What are some good, hard daily crossword puzzles?

October 30, 2023 4:45 PM

I'm on the hunt for more crossword puzzles that are about as hard as a Saturday NYT or a Monday New Yorker. I already do the LAT and sometimes WSJ. Where are the other good — tough!!!!!! — x-words I can dig my nerdy teeth into? (I already know about the Times archive, and I'm not interested in cryptics.)
posted by Charity Garfein to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation (6 answers total)

Best answer: Stella Zawistowski writes crosswords for the NYT and other outlets. Her blog and her Tough As Nails Crosswords book feature daily-style themeless puzzles that are designed to be harder than the Saturday NYT crossword.
posted by mbrubeck at 5:05 PM on October 30, 2023 [3 favorites]

If you're able/willing to help support the xword makers, you can go to https://avxwords.com. They have a range of xword puzzles that, to me, feel much more current/interesting than the NYT.
posted by correcaminos at 5:32 PM on October 30, 2023 [5 favorites]

Best answer: Have you tried Caleb’s Inferno courtesy The Atlantic Monthly?
posted by morspin at 7:17 PM on October 30, 2023

Twice-a-week Club 72 by Tim Croce is probably my largest source of cussing to myself inside my head.
posted by adventitious at 7:57 PM on October 30, 2023

The Newsday "Saturday Stumper" may be a good one to mix into your rotation. It's harder for me than the NYT Sunday puzzle, at the cost of being sometimes obtuse in a not-so-good way.
posted by edlinfan at 12:24 AM on October 31, 2023

Brendan Quigley
posted by SemiSalt at 5:33 AM on October 31, 2023 [1 favorite]