This puzzle has an interesting (to me, anyway) history. Perhaps you’ve noticed that it’s been a while since I had a freestyle puzzle published anywhere other than this website. It’s only somewhat for lack of trying. I find that my idea of what makes an interesting puzzle doesn’t always line up with what the current crop of editors likes: The number one critique I get is that my 8s to 10s weren’t sparkly enough, and that they want to see more lively multi-word phrases. (IMO applying this metric consistently leads to things like I AM SO DEAD and OREO PIE being the Lake ERIE and ELIA Kazan of themeless puzzles, and that’s not my cup of tea.)

Anyway, I was determined to shove as many multi-word entries into this puzzle as I could, with the intent of submitting it somewhere. But when I was finished cluing it, I didn’t think the puzzle felt like me any more! So I set it aside and started over, and the market I had planned to submit this puzzle to got something different.

Fast-forward a month, and it’s time to upload this week’s website puzzle. I looked this one over again and realized that, with the cluing, I made it more “me” than I had thought. I did a couple more tweaks to Stella-fy it even more, and here she is. Enjoy!

Tough as Nails Themeless #116 – Across Lite

Shouldn’t be too hard to figure out what my seed was. Happy Pride!

Tough as Nails Themeless #115 – Across Lite

I’m back from a fun if not-so-relaxing vacation in Spain. Here’s a puzzle!

Also, for those who follow #crypticclueaday on Twitter, that will be moving to Instagram starting (most likely) on Friday of this week. Follow me on Instagram to keep getting your clue fix.

Tough as Nails Themeless #114 – Across Lite

This puzzle was rejected and I still think it’s very good! The seed entry, 65A, is very on-brand for me, at least in terms of things I watch and not things I do. (I CANNOT do what 65A do!)

Tough as Nails Themeless #113 – Across Lite

The genesis of this puzzle is a conversation I had with the lovely Matt Gritzmacher at Crossword Con, in which he mentioned that he’s noticed my shift away from heavy fashion, art, and classical music-based trivia toward more wordplay and accessibility on Tough as Nails. It’s true, I have; I’ve had a bit of a mind shift about how I want people to find themelesses hard, and I no longer feel the need to be, all, “Here is somebody amazing whom I bet you haven’t heard of!” in my puzzles.

But…I decided on the basis of that conversation that it’s been too long since I did that, so here is somebody amazing whom I bet you haven’t heard of. Enjoy!

Also, watch Matt, ACPT god Tyler Hinman, 2024 ACPT champ Paolo Pasco, and me talk speed solving here if you haven’t already.

Tough as Nails Themeless #112 – Across Lite

Here she is! Between the 2024 season of Wie Is de Mol and the currently airing season of The Amazing Race, I’ve been getting a decent amount of this puzzle’s seed entry in reality TV. Can you guess which one it is?

Tough as Nails Themeless #111 – Across Lite

6-Down was the seed, and I’d like to get it into a mainstream puzzle soon.

Tough as Nails Themeless #110 – Across Lite

Although 11D was not my seed, I think it’s an interesting fact that I wish more people knew!

Tough as Nails Themeless #109 – Across Lite

The seed here was a word that doesn’t feel that interesting on its own, but that I think I came up with a good clue for. Have fun!

Tough as Nails Themeless #108 – Across Lite

1-Across is there just in case anyone forgot that I like to watch Drag Race.

Tough as Nails Themeless #107 – Across Lite