PCC#36 "Chasing Rainbows"
◆ · By Philip Chow · Published 2024-06-15T12:23:54.878Z
Meta Prompt
[Level 3] Meta prompt: The answer to the meta is a U.S. state
Note: There are two unchecked squares in the grid which goes against standard crossword convention. Please disregard as they do not have anything to do with the meta.
Hint #1: Despite being unofficially nicknamed the "Rainbow State," the meta answer is not Hawaii
Hint #2: Did you read Liz Gorski's bio on Crossword Nation mentioned in 7-Across?
Hint #3: "An innovator of new puzzle forms, Ms. Gorski invented the popular "Connect-The-Dots" crossword that debuted in The New York Times (December 2003)"
Hint #4: The letter distribution in this puzzle is unusual... some letters appear a lot and some appear only once or not at all
Hint #5: There is a mnemonic for remembering the colors of the rainbow in order
Hint #6: Instead of connecting the dots in numerical (1, 2, 3) or alphabetical (A, B, C) order, go ahead and chase the rainbow!
Hint #7: If you don't recognize the shape after connecting the letters, a map of the USA might be useful
Checking for previous play data...
1A
Big ___ (Whopper competitor)
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Across
- 1ABig ___ (Whopper competitor)
- 4ACampground wheels, for short
- 7ACrossword legend Gorski known for her amazing and innovative designs (check out her site at Crossword Nation
- 10AIts map typically features AK and HI as insets
- 11ATrue statement
- 13APrincess in "Frozen" who sings "Let It Go"
- 14APig enclosure
- 15AReverses something that occurred (this isn't physically possible unless you have a time machine handy)
- 17AHors d'oeuvre spread
- 19ALetter that appears twice in the German word for over-fertilization "Überdüngung" (Hyph.)
- 20A___ sword (sheathe)
- 22ASee 21-Down
- 24APresident William Howard ___
- 28AFormer White House Chief of Staff John spelled with three U's
- 29ATroublemaker Dennis of comics or The Phantom in a "Star Wars" title
- 31A"SportsCenter" channel
- 32AOnce-common childhood malady
- 33A"Solfeggietto" composer Carl Philipp ___ Bach
- 35AWhat Tom Cruise's character stumbles upon in "Eyes Wide Shut"
- 38ALetters associated with a rainbow flag
- 40AThey're hard to believe
- 42AHome of the Burj Khalifa: Abbr.
- 43AAliases, for short
- 44AVillain Uriah in Dickens's "David Copperfield"
- 45AFabric store purchase quantity: Abbr.
- 46APeaceful kind of garden
- 47AAirport screening org.
- 48AComplete group, like the colors of the rainbow
Down
- 1DJim Henson characters which include Kermit who sang "Rainbow Connection"
- 2DOn the ocean
- 3DSmall shops on military bases
- 4DPrivate med school in Chicago named for a female scientist whose research led to the discovery of the structure of DNA
- 5DPacific island nation that was the setting for the ninth season of "Survivor"
- 6DFast skiing maneuver
- 7DWelsh god whose name is missing from "H A _ _ _ L _ J A H"
- 8D"This ___ what it looks like!"
- 9D___ in "zebra"
- 12DNot wild
- 13DPollution monitoring org.
- 16DFlat, elevated landform
- 18DEventually become
- 21DPut two and two together, with 22-Across
- 23DOne of seven in a rainbow
- 25DWilderness photographer Adams
- 26DEasy scapegoats or a popular online battle royale obstacle course game
- 27DAbbr. for trichloroethylene
- 29DStudents with personal guides
- 30DIt uses Zener cards to evaluate your psychic ability (and anagram of "septets")
- 32DIt's used for whacking moles in Whac-A-Mole
- 34DSound of a kiss
- 35DDrink at a sushi bar
- 36DDistinctive flair
- 37DBig shirt sizes, briefly
- 39DExpressed, as a farewell
- 40DWhirling Looney Tunes "devil," for short
- 41DLuxury hotel amenity