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Illogical #007: It's Just Another Number

◆◆ · By Aaron Riccio · Published 2023-10-23T02:39:16.641Z

Constructor's Note
In this variety cryptic, enumerations aren't the only thing that's been withheld.
This, my seventh puzzle, is also my first symmetric barred grid. The secret message—instructions on how to fill parts of this grid, and what I'm "celebrating"—can be found at 1A/35A. Many thanks to my test solvers, skaldskaparmal, GandaPestile, and n0hk; any remaining issues with the clues rest entirely on my shoulders.
Checking for previous play data...

Comments

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  • merlinnimue 🤓34:36 · 2023-10-23T03:53:59.011Z
    If I comprehend properly, a Feliz cumpleanos is in order? Well anyway, wishing all he bes o you and your fuure endeavors. (And sorry for being a bother again, I really should leave all in peace.)
    Funnily enough, 27a was among my LAPSES in parsing.
    • Aaron Riccio constructor · 2023-10-23T11:37:36.192Z
      Thanks for solving! 27a was an error from when the grid originally clued TABLES. The corrected clue "Loses one's faith in back of sinful church areas" should push through shortly. (This is what I get for testing the puzzle via an Ingrid .ipuz instead of doing it from the ground-up here.)
    • kieranjboyd 11:36 · 2023-10-24T01:30:21.878Z
      Congratulations! I solved this inermienly and thus missed the "(2 wds.)" in the 1A clue, and entered your new decade instead. Love me some variety cryptics, will check out your other work!
      • Aaron Riccio constructor · 2023-10-24T02:29:12.615Z
        Yeah, a test-solver kindly pointed out to me that the way I'd had it originally was a common misspelling (it's fine, not as if I built an entire grid around that, haha) but thankfully the literal direction was still an option. :) Hope you enjoy the other puzzles, and I'm going to work to get my first variety grid (Small Creatures) reposted soon.
      • quatrevingtneuf 24:14 · 2023-10-25T07:48:47.770Z
        a delightful puzzle! and hopefully you're not too upset about this "celebration" 😜
        • Aaron Riccio constructor · 2023-10-25T12:23:38.339Z
          I really appreciate the solve, and no, not really upset, especially not after having been able to turn it into puzzle fodder :)
        • Pedagogue 32:56 · 2023-10-25T17:57:48.615Z
          Not really my type of puzzle! Being British I failed to see many of the allusions to US culture and I abhor acronyms in cryptic crossword puzzles. 28D I don't accept "is boring" as a container indicator; "is boring into", perhaps. Please explain what type of word is UH OH? The autofill suggestions in the Constructor are often ludicrous! Nevertheless, thank you for posting.
          • Aaron Riccio constructor · 2023-10-25T19:53:30.625Z
            Yeah, I'm a US constructor so admittedly, I went with what I knew. (I often run into the same problem the opposite way when trying to solve a Times or Independent.) I hear you on acronyms, which I tried to keep to a minimum (and indicated as such in the cluing); it was a bit of a constrained grid. As for "boring," point taken, although I think it's not an outrageous stretch.
            "Uh-oh" is an extremely common interjection (over here at least), as in "I'm concerned!" or "Gulp!" I didn't realize that was US-specific, but looking in Chambers, I guess maybe it is?
          • Tuffy 🤓30:10 · 2023-10-25T19:51:40.755Z
            Very difficult one but glad to have solved it! Loved a lot of the clues and the theme itself made it trickier but in a fun way! Also congratulations on the milestone!
            • Aaron Riccio constructor · 2023-10-25T22:16:04.296Z
              Thanks so much for the kind words to this old man, haha. Looking forward to checking out some of your grids. Cheers!
            • ditfos 1:10:24 · 2023-10-27T02:31:57.470Z
              Not being a cryptic solver I stuck with this as long as I could, and in the end needed help to identify a couple of unchecked squares I didn't have (e.g. CUBISM not CUBIST, OUTER not OUTED). A really nice puzzle, tricky for me, and I'm glad I stuck with it as the reveal and how it worked in the puzzle was very satisfying
              • Aaron Riccio constructor · 2023-10-27T03:03:07.293Z
                I appreciate you toughing it out—cryptics, even those from people far more experienced than I am—can be really tricky, but I always find them to be worth the effort, and it sounds like you liked the twist here as well. If you have any specific questions about the intent behind any wordplay, I'm happy to answer! (And for what it's worth, looking things up or revealing answers is totally fine!)
              • juff 🤓18:15 · 2023-11-12T00:12:22.472Z
                Great stuff as always Aaron. I enjoy solving your puzzles almost as much as I enjoy watching you stream them, typically on Tuesday evenings at twitch.tv/thatcrypticguy
                Happy Birthday and enjoy your forties. Decades get weird when you have kids...
                Play today's daily mini crossword
                1A
                Announced what I've now entered, or what I've not entered five times (making this look like gibberish) because I'm 35A? (2 wds.)
                1
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                21
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                26
                27
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                31
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                34
                35
                Across
                1. 1A
                  Announced what I've now entered, or what I've not entered five times (making this look like gibberish) because I'm 35A? (2 wds.)
                2. 9A
                  Cancel sides of expensive food
                3. 12A
                  Carbonara I tasted is made with Indian yogurt
                4. 13A
                  Trying every which way and then some to be practical (hyph.)
                5. 15A
                  Atomic business leader contributes to initially lacking pool of money (twice)
                6. 16A
                  Creed's beaten up surrenderers
                7. 17A
                  A bear's resting place might be occasionally leafier
                8. 18A
                  I'm concerned about adding uranium to hydrohydroxic acid (hyph.)
                9. 20A
                  Recycle? No sweat! (4 wds.)
                10. 23A
                  After separating all the heroin from hashish, no returns (2 wds.)
                11. 25A
                  Serve 1,000 grams for one orally
                12. 27A
                  Loses one's faith in back of sinful church areas
                13. 29A
                  Oscar, Tony, Emmy, perhaps Sue, getting ink on Etta's back, mostly
                14. 31A
                  Internet timeline covered by Musk's center-right smart-ass gossip?
                15. 33A
                  Lasso behind (front leaving you exposed)
                16. 34A
                  Ages and breaks nose
                17. 35A
                  Resting place that's not just a river in Egypt, they say, or what I am about the sound of my 1A? (2 wds.)
                Down
                1. 2D
                  Taking off the top of a bit of lace is how things might get when they're cooking
                2. 3D
                  Quit getting up! Routine found within endless REM
                3. 4D
                  I'm out of time (New York Minute)
                4. 5D
                  Gas to rise and fall
                5. 6D
                  Terrifying ride on a rollercoaster
                6. 7D
                  Add salt, pinch of thyme, and last four-fifths of mirin (2 wds.)
                7. 8D
                  Rejects unsourced essay on bats (2 wds.)
                8. 9D
                  Track bird
                9. 10D
                  Universal basic income covered nothing in cost for Picasso, primarily
                10. 11D
                  Wrathful Warcraft villain swaps lush's hands
                11. 14D
                  A top banana does this, shaking off losses and cries of pain
                12. 18D
                  Awful topless venues, scrub the memories from your mind
                13. 19D
                  Model UN TA puts on glasses and is going through the motions (2 wds.)
                14. 20D
                  President's choice falls short when nays returned
                15. 21D
                  A-Team's leader, Baracus, to curse (last bit censored)—you can count on it!
                16. 22D
                  Get out of bed way naked, having taken off bottoms frantically
                17. 24D
                  Unique way to briefly order books: in bins, randomly
                18. 26D
                  Hamilton's in second place?
                19. 28D
                  Says "By the way, Utah is boring"
                20. 29D
                  I'll bet you are into sex (ending prematurely)
                21. 30D
                  Some can't endorse raising a big smoker?
                22. 32D
                  Ecstasy found in Long Island floral souvenir
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