Puzzles

I began solving the Jane Street monthly puzzles in February 2024 with my good friend Fred Vu, and I've hardly missed a month since. These days, I occasionally collaborate with Fred Vu or Kelly Su, but I usually solve the puzzles solo.

• My thoughts on the previous month’s puzzle
• Difficulty and enjoyment ratings
• A sometimes rough, sometimes detailed outline of how I approached and solved the puzzle

• February 2026: 🌐 Puzzle | 📝 Log
• January 2026: 🌐 Puzzle | 📝 Log
• November 2025: 🌐 Puzzle | 📝 Log
• October 2025: 🌐 Puzzle | 📝 Log
• September 2025: 🌐 Puzzle | 📝 Log
• August 2025: 🌐 Puzzle | 📝 Log
• July 2025: 🌐 Puzzle | 📝 Log
• June 2025: 🌐 Puzzle | 📝 Log

I began solving the IBM "Ponder This" monthly puzzles in August 2024, but I solve them less religiously than the Jane Street puzzles. Each of these puzzles also comes with a bonus problem, which is usually a slightly modified or scaled up version of the original. Strangely, the bonus problem seems to range in difficulty from significantly harder to much easier than the original problem, and I don't solve it every time I solve the base puzzle.

• The same information as for the Jane Street puzzles, but only when I happen to have solved the previous month's puzzle

• June 2025: 🌐 Puzzle | 📝 Log

This is an online cryptic crossword from Australia. The art of cryptic crossword solving was originally taught to me by my ninth grade teacher, and has stuck with me ever since. My rule is to never seek outside help; if I don't know the meaning of a word, I have to work it out from context.

• My solving stats, including longest streak and best time
• The best clues I encounter, including an explanation of their solutions

• Longest solving streak: 1 year (July 26th, 2024 - July 26th, 2025). As of August 2025, I'm no longer maintaining a solving streak.
• Fastest time: 2 minutes and 12 seconds (rank 5/1154)

• Clue: Where the sea is lamer and the golden undergarment is labrador? (6)

  Answer: France
  Explanation: Where else would the sea be "la mer" and the golden undergarment be "la bra d'or"?

• Clue: Much more suitable for a pair of punters (6,3,6)

  Answer: Better and better
  Explanation: In Australia, a "punter" refers to someone who gambles or places bets. As such, a pair of punters can be interpreted as "better and better", which also means "much more suitable".

• Clue: Admission of tardiness in quarantine (7)

  Answer: Isolate
  Explanation: To admit tardiness would be to say "I'm so late", or, in broken English, "I so late". When spoken aloud, this sounds like "isolate", which also means "quarantine".

• Clue: Apparently, Toohey's in empty encounter (4)

  Answer: Meet
  Explanation: "Toohey's" (an Australian beer) sounds like "two e's", whereas "empty" sounds like "m-t". So, "Toohey's in empty" describes "two e's in m-t", or "meet", which also means "encounter".

• Clue: Game played by proofreaders in Beijing, we hear (7,8)

  Answer: Chinese chequers
  Explanation: Proofreaders in Beijing could be described as "Chinese checkers", which sounds like the game "Chinese chequers" (which is the Australian spelling).

• Clue: Frontal lobe said to produce calm? (5,2,4)

  Answer: Peace of mind
  Explanation: The frontal lobe, being part of the brain, could be described as a "piece of mind". This sounds like "peace of mind", which also means "calm".

• Clue: Signature tune or the tune for egomaniacs? (5,4)

  Answer: Theme song
  Explanation: The tune for egomaniacs would be "the me song". Joining the first two words gives "theme song", which also means "signature tune".

• Clue: Long live the metropolis in animation (8)

  Answer: Vivacity
  Explanation: "Long live the metropolis" could be expressed as "viva city" (borrowing "viva" from Spanish). Putting this together gives "vivacity", which also means "animation".

• Clue: Donkey follows hare without tail and finds badger (6)

  Answer: Harass
  Explanation: "Hare" without its tail would just be "har"; having donkey, or "ass" follow this gives "harass", which also means "badger".

• Clue: In the past, you fellows would be by the Red Sea (5)

  Answer: Yemen
  Explanation: In the past, "you fellows" could be expressed as "ye men". Putting this together gives "Yemen", which is a country by the Red Sea.

• Clue: A close shave with a grounding (1,4,5)

  Answer: A near thing
  Explanation: "A grounding" could be interpreted as "an earthing". Inserting a space, this becomes "a near thing", which also means "a close shave".

• Clue: Anticipation over how to increase the height of a building (5,2)

  Answer: Build up
  Explanation: To "build up" describes how to increase the height of a building, and also means "anticipation".

• Clue: Take the wrong way? (5)

  Answer: Steal
  Explanation: Nothing fancy here; stealing is quite literally just taking in the wrong way.

• Clue: Honestly seen behind yours (5)

  Answer: Truly
  Explanation: "Truly" is often seen behind "yours" (as in "yours truly"), and also means "honestly".

• Clue: Glowing coal at end of three months (5)

  Answer: Ember
  Explanation: "Ember" occurs at the end of three months (September, November, December), and also means "glowing coal".

• Clue: They are great at keeping the orchestra in time with little resistance? (14)

  Answer: Superconductor
  Explanation: A "super conductor" describes someone who is great at keeping an orchestra in time, and "superconductor" also describes a material with little resistance.

• Clue: Organised supporters for cool disco (3,4)

  Answer: Fan club
  Explanation: A cool disco could be described as a "fan club", which also means "organised supporters".

• Clue: Integers for anaesthetists (7)

  Answer: Numbers
  Explanation: "Numbers" can describe both integers and anaeshetists (people who make others numb, i.e. "numb-ers").

• Clue: Type of bars frequented by gymnasts (10)

  Answer: Horizontal
  Explanation: Just take it literally! "Horizontal bars" is the name of some gymnastics equipment, so these types of bars would be frequented by gymnasts.

• Clue: Looks like a lobster is related to a spider (8)

  Answer: Scorpion
  Explanation: Just take it literally! A scorpion is something that looks like a lobster but is related to a spider.

• Clue: He tidies up the bed and leaves (8)

  Answer: Gardener
  Explanation: Just take it literally! A gardener is someone who tidies up the (garden) bed and (fallen) leaves.

• Clue: Relaxed dial (4,4)

  Answer: Laid back
  Explanation: "Dial" is just "laid" spelled backwards, and could therefore be described as "laid back", which also means "relaxed".

• Clue: Unless (4)

  Answer: More
  Explanation: "un-less" ought to mean the opposite of "less", which is "more". This isn't really a conventional cryptic clue and nor does it come from Lovatts — I wrote it myself a couple years back and I still think it's kind of nice.