Enter you, a puzzle solver
SUNDAY PUZZLE — Hello to all summer solvers! This puzzle was made in honor of my roommate Ella, whose birthday is tomorrow! 🎂 (Everyone say happy birthday). Summer is zooming by, and I can’t believe it’s already mid-July. Anyway, I’ve really enjoyed working on this puzzle over the past few weeks, and I hope you all enjoy solving it as well! If you have any questions or comments (or happy birthday wishes for my roommate), please feel free to email me at jlubke@umich.edu. If you have any general comments you can email crosswords@umich.edu. Happy solving!
Tricky Clues
9A. First, the clue “Henry VIII’s house” refers to TUDOR, which is something I admittedly knew very little about until making this puzzle. Here’s a quick little history lesson for those interested: The House of Tudor was an English dynasty that was founded after Henry Tudor defeated King Richard III in 1485, which also ended the Wars of the Roses. He then ruled as King Henry VII until his death in 1509, when his son Henry VIII took over the throne 🤓. I also am obliged to recommend the musical “Six,” which recounts the stories of his six wives (and also just has some great songs).
5D. Thirdly, the clue “Kerfuffle” refers to ADO, which means unnecessary fuss or commotion. I wanted to add some smaller Shakespearean references scattered throughout the puzzle, and this one hints toward Shakespeare’s “Much Ado About Nothing,” of which there is another reference to on this very page. 👀
4D. Sixth and lastly, the clue “Best-selling ninja anime” refers to NARUTO. I’m currently slowly making my way through “Naruto: Shippuden” with my brother, and for those who don’t know, there are 500 episodes. We may only be on episode 59, and the animation may sometimes be pretty bad, and the plot may sometimes stall for a few episodes, but I still always look forward to watching an episode.
54D. Secondarily, the clue “Pie cuts, essentially” refers to RADII. This clue reminds me of the best book I’ve ever thrifted, titled “Sir Cumference and the Great Knight of Angleland,” in which the main character and squire, Radius (son of Sir Cumference and Lady Di of Ameter), goes on a quest to earn his knighthood. Ella and I are both big fans of this book, so I was very happy I was able to fit this clue into the puzzle.
68D. To conclude, the clue “Cubby hole?” refers to DEN. This is a purposely misleading clue, since you might at first be fondly thinking of the storage compartment that, at least personally, I haven’t seen since preschool. However, this clue actually is referring to a bear or cub’s home.
Today’s Theme
My inspiration for this puzzle was based on Ella’s love for Shakespeare. We’ve seen many plays together over the past few years, so I wanted this puzzle to be themed around something she really enjoys. In this puzzle, I hid the clues to the revealer in circles that are part of other entries. As you can see below, the circled letters spell out the phrase “TO BE OR NOT TO BE,” the beginning of one of Hamlet’s most famous soliloquies. The revealer can then be found at 38-Across as PRINCE OF DENMARK, as that is Hamlet’s royal title in the play. Hamlet also happens to be Ella’s favorite play, as well as one of my favorites, so I had a lot of fun crafting the puzzle around this theme. I hope you enjoyed solving this puzzle, and happy birthday Ella! [Exit]
Answer Key:
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