LAST WEEK’S RESULTS:
Title: “That’s a Stretch”
Prompt:This week’s contest answer is a Disney movie.
Answer: PINOCCHIO, found by 584 solvers, of which 569 were solo solves
11×11 grid for last week’s puzzle, and nine of the answers were legit crossword entries but made no sense with their clues:
10-A: [Device attached to an avid reader’s nightstand] = BEDLAM
11-A: [Hindu honorific] = SWAM
15-A: [Toward the back of the ship] = ASTER
16-A: [State of uncertainty] = LIMB
19-A: [Mr. Guinness] = ALE. Guinness makes ales, but still not quite right.
20-A: [Second-to-last element, alphabetically] = ZIN
34-A: [Seating option at a restaurant] = BOOT
35-A: [Drink with its own glass] = MARTIN
40-A: [Money, casually] = DINER
Make it make sense! Easy: attach one letter to the end of each, and suddenly they’re correct!
10-A: [Device attached to an avid reader’s nightstand] = BEDLAMP
11-A: [Hindu honorific] = SWAMI
15-A: [Toward the back of the ship] = ASTERN
16-A: [State of uncertainty] = LIMBO
19-A: [Mr. Guinness] = ALEC
20-A: [Second-to-last element, alphabetically] = ZINC
34-A: [Seating option at a restaurant] = BOOTH
35-A: [Drink with its own glass] = MARTINI
40-A: [Money, casually] = DINERO
Those added letters spell PINOCCHIO, whose nose grew the more he lied. These entries did the opposite (became true with the longer answer) but the world is filled with irony so let’s just roll with it. Thanks to Gridmaster T for the above solution.
GUEST CONSTRUCTOR THIS WEEK:
You probably know Ben Chenoweth from his meta site, MOAT (Metas on a Tuesday). So it’s fitting that he’s filling in here during this bizarre week where MGWCC is published on a Tuesday! See Ben’s previous MGWCC for his pic and bio, and thanks to Ben for chipping in again.
This one isn’t as tough as a standard Week 4 so I’m offering the usual Week 1 solving options for those who want a tougher challenge (no instructions, downs-only, or both). Good luck!
THIS WEEK’S INSTRUCTIONS:
No instructions given here since there are no-instructions options this week.
Solve well, and be not led astray by words intended to deceive.