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I've designed a new type of puzzle called Four-Letter Blocks that mixes crossword puzzles with jigsaw puzzles. You are given a crossword puzzle that's been filled in and then cut up into blocks of four letters, as well as the usual set of crossword clues. Use the clues to assemble the grid. The bad news is that the clues aren't numbered in the normal way - 1 Across might not be in the top left. The good news is that every word has at least the first letter given.

At 11x11, today's challenge is at the medium level, try last week's for an easy introduction. You can either print out this page or the PDF version, or download the image and solve it in a paint program. Gluing onto cardboard or felt will make the pieces easier to work with.

Across
1. Able was I ___ I saw Elba
4. Australia's southern sea
5. Fade out at the beach, not the movies
6. Took an oath
8. Miner movie by Chaplin
9. News personality Geraldo
10. What seven did to nine
11. Regina's father
17. Scarf for a star
19. George Gershwin's brother
20. How gymnasts get a grip
21. Genesis: behind the scenes?
22. Santa ___ winds
24. Three performers
25. Beans or exploding cars
26. A large handbag
28. A poet's wrath
29. Not new
31. Want to see an evening show ___ ___ matinee?
32. Buster Keaton's forte
35. Brief movie descriptions
37. Letters of credit

Down
2. Battle of butchers
3. Put your money where your mouth is
6. Grass and dirt
7. Harvey's friend Jimmy
8. Hayley Mills sprung this on their parents
12. More courageous than Pixar's archer
13. Not mad
14. Tales of Paul Bunyan
15. Restated
16. My liege
17. Tells a secret
18. Cookie that's like an old movie
23. Leon, author of Exodus
26. Ray Harryhausen's final film, "Clash of the ___"
27. Homer's tradition
30. Created the living dead
33. French Polynesia's biggest island
34. Bumpy or odd
35. For those who can't face age
36. Shindig in Honolulu

Pieces of a crossword puzzle

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1 Answer 1

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The completed grid:

Grid

The key logic piece:

There weren't a ton of logic points that went into the piecing together, but putting together 8 across "THE GOLD RUSH" put a lot of segments together. First I got 9 across, which is RIVERA, which tucks the IVER piece under the first H in THE GOLD RUSH. This forced the piece containing the E to be in the bottom row of its piece, either alone or followed by G, which leaves only the ANEG piece. There are only two Ds, one of which is preceded by an E, so the OLD piece has to go next. There are a couple options for the R, but the only way to complete 17 across BOA was the SOAR piece. The U and the SH then only had single options.

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