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LAST WEEK’S RESULTS:
Title: “Ad Campaign”
Prompt: This week’s contest answer is an eight-letter word whose last letter is A.
Answer: PERFECTA
Correct entries: 344 overall, of which 256 were solo
21×21 in the anchor spot last week, and with a notable paucity of long entries: a couple of 9’s and 10’s, a bunch of 8’s and everything else 7 or shorter. So probably something unusual going on.
The key was to notice that a) there were seven linked pairs of clues in the grid, fairly high for a grid of this size, and b) the words “Across” and “Down” were used in the second of each linked pair when referring to the first, but only “A” and “D” were used in the first clue when referring to the second.
Innocent space-saving device, or sneaky key to the entire meta? Let’s take a look:
24-A: [With 110-A, Wicked Chief or Big Spotted Horse, notably] = PAWNEE / INDIAN. 110-A read simply [See 24-Across]
52-A: [With 121-A, move by on a crowded subway] = ELBOW / PAST. 121-A read simply [See 52-Across]
80-A: [With 54-A, place to schuss] = SKI / PARK. 54-A read simply [See 80-Across]
16-D: [With 2-D, creature seen in Alaska and Appalachia] = BLACK / BEAR. 2-D read simply [See 16-Down]
57-D: [With 46-D, environmentally friendly choice like the Tesla Model 3 or the Hyundai Ioniq] = GREEN / CAR. 46-D read simply [See 57-Down]
76-D: [With 8-D, London attraction] = BIG / BEN. 8-D read simply [See 76-Down]
96-D: [With 66-D, indoor activities for kids] = RAINY / DAY FUN. 66-D read simply [See 96-Down]
A few moments’ study and you might have noticed that those A’s and D’s have a second, secret function: if you add the indicated A or D to the second entry of the linked pair, that new linked pair can satisfy a different clue in the grid. Like so:
24-A + 110-A = PAWNEE INDIAN, but becomes PAWNEE, INDIANA, satisfying the clue for TWIN PEAKS [Town where a TV show is set]. That’s “Parks & Recreation” if you didn’t know.
52-A + 121-A = ELBOW PAST, but becomes ELBOW PASTA, satisfying the clue for ROTINI [Alternative to ziti or orecchiette]
80-A + 54-A = SKI PARK, but becomes SKI PARKA, satisfying the clue for COAT [Winter garment]
16-D + 2-D = BLACK BEAR, but also becomes BLACK BEARD, satisfying the clue for EARRING [Part of a pirate costume, often]. Originally this clue was going to reference Edward Teach, but Jack Sparrow costumes don’t turn out to include earrings so I had to punt back to just a generic pirate. TEACH appeared randomly in the fill, which I noticed; was going to remove it to avoid confusion but then I thought, ah, nobody will notice that. But of course they did and were moderately confused by it for a bit. Moral of the story: NEVER UNDERESTIMATE MGWCC SOLVERS. THEY WILL NOTICE!
57-D + 46-D = GREEN / CAR, but becomes GREEN CARD, satisfying the clue for FEARLESS [Oscar-nominated Peter Weir movie]
76-D + 8-D = BIG BEN, but becomes BIG BEND, satisfying the clue for EVERGLADES [National Park named for a water feature]. That’s the big bend in the Rio Grande river, which you’ll recognize even if you didn’t know its name.
96-D + 66-D = RAINY / DAY FUN, but becomes RAINY DAY FUND, satisfying the clue for PIGGY BANK [Emergency cash source].
Taken in grid order, the first letters of those spell PERFECT, and we know from the instructions that our meta answer’s last letter is A, so PERFECTA it must be. Fittingly that this describes a bet where you must predict two horses’ placement in order, as these sets of two entries must be in order. Not sure I noticed that aspect while constructing, but it does fit!
A number of solvers didn’t find the final click at the end to be satisfying. My thought was that the odds of a random seven-letter word spelled out in grid order being able to take an A and spell another word were tiny, and “perfect” was meant in a congratulatory way, like “You did a perfect job.” But enough experienced solvers weren’t quite sure and kept looking even after they had it, which means I probably should’ve put a stronger click in the clues.
GUEST CONSTRUCTOR META:
A pleasure to have the great Patrick Berry back in the Guest Constructor’s chair for the first time since 2015. Patrick was recently honored by Will Shortz with the 2021 Merl Reagle Award for lifetime achievement in crossword puzzles.
He’s the author of many books of puzzles, perhaps most notably The Crossword Constructor’s Handbook, which is the authoritative guide to learning the craft of cruciverbalism.
He’s also the author of a number of extremely well-received puzzle suites, the most recent of which is here.
Patrick’s current gigs include writing themeless puzzles for the New Yorker, mini-variety puzzles in the New York Times Sunday Magazine, variety puzzles for the Wall Street Journal, and metas for outlets such as the Wall Street Journal, Fireball Crosswords — and, today at least, here at MGWCC!
And now, let’s see what Patrick has in store for us today…
THIS WEEK’S INSTRUCTIONS:
This week’s contest answer is a famous work of fiction.
Solve well, and be not led astray by words intended to deceive.