This one is different. I don’t like the common rules, so here’s the rules this time:
Go ahead and leave in the questions. The answers make more sense that way - no need to keep going back to the top to see what matches what number.
In this case, there is an absolute answer, so you can score yourself before others have even posted.
If you don’t think this qualifies as a “Feud-ish” thread, then think of a better name and use it the next time you create one.
Try to guess the crossword answers from just these Across clues. No help from the Downs or even the grid telling you the answer length. Post your answers before running off to check them. To find your score, check the answers here
Good luck.
- Valuable strings
- Melodramatic cry
- Agree to unite
- Involve
- Off the shelf
- Followers of zetas
- Severe spasm
- Stud site
- Corp. alias
- Secrecy metaphors
…
- Valuable strings - fiber optics?
- Melodramatic cry - wail
- Agree to unite - propose
- Involve - include
- Off the shelf - mass-produced
- Followers of zetas - Scientologists
- Severe spasm - convulsion
- Stud site - dude ranch
- Corp. alias - DBA
ETA: I don’t see the answers at that link…
Twicks: How about LOBE for #31?
45: Excellent!
Yeah, that would work – we’re just guessing on all of these without letter counts.
(And I didn’t see the answers at the link either.)
Sorry, the bookmark seems to only record at the start of the crossword session.
Here’s what the solved puzzle looks like.
Right. that’s where the Feud-like element comes in.
Right. that’s where the Feud-like element comes in, trying to guess what other people, in this case the puzzle writers, would pick. Sometimes a puzzle writer would use “Valuable strings” as a clue for Pearls or Stradivarius. “Agree to unite” could end up as unionize, merge, co-join, incorporate, etc. Puzzle writers can be as hard to out-guess as the shows regular 100 people surveyed. And then if we ever arrive at 50 respondents here, we could do the thread tally for most popular answer, whether or not it’s the crossword answer. But I doubt we’ll find that many takers. May be too tricky for this venue. More of a hard-core puzzle blog thread.
It would have been helpful to include the number of letters each answer required, but perhaps you wanted this to be as challenging as possible…
- Valuable strings – STRADS
- Melodramatic cry – ALAS
- Agree to unite – SAYIDO (Say “I do”)
- Involve – ENTAIL
- Off the shelf – SOLD
- Followers of zetas – THETAS
- Severe spasm – EMBOLISM
- Stud site – WALL
- Corp. alias – DBA
- Secrecy metaphors – LOCKS
I got 4, but should have done better! Turns out I solved this puzzle a few weeks ago, as the Lafayette Journal and Courier carries the Sunday Los Angeles Times crossword, albeit a week late. I decided to fill in the grid before checking the answers, then realized that “some of these clues seem awfully familiar!”
