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PCC#11 "Doughboy Contraband"

◆ · By Philip Chow · Published 2023-10-08T01:27:22.881Z

Meta Prompt
[Level 2] Meta: The answer to the meta is the name of an event in artistic gymnastics that would make a good sixth theme entry… the meta solution may also describe a standard to which an editor establishes for crossword puzzle submissions
cute comic here (by Mark Parisi)
hint 1: the answers to the starred clues are all concealing something...
hint 2: contraband, 69-Across, 27-Down are all related...
hint 3: Fran(co Ke)lly is smuggling coke... nut(crack)er is smuggling crack...
hint 4: the sixth illicit drug being smuggled is 3 letters long - the titular "Doughboy" happens to be smuggling it…here’s a list to consult if needed
hint 5: the gymnastics event is a men only event and can go by an alternate name... the reigning Olympics champion for this event is Daiki Hashimoto
Checking for previous play data...

Leaderboard (updated hourly)

  • FrankieHeck solved 2023-10-08T13:23:11.073Z
  • Hector solved 2023-10-08T15:35:52.534Z
  • Jim23809 solved 2023-10-08T18:15:51.331Z
  • emmie solved 2023-10-08T18:44:51.958Z
  • whimsy solved 2023-10-09T02:08:52.724Z
  • Chris solved 2023-10-09T14:20:14.276Z
  • looo solved 2023-10-09T15:40:11.099Z
  • kurtalert solved 2023-10-09T15:52:37.630Z
  • Larry Edelstein solved 2023-10-11T03:08:19.450Z
  • Sendhil Revuluri solved 2023-10-15T22:11:27.968Z
  • merlinnimue solved 2023-10-18T14:56:04.744Z
  • Cindy Weatherman solved 2023-11-16T22:49:44.498Z
  • Darrell solved 2023-12-06T05:18:06.641Z
  • Flora Wynn solved 2024-01-22T01:32:25.599Z
  • Pair O Ducks solved 2024-04-28T13:59:47.921Z
  • Qmark solved 2024-05-05T13:33:33.706Z
  • KayW solved 2024-07-05T23:02:25.067Z
  • LarsCaine solved 2024-07-20T17:48:21.096Z

Comments

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  • Philip Chow constructor · 2023-10-08T01:39:06.653Z
    the theme answers are all smuggling drugs: FRAN[CO KE]LLY, GA[ME TH]EORY, ANTI[HEROIN]E, NUT[CRACK]ER, and E[LSD]ORF... the meta answer is HI[GH B]AR which is smuggling GHB (note that DOU[GHB]OY is also hiding this as well)... "high bar" is also known as "horizontal bar" (hence the note in hint 5) but I can only accept "high bar" as the meta solution... finally, in the words of Mr. Mackey "Drugs are bad, m'kay?"
    • FrankieHeck 🤓6:23 · 2023-10-08T13:25:16.524Z
      Thanks, Philip! I learned something today :-)
      • Hector 🤓7:59 · 2023-10-08T15:40:22.608Z
        Proudly ignorant of this substance I guess :-) Fun puzzle, thank you
        • emmie 🤓5:20 · 2023-10-08T18:45:04.060Z
          Really fun!
          • damefox 🤓5:18 · 2023-10-09T12:34:27.775Z
            I've been binging Ugly Betty lately. I'd never watched it before!
            The struggle I had with this meta is that HIGH BAR doesn't come up when you search for events in artistic gymnastics, and, unless you just know it already, you have to dig pretty deep to see that it's sometimes an alternate name for horizontal bar. If you wanted to make it a little easier, you could clue the meta instead as something punny like "what a crossword editor might set for aspiring constructors." But that might be too easy. Fun puzzle though! Lotta great fill. :)
            • Philip Chow constructor · 2023-10-09T13:23:22.818Z
              Thanks for the insightful feedback and for solving… yes it was something I already knew but failed to realize it would not be considered common knowledge so you’re right it’s an unfair prompt. I really like your prompt idea! I think I’m going to steal it and update the prompt ☺️
            • kurtalert 🤓5:08 · 2023-10-09T15:53:36.559Z
              Nice! Knew what this would be right off the description, but was more than happy to work through the puzzle and find my way to the answer! Thanks Philip!
              • Sendhil Revuluri 3:39 · 2023-10-15T22:12:17.940Z
                Fun puzzle! On the meta, I got halfway there but needed the last couple hints to get me "over the bar" 😉
                • Qmark 8s · 2024-05-05T13:33:54.582Z
                  Thanks Phil!
                  • KayW 🤓3:47 · 2024-07-05T23:03:33.970Z
                    I saw the "drug smuggling" but I never heard of GHB so I had to cheat and peek at the solution. Very clever construction!
                    • Philip Chow constructor · 2024-07-06T19:17:55.750Z
                      Thank you for solving! I may have overestimated the familiarity of different street drugs… I added a link to a list in the hints to hopefully help future solvers
                    Play today's daily mini crossword
                    1A
                    Pursue
                    1
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                    Across
                    1. 1A
                      Pursue
                    2. 6A
                      "The Rocky Horror Picture ___" (Tim Curry film)
                    3. 10A
                      Machu Picchu native
                    4. 14A
                      Grant entry
                    5. 15A
                      19th-century gender equality activist ___ Bradwell
                    6. 16A
                      Thigh muscle, for short
                    7. 17A
                      Rabbit-___ bandicoot (endangered species of Australia)
                    8. 18A
                      Milky gemstone
                    9. 19A
                      Bang one's toe accidentally (against something)
                    10. 20A
                      * "Days of Our Lives" character who was hired by Kate Roberts to break up Bo and Hope Brady (first name is actor James ___ of "127 Hours" and last name is "Since U Been Gone" singer ___ Clarkson)
                    11. 23A
                      CBS forensic franchise
                    12. 24A
                      Naked as a jaybird
                    13. 25A
                      Betty's last name in "Ugly Betty" (anagram of "azures")
                    14. 27A
                      Cancel out
                    15. 30A
                      Pampering spot for cats and dogs
                    16. 32A
                      Word of lament for "poor Yorick"
                    17. 33A
                      Dishonest person
                    18. 35A
                      ___ Sketch (classic drawing toy)
                    19. 38A
                      Battering device
                    20. 39A
                      * German town with a sugar factory that popularized sugar cubes in Europe (anagram of "folders")
                    21. 41A
                      Kenan's Nickoledeon co-star who said "Welcome to Good Burger, home of the Good Burger. Can I take your order?"
                    22. 42A
                      Untainted
                    23. 44A
                      ___ doble (ballroom dance)
                    24. 45A
                      Work well together or begin to solidify, as gelatin
                    25. 46A
                      Philosophy that deals with yin and yang
                    26. 48A
                      Ingratiating, like a talk show host
                    27. 50A
                      Hawaiian "thank you"
                    28. 52A
                      Nintendo consoles that came after GameCubes
                    29. 53A
                      "It's no ___!" (cry of despair)
                    30. 54A
                      * Catwoman or Harley Quinn, for example (or Taylor Swift... "it's me, hi, I'm the problem, it's me")
                    31. 60A
                      ___ Yun-fat of "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon"
                    32. 62A
                      Greek vowel
                    33. 63A
                      Single person: Abbr.
                    34. 64A
                      Wife of Zeus
                    35. 65A
                      Grated citrus rind
                    36. 66A
                      Got up
                    37. 67A
                      Black gemstone
                    38. 68A
                      "Slow Churned" ice cream maker
                    39. 69A
                      Drug smugglers, such as the answers to the five starred clues
                    Down
                    1. 1D
                      Treble or bass
                    2. 2D
                      Catch wind of
                    3. 3D
                      Gillette razor brand
                    4. 4D
                      Brownish pigments
                    5. 5D
                      Most-cooked part of a prime rib roast
                    6. 6D
                      Partner of mirrors, in deception
                    7. 7D
                      Extravagant publicity
                    8. 8D
                      Spoken rather than written
                    9. 9D
                      New York Stock Exchange locale: Abbr.
                    10. 10D
                      Brainiacs have high ones: Abbr.
                    11. 11D
                      * Toy that becomes a prince, in a classic Tchaikovsky ballet
                    12. 12D
                      "Rebel Without a ___" (James Dean film)
                    13. 13D
                      "Mad Men" industry, slangily
                    14. 21D
                      Super Bowl champ ___ Beckham Jr.
                    15. 22D
                      "Neon Vernacular" poet ___ Komunyakaa
                    16. 26D
                      Quite befitting
                    17. 27D
                      Undercover cop who might bust this puzzle's theme answers
                    18. 28D
                      Airline to Tel Aviv
                    19. 29D
                      * Branch of mathematics that deals with the "prisoner's dilemma"
                    20. 30D
                      When doubled, a Kylie Minogue song (whose name is an onomatopoeia for the sound a heartbeat makes when you're a diva who's slaying)
                    21. 31D
                      Greek god of love
                    22. 34D
                      Companies that offer online access: Abbr.
                    23. 36D
                      Captain's place on a ship
                    24. 37D
                      Partner in crime
                    25. 39D
                      ___ Gay (WWII plane)
                    26. 40D
                      ___ the Riveter (iconic woman on WWII posters)
                    27. 43D
                      Roadside assistance group: Abbr.
                    28. 45D
                      Fashion designer who created Michelle Obama's inauguration dress
                    29. 47D
                      Become electrically charged
                    30. 49D
                      Gilded Age suffragette and "A Social Mirage" author ___ Leslie
                    31. 50D
                      Heaps of, slangily
                    32. 51D
                      Pale
                    33. 52D
                      "___ up, Doc?" (Bugs Bunny catchphrase)
                    34. 55D
                      Word with "two" or "three" to describe a sloth
                    35. 56D
                      Word with "bitsy" to describe a spider
                    36. 57D
                      Object of worship
                    37. 58D
                      Company with a "swoosh" logo
                    38. 59D
                      Festive occasions (such as 12/24 and 12/31)
                    39. 61D
                      Material used to seal old letters
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