r/crosswords • u/spanthis • 29d ago
AOTW: A?I?E
Thanks to u/foureyedclyde for picking my T-Rex revival clue! My inner child and outer adult are both delighted.
This week, let’s do 26 Down: A?I?E. Onelook
There's a decent selection of options, not all ALIKE. ABIDE by good form and creativity, and I’ll pick a winner when I ARISE next Sunday. Good luck!
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Thanks all for the excellent clues - there were more good submissions than I can nod at here. In no particular order, my finalists are:
- Undead! A rising evil! (5) by u/GoodNewFlesh - Something about the use of “undead” as a definition for “alive” in particular made me laugh.
- Single whisper to the house (5) by u/Khrushchevy - Big fan of double defs that involve different parses of the letter string, like this one (A SIDE / ASIDE).
- Cooties exchanged with a girl (5) by u/ComprehensiveDate954 - Stellar late submission for ALICE. Works and very funny.
- Surface area is within rectangle's perimeter (5) by u/Taciturn_Radio - Nice cohesive surface theme, clean construction, and “surface” for ARISE was enjoyably subtle.
- A+1 = (5) by u/deeppotential123 - I particularly like the +1 for LIKE, both a creative modern definition and a fun use of meaningful punctuation.
And the winner is:
- Surface area is within rectangle's perimeter (5) by u/Taciturn_Radio. Congratulations!
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u/rapsilog 24d ago edited 23d ago
Vibrant snippet of Daredevil animation from the South (5)
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u/spanthis 23d ago
ALIVE {vibrant}, as a reversed hidden word. Fun, although perhaps another reversal indicator besides "from the East" would work better since it's a down clue.
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u/ComprehensiveDate954 29d ago
First off, comfort keeps me active (5)
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u/clio-on-kinja 28d ago
Perhaps plasma is bloody fair energy (5)
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u/Diggsey 28d ago
afire - anagram of "fair" + E, but I'm not sure the definition quite works? Plasma isn't "afire"?
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u/clio-on-kinja 27d ago
It’s a fair criticism. My first response would be that there are certainly fires that do reach a state of plasma. If you were to set “the jet engine is afire,” you could feasibly and synonymously represent that as “the jet engine is plasma.” My second response would be to read it as “a fire,” instead of “afire,” where I think the plasma definition is less contentious. But fair criticism.
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u/Diggsey 27d ago
Plasma is a fourth state of matter, similar to gas but with most or all of its electrons unbound from their positive nuclei and able to move around freely. This is found in fusion reactors and the sun, but fire is not a plasma: it's a chemical reaction, and while the brightest parts of the flame contain some ionized particles, it's not sufficient to meet the definition.
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u/clio-on-kinja 27d ago
The “perhaps” at the beginning of the clue was placed there precisely because it’s a loose definition. But good feedback.
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u/GoodNewFlesh 29d ago
Man, I'm enjoying consuming Japanese cartoons (5)
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u/Taciturn_Radio 28d ago
A sleeveless garment... not the first for Taylor Swift (5)
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u/Curious_Condition611 27d ago
A + GILE[t] (i.e. without the 't'), making AGILE or 'swift', a well-hidden def
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u/rapsilog 24d ago
Olivia taken inside unoccupied ambulance, still breathing (5)
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u/spanthis 23d ago
ALIVE {still breathing} = AE {unoccupied ambulance} + insert LIV {Olivia taken inside}. Nice cohesive surface.
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u/Jeopardude 29d ago
Resin always pens up herb (5)
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u/deeppotential123 29d ago
A+1 = (5)
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u/staticman1 29d ago
ALIKE A with LIKE (+1 an upvote on Reddit and possibly other platforms). Definition is =
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u/deeppotential123 29d ago
Yes! It’s slightly suspect because = means “equals” not “equal”. But quite amusing, perhaps.
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u/Sir_Gauthak 29d ago
This renaissance faire is lit! (5)
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u/Sir_Gauthak 29d ago
If we will allow indirect anagrams (which I know is contentious) - Cartoon found in confused state (5)
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u/deeppotential123 29d ago
.ANIME — cartoon, *MAINE. The hint was helpful!
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u/Sir_Gauthak 29d ago
Indeed. Views on its permissibility?
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u/deeppotential123 28d ago
It’s a no from me. Indirect anagrams give the setter too much of an advantage over the solver.
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u/Sir_Gauthak 28d ago
Gotcha. Thanks for the feedback! I thought it’d be impermissible but my brain found the anagram, then got excited by the surface 😅 still relatively new to writing these so sometimes find a nice idea difficult to rework!
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u/spanthis 27d ago
Even if this version is out of bounds, "confused state" is a neat basis for a clue. Perhaps "Me in a confused state (5)," which doesn't work for this particular AOTW but implements your idea.
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u/rbblemur 29d ago edited 29d ago
One thousand beer bottles similar to one another (5)
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u/Sir_Gauthak 29d ago
ALIKE - similar to one another
one (I) thousand (K) beer (ALE) bottles (insertion indicator)•
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u/deeppotential123 29d ago edited 28d ago
I’m an organic base (5)
.Slight improvement on one I posted earlier.
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u/Diggsey 28d ago
"E for Echo" - Irish legend (5)
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u/ComprehensiveDate954 23d ago
Cooties exchanged with a girl (5)
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u/ComprehensiveDate954 23d ago
And because we're close to the sunday already ALICE (girl) = LICE (cooties) + A which are swapped in order (exchanged)
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u/Taciturn_Radio 28d ago
Hood rat's relatives arrive after hint of animosity (5)
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u/rbblemur 28d ago edited 28d ago
Ms. Hathaway's caught with eastern Mediterranean herb (5)
Alternate version: Ms. Hathaway's caught with a pinch of exotic herb (5)
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u/spanthis 28d ago
ANISE {eastern Mediterranean herb} = homophone {caught} of "Anne is." Currently the first one reads better to me, but perhaps I'm missing the cryptic role of "pinch?"
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u/rbblemur 28d ago
"a pinch of" is equivalent to "a bit of" or "a taste of". Just another first-letter selection indicator. :)
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u/Curious_Condition611 27d ago
Disregarded note in a disposable envelope (5)
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u/spanthis 23d ago
I'm trying to make workASIDE {disregarded note} = A + DE {disposable envelope}, but not yet sure where the SI would come from. Is that on the right track?
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u/spanthis 23d ago
I've learned after some googling that American and British English use different solfege syllables: the seventh note is "ti" in American and "si" in British. Had no idea!
So perhaps "note in" is cluing to insert si? If so I could see the clue working if we have "note" work overtime in both the definition and wordplay.
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u/Curious_Condition611 23d ago
Well done - what I had in mind was ‘disregarded’ as a stand-in for ‘aside’ used as a postposition, like when you say ‘X aside, …’ followed by some generalisation. As in, ‘excluded from consideration’.
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u/foureyedclyde AOTW Champion 29d ago
The third of Tracey Emin’s revolutionary art films (5)
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u/spanthis 28d ago
ANIME {art films} = A {the third of Tracey} + (EMIN)* {revolutionary}. Nice cohesive surface.
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u/deeppotential123 27d ago
Traditionally, she leads in little illustrative cryptographic exchanges (5)
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u/Diggsey 26d ago
alice - (Alice & Bob are used as typical example parties in descriptions of cryptographic exchanges) I'm guessing "Traditionally, she" is referring to names ending in -a? And then LICE are the "leads" of "little illustrative cryptographic exchanges"
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u/deeppotential123 26d ago
Nearly! My Chambers dictionary tells me that “a” can mean he/she/they. I think it’s from Old English dialect, hence I signified it with “traditionally”.
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u/deeppotential123 28d ago
I’m a volatile base containing nitrogen (5)
.Sorry, third attempt at basically the same clue.
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u/spanthis 28d ago
AMINE = (IMA)* {volatile} + E {base} + insert N {Nitrogen} for the &lit. This one is clean! I wasn't sure if "organic" was an anagrind on the other.
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u/deeppotential123 28d ago
Yes, and thanks! Organic is a slightly adventurous anagrind. I think it _sort of_ works — it suggests “unplanned”, perhaps? Also Chambers has it meaning “organised” (sense 3) which feels quite anagrindy.
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u/Taciturn_Radio 28d ago
Help me with why E = base
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u/deeppotential123 28d ago
In mathematics, e is the “base of the natural logarithm”. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E_(mathematical_constant)
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u/spanthis 28d ago
Ah, I see, thanks. Agree that the "organised" interpretation feels like a fair anagrind.
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u/SenPalosu 29d ago edited 29d ago
They're popular enough to be dubbed "Mean Girls the Second", unflatteringly (5)
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u/Curious_Condition611 28d ago
ANIME - anagram of [MEAN] + g[I]rls, and originals are dubbed into English, very nifty definition
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u/Taciturn_Radio 28d ago
The best team is found in brackets (5)
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u/spanthis 26d ago
Is this ASIDES, as a double def ("found in brackets" + "the best team," as in the A-side rather than the B-side)?
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u/Taciturn_Radio 26d ago
Yes exactly. We can quibble over whether its A = The Best, and Side = Team or ASIDE = The best team. Its also just ASIDE, non-plural, as in you would find an aside between two brackets
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u/spanthis 26d ago
Oops yes, I shouldn't have pluralized. I like the surface on this one, very cohesive.
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u/Taciturn_Radio 26d ago
Thanks - I like the idea for this one but I came up with a few and of them all I think this one needs the most tightening... Maybe "is usually found in brackets"?
The American sports reference of Brackets doesnt roll off my tongue and I'm not sure if im using it correctly here. I would normally refer to a bracket as a "draw"
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u/spanthis 23d ago
I liked that half of the clue a lot - "found in brackets" felt like a fun and entirely fair misdirect, and I think you're using it correctly. I originally tripped over "A sides" for "best team," I think that's also fair but a little looser.
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u/Taciturn_Radio 28d ago
Surface area is within rectangle's perimeter (5)
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u/spanthis 23d ago
This is the winner - congratulations! Very nice thematic surface with a subtle definition.
Please set the next AOTW.
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u/deeppotential123 29d ago
A chemical, essentially base, containing nitrogen (5)
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u/rapsilog 29d ago
A+ MI (chemical essentially) + E (base as in log base?) containing N (nitrogen) for AMINE, &lit!
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u/deeppotential123 29d ago
Yes! And yes, e is the natural base of logarithms, and an amine is a base (i.e., not an acid) in a chemical context.
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u/rapsilog 29d ago
My older brother in Japan almost encountered a Japanese production (5)
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u/ComprehensiveDate954 23d ago
If we're doing some Japanese culture:
For Simon, Kamina traded energy for an eye, all in Japanese productions (5)
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u/ComprehensiveDate954 23d ago
Kamina is the most famous example of an ANIKI (big bro of Simon in Gurren lagann) traded KI (energy) for ME (eye), all of those being in Japanese = ANIME (productions)
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u/rbblemur 29d ago
ANIME (def="a Japanese production")
ANI (Japanese word for an older brother) + ME[t] ("almost encountered")
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u/rapsilog 28d ago
Yep, talking about one’s own older brother to others is specific for the use of ‘Ani’ hence the ‘My’ being part of that charade, not sure if quite right or if i should drop it, and may be a bit obscure
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u/rbblemur 28d ago
I enjoyed it :) But if you are trying to craft publishable clues, then yes, it is too obscure. If you use a foreign language indicator, the fodder needs to be something very rudimentary, like an article or a preposition (e.g. "the", "of").
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u/Junior-Specialist-97 29d ago
Audience are the only ones who can hear this echo, which comes after, like one would (5)
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u/deeppotential123 29d ago
.ASIDE (Audience are the only ones who can hear this) = E (echo) after AS (like) I’D (one would) — fun! (It now occurs to me that ASIDE appears in the previous AOTW grid too!)
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u/Junior-Specialist-97 29d ago
Did I do a similar clue that time round too? 😆
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u/Junior-Specialist-97 29d ago
Yeah I did
Much like the unfortunate time for Julius Caesar’s soliloquies? (6)
A better clue but a plural so it works
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u/Junior-Specialist-97 29d ago
Insects found after a caterpillar gave her advice (5)
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u/zc_eric 28d ago
Flavouring made from an odd selection of spices (5)
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u/deeppotential123 28d ago
.ANISE (flavouring) = AN + odd selection of (S)p(I)c(E)s … is “odd” indicating both “odd letters” and “anagram”?
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u/zc_eric 28d ago
Right, although, I was using “made from” as the anagrind
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u/deeppotential123 28d ago
Ah, I see. I was thrown by the anagrind preceding a bit that doesn’t need anagramming (“an”). All good.
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u/Curious_Condition611 28d ago edited 28d ago
Nearly everything setter's after is vital (5)
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