Take this puzzle for a spin!
SUNDAY PUZZLE —Hello puzzlers! My name is Tobin, and I’m back with my third summer puzzle! Crosswords have become quite a big part of my life. This summer, I’m currently in the process of trying to get published in a major publication like The L.A. Times or The New York Times. So that means when I went to the beach earlier this week, a locale where one might opt for tanning or swimming instead of solving crosswords, I chose the latter. I did swim, though, and boy is Lake Michigan still freezing! If you have any specific feedback for the puzzle, feel free to reach out to me at tobinsax@umich.edu! More general concerns or questions can be sent to crosswords@umich.edu. Happy solving!
Tricky Clues
15A: Crossword clues with a question mark signal that some wordplay is going on, and some thinking outside of the box is required. “Buzz word?” is not assessing your knowledge of trending terms, but rather hinting at APIAN, which is an adjective that means relating to bees.
20A: If you’re not an East-Coaster, you may be unfamiliar with RPI, the “engineering sch. in Troy, N.Y., which is actually the oldest engineering school in the U.S.!
43A: Oftentimes, crossword constructors will try to sneak in one or two additional clues that nod to the theme in some kind of way — it helps if the revealer can be interpreted in different ways. The thing that “two masked individuals might be behind” is not a robbery or using a getaway car, but HOME plate in baseball, as the catcher and umpire both wear masks.
58A: Here’s a geography fun fact for you: ALASKA is the only U.S. state with the only capital (Juneau) not accessible by road.
1D: This is my favorite clue in this puzzle, because it’s not impossible to get if you’re up to date with pop music, but it still involves some wordplay! SABRINA Carpenter does not work in construction, but she does sing about giving a “House Tour,” which surely isn’t a metaphor.
6D: I love poker, but I’m not ashamed to admit I have to look up the rankings of the different hands each time I play. If you’re like me, then you’ve come to the right place to learn that A PAIR beats an ace-high.
35D: I could’ve gone with a simpler math definition for this clue, but since I want to be a calculus teacher, I like to throw in any calculus trivia where I can. “What an integral represents for the area under the curve” is the SUM of that area.
Today’s Theme
A lot of crossword themes spawn from taking common phrases that seem to only have one meaning, and applying a literal interpretation or twist to it. For me, this is what makes crosswords so appealing, as they constantly reinvent language. Today’s revealer, at 63-Across, is GETAWAY CAR. You might be inclined to think the starred entries relate to a bank heist or car models, but no, this revealer tells you that in order to understand how to fill in the starred clues, you need to remove the word “car” (or tell it to “get away!”) from the entries. Then, at 17-, 26-, 38- and 53-Across, we have (CAR)BOHYDRATES, REIN(CAR)NATES, (CAR)ICATURIST and BALL(CAR)RIERS, respectively.
Answer Key:
The post Escape Plan appeared first on The Michigan Daily.
