About Bill Butler
The name’s William Ernest Butler, but please call me Bill. I grew up in Ireland, and now live out here in the San Francisco Bay Area. I am retired from technology businesses that took our family all over the world.
I am almost exclusively a crossword solver these days, working on American-style puzzles published by the LA Times and the New York Times. I don’t construct crosswords anymore, but I do have over a hundred cryptic crosswords to my name, published in my native Ireland. I’ve never put together an American-style puzzle, but maybe one day …
I try to answer all emails, so please feel free to email me at bill@paxient.com.
ABOUT THIS BLOG
This is the simplest of blogs. I work on the Los Angeles Times puzzle online every evening, the night before it is published in the paper. Then, I “Google & Wiki” the references that puzzle me, or that I find of interest. I post my findings along with the solution, usually just after midnight Pacific Time.
I’ve been writing the NYTCrossword.com blog (about the New York Times crossword) since 2009. I started this LAXCrossword.com blog in 2012 in response to many requests over the years to write about the daily LA Times crossword.
Crosswords and My Dad
I worked on my first crossword puzzle when I was about 6-years-old, sitting on my Dad’s knee. He let me “help” him with his puzzle almost every day as I was growing up. When I was 10, my Dad helped me construct my first crossword, which was published in the school newsletter. How I wish I had a copy of that newsletter today!
Decades later, I work on my Los Angeles Times and New York Times puzzles every day. I’m no longer sitting on my Dad’s knee, but I feel that he is there with me, looking over my shoulder.
This blog is dedicated to my Dad, who passed away at the beginning of this month.
Bill
January 29, 2009
I print the answer sheet. The puzzle used to print smaller. Now, it prints quite large and is using up a lot of ink. Any suggestion?
Apologies for the tardy reply, Joe. Yes, I am aware of the larger size of the grid for printing. My intention is to format a more printer-friendly version of the page, but I need to work out how to do that. I will look at it just as soon as I can. In the meantime, others are changing printing settings to shrink the grid. It’s not ideal, I know, but the best advice that I can offer right now. Apologies for the inconvenience.
This is the greatest blog ever! So often I solve a crossword puzzle, but I have no idea what some of the answers mean. I have always wanted to be able to understand ALL of the answers.
So I thank you profusely! And I thank your father for getting you started.
Aces!,
B. Belinda Morris
Thank you so much for your blog. I learn so much from it. I wish you and your family a very happy holiday season, and a New Year full of wonderful surprises!
Thank you, Claire! You are very kind. Best wishes to you and yours for the holiday season, and Happy Puzzling!
Dear Bill,
The LATimes puzzle is so much fun, and you make it perfect with your explanations and jokes—says she reaching for the cocktail shaker.
What site do I go to to print the daily blank LA Times Crossword Puzzle? I appreciate the answers but would like to work the puzzle.
Hi Bill…really enjoy your blog…while growing up I would watch my Grandfather doing the puzzles in his big chair by the window, and I’ve apparently turned into him!! Thanks for all you do…
I solved the Sunday puzzle but cannot understand the theme and connections to “wild country.” Can you enlighten?
Today’s puzzle has the wrong boxes! Someone has messed with my Sunday morning routine!
This is yesterday’s puzzle answers
Bill, I gave up doing crosswords a couple of years ago… but then I started again to stimulate my brain as that long goodnight hovers in the wings. I’m not as quick to fill a puzzle, but that’s OK. I’m not concerned with the time (Mon.-Thurs. fine, Sat. and Sun. not so much. I do them at night as you once suggested, to Sat. night- for Sun. puzzle- can get quite grueling). There was one problem, however in starting crosswords again… I couldn’t remember how I accessed your blog for LA Times crosswords. Also, I couldn’t remember your last name, only that is starts with a B. I posted a query on Cruciverb.com (a site you had mentioned before). Yesterday there was an answer on the Cruciverb.com forum. Now everything is as it should be, your blog back on my computer where it belongs. Thank you. Luan
Hello Bill,
My wife and I love to do the LA Times and USA Today puzzles after having discovered the USA Today ones years ago during a visit to the US.
As Brits, we are very grateful for the fuller explanations that you give of the solutions. Another website isn’t so informative often!
Best wishes for Christmas and the New Year.
Norman from Rugby, England
Thanks, Norman. I’m glad that the stuff that I write up is of some service. Merry Christmas to you and your wife.
Hi Bill!
I had a similar childhood experience with my Mom and though I did not create puzzles I’ve been doing NYT in the papers since I was 10 years old.
On a related note, I did drop you a line on FB messenger and email about the nytcrossword.com website issues. Hopefully this is just an administrative/renewal thing as I LOVE having this as solving guide. The format is so much cleaner and easy to use than other resources out there in my opinion.
Happy New Year!
Dan
NOW WHAT’S HAPPENED re getting answers to the daily puzzle???WHY CAN’T I STILL USE laxc TO ACCESS. AS I COULD JUST YESTERDAY????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This is such a great resource. How can I reach the NYT blog? I get error URL messages. Thanks
Hi Bill, this question will seem much too basic to you , but I hope you can help: my 86 yr old mother has come to live with us, and she LOVES crosswords. The problem is our paper, the Bangor Daily News uses the LA TIMES xword a lot, and we can’t, for the life of us, understand a certain type of clue:
Eg on 7/27 there are 3 “starred” clues (with *) , all ACROSS, in the style *CLUE (see letters 1-8). Here is an example: 17 ACROSS *prominent place for an NBA team’s logo (see letters 1-8). My mum got the answer by context and surrounding clues : CENTERCOURT. Can you please help us understand these clues? Thank you so much! John Picone Bangor Maine
This is five years too late …. but better late than never….
Mr. Bill Butler, I have been coming to your blog off and on as I solve the LAX crosswords and I have NEVER gailed to get the deep, concise and accurate answers to some clues and/or answers that I wanted to delve deeply into.
I would like to earnestly and sincerely thank you for your yeoman volunteer contribution to he puzzling community and hope that the ‘good karma’ that you have been doing, …. and that you have done in the past will come to grace your life in some way soon.
With deep respects,
Gary
For some reason, starting today, I can leave a comment but no longer can see others’ comments. Any thoughts as to why? Thanks.
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I’m writing to follow up on my email. I didn’t hear back from anyone on the team
I know that you probably receive a bulk of emails every day from the readers of your
blog laxcrossword.com.
I Am the one among those who is interested in collaborating with you? Are you interested
in giving us a chance to win over in presenting content which can add value to your site and
need a link to our gambling site.
If it’s not relevant to your subject we accept regular links too. Please share your opinion.
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Are Glenn and Annony Muss, for two, still around and commenting
on the daily LAT crosswords? I have been away with the pandemic
and all and wanting to rejoin the group.
Any words of wisdom?
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