The Gold Standard in Puzzling (with Josh P.)

 

If you've stepped into cryptic crosswords on twitch, surely you've come across Josh's stream (aka Elderism), where he solves a ton of puzzles of all sorts. He's super welcoming to puzzle makers and solvers with any level of experience. He's also working on a beginner-friendly guide for solving cryptic puzzles. He's even started making cryptics of his own - watch for them coming soon to a newsletter near you.

So as Josh and I were discussing some of the dos-and-don'ts in crosswords, this one particular convention sparked a conversation that developed right into this theme idea. While we aren't the first to riff on it, (see here and here; spoiler warnings (if you know of more, please put them in the comments!)) I hope that our idea provides you with a fun solve. I think you'll find his British and my American perspectives throughout this puzzle and I hope they complement each other well. 

Josh says, "Not only did Norah write a kick-ass crossword, she patiently showed me the ropes and taught me all sorts of American nonsense. What a badass. Thanks Norah!"

Thanks to Will for providing great feedback, as usual; to Alex for helping make stuff work, as usual; to meatdaddy for the quick etymology check.

In other crossworld news, the Inkubator book is out now! and hey, it even has fresh and fun cryptics :) 

If you solve it, blog it, stream it, like it, love it, or find a typo, let me know! twitter | email | or comment below. Thanks! 

fullscreen solve | .jpz (for use with Nexus solver)