This week's puzzle was constructed by Mat Holmes and edited by Hoang-Kim Vu. Mat is a teacher in Maine and a crossword constructor who is thrilled to be back in Defector. This puzzle was inspired by his longtime love and co-solver Hazel, but probably not in the way that you might expect. Happy birthday Eva!
Defector crosswords, launched in partnership with our friends at AVCX, run every Monday. If you’re interested in submitting a puzzle to us, you can read our guidelines HERE. Note that we're pausing open submissions until Dec. 1. The AVCX, an independent puzzles and games outlet, is running a subscription drive this fall: We'd love for you to subscribe, or to sample the good with a two-month free trial. With an AVCX subscription, you get access to weekly themed and themeless crosswords, minis, cryptics, and trivia, by email or in your favorite app. We have no corporate overlord, and we publish top-flight stuff only. We also pay our people fairly, always. Check us out.
