My name is Ben Chenoweth, and I'm currently a teacher at Donvale Christian College, in Melbourne, Australia. I've worked overseas with Wycliffe Bible Translators, and in Australia as a secondary and tertiary teacher. (I was the Educational Designer / eLearning Coordinator at Melbourne School of Theology for four years, and taught at Eastern College for some of that time.)
My main interests are music, writing, theology and various combinations of those. I have a number of other interests, including reading, crosswords (especially cryptics and metas), and computer games. I also enjoy programming. My About Me website (https://www.ephesusscroll.com/about) was put together as an HTML/CSS demonstration for my Year 10 Computing class. Another interesting programming project is my EPUB Metadata Editor (an open-source project on GitHub).
Well, will you look at that: 200 metas! Goodness, I never thought I would see the day when I could say that. "Financial Downturn" (https://crosshare.org/crosswords/4DxgBqcHR4PwVbG4bkjA/financial-downturn-meta) doesn't feel like such a long time ago…
I realise the puzzle title is a bit obscure; but jump into the puzzle and you will quickly see where I'm going with this one. Best of luck as you seek the answer to the meta, which is a form of poetry. Answer & explanation: https://www.xword-muggles…
I created this meta for a year 7 (approx. 12-13 year-olds) maths games day. We gave a printout of the puzzle to each table of 4 students to see if they could complete the grid and find the hidden word. I tried to make the grid as easy as possible…
I've had this one on simmer in the back of my mind for a while now. And then, late one restless night, the missing piece of the puzzle came to me. So don your outdoor gear, grab a map, and make your way to the starting line! Once you complete the…
It's funny how these puzzles come together. It starts with an idea; the idea is developed; the meta mechanism components are sorted out; the grid is selected; other things occur to you; then you clue the whole thing; and then months later you find a…
This "week 4" puzzle is the result of a restless night's sleep. Now, I am quite certain no one will have heard of the meta answer, which is a 1900s play that was made into a 1930s movie, so Google will be needed. But I think I've given you enough to…
When at first you can't solve someone else's meta, you're supposed to try and try again. The alternative is to come up with a meta of your own that utilises the meta mechanism that didn't work with that other meta. This is one of those. So have at it…
As I write this "The Aristocats" is trending on TikTok for people mimicking the goose-waddle scene. But the line that stuck in my mind was when Duchess says to Thomas O'Malley, "Oh, c'est tres jolie, monsieur. Very poetic. But it is not quite…
One for you movie buffs out there! Just to keep you on your toes this meta is a highly experimental mashup of rebus puzzles and crosswords. Because the end result proved to be even more obscure than I feared, I've also provided you with some hints…
Here's another "week 4" challenge for you (rather than frustrating you with an unsolvable "week 5"!) The answer to the meta is a poem. Answer & explanation: https://xword-muggles.com/viewtopic.php?p=165731#p165731