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PCC#31 "Chain Reaction"

◆ · By Philip Chow · Published 2024-04-13T14:44:28.550Z

Meta Prompt
[Level 4] Meta prompt: The answer to the meta is a term used in nuclear physics
Hint #1: 16-Across and 24-Down loosely describe the mechanism... the game mentioned in 60-Across is worth looking up... and beware of falling into 8-Down
Hint #2: Study all the clues carefully
Hint #3: Note that there are lots of repeated words... spectrum, gambling, curry... this can't be a coincidence can it?
Hint#4: The last word of a clue would lead you to the first word of another clue - example: 1A Ingredient in a bhindi masala curry leads you to 26-Down curry favor... then the new last word favor will lead you to a new clue that starts with that word and so on
Hint 5: You will end up with a 21-word chain... take the first letters of the entries in this chain... it's up to you to determine where the chain starts
Checking for previous play data...

Leaderboard (updated hourly)

  • Hector solved 2024-04-13T15:52:22.658Z
  • Pair O Ducks solved 2024-04-13T17:00:36.061Z
  • A738840496 solved 2024-04-13T18:12:01.150Z
  • Lexi Pro solved 2024-04-13T18:49:08.316Z
  • JM solved 2024-04-13T21:22:39.101Z
  • atsiricajr111191 solved 2024-04-13T21:32:01.138Z
  • woozy solved 2024-04-14T00:43:22.684Z
  • benchen71 solved 2024-04-14T02:59:29.345Z
  • Ninji solved 2024-04-14T10:14:40.942Z
  • FrankieHeck solved 2024-04-14T11:58:41.371Z
  • Darth solved 2024-04-14T20:22:34.158Z
  • LCC17 solved 2024-04-14T21:07:11.088Z
  • lbray53 solved 2024-04-15T01:58:10.887Z
  • Tyrpmom solved 2024-04-15T04:26:05.628Z
  • DIS solved 2024-04-15T15:26:11.201Z
  • rjy solved 2024-04-16T14:52:43.160Z
  • markhr solved 2024-04-16T16:23:49.116Z
  • whimsy solved 2024-04-18T02:28:19.476Z
  • hoover solved 2024-04-18T19:29:50.208Z
  • Qmark solved 2024-04-20T13:05:00.142Z
  • Danny K Bernstein solved 2024-04-20T14:27:47.081Z

Comments

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  • Philip Chow constructor · 2024-04-13T14:44:28.550Z
    Answer explanation: Hinted by the game "Last Word, First Word" in the clue for IMPROVCLASS, solvers needed to create a word chain in which the last word of a clue would lead you to the first word of another clue... in OKRA, the last word is "curry" which starts the clue for FAWN... in FAWN, the last word is "favor" which starts the clue for POR... and so on... extracting the first letters of the clues starting from OKRA and ending at EEL gives you: OFPUZZLEISANSWERTITLE... note that EEL loops back around to OKRA with the word "ingredient"... If we begin the 21-word chain at the T from TISSUE and add some spaces, we get "Title of puzzle is answer"... and so the answer to the meta is "Chain Reaction" - a term used in nuclear physics
    On March 14, we get Pi Day because 3.14 correlates to the first three digits of the mathematical constant... one month later we now have World Quantum Day... April 14 was chosen because "4.14" represents the rounded first three digits of Planck's constant: 4.14×10−15 eV·s
    • Philip Chow constructor · 2024-04-13T17:48:27.513Z
      Typo: should read “extracting first letter from entries” (not clues)
    • Darth 12:50 · 2024-04-14T20:23:12.968Z
      Lol. I wasn't expecting that! Cool idea, Philip!
      • Tyrpmom 3s · 2024-04-15T04:29:30.097Z
        Well wasn’t that cool.
        • whimsy 11:19 · 2024-04-18T02:32:49.958Z
          Turned the corner so many times I was chasing my tail! 😄 Very clever and a fun hunt -- Thanks, Phil!
          • hoover 7s · 2024-04-18T19:30:03.344Z
            Wow, that's an amazing construction!
            • Qmark 4s · 2024-04-20T13:06:23.326Z
              Great construction Phil! Took me a while to follow all the connections, but loved the journey! (Only needed the first 2 hints to help me see that the path was in the clues...)
              Play today's daily mini crossword
              1A
              Ingredient in a bhindi masala curry
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              Across
              1. 1A
                Ingredient in a bhindi masala curry
              2. 5A
                Asset for a singer
              3. 8A
                Follow the coxswain's calls, perhaps
              4. 11A
                Use, as a weapon
              5. 13A
                Mulligans, in golf
              6. 15A
                "Objects in mirror ___ closer than they appear"
              7. 16A
                Computer code that runs forever
              8. 18A
                Protective cover for a lobster eater
              9. 19A
                Spectrum and Xfinity, for short
              10. 20A
                Air conditioner capacity, briefly
              11. 21A
                Go up and down, as a buoy
              12. 22A
                San Diego suburb named for a feature of its geography
              13. 25A
                Recording of an online meeting that you can download to watch later
              14. 27A
                Spanish or Italian for "one"
              15. 28A
                Cutting-___ (like the latest technology)
              16. 30A
                More tidy
              17. 31A
                Corn eater's discard
              18. 32A
                Approaches
              19. 34A
                Monogram of “A Brief History of Time” physicist
              20. 35A
                Work with yarn and needles
              21. 37A
                Trail left behind by a wild animal
              22. 39A
                "Follow your ___!" (phrase in Froot Loops ads)
              23. 42A
                Webpage ID
              24. 44A
                Prevent, in legalese
              25. 46A
                Facial feature
              26. 47A
                Pounce on
              27. 50A
                Cold War rival of the USA
              28. 51A
                Linguistic suffix with "morph" or "phon"
              29. 52A
                Deny responsiblity
              30. 54A
                Drop wiper, say
              31. 56A
                Baseball Hall-of-Famer Mel who was the target of Leo Durocher's "Nice guys finish last" sentiment
              32. 57A
                Actress Whitley who played Yolanda on "Young & Hungry"
              33. 58A
                One of seven in the original "Sonic the Hedgehog" video game
              34. 59A
                "___ favor" ("please," in Spanish)
              35. 60A
                Where you might learn how to play the game "Last Word, First Word"
              36. 65A
                Writer Sutherland whose "Wings of Fire" fantasy series has many epic dragon stories to tell
              37. 66A
                Critically endangered bird of Sulawesi with a masculine-sounding name
              38. 67A
                Fairy-tale shoemaker's helpers
              39. 68A
                Fuel additive brand that sponsors NASCAR
              40. 69A
                Queens and Brooklyn location: Abbr.
              41. 70A
                Previously cut, as lumber
              Down
              1. 1D
                Have something outstanding
              2. 2D
                They're all in the family
              3. 3D
                End color of the visible spectrum
              4. 4D
                "Hyperbole and a Half" and "Solutions and Other Problems" writer Brosh
              5. 5D
                Common sushi ingredient
              6. 6D
                Vinegary stew of Filipino cuisine
              7. 7D
                Cheer for
              8. 8D
                Hard-to-escape predicaments
              9. 9D
                Black-and-orange bird
              10. 10D
                "The Phantom of the Opera" and "Cats" composer Andrew Lloyd ___
              11. 12D
                "Along for the Ride" and "The Truth About Forever" novelist Sarah
              12. 13D
                Blog feed letters
              13. 14D
                Froths or foams on the sea
              14. 17D
                Trick-taking card game similar to bridge
              15. 22D
                Gambling asset
              16. 23D
                "Author unknown" byline
              17. 24D
                Surface with only one side that looks like the infinity symbol
              18. 25D
                Game theory concept exemplified by poker and gambling
              19. 26D
                Curry favor
              20. 29D
                Stare open-mouthed
              21. 33D
                Heavy drinkers
              22. 36D
                Star ___ (company that makes treadmills)
              23. 38D
                University where Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn studied math and physics
              24. 40D
                Actor Liu of "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings"
              25. 41D
                Weapon with a blunted end
              26. 43D
                Rapper on "Lady Marmalade" with Christina Aguilera, Mýa, and P!nk
              27. 45D
                Eric in "The Little Mermaid," for example
              28. 47D
                Takes in, as a rescue dog
              29. 48D
                Pass on, as dancing to a song
              30. 49D
                "Tell it to me in ___'s terms" ("Use language that's more common")
              31. 53D
                Say something indirectly, as a suggestive writer
              32. 55D
                ___ short (takes a chance on a stock market drop)
              33. 58D
                Where to see lions and tigers and bears
              34. 61D
                ___ center (building for community activities)
              35. 62D
                Singer Max with the songs "Sweet but Psycho" and "Kings & Queens"
              36. 63D
                Work with needle and thread
              37. 64D
                Abbr. for a nine-digit ID of personal use
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