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:
Title: “Double Stuff”
Instructions: This week’s contest answer is a 5-letter word.
Answer: FOURS
First insight: sure are a lot of double letters in there. XXLI in particular is a forced entry, so what’s going on? There are five pairs of these double letters that both begin and end an entry:
GRAMM-MMA
TILL-LLAMA
RESEE-EELY
TOO-OOZES
MAXX-XXLI
Second insight: I put them the wrong way on purpose above for dramatic effect, so let’s “stuff” the non-double letters with the doubles and see what happens:
MMA GRAMM
LLAMA TILL
EELY RESEE
OOZES TOO
XXLI MAXX
Oho! We have created five new words: Agra, Amati, lyres, zest, and Lima. Agra…Uttar Pradesh…Lima…Rio de Janeiro…hmmm…
Third insight: Each of those new words can satisfy another entry’s clue. In grid order (first letter of grid entry whose clue is used for the new word):
9-D [Stringed instruments] is our new LYRES but also FIDDLES
19-A [Brand of bar soap] is our new ZEST but also OLAY
28-A [The Taj Mahal is there] is our new AGRA but also UTTAR PRADESH
49-A [One of the ten largest cities in South America] is our new LIMA but also RIO DE JANEIRO
52-D [Big name in violins] is our new AMATI but also STRAD
The first letters of those five spell contest answer FOURS, fitting since there are four letters in each pair of doubles.
This week’s winner, whose name was chosen at random from the 145 correct entries received, is Les Yonce of Richmond, Va. In addition to a MGWCC pen, pencil, and notepad set, Les will also receive a signed copy of my book Pint-Size Crosswords.
OOPS, I DID IT AGAIN:
Forgot to pick monthly winners for June. Will do the normal penance of choosing 12 winners instead of 10 next week.
MINOR NEW AL FILE CHANGE:
Got a few requests to put the contest instructions after the title in the Across Lite file each week (for solvers who print the puzzle out from the AL file instead of using the PDF provided). So we’ll give that a shot starting today — not meta-related, just a convenience!
SPECIAL PRIZE THIS WEEK AND NEXT:
In addition to a MGWCC pen, pencil, and notepad set, prizewinners this week and next will also receive a signed copy of Eric Berlin‘s new book Puzzlesnacks. My copy is still en route but I can recommend it sight unseen since Eric’s other books have been so clever.
THIS WEEK’S INSTRUCTIONS:
This week’s contest answer is a city in the news.
Solve well, and be not led astray by words intended to deceive.