By Tom Toce
I wanted to make a COVID puzzle, one where all the entries, or at least the across entries, pertained to what’s been going on the past year. It proved too hard to do all the across entries—believe me, we would have ended up with a very unsatisfying puzzle. So I decided, eight is enough. Consequently, eight of the across entries are COVID-related. Their clues are presented randomly, and the solver will have to determine where in the grid they go.
There are six proper nouns, one of which is a two-word answer. All the other entries are playable in Scrabble. There are no foreign words or unusual words. Ignore punctuation, which by the way includes capitalization, because sometimes I’m trying to fool you. You may even have to supply punctuation that isn’t there in order for a definition or a construction to make sense.
Thanks to Bob Fink, Eric Klis, and Jerry Miccolis for test-solving and protecting me from myself. And you from me.
| Across | Down |
| 5. Fashionable once upon a time where the bulls run | 1. Some people vomit travelling backwards and sway |
| 8. Resume filled with Socialist outlook | 2. Does sip randomly at prompt |
| 9. Ejections over slam misplayed | 3. A thousand sick following Dora’s treatment of thruway victims |
| 12. Criticize me and my friends about Babycakes | 4. Hopeless pair rot at O’Hare, maybe |
| 14. What happens after you cut is otherworldly | 5. Makes concrete inducements at the back end |
| 15. Inquire after Tuesday for assignment | 6. Put money where pocket watch goes? |
| 20. Partly bare-assed region | 7. Lively role Gal made new |
| 23. Designates resources | 10. Future stardom seen in semipro misery |
| 29. Starr saw hit epic movie | 13. Not going in for decorating after the first |
| 30. Conversational Latin 101 at 6:50 | 17. Little rascal permitted to be unqualified |
| 19. Cash for a pool mishap | |
| 21. Wait a bit for the chorus | |
| 22. Everything’s a go for Lena’s pal Marnie | |
| 24. Approach, as our biggest enemy has no chemistry | |
| 25. Bader’s restatement bristles | |
| 28. First flame follows fluid flaunt |
Quarantine clues
Single vaccine maker?
Swift response to COVID from Legend?
Some hair and some more hair found in isolation
Attend to reckless Unser
An old-fashioned C+ to a vaccine developer?
Focus in on madhouse medium
Possible fix lent to popular quarantine content provider
Obscure dogma skips clear of the peripherals
TOM TOCE is a retired FCAS living in New York City and is a member of the Jeopardy Hall of Fame. Solutions may be mailed to him at ttoce@nyc.rr.com.
In order to make the solver list, you should send him your solutions by June 1, 2021.
Previous Issue’s Puzzle—Phraseology
| Across |
| 5. GYRATE—(planETARY Galewinds) rev. |
| 7. EVENTFUL—EVE + NT + FUL[l] (l del.) |
| 9. ADMIRERS—(arm is red) ana. |
| 10. AGREED—A + GREED |
| 11. ALPHABETIZED—(baptized heal) ana. |
| 13. LEADING—LEA + DING |
| 15. LETTERS—L+E+T+T+E+R+S (hid every 4th) |
| 18. ALLITERATION —ALL + ITERATION |
| 21. NEURON—(new + Ron) homonym |
| 22. MONORAIL—(oilman or) ana. |
| 23. ANTECEDE—(teen aced) ana. |
| 24. MANAGE—MAN + AGE |
| Down |
| 1. FAMISHED—F(AM)ISHED |
| 2. REVERB—R(EVER)[o]B (o del.) |
| 3 BEDAZZLE —ED + A + puZZLErs |
| 4. STORED—lewiS TORE Dress (hid) |
| 6. YODELLER—Y+O+D+E+L+L+E+R (hid ends) |
| 7. ERSATZ—robbERS AT Zales (hid) |
| 8. USER—(sure) ana. |
| 12. DROOLING—DR + [f]OOLING (f del.) |
| 14. NO LONGER—NOLO + [u]NGER (u del.) |
| 16. TUTORING—TUT + ORING |
| 17. STYMIE—(my ties) ana. |
| 18. AIRMEN—(remain) ana. |
| 19. RENAME—R+E+N+A+M+E (hid ends) |
| 20. LEAN —Double Definition |
Solvers
Steve Alpert, Anthony Amodeo, Dean Apps, Jack Brauner, Bob Campbell, Lois Cappellano, Jared Dashoff, Todd Dashoff, Mick Diede, Dave Dougherty, Deb Edwards, Mendy Friedman, Hayley Gold, Phil Gollance, Pete Hepokoski, Catharine
