IMPORTANT NOTE: As of January 2015 MGWCC is a subscribers-only crossword. The cost is $26 per year, and you can subscribe (or get a free trial month first) here:
LAST WEEK’S RESULTS:
We were looking for a famous song lyric last week, and the two entries that appeared to be theme were:
18-A [She played Alice] = ANN B DAVIS. On “The Brady Bunch” of course.
67-A [1960s-70s-80s game show fixture known for his one-liners] = PAUL LYNDE. Known best for “Hollywood Squares,” where he was the permanent center square for over a decade:
Hmmm…who else was a center square in a 3×3 box on TV? Oh yeah, Ann B. Davis!
Our title was “25,” and if you divide up a 15×15 crossword grid into 3×3 blocks you’ll find there are 25 of theme. Take the center square of each and they spell out contest answer I’M STUCK IN THE MIDDLE WITH YOU, from Gerry Rafferty’s song (which until about the age of 35 I thought was a Bob Dylan song).
JanglerNPL writes:
I had the grid divided into 9 5x5s for a long long time (instead of 25 3x3s).
This was a nasty trap, since it’s just as logical and plausible with the Ann B. Davis / Paul Lynde connection and “25” from the title to do this (divide the grid into one big tic-tac-toe board whose nine spaces contain 25 squares each) as it is to do what I’d intended (divide the board into 25 3×3 blocks). And it looks so plausible that it was tough to let go of — but once you did, seeing the solution sounds like it came quickly for most solvers.
This week’s winner, whose name was chosen at random from among the 201 correct entries received, is Mary Calhoun of Atlanta, Ga. In addition to a MGWCC pen, pencil, and notepad set, Mary will also receive a one-year subscription to Matt Gaffney’s Daily Crossword.
THIS WEEK’S INSTRUCTIONS:
This week’s contest answer is a word describing MGWCC solvers.
Solve well, and be not led astray by words intended to deceive.