Don’t blow your top trying to solve this puzzle!
SUNDAY PUZZLE — Hello everyone! This is Eleanor back with another Sunday puzzle for The Michigan Daily! I had an absolute blast putting together this grid since it’s my first puzzle that plays around with the physical positioning of the themed words. I hope you had just as much fun solving it as I did making it. If you have any comments or feedback about this puzzle, you can reach me at elsully@umich.edu. For more general questions and concerns, reach out to crosswords@umich.edu. Happy solving!
Tricky Clues
27A: This “Builder of Curiosity” isn’t anything related to surprises or anticipation but rather happens to be NASA! The Curiosity rover has been roaming Mars for more than 14 years now but only just discovered benzothiophene (an organic compound) for the first time this past April.
38A: You likely got this one if you’re into electrical engineering. RCS are “resistor-capacitor circuits,” which means exactly what it sounds like — these circuits contain both a resistor and a capacitor.
68A: This one was definitely tricky if you aren’t a Greek mythology fan. ATALANTA was a hunter of Artemis best known for her skill in the Calydonian boar hunt and her speed in the footrace against her suitors.
11D: It’s not a complicated clue, but this is definitely a tricky word. The synonym for “prayers” that this crossword is looking for is “ORISONS.” This word was much more commonly used in Middle and Early Modern English, so you may have gotten this one if you’re a fan of Shakespeare.
43D: Pop quiz in geolinguistics! With Andorra being one of the smallest countries in the world, it wouldn’t be surprising if you were unaware of its existence. However, this little European nation is unique in the fact that it is the only country with CATALAN as its official language. Catalan is a Western Romance language also spoken in Spain, France and Italy.
53D: This is another clue requiring some pretty solid geography knowledge. ODESSA (also spelled Odesa) is the third most populous city in Ukraine as well as a major seaport.
Today’s Theme
This puzzle really makes use of the positioning of its themed words. Looking through the grid, you can see GAS coming upward out of KRAKATOA (8-Down out of 24-Across), ASH coming out of ST HELENS (32-Down out of 54-Across) and LAVA coming out of VESUVIUS (45-Down out of 66-Across). I was inspired to put together a volcano-themed puzzle thanks to the Magic Tree House book “Vacation Under the Volcano.” If you didn’t read the Magic Tree House books in your childhood, it’s never too late to start!
Answer Key:
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