WSJ Cryptic "In the Dark"

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Meg
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WSJ Cryptic "In the Dark"

#1

Post by Meg »

A lovely HEX puzzle. Nothing too taxing and I learned a new word at 27a.
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Richard B.
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#2

Post by Richard B. »

Ditto on 27A, Meg. Also agree that this one was not overly hard for a HEX cryptic. Last in for me was 13D.
Jace54
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#3

Post by Jace54 »

This was a fun puzzle and went fairly smooth. 8D and 27A were new additions to my vocabulary.
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RPardoe
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#4

Post by RPardoe »

Nice themed cryptic. 27A also new to me, but found myself filling this one in quadrants - upper right, lower left, lower right, upper left.
Getting the "center" early helped smooth the solving road.

Don't fully get the word play for 13D.
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Richard B.
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#5

Post by Richard B. »

RPardoe wrote: Fri Oct 09, 2020 7:31 pm Don't fully get the word play for 13D.
Here’s how I parsed 13D. The definition is at the end: “cause of some pain”. The wordplay: The object [IT] in painting [ART] by Homer [HR] is [IS] = [ART] [HR] [IT] [IS]. I think my reading of IT may be a stretch but HEX clues can be stretchy at times. Let us know if you have something more definitive.
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RPardoe
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#6

Post by RPardoe »

Richard B. wrote: Sat Oct 10, 2020 10:24 am
RPardoe wrote: Fri Oct 09, 2020 7:31 pm Don't fully get the word play for 13D.
Here’s how I parsed 13D.
Thanks!
I was parsing Homer as the person, not the baseball stat.
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ChrisKochmanski
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#7

Post by ChrisKochmanski »

Jace54 wrote: Fri Oct 09, 2020 6:47 pm This was a fun puzzle and went fairly smooth. 8D and 27A were new additions to my vocabulary.
Ditto. Fun puzzle. For me too, first I've heard of the words at 8D and 27A.
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KayW
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#8

Post by KayW »

Another HEX marvel of construction. 27A was new to me too - I had to google to confirm it was a "thing". If anyone can share enlightenment, I have the answers but still IN THE DARK on the complete wordplay for 28A, 5D, 16D,
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Richard B.
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#9

Post by Richard B. »

KayW wrote: Sun Oct 11, 2020 12:26 pm If anyone can share enlightenment, I have the answers but still IN THE DARK on the complete wordplay for 28A, 5D, 16D,
For 28A - “boy at a baptism” is the definition. General [G] + gets really sick of [ODS ON] = GODSON. For 5D, “noodle dish” is the definition. Pinch of rosemary [R] + right on [AMEN] = RAMEN. For 16D, “list of words” is the definition. Interest [ I] taken by large [L] person with a record [EXCON] = [L][EX][ I][CON].
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KayW
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#10

Post by KayW »

Richard B. wrote: Sun Oct 11, 2020 12:47 pm
KayW wrote: Sun Oct 11, 2020 12:26 pm If anyone can share enlightenment, I have the answers but still IN THE DARK on the complete wordplay for 28A, 5D, 16D,
For 28A - “boy at a baptism” is the definition. General [G] + gets really sick of [ODS ON] = GODSON. For 5D, “noodle dish” is the definition. Pinch of rosemary [R] + right on [AMEN] = RAMEN. For 16D, “list of words” is the definition. Interest taken by large [L] person with a record [EXCON] = [L][EX][CON].


Thank you!!! So close and yet so far on all three...


28A. Had General as [GN] and was trying to make it "get" some sort of anagram "really sick: of"
5D. Was using "RAME" as the "pinch of RosEMARy, right" and trying to figure out how to transfigure ON to N
16D. Had (L) large (I)interest, but stubbornly using CON rather than seeing EXCON


D'oh! D'oh! D'oh!
Contest Crosswords Combating Cancer (CCCC) is a bundle of 16 metapuzzles created to help raise money for cancer-related charities. It is available at CrosswordsForCancer.com.
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hashbrown
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#11

Post by hashbrown »

I really enjoy these monthly puzzles, always interesting to see how some of the cryptic abbreviations differ for US constructors. I'm pretty much completely finished apart from the answer for 1D and the unclued across from the very bottom left - would appreciate some enlightenment if possible.

Also what does everyone mean by HEX?
-HB
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Annabelle
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#12

Post by Annabelle »

Enjoyed this seasonal puzzle Thought the theme of the unnumbered clues was fun. HEX stands for Henry Emily Xword, as I understand. Kind of like Brangelina or Bennifer for movie couples! Would like to recommend the novel The Quick by Lauren Owen to carry on the theme!
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