S
P
O
I
L
E
R
S
P
A
C
E
Two-step solution last week; many solvers saw the first step pretty readily, but the second was trickier. Here’s how it went:
Step one: each long across entry could be paired with another grid entry if you added “half-” to the beginning, like so:
SEMICIRCULAR = [HALF-]MOON
SIMPLETON = [HALF-]WIT
PREVARICATION = [HALF-]TRUTH
PHONE IT IN = [HALF-]ASS
ILL-CONCEIVED = [HALF-]BAKED
Step two was to take the clue numbers of MOON, WIT, etc., cut them in half, and find the letter at that point in the grid:
2d. MOON -> 1. S
36a. WIT -> 18. P
46a. TRUTH -> 23. L
52d. ASS -> 26. I
76a. BAKED -> 38. T
So the answer was SPLIT.
Next up, Puzzle #63, “A Thing of the Past.” ***Update***: the original puzzle had a mistake in a clue; nothing to do with the meta. (13-down is a surname for which I gave two options, but they’re spelled differently …) I’ve fixed the error in the updated puzzle files below:
The answer to the metapuzzle is a six-word phrase, and what I hope I have been doing in the recent past. Submit your answer using the contact form by 11 pm Pacific Time on Monday, June 8. I’ll publish a new puzzle next Tuesday.
To keep up with the puzzles: Twitter @pgwcc1; follow the blog for email reminders; rss feed if you’re set up for that.
