Pun of a Kind

PDF  /  PUZ Hello hello! The Cubbies might seriously be sellers at the deadline. (I'd love to see how increasingly forlorn these captions have appeared throughout the season, haha.) Hope everyone is staying cool! Here's a puzzle to help! --- 1.  Puzzle #98 answer: BINDI IRWIN Correct entries:  58 Shortest explanation: Six entries seem a little bit off - and that's because the entries are each missing the letter "I." The initial letters of these symmetrically placed entries are BNDRWN, which looks like a consonantal mishmash. Knowing the personality's name pattern is 5-5 might have us assume that the first three letters are from their first name and the second half from their last name. That'd be correct! A quick search of BND RWN DWTS does produce BINDI IRWIN , who is carrying on her father's legacy and who danced incredibly on her season of Dancing with the Stars , winning during Hough's last go-around as a pro. A bonus twist could have added to t

PDF  /  PUZ Hello hello! It's been tough going for the Cubbies, and...that's all I'm going to say about that. Stay cool, folks! --- 1.  Puzzle #97 answer:  JEJUNE Correct entries: 48 Shortest explanation: Each of the starred entries forms a synonym of "drab" with one letter changed (B E RING to B O RING, C ANAL to B ANAL, D A Y to D R Y, DU A L to DU L L, E LAND to B LAND, R APID to V APID). The old letter and the new letter of each entry are two of three letters in a 3-letter entry in the grid. The bonus letters in these 3-letter entries spell JEJUNE , an apropos synonym (and a word that sounds a lot less boring than it is!) from top to bottom. --- 2. This is going to be a Level 2.5 , but it is my goal that the next two will be Level 2 , at most. So easier ones are coming on the horizon! Good luck, and may all your solves be beautiful! Mikey G The answer to the meta is a personality whose first and last names are both 5 letters long.  

PDF  /  PUZ Hello hello! At least Shota Imanaga is pitching today - he has been, by far, the Cubs' best storyline in a pretty tumultuous start to the season, putting it lightly. (Though, Jay, your Yankees are crushing it!) I had pretty great feedback on Puzzle #96, for which I'm honored. Sometimes, you think you have a really cool idea - and the response is a mixed bag. This one was the inverse; I was like, "Yeah, this will be all right, I guess" - and people seemed to really enjoy it! 'Tis the puzzling life! --- 1.  Puzzle #96 answer: WRIGLEY FIELD Correct entries:  52 , perhaps a handful or so aided by some Friday nudges! Shortest explanation: There are only eight 3-letter entries in the grid, a bit low. Per the relevant themers and the spanner (SEATTLE, CHICAGO, TWO OUT OF THREE), arrange the 3-letter entries in such a way that two of the three letters in each spell out a state abbreviation, spanning a journey from Seattle, WA to Chicago, IL. (See Tamara's

PDF  /  PUZ Hello hello! The grad party circuit has begun, and that's taking me away from my Cubs games! I'll manage. Also, Ginger Cat is doing great, thanks for asking! (She's sleeping on her tower as I write this - what a life). --- 1.  Puzzle #95 answer:  SEINFELD Correct entries: 45 Shortest explanation: Ideally, dinner is edible! There are nine entries where either the entry, the clue, or both reference some actual food product. The initial letters of these entries spells MONK'S CAFE, the name of the local coffee shop in SEINFELD , the answer to this meta, which reached #1 in the Nielsen ratings in 1995 (numeric tie-in!). This was intended to be pretty straightforward, but it definitely was a mixed bag. While I did pepper the entries with a bunch of Seinfeld  references (similar to the Get Smart  one a while back), just focusing on the food itself was the intended mechanism. Thus, this is not a true Week 1/2, so I still owe you one this month (or maybe two next mon

PDF  /  PUZ Hello hello! I have little to say this morning, but don't worry! I'll let you know if the Cubs are ever good again. --- 1.  Puzzle #94 answer:  MULCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING Correct entries:  53 Shortest explanation: The eight silly themers each anagram to the name of a flower, and their initial letters spell out "MULCH ADO," which gives us the Shakespearean pun MULCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING , the answer to the meta. (This reminds me, I have a garden to tend to, but I'd rather just go to bed, har har). --- 2.  This one is meant to be a 1.5  to honor my pledge of at least one of these a month! Ratings will be kind of all over the place this June. Mikey G The answer to the meta is a well-known TV show.