Schpuzzle of the Week:
Implements of Independence Hors d’Oeuvre:
Don’t forget to pack forceps for the Fourth!
Name in two words, any one of many of the “fruits of agricultural labor” harvested annually across the American Heartland. The answer is a synonym of a eight-letter noun that appears a tad later in this puzzle.
What are these implements and celebratory
word?
What is the “any one of many of the fruits of agricultural labor harvested annually across the American Heartland?”
Hint: The spoonerism in this puzzle is somewhat rare. Most spoonerisms contain two pairs of rhyming words, like “jelly beans” and “belly jeans.”
However, the answer to this spoonerism contains only one rhyming pair, as well as a pair of non-rhyming words that are spelled identically except for their first letter... like, for example, the more “unusual” spoonerism “dashing my wishes” and “washing my dishes.” So, the answer to this puzzle is also “unusual.”
Appetizer Menu
Patrick J. Berry’s 43rd “Cryptic-Crossword” PuzzleriAppetizer!:
Just “For tea, two?” That just won’t do!
But “For tea, three?” Now THAT’S our new brew!
Befuddlement! This is Patrick’s 43rd gem that we are privileged and proud to present on Puzzleria!
Patrick J. Berry is truly “a Master of Cryptic Crossword letter-setting.” Indeed, there is no better setter of Cryptic Crossword letters than Patrick!
Patrick is both proficient and prolific. Need proof? It’s in the Puzzleria! Pudding!
Just take a gander, below, at the “clickable”
array of Patrick’s two-score-plus crosswords that have previously appeared on Puzzleria!
Open any number of them, at random. Then just sit back and bask in Patrick’s cryptic brand of mystery!
You can access Patrick’s previous 42 cryptic crossword by opening the links below:
For those of you who may be new to solving cryptic crossword puzzles, Patrick has compiled the following list of basic cryptic crossword puzzle instructions:
Regarding the Across and Down clues and their format:
Multiple numbers in parentheses indicate how letters are distributed in multiple-word answers.
For example, (7) simply indicates a 7-letter word like “stumper,” 5,3,2 5) indicates a 5-letter-plus-3-letter-plus-2-letter-plus-5-letter answer like “tough nut to crack,” and (4-9) indicates a four-letter-and-nine-letter hyphenated answer like “head-scratcher.”
For further insight about how to decipher these numbered cryptic clues, see Patrick’s “Cryptic Crossword Tutorial” in this link to his November 2017 cryptic crossword.
That Tutorial appears below the filled-in answer-grid in that edition of Puzzleria!
And so... sit back... sip on a “spot of tea...”
And, just enjoy Patrick J. Berry’s spot-on genius!
ACROSS
1. He wrote, “One, terribly fat, devours one of the farm animals”? (4,6)
9. Food from years ago, during one’s
boyhood?(5,5)
10. King not on top of ace(4)
15. Consideration for top person in secret organization(7)
16. Still, er, working for network(7)
19. Soldier was curious almost, getting in tank(7)
20. Ex-newscaster claims Lucy’s friend did something illegal(5,3,3)
(4)
24. Awfully evident in low part of Uruguay(10)
25. Throw dart(4)
26. Seems ‘e left? Foolish pride!(4-6)
DOWN
1. Going up before class? Not at all(4)
2. Simple answer in cryptic, yes?(4)
4. Now that could be where all the briac-a-brac goes(7)
5. Report about a detour(7)
7. I’m a fun sort of storyteller—could make novel!(10)
8. Put another way, is sans duet!(10)
13. Angry, spilled beer on duke’s mixture(10)
14. Perhaps I misspoke about everybody’s top frozen treats(6,4)
18. Irish town has a new hotel building(7)
21. Minor celebrity on the radio(4)
22. Average part of Michigan or Minnesota? (4)
(... To be continued and, I hope, completed by sometine Saturday as early as I can get it done! I appreciate your patience. And I apologize to all of you, especially Patrick!
We all Welcome his continued Cryptic Crossword Creativity!)