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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
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

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" 😉
                Play today's daily mini crossword
                1A
                Pursue
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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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