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John Kugelman author page

9 puzzles by John Kugelman
with Jeff Chen comments

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John Kugelman

John Kugelman, of Gainesville, Va., is a software engineer and musician.

Sun 2/16/2025 Square to Begin
SPREECOGLABELPADMA
AIARTHOIPOLLOIAHEAD
SQUEALOFFORTUNECOEDS
SUNSACWISESKYPE
YECHTUBASHOMESFBI
SHUTTLESPROWARTRAP
GREATSQUALLOFCHINA
TWEESOURCESLEEKS
ARALSEARISESBRAID
HOLYSQUATTERMOONROCK
APRURNSOURSROO
SEUSSIANPLEDGESQUEAK
SEEPSBUILDDIABOLO
MAMMAAIRNESSTOSS
SQUIRRELLEDCAPITAL
RUSSVIAGRAREVERTED
PATPENNEDECONSRIS
TASERPRAYROCONE
TICKSSQUAWKAFINELINE
ACHOOHUMBLEPIELACED
USERSHOPESPBSSOARS
Sun 12/8/2024 Just for Fun
PUSHPOPMADAMATOOFAR
ASYOUDOORATORARCANA
COMPLIMENTSFORFISHING
PELEWISHCALLONIT
ZAHNMESPOKYTKO
ALOOPFORTHROWINGSOAP
PONTIACSEAUSTOLAF
STYNTHGRIFTLOCHTE
POSITIONFORJOCKEYS
GSPOTERSETHICSAPT
OORTLANATOGOTREE
UNELEDOFFPENSITAR
DISASTERFORARECIPE
ACTSASERIESLAOPOE
OUTGUNUNALEGOLAND
ORCSONESMONEYFORARUN
NIHJAYSTNTMESA
STANPARDIMEDECON
PUNISHMENTFORAGLUTTON
EAGLEDSEASONPARTAKE
CLOSESTYRONEANDALSO
Mon 11/11/2024
INSTABETIKEA
NEPALMOTHGRAB
CARIBBEANCRUISE
ARIULTRAEASEL
NAMEANN
BIGBADWOLFANTS
ASTERIBARSURE
MAITIDEPODTAC
BAMAFESSENACT
ICERFREESTYLES
CAYHAUL
ARIALAZTECEGG
TOMDICKANDHARRY
OPIEPINTEDGAR
MENSANYSAYSO
Sun 10/6/2024 Teacher's Marks
SLEPTINMADAMEXAOK
UPANDATEMONENAMEBYE
DONTQUOTEMEONTHISLSD
ORDSMIASEALLETS
NTHBONANZASLIPASE
YOURMONEYSNOGOODHERE
NOAHPOORARABY
HALTWHOGOESTHEREMAE
SHEENANBASWEARJARS
NAANSUITESSCIONS
DONTSTARTWITHME
AMELIETREADSWARE
CRUDENESSILLFLAMES
OTSALLYOUNEEDISLOVE
MCCOOUNPCOLAS
PULLYOURSELFTOGETHER
REDSUNCALIPERSNAP
FACEICESAMIALIA
ETAYOUCANTWINTHEMALL
NORAURORAEDEMONICAL
DRSPILLAGESINGLET
Sun 8/25/2024 Is There an Echo in Here?
UNDRESSESMAJORSIN
PARISTEXASTIMELAPSE
DOUBLECLICKSECONDMATE
OHMSRADIOSPEAKCOD
ALEXDEEDKITE
ITSABETEBILLEYEMASKS
RAPDUOONEAFTERANOTHER
ALISTCLONKUMPSOPT
NORPOLASFARASOUTTA
NIGHTBIRDIPOOHH
THISBEARSREPEATING
ENDNYURAGEROOMS
BASEDLEGLIFTAROICE
ACTAIDEOUTDOIFNOT
THEMUMMYRETURNSALLOWS
HEARTIESVALETCLEARLY
DIEDCENTMATS
ELISTARKILLERGASP
BACKUPCOPYPAIROFPANTS
BRAINDUMPMALLSANTAS
SAMADAMSRESURGENT
Sun 5/26/2024 Roughly Speaking
AMBIGONGDANGCVS
COINSAWORDIGORSLIT
KNOCKONWOODSOMETORO
NAILSARIALSENEGAL
FISTKNITTINGNEEDLE
CECEGRASSRKOSLAV
UMAMOONPIETINSNIC
BURNAFTERREADINGACDC
ARMANISEARLSOOTIER
RASCPUSFATLENO
ARCHAEOLOGICALDIG
DIALDOTNAVEOFT
PORTENDSIRESCOURGE
DOPEBLASTFROMTHEPAST
FROSCENERYOATSDUA
BRAHNEOADOBEWIIS
PUTDOWNONPAPERFOOT
ESCAPEEISLAMAWING
ATOMIVANFRENCHROAST
REDSRENTTABLESUGAR
TREDRNONASTTAXI
Sun 3/24/2024 Feeling Possessive
PROBBUSESAGASPPEDI
DOVEAMUSTJELLOONES
FUELSSPECULATIONOPAL
STRIPESAPEXPILLAGE
EATSPOTWISEASSES
HOLDSWATERGILSIRS
ELOMONOHOLLALEADS
WISPSGOESALLINASNER
EVELFUDGESFACTSOTTO
DETAILSGAPSISUZU
RONCOYONHUTPERMS
TEAMOAMISPENCAPS
MENSTAKESORDERSESAU
GREEDDONTSTARETSARS
MAUVEDORISAPBSLEI
RICHNONSETSATEASE
HEADCANONRICOSON
ONLEAVEFONZIQRANGE
VONNEXCHANGESNUMBERS
ELECTUPACIMAGELEAP
RATEOSAGETAXESEDDY
Sun 1/14/2024 Er, In Other Words …
VORTEXESDISCIPLE
INAILEDITPINOTNOIR
SUPERDUPERJUNKDRAWER
ASTROSEEPAGEPENS
AYERDEFQUEER
ALECWANDERAROUNDTOWN
SUNKSTOREREMAINFOO
PROSTFBOMBBESTACTOR
ICKALIENOMANIAWES
CHICKENTENDERSSTRODE
LEAKEYEMAID
PIPEINFLICKEROFLIGHT
ELEAACELALAPELEAR
CURRICULAMESSISEIZE
AVECARESSNITERACES
NUMBEROFTHEBEASTTOSS
PETERASLTEEN
VOTETIMCOOKROBIN
ANOFFERYOUCANTREFUSE
STREAMERSROBOCALLS
TOYDRIVEWHITTLES
Sun 7/30/2023 Doing Front Flips
ASPCACARBISSAEMITS
CHAUTAUQUABEAUNOLAN
MISTERBUNNYMAGSDOLMA
EVSMEANIELETGOBAG
FOBESTEEREFUELS
WEARABLETHINGTOTASTE
EVILLAUGHTSOANA
EELETRERBIRUNEOSU
GEEKSBEARINGGRIFTS
SATONTAXMENGRANTEE
CLOTHASHUPSYDEAR
OPTIMALAUNTIEDUNKS
WHENITPAINSITROARS
LADSEERTATDKNYUTE
ISREPIJULIENNED
THREEMARESQUEALSADAY
WEEKDAYODEUMTEE
YESADRAGWIPERSRYE
ATTICTHRONESSTOWAWAY
THEEULEARROSEPARADE
TERREEMMAONESDRYAD

Been a while since we've seen a Spoonerisms theme. You can search Sundays by title on our site — that turned up one from over a decade ago, another that played on celebs, and a third that tripled its switching. Given that Spoonerisms are so well-worn in crosswords, it's important to do something above and beyond. I like that John tightened up his concept by only playing on common sayings.

MISTER BUNNY MAGS: apt description, and creepy

(Although, is MISTER MONEY BAGS a "saying," per se?)

WEARABLE THING TO TASTE is such an apt description of a Ring Pop. (Whoever came up with the Ring Pop concept, I hate you and the sticky drooly messes you've enabled my kids to make.) Fun spelling change from TERRIBLE to WEARABLE, too.

GEEKS BEARING GRIFTS isn't a strong spoonerism, since it involves the same starting consonants, but what a great result, so timely for our age of crypto scams. I hope Sam Trabucco escaped the black hole that is the Alameda Research / FTX scandal.

I found it inelegant to not involve all parts of the sayings, i.e. THING and TO didn't do any spoonerizing. After more thought, though, it seemed impossible to achieve this while sticking with common sayings, since so few maxims are only two words.

It would have been nice to be consistent with flipping the fronts of the first and last word, as THREE MARE SQUEALS A DAY took me forever to piece together. I appreciate the funny imagery, but I'm not sure it was worth the confusion.

I'm glad that Will Shortz has been spreading these out and that John did something little different in this overdone genre.

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