Games World of Puzzles June 2023

It’s early April, and we’re preparing the June issue to go to press. Amid the hustle and bustle, GAMES WORLD OF PUZZLES celebrated an important milestone this past weekend: its first year as official sponsor of the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament (ACPT). Directed by Will Shortz, the New York Times Crossword Editor, the 45th annual iteration of the ACPT took place in Stamford, CT, from March 31 through April 2. Representing GAMES WORLD OF PUZZLES at the event were Editor Raymond Simon and Contributing Editor Andrew Parr. Simon and Parr toiled hard all weekend as ACPT officials: collecting and distributing crosswords, and checking contestants’ finished puzzles. Their work was appreciated and needed, as the ACPT set an attendance record this year, with 780 registrants from 44 states. Busy as they were, Simon…

Each answer in this crossword variation has two clues leading to it, using different meanings of the word. The clues are separated into Across and Down, but are otherwise ordered randomly. When you find two Across or two Down clues that seem to have the same answer, add up their clue numbers to determine the place in the grid at which the answer should be entered. For example, if the clue for 1-Across were “Metallic element” and the clue for 17-Across read “Starring role,” the answer would be LEAD, which would go in 18-Across (1 + 17). Tags such as “Hyph.” and “2 wds.” have been omitted. ANSWER, PAGE 70 ACROSS 1 Shutting 2 Presidential advisory group 3 Response to a correct answer 4 Spoil, as a movie ending 5 Give a name to 6 Factory supervisor 7 Diana Ross…

There is one place for each letter of the alphabet in the 26 empty squares of each blank column in the diagram below. Fill in each letter so that a word of at least five letters is formed reading across only. Not all of the letters to the left and right of the empty box are used; it’s up to you to determine which ones are needed to complete familiar words. Some letters may fit in more than one of the empty squares to complete words, but we only came up with one arrangement that would complete a word in each row. Proper names are not allowed. ANSWER, PAGE 71 52-SKIDDOO…

Selling houses can be an up-and-down business: There are busy periods and there are slow periods. During one busy month Randolph managed to sell five of the houses listed by his agency. Each house is a different style (bungalow, Cape Cod, ranch, split-level, and Victorian) and a different size (from five rooms to nine rooms). The last names of the five homebuyers are: Barnes, Holmes, Houser, Shackley and Villa. Can you determine the order in which Randolph sold each house, its new owner, size, and style? ANSWER, PAGE 70 1. The last house sold is one room smaller than the first house sold. 2. The Cape Cod was not sold to the people named Villa. 3. The split-level was sold later than the Cape Cod, but earlier than the house sold to the people…

ANSWER, PAGE 70 ACROSS 1 Trade treaty, for example 5 Flooded, as ships’ decks 10 Tiny nuclear energy source 14 Lab gel 15 Spitefully nasty 16 “Nothing” number 17 Having staying power: Hyph. 19 Additionally 20 Transparent 21 Jetty 22 Battle Cry author Uris 23 Delayed: 2 wds. 25 Hangout for hangers 27 Veggie in vichyssoise 29 Clapton classic 32 Pony (up) 35 Grow some pearly whites 39 Frying need 40 Stitch up 41 Crept in very, very quietly 42 Be over 43 Jima lead-in 44 Reach 45 Very nervous 46 Noted Titanic passenger John Jacob ___ 48 Smooching equipment 50 Utterly outrageous 54 Grub grabbers 58 Bobby Flay is one 60 Mrs. Dithers of “Blondie” 62 Vintage brooch 63 56th mayor of Chicago Lightfoot 64 Speechless: Hyph. 66 Cain’s brother 67 Folks with PCs 68 Famous Born Free cat 69 À la ___ (with ice cream) 70 Mexican $$ 71 Witnesses DOWN 1 Remedy for holey pants 2 Lithely lively 3 Caravan critter 4 Sewing-machine pedal 5 Pass with flying colors 6 Yellow jacket, for example 7…

Here’s a quiz for solvers of all ages. The answer to each clue is a word, phrase, or name, containing either the word OLD or the word NEW. So, for example, the clue “Kids’ card game” would lead to the answer OLD MAID, while “FDR’s domestic programs” would be NEW DEAL. Ready to give it the old college try? ANSWERS, PAGE 72 1. Andrew Jackson’s nickname ______________________________________________________ 2. Big boy band of the ’80s and ’90s ______________________________________________________ 3. PBS home-improvement show ______________________________________________________ 4. Jerry Seinfeld’s nemesis ______________________________________________________ 5. Its deodorants include “Swagger” & “NightPanther” ______________________________________________________ 6. Change for the better ______________________________________________________ 7. Black comedy starring Cary Grant ______________________________________________________ 8. Hit single for Tom Jones ______________________________________________________ 9. Merry soul of nursery rhymes ______________________________________________________ 10. Classic song by U2 ______________________________________________________ 11. Hemingway novella ______________________________________________________ 12. Seafood dish with cream, cognac, and cayenne pepper ______________________________________________________ 13. Rembrandt or Vermeer, e.g. ______________________________________________________ 14. She played Maeve Millay in Westworld ______________________________________________________ OLD & NEW 1. Old…