Before & After

Thanks, Frankie. Glad you enjoyed it.

Thanks for solving, Hector!

Thanks, Qmark. Glad you liked it.

Thanks, Bob. Do you remember this one from I think last summer?

Thanks, Meg. Yes, at 1 sq. mi.le, Nahant is THE smallest town in the Bay State.

My thought exactly, Darth! :)

Ha! Good one, Matthew! You may have just given me another idea...

Thanks, Al. Yes, I think you tested it last summer.

Thanks, Mark. I think you were one of the test solvers a while back. Thanks again!

Thanks, Carolyn!

Thanks, Chris! Glad you _NJ_Y_D it!

Good questions, woozy. I think Crosshare allows alternate entries, nit alternate letters, but I'll have to check.

Correct, WHITE is inferred.

Oops! Meant to say "not alternate letters".

Thanks, hoover! Yes, I wanted it to resemble Wheel of Fortune's puzzle board.

Thanks, kurtalert!

Thanks, Dave.

Ha! Thanks, Jay!

Glad you enjoyed it, Ergcat!

Oh, "VANNA" was spelled out in the order of the alternate entries (VILLA, AREA, NEST, NOOK, ATTIC.)

Thanks for solving, Laura.

Thank you, DrTom. Have a nice vacation, but hurry back!

Thanks for your help with testing, Claudia!

Thanks for your help with this one, Alan. Yeah, that 71A clue is kinda important. :)

Ha ha! I hadn't thought of that, Kay! Not sure if I'll mention it in my reveal though. :)

Thanks, Phil. Yes, sometimes the mechanism is harder to figure out than the answer. It was a fun one to construct.

NOBODY puts more theme info into a puzzle than the Captain. I am ALWAYS in awe!

Thanks, Sharkicicles. That's why I wavered a bit on the difficulty rating. If you're familiar with the show, you probably got it right away. If you're not, then it probably played a bit harder.

Yes, I thought that spelling Vanna's first name was going to be enough for most solvers to figure out the rest vis-a-vis the mechanism and the other "Before & After" examples in the grid. The meta answer section at the bottom is intended to resemble the game board letters that she "turns" (which often display "phrases").

Wheel of Fortune has a category called "Before & After" where they mash two familiar phrases together ("A Chip Off The Old Block And Tackle" and "A Breath Of Fresh Air Fryer" are two more examples). So yes, that's what I tried to do here with the long quote and Vanna's name - both of which can come "before" HOUSE.

Thank you, Berto!

Thanks, imontoo. Glad you liked it!

Glad you enjoyed it, Tyrpmom!

Thanks, John. Glad you and your wife enjoyed it.