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LAST WEEK’S RESULTS:
Title: “Make It Brief”
Instructions: This week’s contest answer is a three-letter word.
Answer: CUT
Will Nediger finished off Guest Constructor Month 2018 with style. First insight: six symmetrically-placed entries in the grid can be shortened by three letters to leave a word that also satisfies its clue:
[Personal magnetism] = CHARISMA minus ISA = CHARM
[Oil source] = COD LIVER minus CDR = OLIVE
[Repetitive pattern] = ROUTINE minus UIN = ROTE
[Rescue] = SALVAGE minus LAG = SAVE
[Breathers] = RESPITES minus PIT = RESTS
[Phony] = IMPOSTER minus IMT = POSER
Second insight: those six sets of three letters can be found in grid entries:
SIA
CDR
UNI
LAG
PIT
TIM
Third insight: the first letters of those spell SCULPT, which is highly suggestive and would fit the meta, but it’s not a three-letter word, as required by the instructions. So you need a…
...fourth insight, which is that you gotta do the theme trick one last time! Take the last across in the grid, LPS, subtract that from SCULPT, and you’re left with contest answer CUT. Fitting for the theme, and found by 179 solvers.
A Francis Heaney-esque meta, where you can’t believe the constructor fit in yet another distinct step at the end — but he did, and it’s perfect! Bravo to Will.
Ken Stern echoes that sentiment:
Pretty amazing construction, bordering on “that’s not possible” territory
Vraal loved it, too:
That was a lovely aha moment.
So did theodreiser:
OMG – Amazing!
So did Tyler Hinman:
That was very, very good.
So did jeremiahsjohnson:
Brilliant!
DIS was DIS-appointed:
Darn. I was hoping it would be DIS.
johnsonteacher is a Nediger fan like me:
Strong recommendation from me for Will’s puzzles too!
And finally pomona47 (who wrote Puzzle #3 this month) says:
This meta was 38D!
I agree! Thanks again to Will, and also to Joshua Kosman, Jeremy Horwitz, Anna-Marie Ruoff, and Peter Washington for making this a memorable Guest Constructor Month. A real display of varying styles, interests, and metas, which is what this month is all about.
I’ll give Paradox28 the last word:
Bravo to all the guest constructors! What a great month of puzzles!
This week’s winner, whose name was chosen at random from the 179 correct entries receives, is Erik Agard of Gaithersburg, Md. In addition to a MGWCC pen, pencil, and notepad set, Erik will also receive a 1-year subscription to Matt Gaffney’s Daily Crossword.
(Aaargh! I forgot the do the monthly winners! Next week.)
THIS WEEK’S INSTRUCTIONS:
I’m back, everyone! Did you miss me? I missed you — let’s do this thing!
This week’s contest answer is a game.
Solve well, and be not led astray by words intended to deceive.