How did the passing of the great Merl Reagle get by me?  The legendary designer of crossword puzzles passed away on August 22, 2015, and the world will be a little less puckish without him in it. I was lucky enough to meet him during the press tour for WORDPLAY, the perfectly delightful documentary by Patrick Creadon about crossword puzzles and the people who love them. Maybe too much.

They were smart, funny, and Merl exposed a side of Jon Stewart that I, for one, had never suspected. Merl also spontaneously anagrammed my name, an honor of surpassing wonder.

You can listen to my interview here. Don’t be surprised if you suddenly have a hankering to do a crossword puzzle in Merl’s honor.