Our Curious Conundrums series continues.
I'd like to share with you "The Man in Red, White and Blue" Don "Hard G" created. The grid looks simple on the surface, but the gimmick he employs and the extra traps he places to deceive put lots of restrictions in the construction.
Let us know your solving experience.
Thanks.
C.C.
Puzzle:
Here is puz file (Across Lite).
Here is PDF.
Spoiler: Here is the answer grid with yellow highlight for the theme gimmick.
I'd like to share with you "The Man in Red, White and Blue" Don "Hard G" created. The grid looks simple on the surface, but the gimmick he employs and the extra traps he places to deceive put lots of restrictions in the construction.
Let us know your solving experience.
Thanks.
C.C.
Puzzle:
Here is puz file (Across Lite).
Here is PDF.
Spoiler: Here is the answer grid with yellow highlight for the theme gimmick.
the spoiler is not the answer grid for this puzzle.
ReplyDeleteFinally had a chance to look at this.
ReplyDeleteI got (and liked) the theme, although it took awhile to realize I was looking for a single instance of WALDO instead of finding him all over the grid (lots of misdirection with all the Ws strewn about).
I had difficulty with some of the clues/fill, however. I appreciated a lot of the tricky clues, but I still have no idea what MGTS at 58D means ("Organizational systs. in place") or how DRAIN at 42A could possibly mean "Plug it up" (isn't it the exact opposite?)
And then there were the total unknowns, including WIREWAYS and ROD (which unfortunately crossed) as well as ASE and SDA (no, wait -- I just realized that must stand for Seventh Day Adventists).
Finally, that has got to be the most obscure way possible to clue WSW at 1D...
Too many obscure fills.
ReplyDelete57:15, and not proud of it. The only cheat was to verify the spelling of 51A.
ReplyDeleteFound several of "his" namesakes that followed the 37A/60A instructions only partially and/or somewhat haphazardly before I found the right one, i.e., the yellow one.
Some of the fill clues were indeed baffling for a while, but all groans were, as usual, followed by smiles.
CC, I can't get it to copy on PDF and across lit is in another alphabet, and doesn't even show up as a puzzle. Looks as if I have my own set of problems as others have worked it.
ReplyDeleteLast one we did copied beautifully.
I'll try later. Thanks.
61 down I had FDA.
ReplyDelete4 down Yule door stop Carolers. I had no idea.
51 Voir Dire
As defined by Gordon P. Cleary: "Voir Dire is the process by which attorneys select, or perhaps more appropriately reject, certain jurors to hear a case." I thought that was the definition.
29 down was a gimme after getting Ariel and Alcoa "L and "A" on the end then it hit me the former FLOTUS.
all in all a good puzzle makes you think and that's the point of the puzzle.
Very clever.
ReplyDeleteDNF. Some of the obscure clues crossing each other did me in.
Creature,
I cut and pasted the puzzle from PDF to WORD, then copied it.
1D: Learned (at least I think I did) that nor'easters more often come from the ENE than from the NNE or NE.
ReplyDelete6D: Haven't watched The Simpsons often enough to know the character, but... a laugh is a laugh.
17A: Didn't know the name, but when later checking Wikipedia, I did recognize the signature; from jigsaws.
23A: Had MEAL for a while before correcting to COAL.
36A: NANNY wouldn't fit.
42A: Stumbled for a moment ... until I asked myself "Plug what up?"
46D: Haven't watched the flick in so long that it was nice to be reminded which role was played by which actress.
47D: "city" as a verb? Oh, it's an adjectival past participle.
48A: ROD was a gimme, as he's long been on my list of favorite(?) singing voices, along with Satchmo, Carol Channing, Lee Marvin, and the Chipmunks.
50A: Never thought of innies as being/having holes, until I looked down at my own and all I could see was a small gap between the mounds of flab.
51A: Did know that "Voir dire" varies greatly in meaning/usage from country to country.
54A: Are ASE (and Anitra) relatives of Peer Gynt? I know the music but not the story.
58D: A gimme, but not especially likable; MGTs for the plural of "management".
My main problem in finding WALDO was that it did not look like one word in its placement. It looked like EWA...LD..OA. I would very much like to have seen the diagonal with blocks before the W and after the O, with no blocks intersecting the name.
ReplyDeleteSome of the clues were right up my alley, like "Plug it up" for DRAIN, and "Yule door stopper" for CAROLER.
Didn't like MGTS or AWN (That one didn't strike me as a canvas "structure"...maybe canvas "shade"?)
A fun Thurs-Fri level solve, though! Thanks for sharing.
Geez LOUISE, spent waaay too long picking my way through the minefields on this one but finally got it unaided. The SW corner had me for awhile until AVOWAL peeked out. Everytime I would run into something that didn't look right, I would would remember who dealt this mess and start looking for the horrible pun.
ReplyDeleteBottom line, I liked it, but then I do have a warped sense of humor.
Anonymous @ 12:30, I hope you weren't doing the puzzle in a public place... the visual of you pulling up your shirt and contemplating your navel cracks me up.
ReplyDeleteThanks for chiming in, everyone. This puzzle was experimental in many ways. I put in as many W's, A's, L's, D's, and O's as I could to make it challenging. I also purposely cut the diagonal WALDO across sections of blacked in squares. The clues were probably more in the development stage then polished off, seeing as I haven't had much time this past week to do anything but work. I didn't think this puzzle had a chance to be published, being a one-shot gimmick, with no way to identify the find. But I thought it might be worth sharing with solvers who might appreciate something different.
ReplyDeleteI downloaded it with AcrossLite and got 'er done with lots of stumbles. I didn't especially like 'Plug it up' for DRAIN, CITIED, MGTS or AVOWAL. The theme was fun though I couldn't tell that WALDO was only supposed to occur once so when I found it, I didn't get an AHA!
ReplyDeleteI think the theme was fun and the puzzle would be first class with a little tweaking. On the other hand, my opinion is worth just what it costs.
Don, you are a genius of a constructor, without a doubt.
ReplyDeleteThis was formidable and I was able to do most of it unassisted but had to resort to Google for WHERESWALDO since I was unfamiliar with the author.
Also looked up VOIR dire since I don't know legal terms, and the names of the stars refuse to stay with me.
This was definitely challenging and that is what I most enjoy in a puzzle.
Thanks, Don. Insomnia drove me to finish it.
I failed miserably here. Only had 9 clues correct after stumbling for two days on and off, when I gave up. Too many names and sports things for me to have a chance. I had XMAS/NOEL and STIR/STEW which made those areas impossible as well as other errors which meant perps weren't helping at all.
ReplyDeleteIt took me 55.41 to do it. Found 17A "where's Waldo" mainly thru perps. I enjoyed the puzzle although some of the clues seemed a bit obscure. But it was certainly doable.
ReplyDeleteDidn't realize I was supposed to actually FIND Waldo until I finished the puzzle and checked the writeup. Then I saw CC's highlighted answer grid. Ergo, I missed some of the fun of solving the puzzle since I didn't get that I was supposed to look for his name ON THE DIAGONAL. Alas.
All in all, a very good learning experience. Can only help me with my solving skills, no?
Thanks, Don G foe a good time overall.