Ryan and Brian Do Crosswords

So, for those who haven’t heard, I have constructed my first crossword puzzle.  It’s not intended for publication.  I’m in the process of sending out my headshots to commercial agents and casting directors so I created a TV commercial themed puzzle which I’ll put on the bottom half of my cover letter.  Perhaps this will make them stop and take notice of me or perhaps they’ll laugh and throw it and my headshot in the trash.  Who knows?  Anyway I thought I’d share it with all of you.  Just so you know, I’ve gone for simple rather than clever.  Non-puzzle solvers will be looking at it and I wanted something that would not frustrate anybody.  The theme is very straight forward.  I came up with all but one or two clues on my own.  I checked xwordinfo on a couple entries in order to get an easier clue than I could think of myself.  Doug has already told me to change 47-Across to something easier but, so far, I haven’t been able to bring myself to do it.  Here it is in PUZ and PDF format.  I’d love to know what you think.

On to today’s extremely clever puzzle by Ashish Vengsarkar and Narayan Venkatasubramanyan.  This is one of the most clever themes I’ve seen in quite a while.  Even after I had figured it out I still had to figure it out some more in order to really figure it out.

The title is Literally So.

23A. –IRC-MS-ANCES (TAKE OUT OF CONTEXT).  When I first saw the clue I thought it was texting speak.  Besides LOL (which I hate) I don’t know much texting speak so I didn’t think I was going to enjoy the puzzle.  But, looking closer, the clue is actually the word CIRCUMSTANCES with the letters C-U-T removed.  Someone’s CUT (or “share of booty”) can also be called someone’s TAKE.  CIRCUMSTANCES can also be referred to as CONTEXT.  And the CUT is out of the CIRCUMSTANCES, hence, TAKE OUT OF CONTEXT.  Brilliant.  I love this theme.

36A. ANTI—VERNMENT UN—ST (BLOODLESS REVOLUTION).  GORE (or “blood”) removed from ANTIGOVERNMENT UNREST (or “revolution”).

52A. AR—CL- (THE MISSING LINK).  I think this one is my favorite.  TIE removed from ARTICLE.  THE, in grammar, is an ARTICLE.  A TIE can also be a LINK so THE MISSING LINK.  Awesome.

70A. P—ARY CARE PHY-ICIANS (DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS).  RIMS removed from PRIMARY CARE PHYSICIANS.

86A. FI-TH WH—L (SPARE NO EXPENSE).  FIFTH WHEEL (or “spare) with the FEE (or “expense”).

98A. WHAT A –ANDA DOES IN –EIS-RELY FA-HION (EATS SHOOTS AND LEAVES).  A PANDA EATS SHOOTS and the phrase is missing the PLUS (or “and”).  So the AND has left.

121A. W—THL-SS R-AD-TER (LEMON DROP COOKIES).  A LEMON  (or “the last car I owned which is sitting somewhere on the side of the Massachusetts Turnpike gently mocking me”) with OREOS taken out (or “dropped”).

I’m sure if you’re here and reading this you’ve probably already figured all of this out but I needed to write it down just so I was sure I understood everything that was going on here.  Let me say again, this theme is wonderful.  Really, really fun wordplay which is what crossword puzzles (especially the Sunday crossword) is all about.  Bravo, Ashish and Narayan.

The theme is so great I can almost overlook 112-Across.  Almost.  I’m not even going to type it here.  I will not sully our blog with that most hated 4-letter entry.

The top half of this puzzle completely mystified me for a good long while.  I still have not seen even part of any episode of American Idol so 1-Across could have been anything.  I’ve also never heard of AFTA so 1-Down wasn’t easy either.

Over on the other side I put MASK instead of EGGS for Halloween purchase and, directly below, I put TANK instead of LEAK for Scuba diver’s worry so I was all kinds of screwed up over there as well.

But, eventually, I figured it out and my no-google streak currently stands at 1.

Wonderful puzzle.

Next stop, Monday.