the same letter can be used multiple times. And whereas Animals on parade 1 contained just nine parade animals, this time eagle-eyed puzzlers will find a total of nineteen.

And yes, for those of you who like puzzles into which you can really sink your teeth, there is the extra challenge of a secret twentieth parade animal. Can you find it?

This puzzle rated: AMAZING!

HAVE YOU TRIED OUR OTHER PUZZLES IN THE PUZZLE ARCHIVES?

Odds and Ends 005

2010-04-22T22:17:00.025+10:00

ANIMALS ON PARADE 1

Starting at the centre shaded square and moving one square at a time - up, down, left or right but never diagonally - can you find the parade of animals walking through this grid? The tail letter of one animal is the head letter of the next.

When you have finished, you will have revealed a winding parade of NINE animals with the final tail letter landing in the outer edge of the grid.

Beware false trails! Once you've found all nine parade animals, the final challenge is to determine the whereabouts of a secret tenth!

This puzzle is rated: AMAZING!

FOR MORE PUZZLES WITH A DIFFERENCE, CONTACT GRIDLESS: gridlesscrosswords@gmail.com

Word Bank 007

2009-10-18T12:41:00.003+11:00

Each clue can be answered by matching two words from the Word Bank. These bankwords will each be used just once. It sounds easy but things are made more difficult by deliberately misleading clues and answers!

1. Thylacine
2. He is driven
3. The okay
4. Partners KIT
5. Downplaying the negatives
6. Stephen King novel
7. Self harm of a sort
8. Pencil and paper game
9. PALS
10. Marvel superhero
11. Like some tattoos
12. Spar imaginatively
13. Commotion
14. Medieval carol?
15. Fast and reckless thief

BACK FAN TIGER DRESSING SHADOW WAS OODLE FIRE JOY KNIGHT SHIPS LIGHT ROSE WINDOW HOFF FRIENDLY BATTLE SLAP DEVIL SILENT RIDER MADDER FARE STARTER TASMANIAN BOX GREEN DARE CAB SELF

Gridless 019

2009-08-09T14:47:00.048+10:00

FASHION SENSE

Keeping up appearances is hard, as you'll discover when you start trying to make sense of these fashion-conscious clues. By the time you've discovered the answerline, you'll be ready to give all the shopping and exercise away and just let everything hang out!

1. Sound harsh to be right way to lose weight. (4)
2. Nothing left of our unrealistically perfect American size. (4)
3. ...keeping fancy company in the fashion industry! (5)
4. Older and bigger, giving an audible creak. (5)
5. Beauty regime starts in glamourous surroundings -- but doesn't carry it off?! (6)
6. Uses a brush and puts on another layer? (6)
7. Strips by the beach and shoots pictures outside. (6)
8. Cramped store rack? The clerk might look amongst it for your size. (5)
9. Much too big to fit back in the changing room! (5)
10. Fashion, diets...they go in and out... (5)
11. Evangelista to put a small piece on. (4)
12. Models spy peril like a dangerous catwalk! (8)
13. Your edges left scruffy! (5)
14. Coercion used to reduce screen lasses' middles. (6)
15. Botched lipo leads onto a crippling disease. (5)
16. Rowing machines and mirrors to get sculpted abs. (5)

This GRIDLESS rated: DIFFICULT!

TRY OUR OTHER GRIDLESS PUZZLES. THEY ARE READY FOR YOU IN THE PUZZLE ARCHIVES!

Nine Letters 004

2009-07-13T13:39:00.005+10:00

We've given you the letters and the definition according to our dictionary...can you determine the nine-letter word?

n. 1. a small English coin minted in the 16th century. 2. Archaic. a. a small boy. b. an insignificant person. [C16: of unknown origin]

HAVE YOU TRIED OUR OTHER PUZZLES?

Cross-stitch 012

2009-07-11T16:51:00.011+10:00

Full of tongues is our latest Cross-stitch puzzle:

Answer the clues then transfer the individual letters into the grid according to the alphanumerical references. You will reveal a quotation!
Remember to look at the first letters of your answers for extra help - in order, they will spell the name of the quotation's author and the title of the work from which the quotation was sourced. And once you've revealed the quotation, carefully follow the arrow maze that twists through the grid to discover another related word or phrase!

This CROSS-STITCH rated: MEDIUM

TRY OTHER GRIDLESS PUZZLES LIKE THIS ONE - CHECK THE ARCHIVES AT www.gridlesscrosswords.blogspot.com!

To print this puzzle:
1. Click on the image to view the puzzle as an .html page
2. Right click on the page and select "..Save As"
3. Temporarily save the puzzle as a .bmp or .png file to your desktop.
4. Ensure the puzzle fits to one A4 page before printing.

Nine Letters 003

2009-06-28T22:52:00.008+10:00

Plunge into this nine-letter word challenge but be warned: it'll keep you awake at night!

TRY OTHER GRIDLESS PUZZLES FOR CHALLENGES WITH A TWIST.

Gridless 018

2009-06-19T19:18:00.100+10:00

WINTER BLUES

A puzzle's a good way to pass a bleak Winter's day but unfortunately, this month's Gridless is itself quite bleak! Seasoned puzzlers who press on through the gloom to discover the answerline, a vertical word or phrase, will prove themselves made of a different mettle!

1. Dreads becoming more melancholy! (6)
2. Spies storm cloud and he expects the worst. (9)
3. Clash preceding wind and rain. (3)
4. Even cold, I'd accompany man out. (3)
5. Practically 7 days without power! (4)
6. A sign that subzero temperatures follow? The lowest in America? (5)
7. Broken down with a peasouper encroaching, consigned to oblivion. (9)
8. Monotonous first rains interrupt sound of spring. (6)
9. A dam men constructed! (7)
10. Grab a determined hold like Winter weather. (3)
11. A downfall of hail sure doesn't require workplace safety characters! (7)
12. Fall a teeny bit overdue. (4)
13. Start off mild with headwind, turning violent and tempestuous. (4)
14. Throws cold water on guards so ice formed. (11)
15. Meagre zero degrees in Puerto Rico. (4)
16. Veteran lost extremities from Winter illnesses. (3)
17. Starting employment in the Nevada Centre of Meteorology not for love or money. (5)
18. Studies about Noah's flood response [as sky] gets more threatening! (7)

This GRIDLESS rated: HIGH PRESSURE!

HAVE YOU TRIED OUR OTHER PUZZLES? FOR A CHEEKY CHALLENGE, TRY OUR PUNCHLINE PUZZLES IN THE "ODDS AND ENDS" SECTION.

Odds and Ends 004

2009-06-01T11:39:00.014+10:00

PUNCHLINE 2

What did Snow White say while she waited at the camera store for her roll of film to be developed?

To discover the punchline, write out the following stockpile of letters in order exactly as they appear in blue, then carefully follow the instructions. The solution will be revealed at step 11.

THERE'S SOMETHING A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT ABOUT THE PUZZLES BY GRIDLESS. DIVERSIFY YOUR OWN PUBLICATION BY BUYING A GRIDLESS PUZZLE NOW. EMAIL gridlesscrosswords@gmail.com

Gridless 017

2009-05-22T16:40:00.016+10:00

FINISHLINE

In this sports-themed Gridless, the vertical word or phrase linking your answers is the far-off finishline and every clue is a hurdle along the way. There's the starter's pistol -- go for gold!

1. Mark, Luke and others before the right wheels so entered back into the Grand Prix. (7)
2. Older full forward begins on the bench. (3)
3. Got gold against the last four contenders and stands amazed. (7)
4. The one with the stopwatch back to put the baseball glove on again. (5)
5. It advertises sport around the middle of September. (6)
6. An adherent of the way of the sword, Uncle says you are a top initiate. (7)
7. The fall guys are love-all against No.1 Graf in comeback tennis matches. (7)
8. Bedroom furniture involved in tonight's tandem-event! (10)
9. A baseballer's failures or a ten-pin bowler's successes. (7)
10. A rogue with a baseball bat tied Bradman in knots. (5,6)
11. What one event of an octathlon is height-affected? (6)
12. Mexican team mates triple jump across slalom skiing slopes. (6)
13. Remarks about Man. U's opposite statements to be religiously observed. (12)
14. Slim pickings for truffle hunters. (4)
15. Former French soldiers make US replace a second iron in the golf equipment. (10)

This Gridless rated: PHYSICALLY GRUELLING

STUCK? EMAIL gridlesscrosswords@gmail.com!

The Plagiarist 004

2009-05-03T11:33:00.012+10:00

Can you complete the quotations A to G by recovering the stolen words?

Determine the stolen words, fill in the gaps, then transfer the individual letters into the grid. You will reveal a secret quotation. The name of the author of this quotation is spelled out by the first letters of your answers.

Some quotes you will know, others you can work out by looking at the context, while others can be completed with some work back and forwards between the clues and the grid. Good luck!

This THE PLAGIARIST rated: EASY!

WORKED IT OUT OR THOROUGHLY STUMPED? LET US KNOW YOUR ANSWER OR ASK US FOR SOME ASSISTANCE! EITHER WAY, EMAIL: gridlesscrosswords@gmail.com

To print this puzzle:
1. Click on the image to see the puzzle.
2. Right click on the enlarged puzzle and select "SAVE AS"
3. Temporarily save the document to your desktop as a PNG or bitmap image.
4. Ensure the puzzle fits to one A4 page before printing.

Nine Letters 002

2009-05-03T10:54:00.010+10:00

Form a nine-letter word using each of the letters below just once.

Keeping this nine-letter word in order, double the number of occurences of one of the letters so that a verb phrase is formed, the performance of which may put to use a variant reading of the original nine-letter word!

CHOOSE GRIDLESS FOR YOUR PUZZLE NEEDS! EMAIL gridlesscrosswords@gmail.com

Word Bank 006

2009-05-01T18:20:00.008+10:00

We think our latest Word Bank is so tangled and so devious, we've rated the puzzle IMPOSSIBLE! Match together two words from the word bank to answer each of the clues; each bankword will be used one time only. And let us know if we are right in thinking this one too hard!

1. A Hollywood celebrity
2. Bodybuild
3. Eccentric
4. Tanuki
5. Robert Louis Stevenson adventure
6. Tiny folk hero
7. A feature of the modern car
8. Medical vacuum
9. Compensation for high risk
10. Sport
11. Driver's bane
12. The ability to make a choice without coercion
13. Dangerous swimmer
14. Nature manager
15. He's the key to solving many security problems.

CRUISE HOUR WILL DANGER PUMP RACCOON NAPPED STRANGER HAMMER WEIGHTS MONEY SMITH IRON KID FORE STOMACH LOCK LIFT GRID RUSH BLACK CONTROL TOM DOG BALL FREE HEAD THUMB JACK SCREW

This WORD BANK rated: IMPOSSIBLE!

...OR WAS IT EASY? LET US KNOW WITH AN EMAIL TO gridlesscrosswords@gmail.com

Nine Letters 001

2009-04-28T16:24:00.013+10:00

A nine-letter word can be formed using each of the letters below one time only. Can you work out what it is?

NEED PUZZLES? CHOOSE GRIDLESS. EMAIL US WITH AN EXPRESSION OF INTEREST: gridlesscrosswords@gmail.com

Word Bank 005

2009-04-06T18:18:00.016+10:00

All the answers are provided - you've just got to match them up. The answer to each of the fifteen clues below can be formed by pairing two words from the Word Bank. All of these bankwords will be used just one time each. Things are made slightly more tricky by clues and answers which are deliberately misleading.

1. Bickering
2. Once a Central Colorado gold-mining centre
3. Tabulae Rasae
4. Haemangioma Simplex
5. A condition that afflicts some sportspeople
6. Physical labour
7. Musical
8. It rings out
9. Submersible
10. Capital providers - and that's all!
11. Sport
12. Pugnacious opportunity
13. Drink
14. Exercised influence
15. Hilarious

CREEK TOE SPLITTING SQUASH TENNIS PRAY GREASE STRAWBERRY SWORDS MARK SLATES LEMON STRINGS BELL PULLED CRIPPLE MISSED DIVING PARTNERS FIGHTING SIDE TABLE HAIRS CROSSING TURF CALL SLEEPING CHANCE CLEAN ELBOW

This WORD BANK rated: TANGLED!

TOO EASY? TOO HARD? LET US KNOW WITH AN EMAIL: gridlesscrosswords@gmail.com

Cross-stitch 011

2009-04-04T15:07:00.008+11:00

This month's Cross-stitch puzzle is a straightforward affair called "Novel Grovel". Enjoy.

This Cross-Stitch rated: MEDIUM

WE LOVE FEEDBACK! EMAIL gridlesscrosswords@gmail.com

Word Bank 004

2009-03-25T18:00:00.021+11:00

These Word Bank puzzles are remarkable because the answers are provided! Simply match together two words from the bank to answer each of the fifteen clues below. Each bankword will be used just once. It sounds easy enough but things get trickier: some of our clues may not be as straightforward as they first appear!

1. Baden Powell protege
2. Kamikaze
3. He is suited to work with agitated horses?
4. Comforting aspect of a desperate situation
5. Revolting
6. Educational hurdle
7. Penang
8. Ben Jonson was the first
9. Initial step towards stardom
10. 90s teen drama actress
11. Unable to miss
12. Direct route taken by workers
13. Used part of a clock?
14. R, O, M, and E, for example
15. Michelle Obama

HAND BLANK POET SPELLING TOWN STOMACH LINING SECOND LINE LADY DIVINE SCOUT BOY EXAM SCREEN LETTERS TORI POINT FIRST VENTURE STABLE TURNING GEORGE TEST BEE CAPITAL WIND SILVER LAUREATE ENTRANCE

This WORD BANK rated: INTERMEDIATE

DO OUR WORD BANK PUZZLES RAISE YOUR INTEREST? WE'D LIKE TO KNOW HOW YOU RATE THEM! EMAIL gridlesscrosswords@gmail.com

Cross-stitch 010

2009-03-02T00:19:00.011+11:00

Crime and mystery is the theme of this month's Cross-stitch puzzle, "IT'S CRIMINAL!"

There are clues for you to solve then detective work to do! Solve the clues then transpose the individual letters into the grid according to the alphanumerical references. You'll reveal the mystery quotation!

Remember, there are numerous leads to follow in a Cross-stitch investigation. The first letters of your answers in order will spell the name of the author and the title of the work from which the quotation was sourced, so it is possible to conduct your investigation working backwards and forwards between the clues and the grid.

And just when you think it is all over, a twist! Follow the mazelike path of arrows through the grid to reveal one last mystery message. Good luck.

This CROSS-STITCH rated: DIABOLICAL!

LET US KNOW WHAT YOU THINK OF OUR THEMED CROSS-STITCH PUZZLES. EMAIL gridlesscrosswords@gmail.com

To print this puzzle:

1. Click on the image to view the puzzle as an .html page

2. Right click on the page and select "..Save As"

3. Temporarily save the puzzle as a .bmp or .png file to your desktop.

4. Ensure the puzzle fits to one A4 page before printing.

Regular X 002

2009-02-16T11:24:00.032+11:00

Gravity!

A puzzle with cryptic clues or normal clues - you choose.

WOULD YOU LIKE TO PUBLISH GRIDLESS PUZZLES IN YOUR OWN PUBLICATION? SEND A QUICK EXPRESSION OF INTEREST TO gridlesscrosswords@gmail.com

Cross-stitch 009

2009-02-03T12:47:00.021+11:00

The Gridless Team present a new tricky Cross-stitch puzzle for your enjoyment, "Mind your language!". It'll have you cursing out of frustration!

Answer the clues then transfer the individual letters into the grid according to the alpha-numerical references. You will reveal a quotation! The first letters of your answers will also spell out the author's name and the title of the work from which the quotation has been sourced.

Some work back and forth between the clues and the grid may be necessary. And remember, Cross-Stitch puzzles have an added intrigue: follow the maze of arrows to reveal a further related secret message.

This CROSS-STITCH is rated: WE THINK ITS EASY!

DID YOU ENJOY THIS CROSS-STITCH PUZZLE FROM THE GRIDLESS TEAM? WE APPRECIATE YOUR FEEDBACK. EMAIL US: gridlesscrosswords@gmail.com

To print this puzzle:
1. Click on the puzzle to view the document as an html page.
2. Right click on the page and select "Save As"
3. Temporarily save the puzzle to your desktop as a bitmap or .png file.
4. Remember to check the puzzle fits to one page before printing. Enjoy!

Word Bank 003

2009-02-01T19:26:00.018+11:00

In theory, these Word Bank puzzles are simple: two words from the Word Bank can be matched together to form an answer to one of the fifteen clues below. Every word is used just once. The tricky part is that sometimes the clues are not as straightforward as they first appear! Good luck!

1. Canines
2. Sleepover fun
3. EAT!
4. Streamline
5. It starts you in the morning
6. Convenient story
7. Dental treatment
8. No notice
9. Carnival treat
10. Sky light
11. Proud
12. Child's punishment, recently
13. Estuary
14. Campion movie
15. Doer of menial tasks

BREAK FLOSS FIGHT EYE LAST TEA SMOKE BODY PILLOW TRACK TALL MINUTE WORK TIME CLOCK FAST TEETH DOGS LAND FAIRY STANDING OUT BRIDGE BACK FIRE HOLY PAPER MARSH ALARM CRACKER

This WORD BANK rated: MEDIUM

WANT TO PUBLISH OUR WORD BANK PUZZLES IN YOUR OWN PUBLICATION? SEND YOUR EXPRESSION OF INTEREST TO gridlesscrosswords@gmail.com

Word Bank 002

2009-01-03T16:33:00.026+11:00

Word Bank puzzles should be easy because all of the answers are provided. Just answer the clues just by matching up two words from the Word Bank! Every word will be used once. The difficulty is that our clues may not be as straightforward as they first appear.

1. Fill-in
2. Bit-by-bit
3. Macula lutea
4. He holds you up
5. A place to stay if you are desperate?
6. Extract from danger, often
7. Show lack of commitment?
8. Rapa Nui
9. Line-up
10. Hepburn movie
11. Suits
12. Pacific Princess
13. It gets people talking
14. Sentou
15. Morning entertainment

YELLOW FORMAL CROSS HOP SLOW EASTER CHANNEL HOUSE HATCH RESORT IDENTIFICATION MEAL BREAKER ISLAND LIFT PARADE TELEVISION SPOT AIR LOVE WEAR FUNNY PIECE LAST BOAT COACH BREAKFAST ICE BATH FACE

This puzzle is rated: MEDIUM

OUR WORD BANK PUZZLES ARE AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE. SEND THE GRIDLESS TEAM AN EXPRESSION OF YOUR INTEREST IN OUR WICKEDLY TANGLED WORD BANK CHALLENGES!

Word Bank 001

2008-12-28T17:29:00.036+11:00

Word Bank puzzles should be easy because the answers are provided. All you have to do is match two words from the word bank to answer each of the clues. Every word will be used just once. The difficulty lies in the fact that our clues may not be as straightforward as they first appear!

1. Presidential escape
2. Where the game is, roughly.
3. Protective wrapping
4. Speed hazard
5. Ira Levin play
6. Physalis Peruviana
7. Up close and personal
8. Malaria
9. Means of survival
10. Hiker's reststop
11. Wrestling attack
12. Very dark
13. It turns a screw
14. Plan B
15. Christie novel

SIDE KNEE TRAP FEVER CABIN SELECTION DROP STRAWBERRY CAMP BLISTER POLICEMAN KEY SLEEPING BALL SWAMP DEATH PARK BLACK PACK LOG BACK TOMATO RING ALLEN DAVID NATURAL FINGER MOVING FALL JET

This puzzle is rated: NOT SO EASY!

GRIDLESS HAS A LONG BACKLOG OF "WORD BANK" PUZZLES THAT ARE NOW AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE. CONTACT US WITH YOUR EXPRESSION OF INTEREST IN ADDING FIENDISHLY TANGLED "WORD BANK" PUZZLES TO YOUR OWN PUBLICATIONS!

Cross-stitch 008

2008-12-24T18:24:00.021+11:00

Our latest themed Cross-stitch puzzle is called 'Drink!' and it'll drive you to drink if you attempt it!

Answer as many clues as you can and then feed the individual letters into the grid according to their alphanumerical references. You'll reveal a famous quote! In order, the first letters of each answer will reveal the author of the quote and the title of the work in which it appears.

To really test your sobriety, there is also a dizzying maze of arrows in the grid. If you are not already too intoxicated by this vexatious puzzle, follow the path to reveal a related secret message!

This CROSS-STITCH is rated: INTOXICATING!

DID YOU LIKE THIS THEMED ACROSTIC? THEN LOOK FOR MORE AT www.gridlesscrosswords.blogspot.com

To print this puzzle:
1. Click on the image to view the document as a html page.
2. Right click on the page and select "Save As.."
3. Temporarily save the document to your desktop as a PNG or bitmap file.
4. Ensure the puzzle fits to one A4 page before printing.

Gridless 014

2008-05-06T21:52:00.061+10:00

BRUSHSTROKES

This isn't a very drawn-out affair - there are just fifteen clues - but it's all about art and the pursuit of meaning where art is concerned can be extremely overwhelming!

Your ultimate goal is to find the puzzle's answerline which is a vertical word or phrase. In discovering it, you'll reveal a surprisingly simple way in which all the answers are connected. And you'll also render the complex concept of art much more fathomable!

Sort of like a Vincent Gogh painting losing paint then fading entirely away! (9) 1.

Get an art rep.! (5) 2.

3. Stamp on the vegetable. (6)

4. A painting that can be hung beside slick paint cans and tops, well. (3)

5. What do crayons and spray-guns have in common? They belong to American Jewish artist, Man! (4)

6. Ellington's jazz trombonist, Art _ _ _ _ _ . (5)

7. Most of our nudes start to expose their buttocks. (4)

8. A number is sculpting the Nautilus, for example. (9)

The way around the heart of the Louvre's full of twists and turns. (4) 9.

Rubbing out coarser lines, strengthening central ones like charcoal. (5) 10.

Commissioned officer to create : easel, frames. (7) 11.

12. By law, I'd own some but she'd probably inherit her husband's art collection. (5)

13. Dotted, chintzy, and urban. (4)

14. Tussaud's medium to become more prominent. (3)

Draw McGraw in no time (5) 15.

This GRIDLESS rated: HARD

DOES ONE LITTLE ANSWER ELUDE YOU? OR IS THE WHOLE THING A BAFFLING MYSTERY!? EMAIL US gridlesscrosswords@gmail.com

Odds and Ends 003

2008-05-04T12:18:00.030+10:00

PUNCHLINE 1

A man presents himself at the psychiatrist's office wearing only shorts made of cling wrap...

To discover what the psychiatrist says, write out the following 'stockpile' of letters in order exactly as they appear in blue, then carefully follow the instructions. The solution will be revealed at step 15.

ONLYSHORTSMADEOFCLINGWRAP

1. Delete the letters H, M, F, W, and P.

2. Move the rightmost letter and place it in the leftmost position.

3. Remove the rightmost six letters and rewrite them, in that order, between the third and fourth letters of the stockpile.

4. Add the letter U to the stockpile so that a word meaning, "BITTER" is formed reading left to right somewhere amongst the letters.

5. Move the leftmost letter O one position to the left, and the letter E eleven positions to the left.

6. Delete the word meaning, "FUSS" that can be found reading left to right in the stockpile.

7. Place an E between the letters S and O that appear side-by-side in the stockpile.

8. Add another letter A so that a word meaning "ADVANCED" is formed reading left to right somewhere in the stockpile.

9. Take the sixth letter out; rewrite this letter in the leftmost position.

10. Move the second N from the left nine places to the right.

11. Duplicate, in order, the two letters that appear immediately after this second letter N so that they also appear immediately to the left of this second letter N.

12. Place an E between the R and the N that occur beside each other in the stockpile.

13. Insert another C so it is the third letter back from the existing C, and insert another Y so it is the third letter after the existing Y.

14. Double the second E.

15. Remove the first O, the G, and the rightmost letter R.

THERE'S SOMETHING A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT ABOUT THE PUZZLES BY GRIDLESS. DIVERSIFY YOUR OWN PUBLICATION BY BUYING A GRIDLESS PUZZLE NOW. EMAIL gridlesscrosswords@gmail.com

Ouisa's Ladder 008

2008-04-20T00:45:00.032+10:00

Ouisa Kittredge
Six degrees of separation between us and everyone else on this planet. But, to find the right six people...

(Six Degrees of Separation by John Guare)

By what process do our actors gradually immerse themselves into their roles?

1. Aliens (1986)

2. Heartbreakers (2001)

3. I Still Know What You Did Last Summer (1998)

4. Shallow Hal (2001)

5. Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow (2001)

6. The Talented Mr Ripley (1999)

7. Oceans Eleven (2001)

8. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007)

9. Thelma and Louise (1991)

10. A League of Their Own (1992)

11. Sleepless in Seattle (1993)

12. In the Cut (2003)

Code: 1-18-7-1-4-6-11-8-9-6-3

Each movie title leads to the name of an actor in common with each subsequent movie title. When you have determined all of the names, you will have formed a ladder of eleven interconnected actors. Read through these names according to the number code to reveal the surprising answer to this month's Ouisa's Ladder!

This OUISA'S LADDER rated: TRICKY

MORE OUISA'S LADDER PUZZLES CAN BE FOUND IN THE PUZZLE ARCHIVES!

*Thanks Mari H. for your contributions to this month's puzzle!*

Gridless 012

2008-02-02T15:19:00.005+11:00

DIGIT EXERCISE

Our latest Gridless is a boggling mix of digits and symbols that will no doubt have you seeing stars!

The ultimate goal is to discover the puzzle's vertical answerline. It reads down and reveals the elusive logic by which all the elements of the puzzle can be connected together. But be warned: discovering this month's answerline is a frustrating exercise - one designed to push all your buttons!

1. 3 2 7 # 7

2. 9 9 5 6 #

3. 2 2 7 #

4. 4 3 2 3 # 7

5. 2 6 4 5 6 #

6. 6 3 7 8 3 *

7. 4 7 2 6 6 #

8. 3 5 3 2 8 7 6 5 9 8 4 2 *

9. * 6 2 8 3

10. # 2 6 6 5

11. 6 4 8 7 6 * 8 5 6 7 3

12. 8 6 4 8 *

13. 6 4 2 7 6 #

14. 2 2 8 8 3 7 9 *

15. 3 9 * 3 6 8

16. 7 3 3 2 5 6 6 3 *

17. 7 2 9 6 #

This GRIDLESS rated: EXTREMELY FRUSTRATING!

DON'T PULL YOUR HAIR OUT! EMAIL US FOR CLUES OR ANSWERS: gridlesscrosswords@gmail.com

Ouisa's Ladder 007

2008-01-30T20:06:00.004+11:00

Ouisa Kittredge
Six degrees of separation between us and everyone else on this planet. But, to find the right six people...

(Six Degrees of Separation by John Guare)

Find out where all of the actors who feature on this month's Ouisa's Ladder resolve their on-set disputes.

1. Conspiracy Theory (1997)

2. The Patriot (2000)

3. Brokeback Mountain (2005)

4. Donnie Darko (2001)

5. Point Break (1991)

6. The Devil's Advocate (1997)

7. The Insider (1999)

8. Gladiator (2000)

9. To Die For (1995)

10. Bewitched (2005)

11. Postcards From the Edge (1990)

12. She-Devil (1989)

Code: 1-3-3-13-5-3-8-9-11-13-3

This OUISA'S LADDER rated: REGULAR!

MORE OUISA'S LADDER PUZZLES CAN BE FOUND IN THE PUZZLE ARCHIVES!

Gridless 011

2008-01-09T01:10:00.014+11:00

HAPPILY EVER AFTER

Think you've finally got the knack of these Gridless puzzles? Well, don't speak too soon! This month's puzzle is not just difficult to finish - it's quite difficult to start at all!

Every clue is a difficult puzzle in itself; you'll have to solve at least several of them before you can start considering how each answer relates to each other. This elusive connection will be stated clearly in the vertical answerline.

Only having found the answerline can one truly call oneself a master in the field and live happily ever after!

1. A heavenly body that rises to some degree? (7)

2. Blood and guts in a film about an ogre. (4)

3. Major danger crossing a river! (6)

4. Blossoms pointlessly into a flower. (5)

5. A paperless business that starts friendly and logically? (3-)

6. Where to pray you don't get a migraine. (6)

7. Eye, foot, hair, gum or hand. (4)

8. Take a stab about the hotel and its dark Irish brew. (8)

9. The Colossus, for one, results in stupefaction! (6)

10. Sounds like those that work on ships travel around on one. (6)

11. Wound Ruth the wrong way. (4)

12. Fires and shapes casks. (5)

13. A firm onset, even for icy conditions like this. (5)

14. Two steaks, one boneless, served together in an advantageous move. (5)

15. Winners change the centre-player during football seasons. (7)

This GRIDLESS rated: FAIRLY CHALLENGING!

THINK YOU CAN IMPROVE ON ONE OF OUR CLUES? EMAIL US: gridlesscrosswords@gmail.com

Cross-stitch 007

2007-11-13T13:39:00.004+11:00

Try your hand at this month's Cross-stitch puzzle, "An Open Book".

When you've answered the clues, the individual letters will feed into the grid to reveal a quotation. It helps to know that the first letters of the answers will also spell-out the name of the author of this mystery quotation and the title of the work from which it was sourced.

Cross-stitch puzzles also present the added intrigue of an arrow maze which winds through the quotation grid. Navigate it carefully and this month you will reveal further information relevant to the quotation!

This CROSS-STITCH puzzle rated: LABORIOUS!

LET US KNOW WHAT YOU THINK: gridlesscrosswords@gmail.com

Gridless 010

2007-11-12T23:31:00.003+11:00

GADZOOKS!

Here's a bamboozling puzzle that's sure to get under your skin!

You are hunting the vertical answerline which reveals the connection shared by the answers. This elusive connection may not be immediately apparent but with a second look you might find that it materialises right before your eyes!

1. More than 100 grow in over 500 in a sardine problem. (12)
2. A big swing and it hurls clay-pigeons with ease, I hear. (7)
3. A musical starlet wears a charming piece of jewellery around! (6)
4. Turned and fired - it intermittently uproots the prey. (7)
5. Catch last two in an enticing trap - providing some jolts along the way. (8)
6. Out of order zebra, for example, using superior guile. (9)
7. The birdcall that is about to be broadcast is worth at least nineteen figures! (12)
8. Wild when it is transferred back into French currency. (7)
9. Nags mum about the large containers. (7)
10. The bone of contention? Half of them wear fur! (5)
11. Laying low in one's lair like an orchid in goutweed patches! (6,3)
12. A Data Entry Operator places endless orders chasing an important feather accessory. (10)
13. Doggedly put off those that belong to me - and don’t lose your heads! (12)
14. TV canine loses her tail in an odd series of greasy spectacles. (7)
15. Sell a farm, a terrible scourge of the fire brigade. (5,5)
16. Beaks, wickets, and fingers – like some insects? (6)

This GRIDLESS rated: TRICKY

LOVE THEM OR LOATHE THEM, WE WANT TO HEAR. EMAIL: gridlesscrosswords@gmail.com

Odds and Ends 002

2007-11-02T14:31:00.000+11:00

PROVERB PATH

Move from circle to circle using each letter and each path at least once to build a famous and timely proverb.

Now, it is your turn. Can you fit the saying NO TIME LIKE THE PRESENT into the circles so that it may be read by moving along an uninterrupted path?

The Plagiarist 003

2007-11-01T11:20:00.003+11:00

Can you complete quotations A to I by determining the missing words?

Some of the quotations you will know, others you will be able to work out from the context and information given, while others still can be completed with some work between the grid and the clues.

A further quotation will be revealed in the quotation grid with the author's name spelled by the first letters of your answers!

This THE PLAGIARIST rated: SEVERE!

LET US KNOW WHAT YOU THINK OF OUR WORD PUZZLES. EMAIL gridlesscrosswords@gmail.com

Ouisa's Ladder 006

2007-10-22T13:49:00.001+10:00

Ouisa's Ladder

Six degrees of separation between us and everyone else on this planet. But, to find the right six people...

(Six Degrees of Separation by John Guare)

Where do all of the Hollywood A-listers who feature in this month's Ouisa's Ladder famously go to celebrate Christmas?

1. Last Holiday (2006)

2. Bringing Down the House (2003)

3. Housesitter (1992)

4. Bird On A Wire (1990)

5. Lethal Weapon 3 (1991)

6. Get Shorty (1995)

7. Broken Arrow (1996)

8. Heathers (1989)

9. Reality Bites (1994)

10. GATTACA (1997)

11. The Avengers (1998)

Code: 8-10-10-7-4-10-13-4-8-10

Each movie title leads to the name of an actor shared with each subsequent title. When you have determined all the names, you will have formed a ladder of ten interconnected actors. Read through these names using the number code and discover the surprising answer to this month's Ouisa's Ladder!

This OUISA'S LADDER rated: SIMPLE

THERE ARE MORE PUZZLES LIKE THIS ONE IN THE PUZZLE ARCHIVES!

Cross-stitch 006

2007-10-08T21:00:00.002+10:00

This month's challenging Cross-stitch puzzle is "Ideal partners".

Solve the clues then transfer the letters into the quotation grid. Some work back and forwards between the grid and the clues may be necessary to solve the puzzle.

Remember, the initial letters of your answers will spell out the name of the author of the mystery quotation and the title of the work from which the quotation was sourced.

There is also a message embedded in the quotation grid. You'll have to navigate the arrow maze to reveal its secret!

This CROSS-STITCH puzzle rated: ENIGMATIC

DID THIS CROSTIC SET YOUR WORLD ON FIRE? OR DID IT JUST MAKE YOU WANT TO SET YOURSELF ON FIRE? EMAIL US: gridlesscrosswords@gmail.com

To print this puzzle:
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4. Ensure the document fits to one A4 page before printing.

Gridless 009

2007-10-01T11:29:00.004+10:00

Your mission objective is to pinpoint the location of the answerline: the word or phrase reading down through your Gridless entries.

How quickly you achieve this objective will depend upon your performance in command. The answers, once you determine them, are your soldiers. They've been hand-picked for their ability to work together as an elite team, each exhibiting a quality that's pivotal to the mission's success.

But it is up to you to deploy them. Godspeed!

1. Projectiles miss by four miles. (8)
2. Ease the king about a particular type of 1. (4-7)
3. Successfully striking one's targets in tight places. (7)
4. Starship........ (1998) with Casper Van Dien. (8)
5. Plan around too many of the lieutenant's men. (7)
6. Deploy forces on all sides on the basis of French ammunition. (8)
7. Keep busy: fill and hold enemy territory. (6)
8. What ABBA sings going into battle? (8)
9. He's a fighter but suffers anxiety by the sounds of it. (7)
10. A heavy artillery piece interrupts American nonviolence! (6)
11. Gun part that is on the receiving end of a joke. (4)
12. ...in board magic silver train and proof. (6)
13. Cartridges pawned when traumatised by warfare. (5,7)
14. A marksman or photographer? (7)
15. Pre-war checks: eye up each other to prevent further warfare. (5,4)
16. Barricaded construction allowed nothing out! (6)
17. Come up against Clara bearing a weapon! (8)
18. Using one's maximum effort despite losing head in aftermath of a nuclear explosion. (3-3)
19. Set off on a campaign again, be backwards in comment. (8)
20. The condition of two, non-intersecting trenches. (8)
21. He clears minefields and cleans chimneys. (7)

This GRIDLESS rated: LABYRINTHINE

QUESTIONS? EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST? FAN-MAIL? SCATHING ATTACKS? EMAIL US: gridlesscrosswords@gmail.com

Regular X 001

2007-10-01T01:27:00.005+10:00

The Gridless team humbly presents its first ever cryptic crossword—"Humble beginnings"

We were worried what cryptic aficionados would think of it so we got in first with our own built-in review! It will read across four rows of your crossword entries including the two unclued entries.

Of course, genuine feedback is always welcome!

This REGULAR X is rated: DEMANDING

LOOK FOR SIMILAR PUZZLES AT www.gridlesscrosswords.blogspot.com

To print this puzzle:
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The Plagiarist 002

2007-09-17T12:03:00.002+10:00

Determine which words are missing from quotations A to L, fill in the gaps then transfer the letters into the grid to render all the quotations complete!

Some quotations you will know while others can be worked out from the information and context given. The rest can be determined with some work backwards and forwards between the grid and the clues!

Remember that the first letters of the stolen words reading down will spell the name of the author of the mystery quotation.

This edition of THE PLAGIARIST rated: INTERMEDIATE

CHECK THE PUZZLE ARCHIVES FOR PAST INSTALMENTS OF THE PLAGIARIST!

To print this puzzle:
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The Backbone 006

2007-09-06T12:35:00.005+10:00

RIDDLE-ME-REE

The clues of this The Backbone puzzle all read like riddles in the style of old Victorian parlour games.

All answers have been sourced from the updated 3rd edition of the Collins English Dictionary (Australian edition)

SEEKING ANSWERS? EMAIL gridlesscrosswords@gmail.com FOR ANSWERS, HINTS. OR LET US KNOW IF YOU CAN IMPROVE A CLUE!

To print this page:
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Ouisa's Ladder 005

2007-09-04T13:12:00.001+10:00

Ouisa's Ladder
Six degrees of separation between us and everyone else on this planet. But, to find the right six speople...

(Six Degrees of Separation by John Guare)

Discover a powerful influence upon the careers of each of the actors who feature in this month's Ouisa's Ladder!

1. Star Trek: Insurrection (1998)

2. X-Men (2000)

3. The Prestige (2006)

4. Labyrinth (1986)

5. Dark City (1998)

6. Body Heat (1981)

7. War of the Roses (1989)

8. Throw Momma from the Train (1987)

9. When Harry Met Sally (1989)

10. Proof of Life (2000)

11. Virtuosity (1995)

12. De ja vu (2006)

Code: 13-6-3-7-10-13-8-2-2-11-9

Each movie title leads to the name of an actor in common with each subsequent movie title. When you have determined all of the names, you will have a ladder of eleven interconnected actors. Read through these names using the number code and discover the surprising answer to this month's Ouisa's Ladder!

This OUISA'S LADDER rated: GENTLE

CHECK www.gridlesscrosswords.blogspot.com FOR MORE OUISA'S LADDER PUZZLES

Cross-stitch 005

2007-09-01T12:29:00.002+10:00

Don your deerstalker hat, grab your magnifying glass, and get ready to solve the mystery of this month's Cross-stitch puzzle, Whodunnit?

A more appropriate question might be, "Who said it?" That will be revealed by the labyrinthine arrow maze which twists and turns like a good thriller through the quotation grid. First you'll have to answer the clues and transfer the individual letters into the grid according to the alphanumeric references. It's elementary, really.

Remember, there are multiple leads to investigate in a Double Crostic: work back and forwards between the grid and the clues, and keep in mind that the first letters of the answers will spell the name of the author followed by the title of the work from which the quotation has been sourced.

The game is afoot!

This CROSS-STITCH is rated: HEINOUS

WE LOVE YOUR FEEDBACK. EMAIL THE GRIDLESS TEAM: gridlesscrosswords@gmail.com

To print this puzzle:
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Ouisa's Ladder 004

2007-08-20T13:34:00.000+10:00

Ouisa Kittredge
Six degrees of separation between us and everyone else on this planet. But, to find the right six people...

(Six Degrees of Separation by John Guare)

What do each of the Hollywood stars that feature on this month's Ouisa's Ladder try to hold over his or her co-star?

1. The Last King of Scotland (2006)

2. Panic Room (2002)

3. Silence of the Lambs (1991)

4. Meet Joe Black (1998)

5. The Devil's Own (1997)

6. The Fugitive (1993)

7. Men in Black (1997)

8. Six Degrees of Separation (1993)

9. Grease (1978)

10. Swordfish (2001)

11. Kate and Leopold (2001)

Code: 10-7-10-1-5-6-4-15-4-3

Each movie title leads to the name of an actor common to each subsequent movie title. When you have determined all of the names, you will have a ladder of ten interconnected actors. Read through these names using the number code to discover the surprising answer to this month's Ouisa's Ladder!

This OUISA'S LADDER rated: TOUGH

WHILE YOU WAIT FOR FUTURE EDITIONS OF OUISA'S LADDER, CHECK THE PUZZLE ARCHIVES FOR PAST INSTALMENTS!

The Plagiarist 001

2007-08-01T19:11:00.000+10:00

The Plagiarist is jam-packed with words -- sage words, wise words, famous words...and stolen words!

Each of the clues, A to H, is a famous quotation from which one key word has been stolen. Your job is to discover the stolen word then transfer the individual letters into the grid. A mystery quotation, another one, will be revealed! The author of this mystery quotation will have his or her name spelled out by the first letters of your answers.

Some quotations you'll know, others you'll have to guess, and others still you'll have to discover by working back and forwards between the grid and the clues!

This month's THE PLAGIARIST rated: WICKED

>>SHOW ME ANOTHER PUZZLE LIKE THIS ONE!<<

To print this puzzle:
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Cross-stitch 004

2007-08-01T13:48:00.002+10:00

Ode to Man. U.? is the latest Cross-stitch puzzle from the Gridless team.

Solve the clues and reveal a quotation by feeding the letters one-by-one into the grid according to their numbered references. The first letters reading down will spell-out the name of the author of the quotation followed by the title of the work from which the quotation was sourced.

A further intrigue: the labyrinthine path of arrows in the quotation grid hides a secret message. It'll take some trial and error to determine the starting point!

This month's arrow message will reveal our support for yet another of our favourite teams!

This CROSS-STITCH rated: DIFFICULT

VISIT www.gridlesscrosswords.blogspot.com TO SEE MORE PUZZLES LIKE THIS!

To print this puzzle:
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The Backbone 005

2007-08-01T00:23:00.000+10:00

The success of Operation Backbone depends upon you! The answers, once you determine them, are your soldiers, hand-picked for their ability to work together as an elite team. But it is up to you to deploy them. Godspeed!

QUESTIONS? EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST? FAN-MAIL? SCATHING ATTACKS? EMAIL US: gridlesscrosswords@gmail.com

To print this puzzle:
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Ouisa's Ladder 003

2007-07-02T23:14:00.000+10:00

Ouisa Kittredge
Six degrees of separation between us and everyone else on this planet. But, to find the right six people...

(Six Degrees of Separation by John Guare)

Find the name of a silver screen stalwart with a list of movies to his name to rival any of the movie careers that otherwise appear on this month's Ouisa's Ladder!

1. Witness (1985)

2. Top Gun (1986)

3. Mission: Impossible (1996)

4. The Horse Whisperer (1998)

5. Dead Calm (1989)

6. Batman Forever (1995)

7. The Island of Doctor Moreau (1996)

8. Superman (1978)

9. The Quick and the Dead (1995)

10. Total Recall (1990)

11. True Lies (1994)

12. A Fish Called Wanda (1988)

13. The Ice Storm (1997)

14. Gorillas in the Mist (1988)

Code: 10-9-10-4-11-9-11-9-3-5-12-8-7

Every movie title leads to the name of an actor in common with each subsequent movie title. When you have determined all of the names, you will have formed a ladder of thirteen interconnected actors. Read through these names using the number code provided to discover the surprising answer to this month's Ouisa's Ladder!

This OUISA'S LADDER rated: INTERMEDIATE

LOOK FOR FUTURE INSTALMENTS OF OUISA'S LADDER AT www.gridlesscrosswords.blogspot.com

Cross-stitch 003

2007-07-02T00:24:00.001+10:00

Here's a brand new Cross-stitch puzzle entitled "Cross-reference" and this time it is a tricky one with the many letters of the quotation scattered over relatively few and difficult clues.

Treat Cross-stitch 003 as a traditional Double Crostic puzzle. When you have found the quotation, the author's name and the title of the work from which the quotation has been sourced, try your hand at the arrow-maze which twists and turns through the puzzle. As promised, you will find an embedded cross-reference of a kind: the title of a related work...we think.

This CROSS-STITCH rated: RUTHLESS

WE APPRECIATE YOUR CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM! EMAIL gridlesscrosswords@gmail.com

To print this puzzle:
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The Backbone 004

2007-07-01T00:08:00.007+10:00

LOVE

Don't be too enamored by this supposedly passionate puzzle -- it's a stinker! Solving it will require a partnership of puzzle flair and cryptic wits!

DO OUR PUZZLES KEEP YOU UP FOR HOURS AT NIGHT, OR SEND YOU STRAIGHT TO SLEEP? LET US KNOW: gridlesscrosswords@gmail.com

To print this puzzle:
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Cross-stitch 002

2007-06-23T00:43:00.002+10:00

This second Cross-stitch is Step by step. Again, it is a traditional Double Crostic puzzle in which you are asked to find a quotation, the author's name, and the title of the work from which the quotation was sourced.

As an added intrigue, navigate through the puzzle. It's easy: the footwork is mapped by arrows showing the way. Proceed carefully and you will reveal an embedded message.

This Cross-stitch rated: EXACTING

DRIVEN ROUND THE BEND BY OUR PUZZLES? LET US KNOW: gridlesscrosswords@gmail.com

Odds and Ends 001

2007-06-11T23:35:00.002+10:00

PICTURE PUZZLE

A first for the Gridless team: a Picture Puzzle, a la Cole!

Here's the frazzled Puzzle Editor. But where is his boss, the elusive puzzle mogul?

The Backbone 003

2007-06-01T23:43:00.006+10:00

WORK AT IT

The offices of our puzzle empire are in chaos and we need your help to restore order. More than that, we need you to determine the root cause of the problems. Now, get to work!

YOU CAN LET US KNOW WHAT YOU THINK BY EMAILING US: gridlesscrosswords@gmail.com

To print this puzzle:
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Gridless 005

2007-06-01T15:42:00.010+10:00

HOKEY COKEY

Someone (perhaps prone to wild imaginings) once likened our Gridless puzzles to a complex song and dance.

“[They] are like asking someone to perform a dance to music they are hearing for the first time. The clues are the unfamiliar notes; their answers, the dance steps. Uncertain foot-tapping leads gradually to ever more confident sashays until finally the Gridless solver, despite his initial confusion, finds not just his foot but his entire body in a whirl of beautiful word music!”

Perhaps then the answerline is a mighty crash of cymbals at song’s conclusion? It reads down and as usual provides a neat finish to the puzzle.

Time to dance. Or foot tap, at least. Start by putting your answers in...

1. I think Salsa go-between prepares to stamp. (4)
2. Ground from a grand ball. (5)
3. The warning is a ballroom ceiling visible in the block. (3,4)
4. Check square dance barn, is finally enthusiastic. (4)
5. Characters are shimmying around a big stage. (3)
6. "....can travel halfway around the world while the truth is still putting on its (dancing?) shoes." (Mark Twain) (1,3)
7. Square and Tap, perhaps, or back to back Swing starts. (5)
8. Makes known the artful Members of Parliament and I dance. (7)
9. More vulgar Eightsome Reel started after six left! (5)
10. Forms a successful group with extreme lambadaists after long dance finales. (4)
11. Rumbas so oddly around, drives into another! (4)
12. Jostles the Mexican Hat decorations. (6)
13. Lets out weary sounds, nags, or jigs. (6)
14. I leave unpartnered and unsullied. (8)
15. Fits easily with a production stage of vending machines? (5,2)

This GRIDLESS rated: HARD

FRUSTRATED? FRAZZLED? FOILED? MAYBE WE CAN HELP YOU WITH AN EXTRA CLUE OR ANSWER! EMAIL gridlesscrosswords@gmail.com

The Backbone 002

2007-05-01T23:21:00.007+10:00

DEDUCTION

There are no cash prizes for solving this latest cryptic challenge -- put your deductive skills to work for the satisfaction alone!

WE LOVE YOUR FEEDBACK! SEND YOUR EXPRESSIONS OF LOVE, HATE OR INDIFFERENCE TO gridlesscrosswords@gmail.com

To print this puzzle:
1. Click on the image to view the puzzle as an .html page

2. Right click on the page and select "..Save As"

3. Temporarily save the puzzle as a .bmp or file to your desktop.

4. Ensure the puzzle fits to one A4 page before printing.

Gridless 004

2007-05-01T00:52:00.004+10:00

WORD SALAD

By the look of some of the clues, you'll need a whole army of historians on side working rotating shifts for you if you are ever going to succeed in battle with May's Gridless.

When there are no clues left to solve, it’s a countdown to the finish. Get right to the task of conquering the enigmatic answerline. As always, the answerline will be the key to complete understanding of the puzzle.

Now, armed for combat with all the information we think you need: good luck!

1. QPNQFZ
Died at his feet.
2. QEVCXKWU
Adopted.
3. WULXPYLUDWH
Powerboard.
4. MHIWSJQEVGL
Death day.
5. WMTIJXQJFIYTWTRJ
All...true, even of his schooling.
6. PAROGTIGRKTJGX
His method of timekeeping.
7. CLUPCPKPCPJP
Arrived, witnessed, vanquished.
8. KIMA, ZMIV
Sections.
9. TSJAA
In Norse mythology.
10. NVHSFMW
Fellow Romans.
11. MLEEWPZQKPWL
Early win.
12. BFAXQYKFTQJUHFT
Mistress' husband, co-ruler, and victim of her fraticide.
13. EHOVPBA
Double-crossed?

This GRIDLESS rated: THORNY

A NEW GRIDLESS APPEARS REGULARLY AT www.gridlesscrosswords.blogspot.com

Ouisa's Ladder 002

2007-05-01T00:01:00.000+10:00

Ouisa Kittredge
Six degrees of separation between us and everyone else on this planet. But, to find the right six people...

(Six Degrees of Separation by John Guare)

Discover a role that all of these actors have played!

1. Dances With Wolves (1990)

2. Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991)

3. Die Hard (1998)

4. The Sixth Sense (1999)

5. In Her Shoes (2005)

6. Vanilla Sky (2001)

7. War of the Worlds (2005)

8. I Am Sam (2001)

9. The Witches of Eastwick (1987)

10. A Few Good Men (1992)

11. Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle (2003)

12. 50 First Dates (2004)

13. Punch Drunk Love (2002)

14. Capote (2005)

Code: 9-3-1-8-6-7-1-14-12-1-1-10-13

Each of the movie titles leads to the name of an actor in common with each subsequent movie title. When you have determined all of the names, you will have a ladder of thirteen interconnected actors. Read through these names according to the number code to reveal the surprising answer to this month's Ouisa's Ladder!

This OUISA'S LADDER rated: FAIR

MORE OUISA'S LADDER PUZZLES ARE IN THE PUZZLE ARCHIVES!

Cross-stitch 001

2007-04-29T23:59:00.003+10:00

There are many ways to approach a traditional Double Crostic but in this puzzle, there is also a way to navigate through it!

Find the quotation, the author's name, and the title of the work from which the quotation has been sourced. Then navigate the grid for a further secret message!

This CROSS-STITCH rated: FAIR

>>SHOW ME ANOTHER CROSS-STITCH PUZZLE LIKE THIS ONE!!<<

Ouisa's Ladder 001

2007-04-01T01:00:00.001+10:00

Ouisa Kittredge
Six degrees of separation between us and everyone else on this planet. But, to find the right six people...

(Six Degrees of Separation by John Guare)

Believe it or not, the code will reveal that in which all of these actors have appeared!

1. Riding In Cars With Boys (2001)

2. Fearless (1993)

3. The Fisher King (1991)

4. Insomnia (2002)

5. The Devil's Advocate (1997)

6. Parenthood (1989)

7. Lost Boys (1987)

8. Flatliners (1990)

9. In the Cut (2003)

10. Just Like Heaven (2005)

11. Election (1999)

12. Family Business (1989)

13. Dr. No (1969)

Code: 8-10-11-2-11-11-2-5-4-10-9-1

Each movie title leads to the name of an actor in common with each subsequent movie title. When you have determined all of the names, you will have formed a ladder of twelve interconnected actors. Read through these names according to the number code to reveal the surprising answer to this month's Ouisa's Ladder!

This OUISA'S LADDER rated: ONE FOR FILM-BUFFS

>>SHOW ME ANOTHER OUISA'S LADDER PUZZLE LIKE THIS ONE!<<

The Backbone 001

2007-04-01T00:31:00.003+10:00

BON VOYAGE!

Anyone who has ever embarked on a journey knows that "getting there" can be a logistical nightmare! However, pick your starting point, work methodically, and you'll soon see that all your planning, packing and preparing was worth it in the end!

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF OUR NEW LOOK PUZZLES? QUESTIONS, SUGGESTIONS, ADVICE, COMPLAINTS to gridlesscrosswords@gmail.com

To print this puzzle:
1. Click on the image to view the puzzle as an .html page

2. Right click on the page and select "..Save As"

3. Temporarily save the puzzle as a .bmp or file to your desktop.

4. Ensure the puzzle fits to one A4 page before printing.

Gridless 002

2007-03-01T00:36:00.006+11:00

ORDERS

When this month's instalment of our series of Gridless puzzles arrived at Tom Lion's office, the puzzle editor suspected something had gone awry in its transmission!

When submitted, our compilers' puzzle manuscripts are frequently in need of some editorial assistance but this one with its injudicious arrangement of numbers and clues was a complete dog's breakfast! However, we were told the puzzle had to be published as it appears here (in its apparent mess) and we have, well, followed orders.

This Gridless will lead to an answerline which will hopefully lead in turn to some order!

5. addeeiinorrstxy (7,8)
1. adeeeiloppprr (5-3,5)
13. acdeiorrtt (5,5)
12. cdeoorrrtu (5,5)
17. cddeooorrrsst (7,6)
9. cdeeeeiorrtuvx (9,5)
18. dddeeeenorrtx (8,5)
4. dehloorrsy (4,6)
11. deinorr (2,5)
2. aaddelnorrw (3,3,5)
14. cdehlnorrsu (5,6)
8. addeemoorrt (4,2,5)
6. ddeelnoorrrww (3,5,5)
15. defooorrtu (3,2,5)
3. cdeegiknoprr (7,5)
10. deegiiloorrrsu (9,5)
16. deeeeorrrrsv (7,5)
19. adeegiinnorrrrst (11,5)
7. adeeilnorrrsuv (9,5)

(Major source: http://www.dictionary.com/)

This GRIDLESS rated: EASY

LIKE IT HARDER OR EASIER? STUCK? LET US KNOW WITH AN EMAIL: gridlesscrosswords@gmail.com

Gridless 001

2007-02-01T01:23:00.005+11:00

DIRECTIONS

In this first edition of our series of Gridless puzzles, you are hunting the elusive answerline -- the vertical word or phrase that provides a finishing logic to the puzzle.

It's a gentle puzzle to start: the answerline will be in plain view, formed by the initial letters of your answers. It will reveal what is common to just the entries 2 and 7.

1. 2240 pounds in America. (3,1,3)
2. Constellation, or charged particle. (5)
3. Impatient car noise. (4,4,4...)
4. Come to curb and hoist. (4,2)
5. Ms Krabappal too. (3,4)
6. Steals hammer or chisel. (5,4)
7. Egyptian fertility goddess exists twice. (4)
8. Off and unacceptable. (3,2)
9. The Menace did the Devil's work! (6,6)
10. Schumacher's transport. (7)
11. He directed "Anatomy of a Murder". (4)
12. Angry like the first man. (3,2,4)
13. Supermodel dictates letter. (4)
14. An area in mathematics (abbrev.) (5)

This GRIDLESS rated: GENTLE

>>SHOW ME MORE PUZZLES LIKE THIS ONE!<<

Gallery

2006-02-01T00:01:00.001+11:00

Gridless 006

2006-01-01T23:14:00.000+11:00

DEDUCTION

There are no cash prizes on offer in a Gridless, just the satisfaction of knowing you got it out. That said, our latest Gridless puzzle, Deduction, is such a taxing one, satisfaction will be hard to come by! It requires expert deductive reasoning.

Apply the usual Gridless tactics. First solve as many clues as you can because every correct answer will help you determine the secret answerline. The answerline is an elusive vertical word or phrase which holds the puzzle together with a neat logic.

So, withdraw to your favourite puzzle-solving armchair and put your deductive skills to use...for the satisfaction alone!

1. A personal hygiene problem leads to a medical graduate failure of a spectacular kind. (4)
2. Establishes what a person does in an ironworks. (6)
3. Harry Potter's is feeble against principal Dumbledore's. (4)
4. Cut tinea short with a prong. (4)
5. Distribute evenly or rainy days become lacking in propriety. (5)
6. Build truck frame and another luxury vehicle. (5)
7. Seafood setting is squalid, drives nearly all out. (5)
8. Sounds like you are in one tangle of nerves. (5-)
9. Basil and pine-nuts and parmesan cheese and some grapes too. (5)
10. Act like a criminal -- get a flashing light! (6)
11. Remove it from trivial competition. (5)
12. About face, head right, head north, reach country. (6)
13. Car gate barriers test dummy helmets. (5)
14. Bridgework makes tonsil very streaked with grey. (7)
15. Big __ in Little China, or The __ with Harry. (7)
16. Canines, woodsmen, and flying machines. (8)
17. Take possession of an acclaimed centre. (5)
18. Agrees when a Scottish monster goes back to Scotland, first. (6)
19. It all started when the tailless Bengal got upset. (5)

This Gridless rated: GRUELLING

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Gridless 016

2006-01-01T21:13:00.001+11:00

CURSES!

Can you see why number eleven in our latest Gridless left us turning the air blue with profanities!? When you discover the answerline, a vertical word or phrase, you'll understand bleeping everything!

1. Undesirables sheriff tails onto a traffic island. (4-4)
2. Like a steady passage without a change of pitch despite wild monsoon out. (10)
3. Unscrew pew?! Loose, utterly without principles! (12)
4. Groovy music hater or trouncer of a previous best? (6-7)
5. A way to check student attendance? Room Orderly will give them a bell. (8)
6. The Spanish use a needle in this place or in some other place. (9)
7. Technologically up-to-the-minute theatre fast to improve. (5-2-3-3)
8. He needles you and hurts you but leaves you with a colourful impression. (9)
9. Guarantee peer group shelters North American Indians. (6)
10. Cooler umpire to set up times to start running. (12)
11. !@$#?!
12. Company fine and box office fine with what foul-mouthed Gordon Ramsay has written! (8)
13. The one who directed you to a specialist about a deficiency of rarer iron on the inside. (8)
14. Start dealing in devil's dirty laundry except don't get swindled! (7)
15. Sees boss upset and really worries. (8)

This GRIDLESS rated: DAMN HARD!

IF YOU THINK YOU CAN IMPROVE A CLUE OR HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT THIS OR ANY OF THE PUZZLES AT GRIDLESS, EMAIL US: gridlesscrosswords@gmail.com

Gridless 013

2006-01-01T16:49:00.000+11:00

KEY SELECTION CRITERIA

Your boss wants you in his office yesterday to discuss your suitability for promotion but you haven't finished the monthly report! It consists of an extensive list of office-related problems and to please the boss you'll have to come up with every long overdue solution!

But more than that, certain promotion relies upon you also finding the common link to all the answers. The nature of this link will be spelled-out in the answerline, a word or phrase reading down.

The boss is waiting. Better get to work!

1.It's what most disorganised planners have in the works. (7)
2.You can wait for the bus here or skate! (6)
3. Joins super scale business re working role. (5)
4. Curt memo orders he undergoes daily training. (8)
5. They lock horns with management, or our Senior Executive leaders. (5)
6. Worked as a student doctor and in turn delivered a male named Sullivan... (8)
7. ...flipcharts give uniform results that are harder to bend. (6)
8. He puts on a coat for work. (7)
9. What you do before you sign with a fountain pen below the dotted line. (4)
10. Goes barefoot over hot coals to give the boot to escorts. (9)
11.The Bureau demonstrated low-risk margins. (4)
12.Rings to confirm about the business financial transaction records. (7)
13.Schedule for discussion in a meeting with the Chair. (5)
14. Swipes office supplies. (5)
15.Slimeball guy has a change of heart, making a delivery (off break). (6)
16.Business Review proprieter gets more coffee. (7)

This GRIDLESS rated: EXTREMELY HARD WORK!

YOU CAN LET US KNOW WHAT YOU THINK BY EMAILING US: gridlesscrosswords@gmail.com

Gridless 008

2006-01-01T15:51:00.000+11:00

RIDDLE-ME-REE

The clues of this newest Gridless read like riddles in the style of old Victorian parlour games.

Beginners can dabble with the individual riddles - they are puzzles in themselves - while the more astute puzzler can rest assured there is the further challenge of an answerline involved! The answerline is a Gridless puzzle's secret message which states the theme of the puzzle or adds a final flourish of logic to it.

Good luck!

1. Snoring in the valley might

stop with a sudden light. (6)
2. Busy urban streetscapes that look energetic,

starting to behave in a way that's frenetic. (6)
3."Who?" You may ask when in school you are seeking
That West Yorkshire woman with her strange way of speaking! (3)
4. P. T. Barnum has an exhibit

that flies through the air when hundreds get in it. (5)
5. Get him out of his cat's pyjamas -

he's just someone involved in international dramas! (3)
6. What would you call one who's ready and willing
To be pursued for both hunting and killing!? (4)
7. Commence playing opera, real Gershwin, and you
discover the male of this famed Gershwin two. (5)
8. It's very entertaining for readers:

what officers throw when they intercept speeders. (4)
9. A fellow or noddy with a short little body. (3)
10. Even alone he has company - a riddle!
He's the prime figure that comes from a split down the middle! (1)
11. It's smaller than small yet all can pop in:

teenagers hang while parents do shopping. (4)
12. Attentive when eyed, this American is bald.
And he's also what a good golf score is called. (5)
13. Seagal or Spielberg as seen on tv.
And also seen around it, cryptically. (6)
14. The first is one's blood-type and the second is one's head.
The third is one's question when one's whole is sent to bed. (3)
15. I've loaded this riddle with puns on a theme.
Rifle through long undergrowth to target what I mean. (3)

This GRIDLESS rated: RIDDLING

All answers have been sourced from the updated 3rd edition of the Collins English Dictionary (Australian edition)

YOUR CRITICISM, COMPLAINTS OR GRIPES ONLY MAKE US BETTER! EMAIL: gridlesscrosswords@gmail.com

Gridless 015

2006-01-01T12:58:00.000+11:00

BON VOYAGE!

Anyone who has ever embarked on a holiday knows that getting on the road can be a logistical nightmare! Solve all of the planning, packing and preparing problems in this latest Gridless and set sail! Of course, all the trouble is worth it - as you'll realise when you discover the answerline.

1. Ship takes woman far out. (3-2-3)
2. Cool customer says goodbye to cumbersome luggage. (8)
3. Coach, rail, air? Walking? Let's set out to travel slowly on all four! (5)
4. Smoke appears when one gallon is put in the vehicle. (5)
5. Station crush challenges personnel. (7)
6. What'll give your bicycle a puncture? Sounds like this will! (7)
7. Movement in a big circle!? A drastic change of ideas required! (10)
8. Adventure tour group is retreating to refuge at a great distance. (6)
9. Permit required along route to the casino table. (8)
10. Flier suffers lag between Eastern European capitals. (5)
11. Chuck and Chip use it when driving. (4)
12. Baker has stopover, naps, loses passport! (4)
13. Those held back crossing the Tiber are savoury sort. (7)
14. Some, er, State School holidays. (6)
15. Pounds, piastres, dough...! (8)
16. Family holiday frontseater is tight-lipped until tantrum eventually finishes. (5)

This GRIDLESS rated: CRUISY!

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Gridless 003

2006-01-01T00:39:00.000+11:00

LOVE

The challenge of this month's Gridless is to determine the meaning of its title, "Love". That will be revealed in the answerline, a vertical word or phrase, which will tie together the clues, the title, and the theme of the puzzle with an elusive logic!

1. Grouchy transportation from abroad. (5)
2. Shooters with spurs (US) or with butterscotch schnapps (UK). (7)
3. Should Theresa eat a kangaroo first or a hamburger? (5)
4. Common to number two and number ten, but not, eg, ram. (4)
5. Planet found in heaven, usually. (5)
6. Can you rest on just one of these small Mediterranean trees? (6)
7. Jude n mower. (3)
8. The Diamond Foundation. (4)
9. Boiled potato heart talks tooth and gum. (5)
10. Bring home the English philosopher (1561-1626). (5)
11. Formally acknowledge a hair ribbon. (3)
12. Skittles and holds down. (4)
13. Waste a lot of time in oubliettes. (8)
14. You can put it on, eat it, or throw it in the ring. (3)
15. Even Matilda has financial assistance! (3)
16. Holy-pioneer-who-located-the-city-of-Melbourne!! (6)
17. Fulfil an underworld contract with success. (3)
18. The regal pseudonym of a pelvis-shaker. (3,4)
19. Question a Bond colleague. (1)
20. Testament drive. (4)
21. Greek mythology's unsuccessful traveler to Hades stirs her soup. (7)

This GRIDLESS rated: TOUGH

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Gridless 007

2006-01-01T00:21:00.000+11:00

TROUBLE IN THE KITCHEN

You can imagine the mess our compilers get into as they cook up these Gridless puzzles: word-pots boiling over; a forgotten blender beating into butter what was supposed to be a series of light and fluffy clues; toasters ejecting puns burnt to a crisp as smoke starts to billow from the cryptic-oven…

We've tried to replicate the experience for our puzzlers in this latest Gridless, and with a liberal dash of spite! It is a devilish dish. You'll feel like you are reading a recipe for disaster as you battle too many kitchen dilemmas all at once!

Discover the answerline, a vertical word or phrase, and you'll find out if you are finally out in front or still struggling behind!

1. The problem with the faucets is history! (4)
2. Use dinner knife edge on valuable dining table material. (4)
3. The name of he who is taking orders for pleasurable egg yolks.(4)
4. A large stove with burners is used to create a great spread. (5)
5. Chopped the ends off, diced, then put in the freezer. (3)
6. First refrigerate the minced pie so it’s ready to eat. (4)
7. …pepper, utters the Muslim sovereign. (6)
8. Gains the attention of the audience again with the egg Serena put in the blender. (9)
9. I start the dishwasher and am using the water supply. (3)
10. Put cooking fuel back in sink. (3)
11. The buzzer alongside worker keeps lines busy. (3)
12. Put it on ice and relax, dude! (5)
13. Lots and lots of food lessons! (6)
14. It’s sometimes acidic and makes an odd creation. (4)
15. Share dinner with Potok’s Lev. (5)
16. Come first or come last in new Bangladeshi kitchen. (3)
17. Rent the microwave sound jolly exciting! (7)
18. After starting recipes, you leave out something meaning the food will go bad! (3)
19. Replace pot contents with a light touch. (3)
20. Reduces, braises, covers and supports. (3)
21. Causes a stir by putting the self-raising flour back without the office lady involved. (7)
22. Squeeze together, quickly mash, and crush. (5)

This GRIDLESS rated: INTERMEDIATE

THIS PUZZLE IS ONE OF A SERIES OF SIMILAR PUZZLES AVAILABLE AT www.gridlesscrosswords.blogspot.com