CROSSHARE
Print Puzzle
Account / Settings
Construct a Puzzle
Profile

A Practical Joke

◆ · By Devoid · Published 2024-04-01T15:25:35.479Z

Meta Prompt
Four thematic across entries have one letter omitted in the grid. Two down entries have the same four-letter word omitted in the grid. Once all clues have been solved, this word appears in the grid and should be replaced by the four letters absent from the thematic across clues. This completes the puzzle and reveals the theme (5,5). The meta answer is the paradoxical phrase which describes the removal of the four-letter sequence from the puzzle (5,2,2,4). All cross-references use answers to the clues, rather than grid-entries.
Since this is a bit complicated, here are some optional hints:
Hint 1: none of the thematic across clues mentioned above have cross-references. Hint 2: however, some of them are cross-referenced by other clues. Hint 3: you’ve probably already seen the word that gets removed from those down entries today. Hint 4: those down entries are placed in the grid symmetrically. Hint 5: the thematic word that gets revealed appears on a diagonal.
Checking for previous play data...

Leaderboard (updated hourly)

  • kurtalert solved 2024-04-02T16:50:46.778Z

Comments

Sign in with google to leave a comment of your own:

  • Devoid constructor · 2024-04-01T17:04:22.403Z
    There is a mistake here: it’s not possible to know whether you should remove the F or the I in 16A. It’s still easy to deduce once you look at the diagonal, but it would have been more satisfying if the ambiguity had been avoided.
    • Sendhil Revuluri 5:45 · 2024-04-02T23:30:48.578Z
      That and 36A were what got me stuck on the first layer. (Very clever overall though!)
    • benchen71 9:43 · 2024-04-01T22:45:02.328Z
      Not sure I would have ever got the answer, but the diagonal reveal was a nice moment!
      • Hector 22:10 · 2024-04-02T01:50:20.369Z
        I couldn't think of anything the answer could be except THERE IS NO META, but I figured that can't be right because THERE is only 4 letters long. I think I need more sleep. Thank you!
        • DrTom 3s · 2024-05-30T21:58:40.107Z
          I never got to the answer. I saw the words that were missing a letter: PRANK, FISH, SPOOF, REEF and the lack of META but did not quite get the rest. It might have been enough just to do it without the replacements an eliminate the diagonal meta so at the end the answer was the same? I'd have to say I am not a fan of these "black-squareless puzzles. Makes my eyes go funny.
          Play today's daily mini crossword
          1A
          Strongly criticise
          1
          2
          3
          4
          5
          6
          7
          8
          9
          10
          11
          12
          13
          14
          15
          16
          17
          18
          19
          20
          21
          22
          23
          24
          25
          26
          27
          28
          29
          30
          31
          32
          33
          34
          35
          36
          Across
          1. 1A
            Strongly criticise
          2. 6A
            Digits found on a back cover? (abbr.)
          3. 10A
            One might be played today
          4. 11A
            Gilels, Soviet pianist
          5. 13A
            Central London borough created in 1965
          6. 14A
            Eyes wide with anticipation
          7. 15A
            Take ____ from, be inspired by
          8. 16A
            A gullible French person might receive one of these
          9. 17A
            Owns
          10. 18A
            Island in the West Indies
          11. 22A
            1066 and _______, comedic history book
          12. 27A
            Onomatopoeic sound of an explosion
          13. 29A
            One might be deceiving today
          14. 30A
            Bad smell
          15. 31A
            Onomatopoeic sound of an owl
          16. 32A
            Up to ______, how a 10A-ster might be today
          17. 33A
            A trick or a parody
          18. 34A
            Nobleman
          19. 35A
            Where some 16A might live
          20. 36A
            Onomatopoeic sounds of a snake?
          Down
          1. 1D
            Secrets
          2. 2D
            Extent
          3. 3D
            Beckett or Barber
          4. 4D
            Range in South America
          5. 5D
            Rula, British actress who appeared on Coronation Street
          6. 7D
            Sound made after being taken in by a 10A or 33A today
          7. 8D
            Get larger
          8. 9D
            Labels for identification
          9. 12D
            _-__, reduplicated tropical 16A
          10. 19D
            Marvel character who’s up to 32A
          11. 20D
            Family of British monarchs
          12. 21D
            Capital of ancient Lydia
          13. 23D
            Free
          14. 24D
            Yugoslavian leader
          15. 25D
            Clothes worn by the Romans
          16. 26D
            Coastal town in Dorset, England
          17. 27D
            Comparative literary device
          18. 28D
            Authorative Catholic figure
          Loading...