My very first variety cryptic. Variety cryptics are cryptic crosswords with a twist unique to each puzzle. Instructions for this particular grid follow.
This was supposed to be done in time for Monday's update, but I completely underestimated how much more difficult these were to make than normal cryptic crosswords. Took me easily twice as long to build, and I even copped out a little; it's not my most elegant grid by any means, with a few entries with two unchecked squares in a row, though all words have at least half their letters checked as per cryptic guidelines. Also it's typical for varieties similar to this one to have eight "special" entries, but this puzzle has only six. Anyone who has successful built a variety with eight is free to mock me.
P.S.: I had a wonderful clue that I had to scrap just because it may have been mildly pornographic. Pornogrammic? Anyway, I'm posting it here for posterity, because the surface sense just worked so well.
ALTERNATIVE CLUE FOR 53-ACROSSP.S.: I had a wonderful clue that I had to scrap just because it may have been mildly pornographic. Pornogrammic? Anyway, I'm posting it here for posterity, because the surface sense just worked so well.
Like Strawberries in December
Six answers in this variety cryptic need to be altered before they'll fit into the grid. The unclued entry at 33 across describes what's wrong with the six modified answers. All other answers are entered normally.
ACROSS
1. Cooked fish egg contains mineral
3. Operations catch Sue, Dr. Evil off-guard with
disciplinary papers from the library (2 wds)
10. “Not true – false!” every one starts to chant, invoking
one unified speech
13. Toss out everything but the most extreme of lingo
14. Headless golden antique
16. Singer is off-key a lot
17. Greek character’s child rejects lord’s roman numerals
18. Anastasia never eats Chinese, for example
20. Our guy’ll announce a knitting pattern
21. Dip, turn or prance about, going both ways
22. Paralegals, attorneys proctor lawyers’ entrance exam
24. Dreadful Tibetan monk returned, captured by Shanghai leader
28. Monitors left codes, oddly
31. State vision for plot
33. See instructions
34. Critical Guide,
2/3
36. Rubric ends up in English article about piece of land
38. Stand-in criminal pops tag
40: Plateau or hillock, same difference
42: Listless feeling early in the year, what Spanish call
"Ferdinand’s Head" at any time (2 wds)
43. Strange spas pursue chlorine cops
45. From A-Z, etc., redefined ancient Mexican
48. Piece of any round curve!
50: Yak with cat in French...
51. ...and French her. Heavens!
52: Incredibly, no one's lost oxygen under bright lights
53: Handled irony
roughly, oppressively
54. Grease hit less sensitive areas, according to Rev.
Spooner (2 wds)
55. Hole left by point
DOWN
1. Seeds of failing sprout hid nettles' root
2. Movie after movie, ending is grand
4. People that take the law into their own hands give in
last (approximately)
5. Two fathers of Duchamp's movement
6. Couch is unfinished so far
7. Distribute Hawaiian necklaces on Maui ,
for one
8. Irrational value: lofty holder of office's second
difficulty
9. Poorer Eastern Europeans build wharf
10. Mumbles insults
11. Mention novel in journal
12. Peter Cetera: single, backward fool clutching last of
leftover youth in glove (3 wds)
15. Ultimately, drown in a Columbian ship?
16. Wagers picnic pests will consume deserts' core
19. Mint flavoring tree grew in wild north
23. A redo: redraw prize
25. Send first bouquet up to computer geek in charge
26. Top talents left playing Abandoning Time sci-fi game series (2 wds)
27. Start upsetting nice woman
29: Hindmost of steers bound after cow herd leaders in a
bull-averse establishment? (2 wds)
30. E.g., modern hotel key in car ad? Tad confusing
32. Buildings for entertainer Sullivan: one loud rink, small
35. Late? Sketchy – gets F or half a step up from D (2 wds)
37. Relaxes by roiling sea, dines after Eastern sunrise’s
first fading (2 wds)
39. Head-to-head tee off
41. Turn by base is thorny
44. Just average
46. Jerusalem claimed by Ponzi online
47. Mocha is infused with kind of tea
49. Cold (-500) weather at heart of type of heat
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