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: “Friend of Rin Tin Tin”
Instructions: This week’s contest answer is a breed of dog.
Answer: CHIHUAHUA
In a five-Friday month I aim to make Week 1 a gimme, meaning 600+ correct entries. But instead of a 4-inch putt this one turned out to be a three-footer; pretty easy, but definitely missable. Just 415 right answers rolled across the green and onto the leaderboard. ¡Ay chihuahua!
The pattern to spot among the four theme entries was: nine-letter words whose middle third was the same as the final third. They were:
17-A [Helping to get out of jail] = SPRINGING
11-D [Little Rockers, for instance] = ARKANSANS. I was hoping this would be the proper demonym and it was. Amusing.
59-A [Holds] = POSSESSES.
33-D [Italian director given an honorary Oscar in 1995] = Michelangelo ANTONIONI. If your parents name you “Michelangelo” you’d better become a great artist. No pressure or anything.
The 5th one is everyone’s favorite li’l doggie, the CHIHUAHUA.
Well, not everyone’s. EliSelzer says:
The bane of existence of every runner in Los Angeles.
brucery says:
Yo quiero crosswords
Steve Blais says:
You quiero my streak back
It’s back to 1! Let’s celebrate with the Alex Trebek Taco Bell ad:
Math Teacher Dave points out an interesting factoid:
El estado mas grande, el perro mas pequeño
(i.e., Chihuahua is the largest state in Mexico by area, but it’s also the smallest breed of dog)
Tyler Hinman writes:
This took me a terrifyingly long time for Week 1. Bodes well!
And finally, re ARKANSANS, Martin Davis writes:
I grew up in Little Rock and that clue took me way too long to figure out.
This week’s winner, whose name was chosen at random from the 415 correct entries received, is James Aslanis of Los Altos, Calif. In addition to a MGWCC pen, pencil, and notepad set, James will also receive a 1-year subscription to Matt Gaffney’s Daily Crossword.
THIS WEEK’S INSTRUCTIONS:
This week’s contest answer is a breakfast food that would’ve made a good seventh theme entry.
Solve well, and be not led astray by words intended to deceive.