Outside the Blocks: A Puzzle Podcast

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-crosshareSlate Games (including links to their daily crossword, powered by Crosshare!): https://slate.com/tag/slate-gamesDonate to Crosshare: https://crosshare.org/donate-------------------------------------------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! Podcast hosting by Buzzsprout 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-pleaseRosalind Franklin: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosalind_Franklin"Stepping Down": https://crosshare.org/crosswords/FEP77dhkepVr6fWWLg0W/stepping-down-------------------------------------------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! Podcast hosting by Buzzsprout 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-menusSara Mae Berman: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sara_Mae_BermanJumping the shark: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jumping_the_shark-------------------------------------------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! Podcast hosting by Buzzsprout 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-------------------------------------------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! Podcast hosting by Buzzsprout 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-prohibitedOneLook: https://onelook.com/Wordlisted: https://aaronson.org/wordlisted/"Get to Gettin'": https://crosshare.org/crosswords/vux4xWIxKnoZKtuuwrC8/get-to-gettinOpen Source Shakespeare: https://www.opensourceshakespeare.org/"Cold Opens": https://crosshare.org/crosswords/HIbGCbdrdplw3PGJ3WrZ/cold-opensPandora's Blocks discussion boards: https://www.xword-muggles.com/viewforum.php?f=43-------------------------------------------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! Podcast hosting by Buzzsprout 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/-------------------------------------------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! Podcast hosting by Buzzsprout 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=1358Silent letter: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silent_letter#English"Through the Five Hole": https://crosshare.org/crosswords/Xddr5kluMQBstfL25Roa/through-the-five-holeFive-hole: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Five-holePandora's Blocks Weekly Meta Crossword discussion boards: https://www.xword-muggles.com/viewforum.php?f=43 Contest Crosswords Combating Cancer (CCCC): crosswordsforcancer.comTO 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! Podcast hosting by Buzzsprout 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.comTO 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=2171Emma'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=2410Will'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/limericksCrosshare donation page: https://crosshare.org/donateFireball Newsflash Crosswords Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/petergordonpuzzler/2024-fireball-news-------------------------------------------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! Podcast hosting by Buzzsprout 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-crsswrdsFireball Newsflash Crosswords Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/petergordonpuzzler/2024-fireball-newsflash-crosswordsAntiwordle: https://www.antiwordle.com/-------------------------------------------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! Podcast hosting by Buzzsprout 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.htmlDordle: 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/crosswordleWordle 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/-------------------------------------------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! Podcast hosting by Buzzsprout 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.pdfOther 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! Podcast hosting by Buzzsprout 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.pdfspread 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.comPandora's Blocks: https://pandorasblocks.org/Taylor Swift or Shakespeare? (another hellishly difficult game, who knew??)https://www.sporcle.com/games/RyanWin/taylor-swift-or-shakespearehttps://www.buzzfeed.com/taylorswiftmidnights/evermore-edition-taylor-swift-or-shakespearehttps://www.buzzfeed.com/akkshanshbagga24/taylor-swift-or-shakespeare-d8hed3x3p6Emma'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! Podcast hosting by Buzzsprout 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=2200CCCC superlatives according to @Laura M: https://www.xword-muggles.com/viewtopic.php?t=2208#p128527DeLorean 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-------------------------------------------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! Podcast hosting by Buzzsprout 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.comTwo 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/id1464397762Madhatter's Enigma on Wednesdays (MEOW) subforum: https://www.xword-muggles.com/viewforum.php?f=45Crosshare Discord: https://discord.gg/8Tu67jB4F3British and North American differences in cryptic crosswords: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cryptic_crossword#British_and_North_American_differencesGuardian 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-universeDiscussion of "Half-and-Half" on CCCC subforum: https://www.xword-muggles.com/viewtopic.php?t=2198Coffee: Word History from Merriam-Webster: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/coffee#word-historyCoffee from Online Etymology Dictionary: https://www.etymonline.com/word/coffee#etymonline_v_15785-------------------------------------------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! Podcast hosting by Buzzsprout 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.comFireball specs: http://www.fireballcrosswords.com/SpecSheet.pdfCunningham's law (this is what Emma is trying to think of around 3m40s): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ward_Cunningham#%22Cunningham's_Law%22Matt 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=2189Pun 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-------------------------------------------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! Podcast hosting by Buzzsprout 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=51Aloo pie: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aloo_pieArrowhead 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! Podcast hosting by Buzzsprout 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-successDiscussion of "That's the Spirit!" on the CCCC subforum: https://www.xword-muggles.com/viewtopic.php?t=2197Luxo Jr. (character): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luxo_Jr._(character)@PairODucks on Crosshare: https://crosshare.org/PairODucks-------------------------------------------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! Podcast hosting by Buzzsprout 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.comPeter Abide page on XWord Info: https://www.xwordinfo.com/Thumbs?author=Peter+AbideCruciverb: 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=1952CCCC subforum: https://www.xword-muggles.com/viewforum.php?f=51Discussion 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! Podcast hosting by Buzzsprout 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-fourMeta Platforms: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meta_Platforms"Bonus point" question for "The Big Four": https://www.xword-muggles.com/viewtopic.php?t=2166#p126581Pandora's Blocks (you can find all the older puzzles mentioned in this episode here): https://pandorasblocks.org/-------------------------------------------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! Podcast hosting by Buzzsprout Music by FASSounds from Pixabay

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=49637Discussion of silhouettes on QI: https://youtu.be/M5Dp5T4MYx8?t=679Etienne de Silhouette: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%89tienne_de_SilhouetteContest Crossword Combating Cancer puzzle pack information: crosswordsforcancer.com Pandora's Blocks: https://pandorasblocks.org/-------------------------------------------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! Podcast hosting by Buzzsprout Music by FASSounds from Pixabay