Crossword - Oct. 23, 2026

Sudoku - Oct. 23, 2026

Crossword - Oct. 16, 2026

Sudoku - Oct. 16, 2026

Find out how closely you’ve been paying attention to the latest news and other global events by putting your knowledge to the test with our Quiz of The Week.

Crossword - Oct. 23, 2026

SUDOKU - Oct. 23, 2026

This week’s question: A school official in Michigan claims she was fired because she didn’t smile enough, despite completing all the mandated steps in a personalized “warmth-improvement plan.” In seven or fewer words, come up with a message for a protest sign defending the right to not be constantly cheerful.

How to enter: Submissions should be emailed to contest@theweek.com. Please include your name, address, and daytime telephone number for verification; this week, please type “Smile protest” in the subject line. Entries are due by noon, Eastern Time, Tuesday, Oct. 20. Winners will appear on the Puzzle Page of the Oct. 30 issue and at theweek.com/contest on Oct. 23. In the case of identical or similar entries, the first one received gets credit. All entries become property of The Week.

Click here to see the results of last week's contest: Tarantula personals

The winner gets a one-year subscription to The Week.

Find out how closely you’ve been paying attention to the latest news and other global events by putting your knowledge to the test with our Quiz of The Week.

Crossword - Oct. 16, 2026

SUDOKU - Oct. 16, 2026

This week’s question: A Colorado woman used Reddit to find a prospective mate for Asmodeus, her elderly pet tarantula, to save him from dying a virgin. In seven words or fewer, come up with a rated-PG message that a spider seeking love might post on a dating site.

THE WINNER: Looking for a sugar daddy long-legs?

John Bregoli, Weymouth, Mass.

SECOND PLACE: Will love you and weave you

Lidia Zidik, Reading, Pa.

THIRD PLACE: Web designer would love to hang out!

Mary Jo Astrachan, Oneida, N.Y.

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

Webless in Colorado (M) seeks romantic entanglement

Jason Kuller, Las Vegas

I’d climb the highest waterspout for you

Daniel Hicks, Randolph, Mass.

Seeking leggy Miss Muffet for my tuffet

Gene Serpe, Greensboro, N.C.

Looking for mate who eats prey, loves

Janine Witte, Doylestown, Pa.

Let’s be newlywebs

Laurel Rose, Pittsburgh

Oh, what a tangled web we’ll weave

Ken Kellam III, Dallas

Hairy legs preferred

Larry Rifkin, Glastonbury, Conn.

Be my Charlotte

George Strong, Plano, Texas

Hungry black widow seeks tasty dinner date

Jeff Burger, Ridgewood, N.J.

Click or tap here to see the winner of last week's contest: Cringe clubbing

Find out how closely you’ve been paying attention to the latest news and other global events by putting your knowledge to the test with our Quiz of The Week.

CROSSWORD - Oct. 9, 2026

SUDOKU - Oct. 9, 2026

Crossword - Oct. 9, 2026

SUDOKU - Oct. 9, 2026

This week’s question: A Manhattan nightclub is letting patrons skip the line if they turn up accompanied by a parent, and is holding weekly dance parties at 5pm for “people who want to go to bed early.” In seven or fewer words, come up with a headline for a tabloid article expressing outrage at how un-hip big-city nightlife has become.

THE WINNER: No longer hip, NYC joints need replacement

Max Bressler, Miami

SECOND PLACE: Early nerd special 

Daniel Hicks, Randolph, Mass.

THIRD PLACE: They party like it’s nighty-night at nine

Erica Avery, Greenfield, Mass.

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

New York state of meh

Tim Kearney, Coopersburg, Pa.

Studio 54, where are you?

Guy Rusiski, Pittsburgh

Residents sound alarm at lack of disturbance

Ruth Moore, Brooklyn, N.Y.

Saturday night geezer

Robert Loy, North Charleston, S.C.

Start spreadin’ the… snooze

Rick Torrence, The Village, Okla.

Mom! Stop wiping my mouth at bars!

John Parry, Eldersburg, Md.

Party like it’s 1699: Puritans take NYC

Daniel Burstein, Jacksonville, Fla.

Nighty-night, nightlife

George Dellinger, Lewes, Del.

Click or tap here to see the winner of last week's contest: Scratching salon

Guess the four-digit number in six tries. Choose your number and tap enter to submit. Each tile will change to green if the digit is correct and in the right position, or orange if it is correct but in the wrong position. A dark grey tile means the digit does not appear anywhere in the number. Come back here tomorrow for the next Guess the Number game.

Fill the grid with numbers one to nine so that each row, column and square contains every digit exactly once. This game will update daily.

Fill the grid with numbers one to nine so that each row, column and square contains every digit exactly once. This game will update daily.

You have six tries to guess the five-letter word. Type in the letters and hit enter. After each guess, the colour of the tiles will change if you choose the correct letters. A green tile means the letter is in the correct spot. A peach tile means the letter is in the word but is in the wrong spot. The tile will not change colour if the letter is not in the word. This game will update daily.

Fill the grid with numbers one to nine so that each row, column and square contains every digit exactly once. This game will update daily.

Find out how closely you’ve been paying attention to the latest news and other global events by putting your knowledge to the test with our Quiz of The Week.

This week’s question: A Chinese businessman has opened two popular “scratching salons,” where customers lie down on a bed and have their back itches tended to by spa workers wearing specially designed pointed nails. If an entrepreneur were to open a scratch parlor in the U.S., what should the business be titled?

THE WINNER: Itch Doctors

Michael Rouse, Troy, Mich.

SECOND PLACE: Bed, Back & Beyond

Kanaaz Pereira, Mount Pleasant, S.C.

THIRD PLACE: The Scratching Post

Ken Kellam III, Dallas

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

Relief Itchers

Peter Gordon, Great Neck, N.Y.

The Wizard of “AAH”s

Daniel Hicks, Randolph, Mass. 

Nailed It!

Teri Malkin, Rowland Heights, Calif. 

We’ve Got Your Back

Bill Levine, Belmont, Mass.

The Wicked Itch

Lidia Zidik, Reading, Pa. 

Itch, Please

Stuart Burkhoff, Great Neck, N.Y.

That's the Spot!

Erica Avery, Greenfield, Mass.

Bed of Nails

Laurel Rose, Pittsburgh

The Itch Niche

Janine Witte, Doylestown, Pa.

The Great Escrape

Lucinda Ross, Houston

Planet Itchness

John Vriesema, Whitinsville, Mass.

Click or tap here to see the winner of last week's contest: Crab catchers

CROSSWORD - Oct. 2, 2026

SUDOKU - Oct. 2, 2026

CROSSWORD - Oct. 2, 2026

SUDOKU - Oct. 2, 2026

Find out how closely you’ve been paying attention to the latest news and other global events by putting your knowledge to the test with our Quiz of The Week.

This week’s question: To combat the spread of invasive blue crabs in the Adriatic Sea, Italian researchers unleashed a flood of 130,000 baby octopuses, which in adulthood can each eat up to four blue crabs a day. In seven or fewer words, come up with a snappy headline for a tabloid story about this seafood battle royale.

THE WINNER: 1,040,000 Legs Under the Sea

Russ Dickens, Destin, Fla.

SECOND PLACE: Blue Crabs Lose Arms Race

Laurel Rose, Pittsburgh

THIRD PLACE: Monsters, Ink

Max Bressler, Miami

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

Octopuses Galore Settle Blue Crab Score

Brooke Pearson, Fripp Island, S.C.

Sucker Pinched!

Allan Thomson, Gordonsville, Va.

Army Versus Leggy

Ruth Moore, Brooklyn, N.Y.

Tentacles, With Intent to Kill

Jason F. Danielian, Homewood, Ill.

No Escape Claws?

Mary Jo Astrachan, Oneida, N.Y.

Release the Crackin’

Jeff Morris, Alexandria, Va.

Octopi Demand Melted Butter

Thomas Pender, Norman, Okla.

Octopuses Feast on Blue Plate Special

Janine Witte, Doylestown, Pa.

Inky Invaders Get Crabby

Peter A. Michel, Alexandria, Va.

Subordinate Claws

David Roessler, Hazel Park, Mich.

Click or tap here to see the winner of last week's contest: Royal auto-dealer

CROSSWORD - Sept. 25, 2026

SUDOKU - Sept. 25, 2026

CROSSWORD - Sept. 25, 2026

SUDOKU - Sept. 25, 2026

Find out how closely you’ve been paying attention to the latest news and other global events by putting your knowledge to the test with our Quiz of The Week.

Find out how closely you’ve been paying attention to the latest news and other global events by putting your knowledge to the test with our Quiz of The Week.

This week’s question: Prince Laurent of Belgium recently recognized 26-year-old former car salesman Clément Vandenkerckhove — whose mother is a Belgian singer — as his biological son and heir. If Hollywood were to make a comedy about an American auto dealership employee who suddenly discovers his royal lineage, what should the film be titled?

RESULTS:

THE WINNER: “Duke, Where’s My Car?”

Tim Kearney, Coopersburg, Pa.

SECOND PLACE: “Lease to Throne”

Patti Otto, Rock Spring, Ga.

THIRD PLACE: “Heir in the Tires”

John Espy, Lawrence, Kan.

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

“The Prince of Wheels”

Faith Reidenbach, Gainesville, Fla.

“Blue Book Blue Blood”

Neal Krakover, Lewisburg, W.V.

“From Ford to Lord”

Norman Miller, Farmington Hills, Mich.

“Grand Duke Auto”

Ken Kellam III, Dallas

“Prince of Rides”

Paul Scheftel, Kailua, Hawaii

“Carmelot”

Laurel Rose, Pittsburgh

“Fresh Prince of Detroit”

Mark Chartier, Lyme, Conn.

“Test Driving a Kingdom”

Daniel Hicks, Randolph, Mass.

“The Crown Victoria Prince”

Peter Gordon, Great Neck, N.Y.

Click or tap here to see the winner of last week's contest: Woodhenge epitaph

CROSSWORD - Sept. 11, 2026

SUDOKU - Sept. 11, 2026

CROSSWORD - Sept. 11, 2026

SUDOKU - Sept. 11, 2026

Fill the grid with numbers one to nine so that each row, column and square contains every digit exactly once. This game will update daily.

Fill the grid with numbers one to nine so that each row, column and square contains every digit exactly once. This game will update daily.

Fill the grid with numbers one to nine so that each row, column and square contains every digit exactly once. This game will update daily.

Guess the four-digit number in six tries. Choose your number and tap enter to submit. Each tile will change to green if the digit is correct and in the right position, or orange if it is correct but in the wrong position. A dark grey tile means the digit does not appear anywhere in the number. Come back here tomorrow for the next Guess the Number game.

You have six tries to guess the five-letter word. Type in the letters and hit enter. After each guess, the colour of the tiles will change if you choose the correct letters. A green tile means the letter is in the correct spot. A peach tile means the letter is in the word but is in the wrong spot. The tile will not change colour if the letter is not in the word. This game will update daily.

Find out how closely you’ve been paying attention to the latest news and other global events by putting your knowledge to the test with our Quiz of The Week.

A wooden replica of Stonehenge that stood outside a pub in southern England since 2015 was recently destroyed in a fire. In seven or fewer words, come up with a message that could be inscribed on a memorial plaque for the short-lived Woodhenge.

THE WINNER: So that’s why they used stone…

Steven Day, Arlington, Mass. 

SECOND PLACE: Quite Instagrammable. Also quite flammable

Tim Mistele, Coral Gables, Fla.

THIRD PLACE: Wood still stand if it were boulder

Max Bressler, Miami

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

A short-lived, short lith

Erica Avery, Greenfield, Mass.

At least it outlasted Strawhenge

Daniel Hicks, Randolph, Mass.

One less thing to confuse Spinal Tap

Doug Carasso, Seal Beach, Calif.

Only the wood die young

Bill Levine, Belmont, Mass.

Would that it were not wood

Mike Graves, Emporia, Kan.

That last solstice was a real scorcher

Guy Rusiski, Pittsburgh 

Here briefly stood: not stone, but wood

Chuck Gaston, Lititiz, Pa.

Click or tap here to see the winner of last week's contest: Spam bill

CROSSWORD - Sept. 4, 2026

SUDOKU - Sept. 4, 2028

CROSSWORD - Sept. 4, 2026

SUDOKU - Sept. 4, 2026

Find out how closely you’ve been paying attention to the latest news and other global events by putting your knowledge to the test with our Quiz of The Week.

This week’s question: Dissatisfied with the limited effectiveness of its Do Not Call list, France has banned spam calls outright and will levy fines of up to $578,000 for calls made without the recipient’s consent. If Congress were to consider legislation that drastic to combat the scourge of telemarketers, what should the bill be titled?

THE WINNER: Don’t Ask, Don’t Telemarket

Bill Levine, Belmont, Mass.

SECOND PLACE: One Big, Beautiful Block

Karen Shepherd, Social Circle, Ga.

THIRD PLACE: Don’t Call Us; We’ll Fine You

Tom Gentry, Akron, Ohio

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

The REAL Citizens United Act

Laurel Rose, Pittsburgh

The Do Not Call (We Really Mean It This Time) Act

Susan Faretra, Concord, N.H.

The “I Don’t Like Spam Spam Spam Spam Spam!” Act,

Lidia Zidik, Reading, Pa.

Spam Ban (Thank You, Ma’am)

Andrea Carla Michaels, San Francisco

The “Put the Spammer in the Slammer” Bill

John Keefe, Mount Vernon, Wash.

The Right to Remain Unrung Act

Niklas Pettersson, Stavsnäs, Sweden

The SILENCE (Stop Interrupting Our Lives and End your Nonsense Calls Evermore) Bill

Walter Smith, Washington, D.C.

The STAMP (Stop Telemarketers And Make’em Pay) Act

Kenneth Jensen, Richland, Wash.

Last Call

Kenneth Walker, Bridgeport, Ohio

CROSSWORD - Aug. 28, 2026

SUDOKU - Aug. 28, 2026

CROSSWORD - Aug. 28, 2026

SUDOKU - Aug. 28, 2026

Fill the grid with numbers one to nine so that each row, column and square contains every digit exactly once.

Fill the grid with numbers one to nine so that each row, column and square contains every digit exactly once.

Find out how closely you’ve been paying attention to the latest news and other global events by putting your knowledge to the test with our Quiz of The Week.

Last week’s contest: A police officer in New Jersey disguised himself as a roadside shrub to catch people texting or calling on handheld phones while driving—and snared 74 errant motorists in a six-hour shift. If Hollywood were to make a movie about this leaf-clad cop’s undercover operation, what would it be titled?

THE WINNER: “The Long Arm of the Lawn”

Scott Ross, Bonita Springs, Fla.

SECOND PLACE: “Brush Hour”

Jake Miller, Camp Hill, Pa.

THIRD PLACE: “Police: Am Bush”

Jane Lindberg, St. Louis

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

“Herbicide: Life By the Street”

Rick Torrence, The Village, Okla.

“The Beat? Around the Bushes”

Ken Kellam III, Dallas

“Leafal Weapon”

Lidia Zidik, Reading, Pa.

“License and Vegetation”

Larry Rifkin, Glastonbury, Conn.

“Tickets from Thickets”

Paul Kim, Orono, Maine

“A Brush With The Law”

Kenneth Burgan, Grass Valley, Calif.

“Bushwhacked”

Robert Berest, Manhasset, N.Y.

"Undercover Copse"

Jeff Jerome, Northampton, Mass.

“The Speed Whacker”

Ed Raymond, Pittsburgh

“Shrubterfuge”

Jane Betrus, Spencerport, N.Y.

“Little Stop of Horrors”

Bill Levine, Belmont, Mass.

“The Duper Trooper” 

James Pearson, Anaheim, Calif.

"They Call Me Mister Twigs”

Tim Wortman, Huntington Beach, Calif.

Click or tap here to see the winner of last week's contest: Paper amphitheater

CROSSWORD - Aug. 21, 2026

SUDOKU - Aug. 21, 2026

CROSSWORD - Aug. 21, 2026

SUDOKU - Aug. 21, 2026

Find out how closely you’ve been paying attention to the latest news and other global events by putting your knowledge to the test with our Quiz of The Week.