Pun of a Kind

PDF  /  PUZ Hello hello! Anthony Rizzo will retire as a Cub today at Wrigley Field, and you'd be hard-pressed to find someone more universally beloved within our franchise. What an honor for him! Today concludes the 4th annual Summer of Solves . Many thanks to all who participated! I appreciate all of you so much. --- 1.  Puzzle #150 answer:  CLASS CLOWN Correct entries: 89  - can't get much more Level 1 than that! Shortest explanation: The four silly themers have words that rhyme with, well, CLASS CLOWN , about as Level 1 of a meta as you could get. I still  had confirmation with STALE (clued as "word before 'mates'," which also satisfies CLASS) and DRIVE ("word after 'rodeo'," which also satisfies CLOWN). Note also the CL- Roman numeral connection for puzzle 150! --- 2.  It can always be a tough level to construct, but this is a legitimate Level 2 to close out the season. I'll see you every other week until winter, in which I hope inspi...

PDF  /  PUZ Hello hello! After all the ups and downs this season, it's nice that the Cubs are still playing relevant baseball in September. We'd play the Padres if the season ended today in a wild card matchup at Wrigley. Wish us luck! --- 1.  Puzzle #149 answer:  2025 Correct entries:  55 - that's a  Level 3.5/4  indeed! Shortest explanation: Take the nine entries with perfect squares 1 to 81. Square root these numbers, and index the entries' letters (so first letter from the clue with a "1," second letter from the clue with a "4," and so forth). You'll spell out FORTY-FIVE, which is not  a number less than 100, so per the title, square that to get 2025 , our current year and the apropos answer to the meta! --- 2. This was meant to be the last puzzle of the Summer of Solves, but I do have a bonus one next week before we go every other week until winter. This one is a Level 1  (really). Good luck, and may all your solves be beautiful! Mikey G...

PDF  /  PUZ Hello hello! The Cubs got swept in San Francisco - the last team to be swept in a three-game series this year! I'll take this year, and the park is gorgeous, but the Giants are a .500 team. Oh well, onward! --- 1. Puzzle #148 is still live upon publication of this - so the reveal will come in due time! --- 2. Posting early to avoid MGWCC conflict. I had an idea for this puzzle earlier this week and went with it! Thanks to Alan and Kay for test-solving and giving invaluable feedback on such short notice. We'll say Level 3/3.5 to close out the month. Good luck, and may all your solves be beautiful! Mikey G The answer to the meta is a number greater than 100.  

PDF  /  PUZ Hello hello! Somehow, the Cubs won the series against the Brewers, which righted the ship a bit. We're on a road series now against sub-par teams...hope this helps! --- 1.  Puzzle #146 answer:  CIPHER Correct entries:  68 Shortest explanation: You need to enter into the land of binary conversion for this one! Treat the six 8-letter entries as strings of binary, with "I"s being "1"s and other letters being "0"s. Each of these strings converts to a letter, per an online binary-to-text converter (or ASCII chart, as some have told me!). You'll get CIPHER , the answer to the meta. --- 2.  My planned Level 4 today is apparently a Level 44, so I need to go and figure out if that one's salvageable. Meanwhile, we have a Level 3.33  I've had on the backburner for a bit - Mr. Gaffney just had a puzzle with this title, so no time like the present! Good luck, and may all your solves be beautiful! Mikey G The answer to the meta is an 8-letter...

PDF  /  PUZ Hello hello! Well, I hope your team is winning at least, haha. --- 1.  Puzzle #146 answer: CHAMP Correct entries: 59 Shortest explanation: A little more niche than usual - apologies for the sportsball! The five surnames, while clued differently, all could be found as players on my beloved 2016 Chicago Cubbies. Take their uniform numbers (per clue to CUBS) and, in order of the names as they appear, the letters spell out CHAMP , the answer to the meta! (And what the Chicago Cubs might be again in my lifetime...maybe.) --- 2. We progress through August with a Level 3  - might hover a bit below or above that, so we'll see what happens. Good luck, and may all your solves be beautiful! Mikey G The answer to the meta is a 6-letter word.  

PDF  /  PUZ Hello hello! Cubbies are in a brutal stretch right now - not really sure what's going on. One day at a time, of course! But we need to go on an extended winning streak and haven't done that in a good long while. Time will tell! --- 1.  Puzzle #144 answer:  AUGUST WILSON Correct entries:  78 Shortest explanation: Level 1 meta but the grid was a bear to get through! Find the "pens" of five like letters surrounding another letter, mostly on the left and right columns. The pens spell out FENCES, and the enclosed letters spell AUTHOR. You may already know it, or a quick search to Mr. Google shows us that the author of the Pulitzer-winning "Fences" is the timely AUGUST WILSON , our answer to the meta. --- 2.  This should be a Level 2  or maybe a Level 2.25  once you do what you have to do. Good luck, and may all your solves be beautiful! Mikey G The 5-letter answer to the meta might be what you feel like if you're dressed for success.  ...

PDF  /  PUZ Hello hello! Cubbies got four players before the trade deadline - but not a starting pitcher! The market was tough, and it was probably better holding onto some of our stellar prospects. We'll see if our pitching can take us far enough into the postseason. Have to get through August and September first! --- 1.  Puzzle #144 answer:  DIME A DOZEN Correct entries: 55 Shortest explanation: Kind of a SAD one. The five extremely contrived clues to the 12-letter spanners (which took a while to write!) have exactly 10 of the 12 unique letters from the spanner within them. Thus, each spanner has two "leftover" letters; when spelled out in grid order, you get DIME A DOZEN , a nice connection to both the numbers 10 and 12, and the answer to the meta. --- 2. Welcome to the final month of the Summer of Solves! I planned to start with a Level 1, but this one got a bit away from me, perhaps, so Level 2  it is! Good luck, and may all your solves be beautiful! Mikey ...

PDF  /  PUZ Hello hello! I'm not sure where in the world these White Sox came from after the All-Star Break, but I'm here for it, honestly! (Except after they trounced my Cubbies last night.) Trade deadline before the next puzzle releases, so hopefully we'll have some new players by then! --- 1.  Puzzle #143 answer: FRED ROGERS (MR. ROGERS) Correct entries:  72 Shortest explanation: The "X"-shapes in the grid spell out "THE OWL." The other numeric signposts lead us to the fact that the only other word in the fictional character is a...one letter long? Yes, simply "X." String together "X THE OWL" (in quotes!) and go to Mr. Google if you need to, and you'll see he was performed by (and likely created by) beloved MR. FRED ROGERS , the answer to our meta in honor of #143, one of his favorite numbers (for it enumerating "I love you"). --- 2.  This was slated to be Week 4 of 4 in July, but the testers are all converging around...

PDF  /  PUZ Hello hello! An incredible All-Star weekend! National League won both  the Futures and All-Star games, Cal Raleigh had an incredible Home Run Derby, and the Cubs are back in fine form! Let's do this! --- 1.  Puzzle #142 answer:  MINT CHOCOLATE CHIP (or any ice cream with those initials, I guess, haha) Correct entries:  73 Shortest explanation: The four "meals" have initials that are roman numerals: C (100), CDL (450), CCL (250), CD (400). Add these numbers to get 1200, or MCC, in honor of MINT CHOCOLATE CHIP , my favorite. (There are probably others, though, as several have noted!). Note the Easter egg of the Mad Gab-esque MEANT CHALK LETS SHIP in the corners. --- 2. This is Week 3 of 4 in July, and I think this is a legitimate Week 3 , maybe a bit on either side of it. Good luck, and may all your solves be beautiful! Mikey G A fictional character is hiding in the grid! The answer to the meta is the well-known personality who brought him to life...

PDF  /  PUZ Hello hello! My Cubbies have been a bit on a struggle bus this week against the Twins and the Yankees, so we'll try to right the ship soon. Looking forward to the All-Star game also, of course! --- 1.  Puzzle #141 answer:  LOLCAT Correct entries:  61 Shortest explanation: Per the entry for HAHA, find the six entries whose clues' initial letters spell HAHA. Those initial letters give us LOLCAT , the answer to the meta. --- 2. I planned this one as a Week 2 , and I think I have enough signposts along the way, but we'll put it in the 2.25/2.5  range as well if your mileage varies. We'll see what happens! (Check out Crosshare for early nudges!) Good luck, and may all your solves be beautiful! Mikey G The answer to the meta is the generic, well-known  ice cream flavor (my favorite!) I'm having for dessert.  

  PDF  /  PUZ Hello hello! My Cubbies set a franchise record yesterday with EIGHT home runs in a single game, including THREE back-to-back homers and three from our first baseman Michael Busch! The future is bright! (But it's also still hot, so I'm staying inside!) --- 1.  Puzzle #140 answer:  FORTY WINKS Correct entries:  60 Shortest explanation: "Index" each entry, and take the Zth letter of each themer, where "Z" is the number of, well, "Z"s in the entry! You'll spell FORTY and can probably inference the second word. Otherwise, go to the clues and repeat! You'll get  FORTY WINKS  (in honor of puzzle #140), the answer to the meta! --- 2.  June was a complete roulette wheel in terms of levels, but I think I have a rough sequence for July planned. We start off with a breezy  Level 1 . Good luck, and may all your solves be beautiful! Mikey G The answer to the meta is something I find hilarious.  

PDF  /  PUZ Hello hello! A scorcher this past week in my region (see, I can talk about other things here than baseball), so it's a good time to go inside, stay cool, and do some puzzles! --- 1.  Puzzle #139 answer: TAN GENT Correct entries: 75! Shortest explanation: Per UNDER THE SUN, take the four trigrams under the SUN squares in the grid. You'll spell TINSOHCAHTOA, which may look like gibberish! But per Mr. Google and the nudges, you can reparse that into "T," in SOH-CAH-TOA, and our trigonometry classes (and who said they wouldn't come in handy???) gives us that that's TANGENT (or TAN GENT , har har), the meta answer. --- 2.  Wheel! Of! Levels! I'm guessing about a Level 3  for this, but it depends on if you're on my wavelength. Let's see! Good luck, and may all your solves be beautiful! Mikey G The answer to the meta is a 2-word phrase in the form (5, 5).  

PDF  /  PUZ Hello hello! Two losses in a row for my beloved Cubbies, so we'll see if we get back on track soon! --- 1a.  Puzzle #137 answer:  MIKEY G (hey, I know him) Correct entries:  61 Shortest explanation: The five asterisked entries form new entries by appending the "GEE" sound to the end of each of them. Find new entries in the grid whose clues fit these. Those spell MIKEY, and we append a "G" for MIKEY G , concluding the most self-indulgent meta ever, haha. --- 1b. Puzzle #138 answer: DRAB Correct entries: 60 Shortest explanation: The four countries' flags have a series of colors within them. Find an entry in the grid that uses the colors' initials with one additional letter (i.e. Vietnam's is red and yellow, and DRY is D + R and Y). The extra letters spell out DRAB , which flying colors are certainly not! --- 2. The last two puzzles were easier than I thought, and I think this one is genuinely a Level 2 , so we'll see what that means, ha...

PDF  /  PUZ Hello hello! Tough road stretch overall, only taking one from the Phillies and watching the offense taper off some as of late. We'll see what we can do this week! Also, Aaron Judge is batting .392. It's mid-June. How. Delaying the reveal for 137, since I need to post this one a bit earlier again, so here's the reveal for 136 anyway, haha. I will catch up! (Maybe.) --- 1.  Puzzle #136 answer: HOT HOT HOT Correct entries: 61 Shortest explanation: Four rows all contain a triplet of words that can be preceded by "HOT," signaling HOT HOT HOT , specifically Buster Poindexter (really David Johansen)'s 1987 cover (that he later lamented since he became inextricably linked to it). --- 2.  My roulette wheel of ratings overestimated last week's, and I'll put down Level 3  for this one. Maybe 2.75? Maybe 3.25? You be the judge! Good luck, and may all your solves be beautiful! Mikey G The answer to the meta is what flying colors are not.  

PDF  /  PUZ Hello hello! Cubs-Tigers had such a playoff atmosphere last night. We were on the losing end but will still try to win 2-out-of-3! Also, Pete Crow-Armstrong is amazing. That is all. Delaying the reveal for 136, since I need to post this one a bit earlier again, so here's the reveal for 135 anyway, haha. I will catch up! --- 1.  Puzzle #135 answer:  FINAL EXAM Correct entries:  56 Shortest explanation: Take the last letters of each of the four themed entries to get EAT, ORSE, URE, and IVE. Looks slightly promising: now add "END" before each of these! You'll get four words, each of which having an alternate somewhere in the grid. These alternates are, in top-down order, ABIDE, COAX, ARUGULA, and CONFIRM. Note their  last letters spell EXAM, pointing us to FINAL EXAM , the answer to the meta. Whew! --- 2. I have to play this one safe, so this one will get a Level 4  rating. As always, your mileage may vary. Check out Crosshare/Muggles for nudg...

PDF  /  PUZ Hello hello! Cubs' offense is in a slight slump lately, so let's try to break out of it before June! Delaying the reveal slightly, since I need to post this one a bit earlier today. --- 1.  Puzzle #135 answer:  TBR (to be revealed) Correct entries: TBR TBR Shortest explanation: TBR --- 2. Last week's was a toughie, so I have what I think will be a Level 1.5  at most today. Good luck, and may all your solves be beautiful! Mikey G The answer to the meta is a 3-word 1980s song title represented repeatedly in the grid.  

PDF  /  PUZ Hello hello! In recent Cubs news, Pete-Crow Armstrong is a superstar. I also welcome the resurgence of Javier Báez for the Tigers! This begins our 4th annual Summer of Solves , so here's the same graphic I haul out each year: Looks beautiful. Now let me explain the annual Summer of Solves. Basically, we have a puzzle each weekend from now until Labor Day! This concludes my detailed conclusion of the annual Summer of Solves. --- 1.  Puzzle #134 answer:  BONO Correct entries:  68 Shortest explanation: Pretty straightforward! The series of phrases with two Us were meant to evoke U2 (note the bonuses), and the lead vocalist is BONO , whose birthday was on this puzzle's release day! --- 2.  This one just happens to be a Level 4  to start things off; I actually might be overestimating here by a hair for a change, but I'd say 3.5 or so is a good floor. Good luck, and may all your solves be beautiful! Mikey G The answer to the meta is a 2-word phr...

PDF  /  PUZ Hello hello! The Cubs are in our "May malaise" part of the year, so I'm hoping they can rebound during the second half of the month. May and June have been difficult the past couple of years - let's turn it around! --- 1.  Puzzle #133 answer: WORD GAMES Correct entries:  65 Shortest explanation: In lieu of the grid, the nine starred entries were isograms - but they are still  isograms (and the clues still make sense!) when we place a new word in front. Their initial letters spell WORD GAMES , another isogram that is the answer to our meta! Perhaps a slight issue in the sense that I have never heard of a hip flask, but that's on me, haha. I also tried to have some sense of parallelism in having all the entries be nine letters long. --- 2. We will have our fourth Summer of Solves soon, but let's have a quick Level 1  before then! Good luck, and may all your solves be beautiful! Mikey G The answer to the meta is a well-known lead vocalist.  

PDF  /  PUZ Hello hello! Since my last post, the Cubs had two absolutely electric games at Wrigley - and we're still in the middle of April. What an amazing start. Let's hope it continues! --- 1.  Puzzle #132 answer:  CHEESY HUMOR Correct entries:  64 Shortest explanation: Pretty simple! Five cheesy puns/dad jokes, in more way that one, populate the grid. Their initial letters spell HUMOR, leading us to CHEESY HUMOR , the answer to the meta. --- 2. This one is moved up a day to avoid MGWCC conflict. Hope we all can crack the Level 4 tomorrow! This one is aimed to be a solid Level 2.5  or so. Good luck, and may all your solves be beautiful! Mikey G The 9-letter answer to the meta is something most of us probably enjoy.  

PDF  /  PUZ Hello hello! Cubs are having a great start to the season, but man alive, how are we ever going to get past those Dodgers? Stay tuned. --- 1.  Puzzle #131 answer: NO SPRING CHICKEN Correct entries:  42  - definitely harder than I planned, for sure. --- 2. We have every other week until the Summer of Solves , and you deserve a legitimate Level 1  (seriously). Good luck, and may all your solves be beautiful! Mikey G The answer to the meta, two words in the form (6, 5), is one of my favorite things.  

PDF  /  PUZ Hello hello! Cubs had a brutal second half of spring training, though it was an incredible honor to visit Japan. Opening Day was yesterday, and we (and the White Sox!) had a great burst of offense to win! Let's keep that up! --- 1.  Reveals for the last two puzzles are below! 129 - That's Quite a Stretch (reveal) 130 - Stuck in the Middle (reveal) --- 2.  We have an early puzzle due to the MGWCC conflict (and I want to devote all my time to that guest Level 5!). My estimate is Level 2.5  for this, so we'll see what happens! Good luck, and may all your solves be beautiful! Mikey G The answer to the meta is a 15-letter phrase whose first word is 2 letters long.  

PDF  /  PUZ Hello hello! Cubs go to Japan this week, and, yes, I'll be up at 5 am to watch! --- 1.  Reveal for #129 will come after the deadline passes - sorry about a bit of chaos on that one! --- 2. I misjudged the level of the last meta, and some unintended ambiguity contributed to that. That's on me! This one feels a bit more solid, but it will track at about a Level 3.5  or so. Good luck, and may all your solves be beautiful! Mikey G The answer to the meta is a 4-letter word.