By Tom Toce
Once again, a puzzle from Bob Fink and Jerry Miccolis. They write:
As cryptic crossword constructors, we often view the letters of the alphabet as “children at play.” Well, we’ve taken that concept quite literally in this puzzle. Playing a popular children’s party game is a prerequisite to fitting the answers to thirteen clues into the grid. (Those special thirteen should be easy to identify.) During each of those games, you’ll find that a particular child will be a standout. Those outstanding children, taken in grid order, will spell the game you and the children have been playing. Your submission should include the completed grid and the name of the game.
This puzzle may be on the challenging side. For those who would like an assist, thirteen additional clues are provided in Hint Box #1 below—these clue the special thirteen entries directly, i.e., as they appear after you play the game. You’ll still need to solve the original clues to identify the outstanding children. To make things a bit more interesting for you, those thirteen “post-game” clues are presented in random order. An additional assist can be found in Hint Box #2, where the mapping of the post-game clues to their corresponding pre-game clues is disclosed. While you’ll get full credit either way, please let us know whether you used one or both hints.
All entries but one, as well as all thirteen “pre-game” answers, are single words playable in Scrabble. Be wary of punctuation, which has been known to deceive.
Thanks, as always, to Tom Toce for test solving and editing.
Across
1. Furious about restricted way to broadcast video (9)
5. Distressed and weakened following onset of Lent (9)
10. Outspoken townie drops first fifty following victory (5)
11. Take off Eastern short cloak (6)
13. Wide corridor houses scenery (5)
14. Brief that’s opposing USSR successor? Excellent (7)
15. Pay up to see active volcano backfiring (4)
16. Fenced arboretum holds fragrant wood (5)
19. Following daffy theory, unconcerned with the odds (5)
21. Profane type of language around purest people (6)
22. Support second-rate competition (5)
25. Refined Democrat pursues sweetheart endlessly (5)
26. Turn and stare back (4)
27. Drink all night at California wake (7)
31. My Latin adverb ending is not florid (5)
32. Native surrenders second name and gets married to joint tenant? (6)
33. Uncle Rod, bar is downtown (5)
34. Doors to transports (9)
35. Forsaking sweet treat after school’s out—it’s not free of charge (9)
Down
1. Go to market wearing waistcoat? (6)
2. Lizard egg shell turns up on cold floor (5)
3. Eat local bananas and save (8)
4. Catch a glimpse of a sports award (4)
6. They pick English priest’s assistants (8)
7. Dandies trash Edward’s initial set of casual clothes (4)
8. Unclear about branch of physics (7)
9. Marched in then stormed off after blowing a thousand (6)
12. Place where parts are reassembled with no instruments (9)
17. Break bread with Erma and start to notice someone of extraordinary power (8)
18. Perfect beau lost out (8)
20. Hot headless shrimp is selected again (7)
23. Animated cinema is weak (6)
24. Wrote “Await a decision,” we hear (6)
28. Iron man to take extra innings? (5)
29. Auditor’s small meal is eight bits (4)
30. Leading lady’s nightlight? (4)
TOM TOCE is a retired FCAS and a member of the Jeopardy Hall of Fame. Solutions may be emailed to ttoce@nyc.rr.com. In order to make the solver list, you should send him your solutions by December 1, 2024.
Solution to Previous Issue’s Puzzle—Don’t Yuck My Yum
Across
1. YUPPIE—YUP (“Sure”) + PIE (“some pastry”)
4. BROMANCE—BCE (“A long time ago”) over ROMAN (“an empire”)
10. PEEPS—Double definition
11. BODACIOUS—BODAC (first letters of “but our daughter amassed considerable”) + IOUS (“ debts”)
12. EYE CANDY—EYE (“You might say I”) + CAN (“know how”) + DY (“Disney’s margins”)
13. EAT IT—(B)EAT IT (“leadoff hit by Jackson”)
16. HORSEFEATHERS—Homophone of HOARSE (“throaty sounds”) + FEAT (“exploit”) + HERS (“the woman’s”)
19. THROWING SHADE—ROW (“fisticuffs”) inside THINGS HAD + E (“aggressed at the Center”)
24. ROAST—Anagram of “Astor”
25. BENJAMIN—JAM inside BENIN
29. DREAMBOAT—Anagram of “matador? Be”
31. NEAT-O—Anagram of “atone”
32. CHILLING—CHIL(dren how)LING
33. OSCARS—Anagram of “across”
Down
1. YIPPEE—YE (“the old”) outside IPPE (anagram of “pipe”)
2. PIECE—Homophone of PEACE (“tranquility”)
3. INSEAMS—Anagram of “Mensa is”
5. RIDE—STRIDE (“straddle”)—ST (“second thoughts at the outset”)
6. MACBETH—BE inside MACTH (“pitching match”)
7. NEO—Anagram of “one”
8. ERSATZ—E (“Eastern”) + RSATZ (“tzars maneuvering”)
9. IBID.—I + BID (“make an offer”)
14. TIRED—(AT)TIRED (“Dressed after two”)
15. BANG—BAN (“Boycott”) + G (“Gerwig’s last”)
17. O’SHEA—Inside “Gosh, each”
18. FAIL—F(L)AIL (“swing wildly after losing the first fifty”)
20. OPTIMAL—TIM (“director Robbins”) inside OPAL (“a gem”)
21. HIJINKS—HI (“Hey there”) + JINKS (homophone of JINX from “voodoo”)
22. IRIDIC—I (“one”) + first letters of “register improvement daily in class”
23. ENJOYS—JO (“one of the marches,” from Little Women) + reversal of SYNE (“the highland’s past”)
26. EFTS—(TH)EFTS
27. MOANA—MOAN (“Complain”) + A
28. BORN—Double definition
30. ELI—Inside “the line”
Solvers
Steve Alpert, Dean Apps, Bob Campbell, Lois Cappellano, Laura Cremerius, Jared Dashoff, Todd Dashoff, Christopher Dickens, Mick Diede, Deb Edwards, Jason Helbraun, Pete Hepokoski, Max Jackson, Ruth Johnson, Joe Kilroy, Paul Kolell, Mike Kosciuk, Ken Kudrak, Ben Lynch, Dave McGarry, Jim Muza, David and Corinne Promislow, Ram Raman, Bill Scott, Zig Swistunowicz, T. O. C. E. (Josh DenHartog and Sean Donohoe), James and Betsy Uzzell, Bonnie Veenschoten