Emma and Adam return to close out the discussion they started last July on the 2024 Muller Monthly Music Meta puzzles! Spoilers for the MMMM puzzles from August-December 2024 as well as the mega meta and the red herring.

Links of interest:
Muller Monthly Music Meta: https://pmxwords.com/
Full list of the 2024 MMMM Puzzles: https://pmxwords.com/2024-puzzles/
Ariadne's Crossword Library: https://ariadnescrosswordlibrary.com/

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Want to get in touch with us? We would love to hear from you! You can reach Emma at damefoxwords@gmail.com, and you can reach Will at pandorasblockswmc@gmail.com. We may read your letter on a future episode!

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Music by FASSounds from Pixabay

Emma and Mike talk about two of Mike's "Pun of a Kind" metas! If you've ever found yourself thinking, "I would like crosswords more if 30% of clues were puns," then oh boy have we got some puzzles for you!

Links of interest:
Pun of a Kind on XWord Muggles Forum: https://xword-muggles.com/viewforum.php?f=48
Pun of a Kind Blogspot: https://punofakind.blogspot.com/
Mikey G's Crosshare page: https://crosshare.org/mikeyg

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Want to get in touch with us? We would love to hear from you! You can reach Emma at damefoxwords@gmail.com, and you can reach Will at pandorasblockswmc@gmail.com. We may read your letter on a future episode!

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Music by FASSounds from Pixabay

Emma and Will do some flower arranging outside a filling station! Wait... hang on a sec... *checks notes* ... Emma and Will fill in the blanks outside a flower shop? No, that doesn't sound right either... *checks notes again* who wrote these notes?? Okay, well, probably Emma and Will talk about three Pandora's Blocks puzzles. Let's go with that, that sounds right. Spoilers for "Floral Arrangement," "Fill-Ins," and "Outside In, Inside Out."

Links of interest:
 Pandora's Blocks: https://pandorasblocks.org/
"Floral Arrangement": https://crosshare.org/crosswords/7oUgthLxw13ThgUeVncI/floral-arrangement
"Fill-Ins": https://crosshare.org/crosswords/ReX8ojqNM5MCeryMXHRt/fill-ins
"Outside In, Inside Out": https://crosshare.org/crosswords/IoRv2qdPH3dDkxaDDocU/outside-in-inside-out

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Want to get in touch with us? We would love to hear from you! You can reach Emma at damefoxwords@gmail.com, and you can reach Will at pandorasblockswmc@gmail.com. We may read your letter on a future episode!

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Music by FASSounds from Pixabay

Emma and Will talk about three more Pandora's Blocks puzzles! Spoilers for "Duplication Prohibited," "Get to Gettin'," and "Cold Opens."

Links of interest:
Pandora's Blocks: https://pandorasblocks.org/
"Duplication Prohibited": https://crosshare.org/crosswords/fSBx4rBy7GlqgdgF4XcX/duplication-prohibited
OneLook: https://onelook.com/
Wordlisted: https://aaronson.org/wordlisted/
"Get to Gettin'": https://crosshare.org/crosswords/vux4xWIxKnoZKtuuwrC8/get-to-gettin
Open Source Shakespeare: https://www.opensourceshakespeare.org/
"Cold Opens": https://crosshare.org/crosswords/HIbGCbdrdplw3PGJ3WrZ/cold-opens
Pandora's Blocks discussion boards: https://www.xword-muggles.com/viewforum.php?f=43

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Want to get in touch with us? We would love to hear from you! You can reach Emma at damefoxwords@gmail.com, and you can reach Will at pandorasblockswmc@gmail.com. We may read your letter on a future episode!

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Music by FASSounds from Pixabay

Emma and Will are joined by speed solver extraordinaire, Adam Doctoroff, for a crash course in speed-solving and a discussion on the Muller Monthly Music Metas from 2023! Spoilers for 2023's MMMM puzzles ("Triple Up" and "Hope Springs Eternal" in particular), so go solve those first if you haven't already!

Links of interest:
Muller Monthly Music Meta: https://pmxwords.com/
2023 Mega Meta solution (this page also includes an explanation of the red herring and solution grids for all of the 2023 puzzles): https://pmxwords.com/2023-mega-meta-back-to-the-beginning-solution/
2023 Puzzles (puzzles and solutions for all 12 monthly puzzles are available from this page): https://pmxwords.com/2023-puzzles/

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Want to get in touch with us? We would love to hear from you! You can reach Emma at damefoxwords@gmail.com, and you can reach Will at pandorasblockswmc@gmail.com. We may read your letter on a future episode!

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Music by FASSounds from Pixabay

Pandora's Blocks is back for one more season! Emma and Will talk about the first two puzzles of season six. Spoilers for "Do You Hear What I Hear?" and "Through the Five Hole" as well as for an older meta from over on the Muggles Forum, "Not a Creature Was Stirring..."

Thanks to @Bird Lives (and Rodney Dangerfield) for inspiring the title of this episode.

Links of interest:
Pandora's Blocks: https://pandorasblocks.org/
"Do You Hear What I Hear?": https://crosshare.org/crosswords/70J4tioNcRblgAKnLTBG/do-you-hear-what-i-hear
"Not a Creature Was Stirring...": https://www.xword-muggles.com/viewtopic.php?t=1358
Silent letter: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silent_letter#English
"Through the Five Hole": https://crosshare.org/crosswords/Xddr5kluMQBstfL25Roa/through-the-five-hole
Five-hole: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Five-hole
Pandora's Blocks Weekly Meta Crossword discussion boards: https://www.xword-muggles.com/viewforum.php?f=43

Contest Crosswords Combating Cancer (CCCC): crosswordsforcancer.com
TO GET ACCESS TO THE PUZZLE PACK:
1. Make a donation (suggested amount $13) to a cancer-related charity.
2. Email a copy of your receipt to crosswordsforcancer@gmail.com.
3. Receive puzzle pack! OR, provide the email of a friend who you would like to gift this puzzle pack to, in which case they receive the puzzle pack!
4 (optional but encouraged). Tell other people to do steps 1-3. 

-------------------------------------------

Want to get in touch with us? We would love to hear from you! You can reach Emma at damefoxwords@gmail.com, and you can reach Will at pandorasblockswmc@gmail.com. We may read your letter on a future episode!

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Music by FASSounds from Pixabay

Emma and Will take a look at some of their favorite metas from the past year! Spoilers for several metas from 2023. See below for links to solutions and other sites of interest.

Contest Crosswords Combating Cancer (CCCC): crosswordsforcancer.com
TO GET ACCESS TO THE PUZZLE PACK:
1. Make a donation (suggested amount $13) to a cancer-related charity.
2. Email a copy of your receipt to crosswordsforcancer@gmail.com.
3. Receive puzzle pack! OR, provide the email of a friend who you would like to gift this puzzle pack to, in which case they receive the puzzle pack!
4 (optional but encouraged). Tell other people to do steps 1-3.

Will's Top 3 Metas:
"Second Look" by Matt Gaffney (MGWCC #768)
Crossword Fiend solution: https://crosswordfiend.com/2023/02/22/mgwcc-768/
XWord Muggles discussion page: https://www.xword-muggles.com/viewtopic.php?t=2074
"Turn on the Radio" by Peter Gwinn (MGWCC #765)
Crossword Fiend solution: https://crosswordfiend.com/2023/02/02/mgwcc-765/
XWord Muggles discussion page: https://www.xword-muggles.com/viewtopic.php?t=2041
"Making the Rounds" by Patrick Berry (Fireball #17)
Crossword Fiend solution: https://crosswordfiend.com/2023/04/23/fireball-contest-april-19-2023/
Xword Muggles discussion page: https://www.xword-muggles.com/viewtopic.php?t=2171

Emma's Top 2 Metas:
"Table Setting" by Evan Birnholz (from the CCCC puzzle pack)
XWord Muggles discussion page: https://www.xword-muggles.com/viewtopic.php?t=2186
"Forest Sight" by Pete Muller and Mack Meller (MMMM Sept 2023)
MMMM solution page: https://pmxwords.com/2023-puzzle-9-forest-sight-solution/
XWord Muggles discussion page: https://www.xword-muggles.com/viewtopic.php?t=2410

Will's Honorable Mentions:
"It's Integral to the Clue" by Matt Gaffney (MGWCC #777)
Crossword Fiend solution: https://crosswordfiend.com/2023/04/27/mgwcc-777/
"They Turn Into Superheroes" by Quiara Vasquez (MGWCC #784)
Crossword Fiend solution: https://crosswordfiend.com/2023/06/13/mgwcc-784/
"Meeting Place" by Peter A. Collins (Fireball #25)
Crossword Fiend solution: https://crosswordfiend.com/2023/06/18/fireball-contest-june-14-2023/

Other links of interest:
WWDTM April 10, 2021, Limericks: https://www.npr.org/2021/04/10/986082859/limericks
Crosshare donation page: https://crosshare.org/donate
Fireball Newsflash Crosswords Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/petergordonpuzzler/2024-fireball-news

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Want to get in touch with us? We would love to hear from you! You can reach Emma at damefoxwords@gmail.com, and you can reach Will at pandorasblockswmc@gmail.com. We may read your letter on a future episode!

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Music by FASSounds from Pixabay

Emma and Will solve a mini cryptic!

Links of interest:
Crosswords and Trivia by Stella Zawistowski: https://toughasnails.net/
Oneth of the Month Mini Cryptic #18: https://toughasnails.net/2023/10/01/oneth-of-the-month-mini-cryptic-18/
All #cryptic content at Tough as Nails: https://toughasnails.net/tag/cryptic/
B-t-Z Vwllss Crsswrds Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/petergordonpuzzler/b-t-z-vwllss-crsswrds
Fireball Newsflash Crosswords Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/petergordonpuzzler/2024-fireball-newsflash-crosswords
Antiwordle: https://www.antiwordle.com/

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Want to get in touch with us? We would love to hear from you! You can reach Emma at damefoxwords@gmail.com, and you can reach Will at pandorasblockswmc@gmail.com. We may read your letter on a future episode!

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Music by FASSounds from Pixabay

Will and Emma play Wordle and do mostly okay with geography!

If you listened to our last episode, then we're sorry to say this is not the episode you want it to be - we do have a very exciting guest to talk to, but we had to postpone the recording.

Links of interest (in the order they're mentioned in the episode):
Wordle: https://www.nytimes.com/games/wordle/index.html
Dordle: https://dordle.io/ (there are many sites where you can play this)
Quordle: https://www.merriam-webster.com/games/quordle/#/ (there are many sites where you can play this too)
Worldle: https://worldle.teuteuf.fr/
Absurdle: https://qntm.org/files/absurdle/absurdle.html (shockingly, there are many sites where you can play this too)
#crosswordle Puzzles on Crosshare: https://crosshare.org/tags/crosswordle
Wordle Answer Finder https://word.tips/wordle/#

BONUS (not mentioned in the episode, but we know you want it):
Taylor Swift themed Wordle: https://taylordle.org/

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Want to get in touch with us? We would love to hear from you! You can reach Emma at damefoxwords@gmail.com, and you can reach Will at pandorasblockswmc@gmail.com. We may read your letter on a future episode!

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Music by FASSounds from Pixabay

Emma and Will explore a haunted house! Wait, that doesn't ... huh ...  *checks notes* ... oh hey that's basically right! Spoilers for Evan Birnholz's "The Haunted House" puzzle suite from Oct. 31, 2021.

We're sorry to say we can't provide you with a link to go solve "The Haunted House" at this point. If anyone knows of an easily accessible link where the puzzle can be solved or the PDF can be downloaded, please let us know and we'll add the link to this description.

Links to solution write-ups for "The Haunted House":
Solution to Evan Birnholz’s Oct. 31 Post Magazine crossword, “The Haunted House”: https://www.washingtonpost.com/magazine/2021/10/31/solution-evan-birnholzs-oct-31-post-magazine-crossword-haunted-house/
Evan Birnholz’s Mini Puzzle Meta Suite: “The Haunted House” October 31, 2021: https://crosswordfiend.com/2021/10/31/evan-birnholzs-mini-puzzle-meta-suite-the-haunted-house-october-31-2021/
Solution PDF from Amuse Labs: https://amuselabs.com/pm-media/wapo/ebirnholz_211031_All_Puzzles_solution.pdf

Other links of interest:
Play Sunday Crosswords by Evan Birnholz: https://www.washingtonpost.com/crossword-puzzles/sunday-evan-birnholz/

Happy Spooky Season!

-------------------------------------------

Want to get in touch with us? We would love to hear from you! You can reach Emma at damefoxwords@gmail.com, and you can reach Will at pandorasblockswmc@gmail.com. We may read your letter on a future episode!

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Music by FASSounds from Pixabay

Emma and Will have a hellishly difficult conversation. Wait, that doesn't sound right. Emma and Will *checks notes* have a conversation about a "devilishly hard" metapuzzle! Yes, that's it. (It's actually not that hard, don't be put off.) This episode includes spoilers for the Fireball contest "Mind the Gap" from September 13, 2023, so go solve it first if you haven't already!

Links of interest (in the order they're mentioned in the episode):
Fireball Crosswords: https://www.fireballcrosswords.com/
Fireball submission guidelines: http://www.fireballcrosswords.com/SpecSheet.pdf
spread the word(list): https://www.spreadthewordlist.com/
Peter Broda's Wordlist: https://peterbroda.me/crosswords/wordlist/
OneLook: https://onelook.com/
Conrad's "Mind the Gap" review on Crossword Fiend: https://crosswordfiend.com/2023/09/17/fireball-contest-september-13-2023/
Discussion of "Mind the Gap" on the XWord Muggles Forum: https://www.xword-muggles.com/viewtopic.php?t=2422
Contest Crosswords Combating Cancer (CCCC): crosswordsforcancer.com
Pandora's Blocks: https://pandorasblocks.org/

Taylor Swift or Shakespeare? (another hellishly difficult game, who knew??)
https://www.sporcle.com/games/RyanWin/taylor-swift-or-shakespeare
https://www.buzzfeed.com/taylorswiftmidnights/evermore-edition-taylor-swift-or-shakespeare
https://www.buzzfeed.com/akkshanshbagga24/taylor-swift-or-shakespeare-d8hed3x3p6
Emma's Version (these are the questions Emma asked Will in the episode - he got 7/11): https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1r5fdSrRcM8nEzyUIiYz0ajh_yBd3omXjOv6IfNSCW7o/edit?usp=sharing

-------------------------------------------

Want to get in touch with us? We would love to hear from you! You can reach Emma at damefoxwords@gmail.com, and you can reach Will at pandorasblockswmc@gmail.com. We may read your letter on a future episode!

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Music by FASSounds from Pixabay

 Emma and Will chat with Mark Woychick, constructor of the puzzle "Fifth Wheels"  in the Contest Crosswords Combating Cancer (CCCC) puzzle pack. This episode includes spoilers for "Fifth Wheels," so go solve it first if you haven't already! Since this is the final episode in the series on CCCC puzzles, Emma and Will also chat a bit about what the plans are for future podcast episodes; if you just want to listen to puzzle talk, skip ahead to 10m30s where the discussion of "Fifth Wheels" begins.

TO GET ACCESS TO THE PUZZLE PACK:
1. Make a donation (suggested amount $13) to a cancer-related charity.
2. Email a copy of your receipt to crosswordsforcancer@gmail.com.
3. Receive puzzle pack!
4 (optional but encouraged). Tell other people to do steps 1-3.
5 (optional but encouraged). Do steps 1-3 on behalf of someone else and send the puzzle pack as a gift.

Links of interest (in the order they're mentioned in the episode):
Contest Crosswords Combating Cancer (CCCC): crosswordsforcancer.com
"11. Guest Constructor: Mark Woychick" (can also listen wherever you get your podcasts): https://outsidetheblocks.buzzsprout.com/2044327/12874087-11-guest-constructor-mark-woychick
Pandora's Blocks: https://pandorasblocks.org/
Muller Monthly Music Meta (MMMM): https://pmxwords.com/
Fireball: http://www.fireballcrosswords.com/
Sunday Crosswords by Evan Birnholz: https://www.washingtonpost.com/crossword-puzzles/sunday-evan-birnholz/
Discussion of "Fifth Wheels" on CCCC subforum: https://www.xword-muggles.com/viewtopic.php?t=2200
CCCC superlatives according to @Laura M: https://www.xword-muggles.com/viewtopic.php?t=2208#p128527
DeLorean time machine (yes, there is a Wikipedia page about this fictional car...): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DeLorean_time_machine
@woychick on Crosshare: https://crosshare.org/woychick
"Outside the Blocks" subforum (tell us what you want us to talk about!): https://www.xword-muggles.com/viewtopic.php?t=1849

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Want to get in touch with us? We would love to hear from you! You can reach Emma at damefoxwords@gmail.com, and you can reach Will at pandorasblockswmc@gmail.com. We may read your letter on a future episode!

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Music by FASSounds from Pixabay

Emma and Adam talk about the first seven* Muller Monthly Music Meta puzzles from 2024! Spoiler warning for ALL of those puzzles, so go solve them first if you haven't already!

*The first ~30 minutes of the episode is a discussion of the January-June puzzles, and the rest of the episode is a live-solve and discussion of the July puzzle, which was released the day of recording.

Links of interest:
Muller Monthly Music Meta: https://pmxwords.com/
"32. An Elemental Episode" (our previous episode on the 2024 MMMM covering just the May puzzle): https://outsidetheblocks.buzzsprout.com/2044327/15093368-32-an-elemental-episode
MMMM discussions on the XWord Muggles Forum: https://xword-muggles.com/viewforum.php?f=8
"18. "Fifth Wheels" by Mark Woychick" (our episode on another puzzle with a similar mechanism to the July 2024 MMMM): https://outsidetheblocks.buzzsprout.com/2044327/13429835-18-fifth-wheels-by-mark-woychick

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Want to get in touch with us? We would love to hear from you! You can reach Emma at damefoxwords@gmail.com, and you can reach Will at pandorasblockswmc@gmail.com. We may read your letter on a future episode!

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Music by FASSounds from Pixabay

Emma and Will chat with Josh Rubin, constructor of the puzzle "Half-and-Half"  in the Contest Crosswords Combating Cancer (CCCC) puzzle pack. This episode includes spoilers for "Half-and-Half," so go solve it first if you haven't already!

TO GET ACCESS TO THE PUZZLE PACK:
1. Make a donation (suggested amount $13) to a cancer-related charity.
2. Email a copy of your receipt to crosswordsforcancer@gmail.com.
3. Receive puzzle pack!
4 (optional but encouraged). Tell other people to do steps 1-3.

Links of interest (in the order they're mentioned in the episode):
Contest Crosswords Combating Cancer (CCCC): crosswordsforcancer.com
Two Girls One Crossword (this is their Apple Podcasts page, but you can find them wherever you get your podcasts): https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/two-girls-one-crossword/id1464397762
Madhatter's Enigma on Wednesdays (MEOW) subforum: https://www.xword-muggles.com/viewforum.php?f=45
Crosshare Discord: https://discord.gg/8Tu67jB4F3
British and North American differences in cryptic crosswords: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cryptic_crossword#British_and_North_American_differences
Guardian article that inadvertently claimed there were 1057 atoms in the sun: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2023/jul/24/the-big-idea-why-the-laws-of-physics-will-never-explain-the-universe
Discussion of "Half-and-Half" on CCCC subforum: https://www.xword-muggles.com/viewtopic.php?t=2198
Coffee: Word History from Merriam-Webster: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/coffee#word-history
Coffee from Online Etymology Dictionary: https://www.etymonline.com/word/coffee#etymonline_v_15785

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Want to get in touch with us? We would love to hear from you! You can reach Emma at damefoxwords@gmail.com, and you can reach Will at pandorasblockswmc@gmail.com. We may read your letter on a future episode!

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Music by FASSounds from Pixabay

Emma and Will chat with Mike Graczyk, constructor of the puzzle "Mixed Numbers"  in the Contest Crosswords Combating Cancer (CCCC) puzzle pack. This episode includes spoilers for "Mixed Numbers," so go solve it first if you haven't already!

TO GET ACCESS TO THE PUZZLE PACK:
1. Make a donation (suggested amount $13) to a cancer-related charity.
2. Email a copy of your receipt to crosswordsforcancer@gmail.com.
3. Receive puzzle pack!
4 (optional but encouraged). Tell other people to do steps 1-3.

Links of interest (in the order they're mentioned in the episode):
Contest Crosswords Combating Cancer (CCCC): crosswordsforcancer.com
Fireball specs: http://www.fireballcrosswords.com/SpecSheet.pdf
Cunningham's law (this is what Emma is trying to think of around 3m40s): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ward_Cunningham#%22Cunningham's_Law%22
Matt Gaffney's Weekly Crossword Contest (MGWCC): https://xwordcontest.com/
XWord Muggles Forum: https://www.xword-muggles.com/
wordlisted: https://aaronson.org/wordlisted/
Discussion of "Mixed Numbers" on CCCC subforum: https://www.xword-muggles.com/viewtopic.php?t=2189
Pun of a Kind blog: https://punofakind.blogspot.com/
Pun of a Kind (MikeyG Metas) subform: https://www.xword-muggles.com/viewforum.php?f=48
@MikeyG on Crosshare: https://crosshare.org/mikeyg

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Want to get in touch with us? We would love to hear from you! You can reach Emma at damefoxwords@gmail.com, and you can reach Will at pandorasblockswmc@gmail.com. We may read your letter on a future episode!

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Music by FASSounds from Pixabay

Emma and Will talk about their puzzles from the CCCC puzzle pack: "To Everything There Is a Season" and "Consider All Options." This episode includes spoilers for both of those puzzles.

Guests will return next week!

TO GET ACCESS TO THE PUZZLE PACK:
1. Make a donation (suggested amount $13) to a cancer-related charity.
2. Email a copy of your receipt to crosswordsforcancer@gmail.com.
3. Receive puzzle pack!
4 (optional but encouraged). Tell other people to do steps 1-3.

 Links of interest (in the order they're mentioned in the episode):
Contest Crosswords Combating Cancer (CCCC): crosswordsforcancer.com
Pandora's Blocks: https://pandorasblocks.org/
XWord Muggles Forum: https://www.xword-muggles.com/
CCCC subforum: https://www.xword-muggles.com/viewforum.php?f=51
Aloo pie: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aloo_pie
Arrowhead Stadium: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arrowhead_Stadium

-------------------------------------------

Want to get in touch with us? We would love to hear from you! You can reach Emma at damefoxwords@gmail.com, and you can reach Will at pandorasblockswmc@gmail.com. We may read your letter on a future episode!

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Music by FASSounds from Pixabay

Emma and Will chat with Lydia Roth and Christina Bodensiek, constructors of the puzzle "That's the Spirit!" in the Contest Crosswords Combating Cancer (CCCC) puzzle pack. This episode includes spoilers for "That's the Spirit!" so go solve it first if you haven't already!

 TO GET ACCESS TO THE PUZZLE PACK:
1. Make a donation (suggested amount $13) to a cancer-related charity.
2. Email a copy of your receipt to crosswordsforcancer@gmail.com.
3. Receive puzzle pack!
4 (optional but encouraged). Tell other people to do steps 1-3.

 Links of interest (in the order they're mentioned in the episode):
Contest Crosswords Combating Cancer (CCCC): crosswordsforcancer.com
Pandora's Blocks: https://pandorasblocks.org/
Muller Monthly Music Meta (MMMM): https://pmxwords.com/
XWord Muggles Forum: https://www.xword-muggles.com/
"Pointing Toward Success": https://crosshare.org/crosswords/u06AAkDzaaxzR26ZJMMZ/pointing-towards-success
Discussion of "That's the Spirit!" on the CCCC subforum: https://www.xword-muggles.com/viewtopic.php?t=2197
Luxo Jr. (character): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luxo_Jr._(character)
@PairODucks on Crosshare: https://crosshare.org/PairODucks

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Want to get in touch with us? We would love to hear from you! You can reach Emma at damefoxwords@gmail.com, and you can reach Will at pandorasblockswmc@gmail.com. We may read your letter on a future episode!

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Music by FASSounds from Pixabay

Welcome back to Outside the Blocks and to our first episode on the Contest Crosswords Combating Cancer puzzle pack! In this episode, Emma and Will talk to Peter Abide, constructor of the puzzle "You Can Get There From Here." Spoilers for that puzzle as well as incidental spoilers for some old Muggle Meta Monday puzzles.

TO GET ACCESS TO THE PUZZLE PACK:
1. Make a donation (suggested amount $13) to a cancer-related charity.
2. Email a copy of your receipt to crosswordsforcancer@gmail.com.
3. Receive puzzle pack!
4 (optional but encouraged). Tell other people to do steps 1-3.

 Links of interest (in the order they're mentioned in the episode):
Contest Crosswords Combating Cancer (CCCC): crosswordsforcancer.com
Peter Abide page on XWord Info: https://www.xwordinfo.com/Thumbs?author=Peter+Abide
Cruciverb: https://cruciverb.com/
"Muggle Meta Mondays (MMM)" over on the XWord Muggles Forum: https://www.xword-muggles.com/viewforum.php?f=42
"Native Tongue" by @Bird Lives (7/18/22 MMM): https://www.xword-muggles.com/viewtopic.php?t=1728
"The Bitter End" by @Abide (11/28/22 MMM): https://www.xword-muggles.com/viewtopic.php?t=1952
CCCC subforum: https://www.xword-muggles.com/viewforum.php?f=51
Discussion of "You Can Get There From Here" on CCCC subforum (get Peter to 50,000 views!): https://www.xword-muggles.com/viewtopic.php?t=2190
Pandora's Blocks: https://pandorasblocks.org/
@Abide on Crosshare: https://crosshare.org/abide

-------------------------------------------

Want to get in touch with us? We would love to hear from you! You can reach Emma at damefoxwords@gmail.com, and you can reach Will at pandorasblockswmc@gmail.com. We may read your letter on a future episode!

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Music by FASSounds from Pixabay

Emma and Will wrap up season 5 of Pandora's Blocks! They also reflect on some of the other puzzles from this season, and they discuss what's next for Outside the Blocks. Spoilers for "Starting Rotation" and "The Big Four" as well as some older Pandora's Blocks puzzles.

Links of interest (in the order they're mentioned in the episode):
"Starting Rotation": https://crosshare.org/crosswords/ZJdkTblJ1bxQqcD6Bw6C/starting-rotation
"The Big Four": https://crosshare.org/crosswords/Fh9lWHrujHNKOWRkumtj/the-big-four
Meta Platforms: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meta_Platforms
"Bonus point" question for "The Big Four": https://www.xword-muggles.com/viewtopic.php?t=2166#p126581
Pandora's Blocks (you can find all the older puzzles mentioned in this episode here): https://pandorasblocks.org/

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Want to get in touch with us? We would love to hear from you! You can reach Emma at damefoxwords@gmail.com, and you can reach Will at pandorasblockswmc@gmail.com. We may read your letter on a future episode!

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Emma and Will chat with Mark Woychick, who constructed the Pandora's Blocks puzzle "Seconds Count!" Spoilers for "Seconds Count!" (as well as some incidental spoilers for a WSJ puzzle from a couple years ago, "We'll Have Waters All Around"). Emma and Will also give a brief introduction to the new puzzle pack organized by Will, Contest Crosswords Combating Cancer (CCCC). More episodes about that coming soon!

Links of interest (in the order they're mentioned in the episode):
"Seconds Count!": https://crosshare.org/crosswords/FcY4RGxfJuaZ17ztxUQU/seconds-count
"We'll Have Waters All Around" - March 29, 2021 (aka "the Thousand Island puzzle"): https://www.xword-muggles.com/viewtopic.php?p=49637
Discussion of silhouettes on QI: https://youtu.be/M5Dp5T4MYx8?t=679
Etienne de Silhouette: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%89tienne_de_Silhouette
Contest Crossword Combating Cancer puzzle pack information: crosswordsforcancer.com
Pandora's Blocks: https://pandorasblocks.org/

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Want to get in touch with us? We would love to hear from you! You can reach Emma at damefoxwords@gmail.com, and you can reach Will at pandorasblockswmc@gmail.com. We may read your letter on a future episode!

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Emma and Will listen to some CDs while eating bacon and watching the March Madness tournament! Wait what. Emma and Will talk about three Pandora's Blocks puzzles! That sounds much more likely. Spoilers for "Surrounded with Flavor," "Overlapping Symbols," and "Listening to CDs." This episode also delves into the origin of the infamous DINO ME, which Emma and Will cannot agree on how to pronounce.

links
"Outside the Blocks" on the Muggles Forum: https://www.xword-muggles.com/viewtopic.php?t=1849&start=20#p125163
"Surrounded with Flavor": https://crosshare.org/crosswords/v6Y9txp4o5ALp2F7s4xp/surrounded-with-flavor
Devils on horseback: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devils_on_horseback
"Party Platter": https://crosshare.org/crosswords/YOPqcQRCR9loUGIjnUzZ/party-platter
List of U.S. state mottos: https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U.S._state_mottos
"Found in Translation": https://crosshare.org/crosswords/vzMKpY4WrUecN00JZErA/found-in-translation
"Seconds Count": https://crosshare.org/crosswords/FcY4RGxfJuaZ17ztxUQU/seconds-count
"Overlapping Symbols": https://crosshare.org/crosswords/cQTSkwNfySUpcTsS5BpJ/overlapping-symbols
Notable Alumni | Saint Mary's College: https://www.stmarys-ca.edu/alumni/notable-alumni
"Listening to CDs": https://crosshare.org/crosswords/9kHUsDMopPK46QWBPVV6/listening-to-cds
Origin of DINO ME on the Muggles Forum: https://www.xword-muggles.com/viewtopic.php?t=527&start=20#p29821
2022 ORCA Awards: https://crosswordfiend.com/2023/03/12/2022-orca-awards/
Pandora's Blocks: https://pandorasblocks.org/

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Want to get in touch with us? We would love to hear from you! You can reach Emma at damefoxwords@gmail.com, and you can reach Will at pandorasblockswmc@gmail.com. We may read your letter on a future episode!

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Emma and Will talk about "Alternate Endings"... alternately! This episode is an expanded version of our conversation on "Alternate Endings" from episode 8 "Alternate Party Forecast."

 Links of interest (in the order they're mentioned in the episode):
 Pandora's Blocks: https://pandorasblocks.org/
"Alternate Endings": https://crosshare.org/crosswords/AnSbOLTMN0UTnnLjSMGh/alternate-endings
Fireball Crosswords: http://www.fireballcrosswords.com/
Most Blocks in 15x15 grids (from XWord Info): https://www.xwordinfo.com/BWStats/MostBlocks
"Happy Birthday": https://crosshare.org/crosswords/blCihW5iIL7IaOhuBTOS/happy-birthday
OneLook Dictionary Search: https://onelook.com/

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Want to get in touch with us? We would love to hear from you! You can reach Emma at damefoxwords@gmail.com, and you can reach Will at pandorasblockswmc@gmail.com. We may read your letter on a future episode!

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Emma and Will dissect three Pandora's Blocks puzzles! Spoilers for "Party Platter," "Alternate Endings," and "Initial Forecast."

Thank you to our listeners who have rated and reviewed us on Apple Podcasts! If you have not done that yet and you are so inclined, please head over to Apple Podcasts and give us a 5-star rating and a nice review. We greatly appreciate it, and it helps other people find the show!

Links of interest (in the order they're mentioned in the episode):
Pandora's Blocks: https://pandorasblocks.org/
"Party Platter": https://crosshare.org/crosswords/YOPqcQRCR9loUGIjnUzZ/party-platter
"Alternate Endings": https://crosshare.org/crosswords/AnSbOLTMN0UTnnLjSMGh/alternate-endings
"Initial Forecast": https://crosshare.org/crosswords/x5L9Yguzwt1DhtKHm2qX/initial-forecast

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Want to get in touch with us? We would love to hear from you! You can reach Emma at damefoxwords@gmail.com, and you can reach Will at pandorasblockswmc@gmail.com. We may read your letter on a future episode!

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A long overdue discussion on the 2024 (or is it the 2023?) ORCA Awards, which were announced all the way back in March. Spoilers for all seven of the puzzles which were nominated for Best Contest Crossword this year!

Links of interest:
2024 ORCA Awards: https://crosswordfiend.com/2024/03/10/2024-orca-awards/
All ORCA Awards posts on Crossword Fiend: https://crosswordfiend.com/category/orca-awards/
"Signs of the Times" by Mike Shenk: https://www.wsj.com/articles/signs-of-the-times-friday-crossword-january-20-11674083351
"Plurality" by Mike Shenk: https://www.wsj.com/articles/plurality-friday-crossword-may-12-d86ef45
"Hope Springs Eternal" by Pete Muller and Mack Meller: https://pmxwords.com/2023-puzzle-8-hope-springs-eternal/

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Want to get in touch with us? We would love to hear from you! You can reach Emma at damefoxwords@gmail.com, and you can reach Will at pandorasblockswmc@gmail.com. We may read your letter on a future episode!

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Emma and Will take up gambling and tax evasion! Wait scratch that. Emma and Will go to a birthday party? That doesn't sound right either. Emma and Will discuss three Pandora's Blocks puzzles? Ah, yes, there it is! Spoilers for "Roll the Dice," "Happy Birthday!", and "Write Offs."

Thank you to our listeners who have rated and reviewed us on Apple Podcasts! If you have not done that yet and you are so inclined, please head over to Apple Podcasts and give us a 5-star rating and a nice review. We greatly appreciate it, and it helps other people find the show!

Links of interest (in the order they're mentioned in the episode):
Pandora's Blocks: https://pandorasblocks.org/
"Roll the Dice": https://crosshare.org/crosswords/cwmfn5dQ1n97TLb6utyZ/roll-the-dice
"Happy Birthday!": https://crosshare.org/crosswords/blCihW5iIL7IaOhuBTOS/happy-birthday
"Write Offs": https://crosshare.org/crosswords/GK4IoTsIH40cpFpP3a71/write-offs

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Want to get in touch with us? We would love to hear from you! You can reach Emma at damefoxwords@gmail.com, and you can reach Will at pandorasblockswmc@gmail.com. We may read your letter on a future episode!

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Emma and Will finally talk about the puzzles this podcast was created to talk about! The first two puzzles of Pandora's Blocks, season 5, have arrived. Spoilers for "A Very Meta Christmas" and "Count Off into Teams."

Thank you to our listeners who have rated and reviewed us on Apple Podcasts! If you have not done that yet and you are so inclined, please head over to Apple Podcasts and give us a 5-star rating and a nice review. We greatly appreciate it, and it helps other people find the show!

Links of interest (in the order they're mentioned in the episode):
Pandora's Blocks: https://pandorasblocks.org/
"A Very Meta Christmas": https://crosshare.org/crosswords/ooUzferkFSvw970L5mGg/a-very-meta-christmas
"Count Off into Teams": https://crosshare.org/crosswords/QSQdvxRIVnS2PN5oZXf8/count-off-into-teams
Peter Broda's Wordlist: https://peterbroda.me/crosswords/wordlist/
XWord Muggles Forum: https://www.xword-muggles.com/

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Want to get in touch with us? We would love to hear from you! You can reach Emma at damefoxwords@gmail.com, and you can reach Will at pandorasblockswmc@gmail.com. We may read your letter on a future episode!

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Emma and Will chat with Mike, creator of Crosshare! Tune in for everything you ever wanted to know about the popular crossword-sharing website!

Thank you to our listeners who have rated and reviewed us on Apple Podcasts! If you have not done that yet and you are so inclined, please head over to Apple Podcasts and give us a 5-star rating and a nice review. We greatly appreciate it, and it helps other people find the show!

Links of interest (in the order they're mentioned in the episode):
Crosshare: https://crosshare.org/
Pandora's Blocks: https://pandorasblocks.org/
Phil: https://www.keiranking.com/apps/phil/
XWord Info: https://www.xwordinfo.com/
"Unstuck In Time" by FiveCubed: https://crosshare.org/crosswords/TzRztm37v4EkjmUfo2JJ/unstuck-in-time
"A Very Meta Christmas" by Pandora's Blocks https://crosshare.org/crosswords/ooUzferkFSvw970L5mGg/a-very-meta-christmas
Film at 11: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Film_at_11
"12/26 (Meta)" by Abide: https://crosshare.org/crosswords/WHO19ZhdSxwASGpe7gT4/1226-meta
Crosshare Discord server invite: https://discord.gg/8Tu67jB4F3
Donate and Become a Crosshare Patron: https://crosshare.org/donate
Matt Gritzmacher's Daily Crossword Links: https://dailycrosswordlinks.com/

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Want to get in touch with us? We would love to hear from you! You can reach Emma at damefoxwords@gmail.com, and you can reach Will at pandorasblockswmc@gmail.com. We may read your letter on a future episode!

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Emma and Will live-solve a meta! ... That's not a joke description, that's actually what happens. Spoilers for the December 2022 MMMM.

Thank you to our listeners who have rated and reviewed us on Apple Podcasts! If you have not done that yet and you are so inclined, please head over to Apple Podcasts and give us a 5-star rating and a nice review. We greatly appreciate it, and it helps other people find the show!

Links of interest (in the order they're mentioned in the episode):
"What's in the Box" metapuzzle: https://pmxwords.com/2022-puzzle-12-whats-in-the-box/
Muller Monthly Music Meta (MMMM) site - https://pmxwords.com/
Crosshare: https://crosshare.org/

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Want to get in touch with us? We would love to hear from you! You can reach Emma at damefoxwords@gmail.com, and you can reach Will at pandorasblockswmc@gmail.com. We may read your letter on a future episode!

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Music by FASSounds from Pixabay

Emma and Will break into song! Wait, that seems incredibly unlikely.  Emma and Will  *checks notes* talk about a number of 4x4s? Huh. Well, maybe just tune in and see what's really going on.

Links of interest (in the order they're mentioned in the episode):
Muller Monthly Music Meta (MMMM) site - https://pmxwords.com/
MMMM Muggle Forum - https://www.xword-muggles.com/viewforum.php?f=8
Crosshare - https://crosshare.org/

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Want to get in touch with us? We would love to hear from you! You can reach Emma at damefoxwords@gmail.com, and you can reach Will at pandorasblockswmc@gmail.com. We may read your letter on a future episode!

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Emma and Will try not to overthink things in today's episode.

Links of interest (in the order they're mentioned in the episode):

-- "Don't Overthink It" Crosshare page (this is where you can actually solve it): https://crosshare.org/crosswords/wlwqTnoN3pCRnnCeYvqS/dont-overthink-it-meta
-- "Don't Overthink It" Muggles Forum discussion: https://www.xword-muggles.com/viewtopic.php?t=1845
-- Pandora's Blocks Weekly Meta Crossword: https://pandorasblocks.org/ 

Additional music by DanJFilms from Pixabay

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Want to get in touch with us? We would love to hear from you! You can reach Emma at damefoxwords@gmail.com, and you can reach Will at pandorasblockswmc@gmail.com. We may read your letter on a future episode!

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Emma and Will talk about a tense situation with a string quartet! Wait that doesn't sound right... if you're not buying this description, tune in and see what the real conversation is about!

Links of interest (in the order they're mentioned in the episode):

-- "Tense Situation" https://www.wsj.com/articles/tense-situation-friday-crossword-august-26-11661371705
-- XWord Muggles Forum https://www.xword-muggles.com
-- "Quartet for Strings" (subscription only) https://xwordcontest.com/2022/09/mgwcc-744-friday-september-2nd-2022-quartet-for-strings
-- Will's Word Game https://docs.google.com/document/d/1iU96icw1-_mK_hPYjlWwg5CWTjfl_6cha8Hna2qFi9Q/edit?usp=sharing
-- "Secret Agents" by Evan Birnholz https://www.washingtonpost.com/crossword-puzzles/sunday-evan-birnholz/
-- Spyscape https://spyscape.com/crosswords
-- "Exit Strategy" by Bryant White https://spyscape.com/crosswords/puzzle-188
-- "Follow the Directions" from Fill Me In #242 (download the "Contest of Now") https://bemoresmarter.libsyn.com/fill-me-in-242-the-value-of-pants
-- Pandora's Blocks Weekly Meta Crossword https://pandorasblocks.org/ 

Additional music by  DanJFilms from Pixabay

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Want to get in touch with us? We would love to hear from you! You can reach Emma at damefoxwords@gmail.com, and you can reach Will at pandorasblockswmc@gmail.com. We may read your letter on a future episode!

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What is this Outside the Blocks thing? Come find out!

Thank you to the 22 people who gave us feedback on our proto-episode (currently unreleased on the main feed, but perhaps at a later date...). We hope you enjoy the full podcast once it's up and running.

Links and other things of interest:

-- Pandora's Blocks Weekly Meta Crossword: https://pandorasblocks.org/

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Want to get in touch with us? We would love to hear from you! You can reach Emma at damefoxwords@gmail.com, and you can reach Will at pandorasblockswmc@gmail.com. We may read your letter on a future episode!

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Surprise! We played a whole 15-minute trivia game with Peter and Alex when they joined us last month that we didn't have time for in episode #31, so here it is now!

Links of interest:
Listen to the rest of the audio from our chat with Peter and Alex: https://outsidetheblocks.buzzsprout.com/2044327/14994031-31-resounding-success-and-take-the-fifth-with-constructor-alex-eaton-salners-and-editor-peter-gordon
"A-to-Z Crosswords" Kickstarter from Peter Gordon (live through 10pm EDT on June 2, 2024): 
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/petergordonpuzzler/a-to-z-crosswords-2024

Additional music by DanJFilms from Pixabay

-------------------------------------------

Want to get in touch with us? We would love to hear from you! You can reach Emma at damefoxwords@gmail.com, and you can reach Will at pandorasblockswmc@gmail.com. We may read your letter on a future episode!

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Music by FASSounds from Pixabay

Emma and Will sing about the periodic table! Wait what the... *checks notes*... who wrote these notes... *double checks notes*... this can't be right... *throws out notes*. Emma and Will talk about the May 2024 MMMM puzzle? Yes that sounds much more likely. Spoilers for "Gold-Plated Record" ahead!

Links of interest:
Muller Monthly Music Meta: https://pmxwords.com/
"Gold-Plated Record" by Will Pfadenhauer, Pete Muller, Mack Meller, and Andrew White: https://pmxwords.com/2024-puzzle-5-gold-plated-record/
Pete Muller's solution (and cover of the meta answer!) to "Gold-Plated Record": https://pmxwords.com/2024-puzzle-5-gold-plated-record-solution/
"Muller Monthly Music Meta, May MMXXIV" on Crossword Fiend: https://crosswordfiend.com/2024/05/12/muller-monthly-music-meta-may-mmxxiv/#more-160108
"Gold-Plated Record" discussion on XWord Muggles Forum: https://xword-muggles.com/viewtopic.php?t=2882
MMMM on the Washington Post's website: https://www.washingtonpost.com/crossword-puzzles/monthly-music-meta/

Other element-al puzzles:
"Table Setting" by Evan Birnholz: in the CCCC puzzle pack, information below on how to get that!
"Addition Reactions" by Mikey G: https://crosshare.org/crosswords/R6ftkA9uIUyk7hMlhfn3/addition-reactions
"AP Chemistry" by Pete Muller & Milo Beckman (WSJ Contest 7/12/2019), Crossword Fiend write-up: https://crosswordfiend.com/2019/07/14/wsj-contest-friday-july-12-2019/
"It's Elementary" by Emma Oxford (Universal 8/13/2020), Crossword Fiend write-Up: https://crosswordfiend.com/2020/08/12/thursday-august-13-2020/#un
Untitled by Jack Murtagh (NYT 12/10/2020), Crossword Fiend write-up: https://crosswordfiend.com/2020/12/09/thursday-december-10-2020/#ny

"A-to-Z Crosswords" Kickstarter from Peter Gordon (live through June 2, 2024): 
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/petergordonpuzzler/a-to-z-crosswords-2024

Contest Crosswords Combating Cancer (CCCC): crosswordsforcancer.com 
TO GET ACCESS TO THE CCCC PUZZLE PACK:
1. Make a donation (suggested amount $13) to a cancer-related charity.
2. Email a copy of your receipt to crosswordsforcancer@gmail.com.
3. Receive puzzle pack!
4 (optional but encouraged). Tell other people to do steps 1-3.

Is anybody reading this? Please confirm.

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Want to get in touch with us? We would love to hear from you! You can reach Emma at damefoxwords@gmail.com, and you can reach Will at pandorasblockswmc@gmail.com. We may read your letter on a future episode!

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Music by FASSounds from Pixabay

The time has come! The episode that Will has been hyping for six months is finally here! Emma and Will talk with Peter Gordon, editor of Fireball crosswords, and Alex Eaton-Salners, prolific crossword constructor, about two meta puzzles Alex constructed for Fireball in 2023: "Resounding Success" and "Take the Fifth." Spoiler warning for both of those puzzles!

Note Fireball is a a subscription, so we can't link you directly to solvable versions of "Resounding Success" and "Take the Fifth," but you can subscribe to Fireball and purchase any previous year's puzzles via the link below!

Links of interest:
Fireball crosswords: https://www.fireballcrosswords.com/
"Resounding Success" review on Crossword Fiend: https://crosswordfiend.com/2023/04/03/fireball-contest-march-29-2023/
"Take the Fifth" review on Crossword Fiend (the typo in the title on the Fiend write-up makes this one very difficult to find via Google!): https://crosswordfiend.com/2023/07/16/fireball-contest-july-12-2023/
Fireball submission guidelines: http://www.fireballcrosswords.com/SpecSheet.pdf
"Puzzlewright Guide to Diagramless Crosswords" by Alex Eaton-Salners (this is the Amazon link, but this is available wherever books are sold): https://www.amazon.com/Puzzlewright-Guide-Diagramless-Crosswords-beginners/dp/1454944870
"A-to-Z Crosswords" Kickstarter (live through June 2, 2024): 
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/petergordonpuzzler/a-to-z-crosswords-2024

-------------------------------------------

Want to get in touch with us? We would love to hear from you! You can reach Emma at damefoxwords@gmail.com, and you can reach Will at pandorasblockswmc@gmail.com. We may read your letter on a future episode!

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Music by FASSounds from Pixabay

Welcome to season four of Outside the Blocks! Emma and Will are joined by Mike Dirolf, creator of Crosshare, who they last chatted with back in episode 5, to talk about what's been going on over at everyone's favorite crossword sharing website.

Links of Interest:
Crosshare: https://crosshare.org/
Previous Outside the Blocks episode with Mike Dirolf: https://outsidetheblocks.buzzsprout.com/2044327/11997972-5-guest-mike-dirolf-creator-of-crosshare
Slate Games (including links to their daily crossword, powered by Crosshare!): https://slate.com/tag/slate-games
Donate to Crosshare: https://crosshare.org/donate

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Want to get in touch with us? We would love to hear from you! You can reach Emma at damefoxwords@gmail.com, and you can reach Will at pandorasblockswmc@gmail.com. We may read your letter on a future episode!

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Music by FASSounds from Pixabay

Emma and Will talk about the final two Pandora's Blocks puzzles, "Form One Line, Please" and "Stepping Down." Spoilers for both of those puzzles!

Pandora's Blocks may be ending, but Outside the Blocks will continue! More podcast episodes on more fun puzzles coming your way soon.

And yes, Will did find that lost collar stay.

Links of interest:
"Form One Line, Please": https://crosshare.org/crosswords/7bpbFT8eqvlCuAQ4SHHd/form-one-line-please
Rosalind Franklin: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosalind_Franklin
"Stepping Down": https://crosshare.org/crosswords/FEP77dhkepVr6fWWLg0W/stepping-down

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Want to get in touch with us? We would love to hear from you! You can reach Emma at damefoxwords@gmail.com, and you can reach Will at pandorasblockswmc@gmail.com. We may read your letter on a future episode!

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Music by FASSounds from Pixabay

We're back! Emma and Will are back to talk about two more Pandora's Blocks puzzles. On the menu today is "First Place" and "Dropdown Menus." Spoilers ahead for both of those puzzles.

Only two more Pandora's Blocks puzzles to go!

Links of interest:
Pandora's Blocks: https://pandorasblocks.org/
"First Place": https://crosshare.org/crosswords/orx4tC7OYrZV6vfqa3uB/first-place
"Dropdown Menus": https://crosshare.org/crosswords/RlcuiWzytkgnfnbmZeLZ/dropdown-menus
Sara Mae Berman: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sara_Mae_Berman
Jumping the shark: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jumping_the_shark

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Want to get in touch with us? We would love to hear from you! You can reach Emma at damefoxwords@gmail.com, and you can reach Will at pandorasblockswmc@gmail.com. We may read your letter on a future episode!

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Music by FASSounds from Pixabay