Pun of a Kind

PDF  /  PUZ Hello hello! Insert obligatory sports news here. Posting early to avoid the MGWCC double-post, so no reveal until next week! --- This is a completely cromulent Level 4  - I presume it's a bit of a challenge, but I also believe it's doable. Thanks to Jangler for the test-solve. Good luck, and may all your solves be beautiful! Mikey G The answer to the meta is a 5-letter word.  

PDF  /  PUZ Hello hello! Indiana won the national championship, which is so well-deserved, and the ebullient Fernando Mendoza will likely be a Raider. Love that guy! Also hoping my Broncos can somehow beat the Patriots tomorrow with a backup QB to go to the Super Bowl. Wish us luck! --- 1.  Puzzle #163 answer:  JAMES MICHENER Correct entries:  82 Shortest explanation: The compass direction SOUTH and ocean PACIFIC were missing from the grid, suggesting "Tales from the South Pacific," the Pulitzer Prize-winning work from our meta answer JAMES MICHENER , my mom's favorite author! --- 2.  Puzzle #164 answer: BOWTIE Correct entries: 70 Shortest explanation: A bizarre grid, where you just have to follow the directive in the omega-across entry to find the message, drawn using four consecutive diagonal lines (top left to bottom right to top right to bottom left, back to the top left): "What six-letter accessory to my tux did you doodle here?" (That left column was ...

  PDF  /  PUZ Hello hello! Alex Bregman is also a Cub now and is endearing himself to the city of Chicago already. We love to see it! Early post today due to the MGWCC delay; that means we have no answer explanation - I guess we'll double up next week then! --- 1.  The main debate I've been having internally is if this one needed a hint at omega-across. I finally gave in and put one there, but this is still  Level 3  with that - and, depending on what you see, this could trend  Level 3.5 . Good luck, and may all your solves be beautiful! Mikey G The answer to the meta is an article of clothing.  

PDF  /  PUZ Slight PDF/PUZ adjustment for 60-A if you're solving there : "Prestigious literary award (the one for fiction won by our meta answer!) Hello hello! Cubs picked up Edward Cabrera as a pitcher, and I'm super pumped about that - but, first, we have football season. Go Broncos and Bears! --- 1.  Puzzle #162 answer:  ALPHABET SOUP Correct entries: 76 Shortest explanation: The challenge on my end was to create a pangrammatic set of soups in as few entrees as possible: we did it in 7! Note that all 7 soups (the word soup not mentioned in any clue!) contain the entire alphabet within them, implying our meta answer of ALPHABET SOUP . --- 2.  Happy birthday, Mike's mom! This puzzle is in her honor, and last week's played like a Level 1 anyway, so I think this will be a fair Level 1/2  also. Good luck, and may all your solves be beautiful! Mikey G The answer to the meta is my mom's favorite novelist.  

PDF  /  PUZ Hello hello! Happy 2026! In related news, do something, Cubbies. Honored to have last week's wild MGWCC. See Ben's write-up and my tribute to fellow puzzler and GAMES  contributor Bob Lodge here . --- 1.  Puzzle #161 answer:  TIMES SQUARE Correct entries:  55 Shortest explanation: Ten clues contain the numbers ZERO to TEN, all going down. Count them down from TEN to ZERO, and take the letter at the end  of each entry (so TENANT = T, LONINEHI = I, and so forth). You'll spell out TIMES SQUARE , the answer to this meta and  my equally titled inaugural meta I made five years ago this weekend! --- 2. I'll feed you that this is a bit inferential, but I think it's gettable. We'll start with Level 2  and see how that goes. Good luck, and may all your solves be beautiful! Mikey G The 2-word edible answer to the meta suggested by the grid is in the form (8, 4).  

PDF  /  PUZ Hello hello! The Cubs have done nothing yet on the offseason, by and large, so we'll see what happens. More importantly, I'm hoping all of you had a very merry Christmas and are enjoying the beauty and wonder of the season. There will be a double-post tomorrow with MGWCC, so here we are to kick off the 3rd annual Winter Solvestice . Here's the same graphic we bring out from storage each year: Gorgeous. This means we'll have a puzzle each week until the second week in March. Let's go! --- 1.  Puzzle #159a answer:  BOOED OFF Correct entries: 48 Shortest explanation: A bit tricky! Eight clues end in a word that rhymes with one of Santa's reindeer. Order these in standard order, then take the n th letter of each entry (1st of Dasher's, 2nd of Dancer's, 3rd of Prancer's, etc.). You'll get BOOED OFF , which rhymes with Rudolph, and is the answer to the meta. (Note that we avoided the ambiguity of the Dancer/Prancer rhyme order by having bot...

Hello hello! No, this meta was not planned, and yes, it's being randomly posted. Explanation here . So, contrasting with what I said before, this really   will be the final puzzle before Christmas (no, really, this time). No PDF/PUZ, just Crosshare below. --- Good luck, and may all your solves be beautiful! Mikey G The 2-word answer to the meta in the form (6, 6) is why this meta exists.