Don’t fret with this week’s puzzle!
SUNDAY PUZZLE — Hi puzzlers! Happy 4th of July weekend. I hope you all got a chance to celebrate, jump in the pool and maybe even see some fireworks. This holiday weekend has given me some time to craft this puzzle and I’m super excited to share it with you today. If you have any specific comments or questions about it, you can reach me at alishasg@umich.edu, and with general inquiries email crosswords@umich.edu. Happy solving!
Tricky Clues:
42A. The clue “Key again” refers to RETYPE. This one plays on the double meaning of the word key. That feels a little bit mean, so I apologize about that, but I hope you had a little “aha” moment when you figured it out that made up for any initial qualms.
63A. The clue “Amazon, Delaware, and Hudson are some” refers to RIVER. I looked to include rivers that have connotations other than their river – and all having a bit of a personal connection. Amazon is just the delivery platform, Delaware is a state – and a river that I visited recently, and Hudson – a popular baby name – reminded me of a particular new baby Hudson I met just last week.
64A. The clue “Ward of ‘The Fugitive’” refers to SELA. I’m sorry about this one, unless you’re a Fugitive fan – in which case hopefully it was a breeze. If you aren’t, this one may have been a stumper, but hopefully you learned something new, and maybe have been inspired to pick up a new TV show.
4D. The clue “Some are mini” is somewhat misleading, as it refers to VAN. VAN’s are often known for their colossal size and storage capacity so this one may be tough without thinking outside the box, or remembering America’s most trustworthy family car, the miniVAN.
14D. The clue “Jerks?” refers to SPASMS. As a reminder, the question mark signifies a clue with an alternate meaning. Rather than something like BULLY, which would be a literal answer, the alternate answer is SPASMS. I was about to simply put “Jerks” as the clue and then remembered the double meaning, which was a fun realization.
Today’s Theme:
I thought up this theme a little while ago, so I was super excited to share it with you all. It’s mostly about word position, and I hope it unveils itself as you solve, making for a fun process. Something tricky for solvers about this theme is that many of the words aren’t especially long, making the theme a little more subtle. For example, all the bodies of water, like OCEAN at 20-Across, POND at 22-Across, LAKE at 62-Across and RIVER at 63-Across, have clues and answers that may not stand out to someone as themes until they start to notice the trend of what is above those water sources. Words like SUSPENSION at 17-Across, DRAW at 19-Across, ARCH at 59-Across, and CANTILEVER at 60-Across. These are all types of bridges, but clued in a way that it may not be obvious until you get to the big reveal at 39-Across, WATER, under – fittingly so – BRIDGE at 33-Across. I hope you enjoyed solving this as much as I enjoyed creating it.
Answer Key:
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