Crossword Maxi

Goal

Fill every white cell in the 15x15 grid so that each across and down answer matches its clue. The puzzle is complete when every word is correct.

Rules

• Tap or click a cell to select it, then type your letter. The cursor advances automatically.
• Tap a selected cell again (or press the arrow keys) to toggle between across and down.
• Black cells separate the words and cannot be filled.
• Clue numbers appear in the top-left corner of the starting cell for each answer.
• Answers range from three letters to fifteen. Every letter is shared between an across and a down word.
• The longest answers are the theme: they share a trick, named by the title above the grid or by a revealer answer.

Strategy

• Scan for gimmes. Every grid has a handful of clues you can answer cold. Fill those first -- the crossing letters open up everything around them.
• Crack the theme. Once you see what the long answers have in common, the title and the other theme answers fall faster.
• Work in clusters. Focus on one corner or section at a time rather than jumping all over the grid. Tight areas with a lot of short intersecting words often solve themselves once you get two or three in place.
• Re-read stubborn clues. Come back to a clue after filling in some crossing letters. Seeing _A_E instead of five blanks changes how you read the clue entirely.

Tips

• Short fills are underrated. Three-letter answers are usually common words (ERA, ORE, ATE). Fill them in fast and use those letters to attack the longer answers nearby.
• Think about word endings. English crossword answers often end in -ED, -ER, -ING, or -LY. If a clue points to a past tense or a comparison, try penciling the ending in first.
• Use hints strategically. If you're stuck, a single revealed letter in a long answer is more valuable than one in a three-letter word. Spend hints where they unlock the most crossings.
• Check the clock, but don't panic. The Maxi is meant to take a while. Steady solving beats frantic guessing. Your time improves naturally as you get used to the clue style.