Kathy Matheson has been solving crossword puzzles since junior high, when a friend intent on winning the school’s magazine drive gave her a subscription to Games Magazine as a birthday present. (The editor of Games back then? Will Shortz.) Today she lives in her adopted hometown of Philadelphia. Alter ego of @kmatheson

Crossword Kathy: There’s no soft-peddling it: Today’s puzzle was completely given away by the title.

“Soft T’s” is an aural clue that common phrases would be tweaked by changing the sound of a hard T. So “What faking a stomachache might entail?” is…

Read the full post at crosswordkathy.net: Soft T’s

New York Times crossword April 28 / Constructed by Patrick Berry

Kathy Matheson has been solving crossword puzzles since junior high, when a friend intent on winning the school’s magazine drive gave her a subscription to Games Magazine as a birthday present. (The editor of Games back then? Will Shortz.) Today she lives in her adopted hometown of Philadelphia. Alter ego of @kmatheson

Crossword Kathy: I just flew in from San Francisco yesterday morning, and boy are my arms tired. (Rim shot.) Actually, my brain is tired because I took the red-eye and am still a little behind on my sleep. Good thing today’s puzzle required only basic mental gymnastics – or “front flips,” as the title calls them.

The theme requires solvers to…

Read the full post at crosswordkathy.net: Front Flips

New York Times crossword April 21 / Constructed by Jonah Kagan

Kathy Matheson has been solving crossword puzzles since junior high, when a friend intent on winning the school’s magazine drive gave her a subscription to Games Magazine as a birthday present. (The editor of Games back then? Will Shortz.) Today she lives in her adopted hometown of Philadelphia. Alter ego of @kmatheson

Crossword Kathy: So an “anagram your name” meme came through my Facebook feed recently: Click the link, put in your name and – presto! – an amusing rearrangement appears. Or not-so-amusing, in my case: Kathy Matheson becomes OH MY! THAT SNAKE.

Which brings me to today’s easy puzzle. “Fitting Rearrangements” alludes to the…

Read the full post at crosswordkathy.net.

New York Times crossword April 7 / Constructed by Matt Ginsberg

Kathy Matheson has been solving crossword puzzles since junior high, when a friend intent on winning the school’s magazine drive gave her a subscription to Games Magazine as a birthday present. (The editor of Games back then? Will Shortz.) Today she lives in her adopted hometown of Philadelphia. Alter ego of @kmatheson

Crossword Kathy: “Today’s fun puzzle sends you on a hunt of sorts – an appropriate way to spend Easter, I suppose. However, those of you with sweet tooths might be disappointed to discover that the payoff is not a basket of chocolate bunnies or marshmallow Peeps, but…”

Read the full post at crosswordkathy.net: Special Features

New York Times crossword March 31 / Constructed by Caleb Madison

Kathy Matheson has been solving crossword puzzles since junior high, when a friend intent on winning the school’s magazine drive gave her a subscription to Games Magazine as a birthday present. (The editor of Games back then? Will Shortz.) Today she lives in her adopted hometown of Philadelphia. Alter ego of @kmatheson

Crossword Kathy:

“I have disappointing news for those solvers — myself included — who saw today’s puzzle title and thought it hinted at something risqué. “I know it when I see it” is how former Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart memorably defined obscenity in a 1964 pornography case.

Alas, this is a family newspaper, and the crossword actually dealt with a much more tame topic:…”

Read the full post: You’ll Know It When You See It