Today's Saturday Stumper, Newsday's ultra-challenging crossword, is from me!
brainsonly.com/global/netwo...

And check out my appropriately themed @slate.com crossword from the same day!
slate.com/life/2026/04...

Crossword Con 2026 - Adventures in Gridspotting (Ben Zimmer) YouTube video by puzzmo

My talk for Crossword Con on "Adventures in Gridspotting" is now on YouTube! Thanks to @puzzmo.com for archiving it.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kkjb...

American Crossword Puzzle Tournament 2026 - A Division Finals YouTube video by Ben Zimmer

It was a delightful weekend at the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament, in its last year in Stamford, CT. The finals featured an exciting win by Erik Agard @e-a-rly.bsky.social over Will Nediger @bewilderingly.bsky.social and David Plotkin. Congrats to all! #acpt
www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHEX...

...and one of the more integrated appearances in The Simpsons, with custom reveal and creator cameos.

The Wilhelm Scream of Grids

GRIDSPOTTING TAXONOMY:
-Real grids, real sources
-Real grids into props (think: "greeking")
-Grids from stock images (there is a Wilhelm scream of stock image crosswords)
-Grids created for productions (from DIY efforts to guest constructors)

Next up is @benzimmer.bsky.social, cruciverbally nerd-sniping us.

Specifically: gridspotting! It's all the "oh hey look, crosswords in media" rage in Crosscord, the crossword fandom Discord.

Running about 15 minutes late!

I'll be speaking at 11:15 am ET on "Adventures in Gridspotting." Tune in for the Crossword Con livestream!

Crossword Con is happening now! 🤩 Join us on Twitch:

www.twitch.tv/puzzmo

featuring! talks from @aaronson.bsky.social, @benzimmer.bsky.social, @orta.io, @samanbb.bsky.social, and @xws.bsky.social

panelists represent games desks at @bostonglobe.com, @vulture.com, @yahoonews.com, and puzzmo

For this year's Crossword Con on Fri. Apr. 10, I'll be giving a talk on "Adventures in Gridspotting" at 11:15 am ET. Come join us in person (or watch the livestream)! www.crosswordcon.com

Crossword Con Crossword Con is a half-day conference about crossword puzzles

Today is the last day to buy in-person Crossword Con tickets! Join us in NYC for some great talks and a panel featuring representatives from companies that buy and license indie games made by people like you! 🌷

Link to tix, schedule, speaker & panelist info all here: www.crosswordcon.com

Seasonally appropriate @slate.com puzzle from me today!
slate.com/life/2026/03...

March linkstack New newsletters, a new portmanteau, a new word game, a new book, and more.

March links:

A new book about colors from @korystamper.bsky.social

The origins of "Markwayne" from @davidmackau.bsky.social & @babynames.bsky.social

The source of that alien lingo in "Bugonia" (thanks, @benzimmer.bsky.social!)

And lots more!

fritinancy.substack.com/p/march-link...

I've got the Saturday Stumper (super-tough @newsday.bsky.social crossword)!
brainsonly.com/global/netwo...

Brendan Emmett Quigley and I have this weekend's @wsj.com crossword!
www.wsj.com/articles/fut...

Solve my latest @slate.com crossword and get crazy with the cheese whiz
slate.com/life/2026/03...

This came up in our 2025 WOTY discussion of "slop" as a combining form/blend component! Look for further discussion in a future installment of "Among the New Words" in American Speech.

Geek out over my latest crossword for @slate.com!
slate.com/life/2026/02...

Puzzmo - Cross|word Play Cross|word on Puzzmo, Take a hint.

Bzz, bzz, bzz... I have today's buzzy puzzle for @puzzmo.com!

“I agreed the fuck out of it” Last year, in my post on the line from The Martian, “I’m going to have to science the shit out of this,” I took a look at the more general pattern of “VERB the TABOO TERM ou…

FTA: @benzimmer.bsky.social is going to verb the taboo term out of this one stronglang.wordpress.com/2016/02/11/i...

This week, it's the highlight of any FMI Season, because Ben Zimmer joins Ryan and Brian to discuss the 2025 Word of the Year! There's still plenty of the same slop there's always been, but skip to the 31-minute mark if you're here for The Barnacle. #woty #crossword #podcast bemoresmarter.com/fmi

Today's @slate.com crossword has an Oscars theme!
slate.com/life/2026/01...

I've got today's Saturday Stumper in Newsday!
brainsonly.com/global/netwo...

Yesterday was jam-packed with exciting moments! From -slop being named the ADS Word of the Year, to the insightful Five-Minute Linguist session, to vibrant networking in the poster session & exhibit hall—there truly was something for everyone. We can’t wait to see what today has in store! #LSA2026

The 2025 Word of the Year is "slop," both as a noun for low-quality AI-generated content and as a combining form for anything of little value. Read the full press release. #WOTY2025 #ADS2026 #LSA2026
americandialect.org/2025-word-of...

Now posted: The full list of nominees for ADS Word of the Year 2025. The final vote will be held this evening at 6:45 pm CST at the New Orleans Marriott. #WOTY2025 #ADS2026 #LSA2026
americandialect.org/nominations-...