Hemant Mehta author page
6 puzzles by Hemant Mehta
with Jim Horne comments
| T | V | C | A | M | B | A | E | C | H | A | P | |||
| B | O | O | T | Y | C | A | L | L | S | R | I | D | E | |
| S | T | U | F | F | Y | N | O | S | E | I | D | L | E | |
| P | E | P | A | C | N | E | D | A | N | D | E | R | ||
| R | U | L | E | B | A | N | G | E | R | S | ||||
| S | P | O | I | L | E | D | R | O | T | T | E | N | ||
| H | I | H | A | T | B | A | R | E | S | F | B | I | ||
| A | K | I | N | B | O | N | E | S | J | E | A | N | ||
| G | E | T | F | L | O | A | T | O | P | E | D | S | ||
| S | H | O | O | K | T | H | I | N | G | S | U | P | ||
| A | M | O | U | N | T | S | E | R | A | S | ||||
| S | I | N | G | T | O | A | C | E | R | P | D | F | ||
| T | A | N | G | U | P | T | O | N | O | G | O | O | D | |
| O | T | O | E | T | I | N | S | E | L | T | O | W | N | |
| R | A | W | R | C | O | T | L | O | R | D | Y |
Hermant Mehta provided this link to explain why Where's Waldo? has been banned. We live on a weird planet.
| H | E | R | A | P | B | J | M | A | M | I | E | |||
| O | M | E | N | C | H | E | E | T | O | D | U | S | T | |
| L | A | D | Y | L | O | T | T | O | B | A | L | L | S | |
| A | S | S | D | O | N | S | R | I | P | L | E | Y | ||
| C | O | L | O | N | Y | B | R | U | T | |||||
| T | U | L | A | N | E | D | A | I | S | B | R | O | ||
| I | L | O | S | T | W | O | R | D | S | A | L | A | D | |
| P | A | C | E | R | A | G | E | T | R | A | C | I | ||
| S | T | U | D | E | N | T | I | D | R | I | M | E | S | |
| Y | E | P | M | O | E | T | B | I | S | E | C | T | ||
| D | I | O | R | H | O | P | E | S | O | |||||
| A | S | C | E | N | D | T | E | A | S | T | U | B | ||
| F | I | E | L | D | G | O | A | L | S | M | O | R | E | |
| A | N | D | I | M | E | A | N | I | T | U | R | S | A | |
| R | E | E | S | E | T | K | O | D | M | E | D |
| O | M | A | N | I | S | E | G | A | S | N | U | B | ||
| V | E | R | Y | C | L | E | V | E | R | C | O | D | E | |
| A | M | I | T | O | O | L | A | T | E | H | I | D | E | |
| L | O | L | M | I | L | L | S | P | O | S | E | R | ||
| P | E | N | S | B | A | L | L | E | R | S | ||||
| H | U | B | R | I | S | N | O | M | A | A | M | |||
| A | P | R | O | N | M | E | R | C | Y | R | U | L | E | |
| S | T | U | M | P | A | W | E | E | S | S | A | Y | ||
| H | O | T | D | E | S | K | E | D | R | H | I | N | E | |
| E | R | A | S | E | R | C | H | I | C | K | S | |||
| A | F | F | E | C | T | S | S | L | A | P | ||||
| P | R | O | S | E | L | I | M | I | T | B | O | A | ||
| A | I | R | S | N | O | T | O | N | E | W | O | R | D | |
| R | A | C | E | O | V | E | R | G | R | A | Z | E | D | |
| T | R | E | S | M | E | M | E | S | H | O | O | S |
| U | M | S | M | A | L | A | L | A | F | I | G | S | ||
| P | R | O | M | O | C | O | D | E | S | O | P | E | C | |
| S | H | R | I | N | K | W | R | A | P | O | R | N | O | |
| H | Y | D | R | A | B | E | D | F | L | E | U | R | ||
| O | D | I | E | C | A | P | T | O | S | S | I | N | ||
| T | E | D | M | A | T | S | H | O | G | U | N | |||
| D | O | N | T | L | I | E | T | O | M | E | ||||
| F | O | R | C | E | D | S | M | I | L | E | ||||
| I | U | N | D | E | R | S | T | A | N | D | ||||
| S | T | A | R | R | Y | E | G | G | B | A | R | |||
| S | A | U | T | E | S | S | R | I | M | O | V | E | ||
| H | I | R | E | D | M | A | C | S | A | W | E | D | ||
| I | D | I | D | N | O | V | I | S | I | T | O | R | S | |
| P | S | S | T | O | N | E | T | I | M | E | U | S | E | |
| S | O | T | O | G | O | D | Y | E | S | T | E | A |
Jim here, sitting in for Jeff Chen, who is making a deal. Or not.
Maybe you saw this right away, but I did a triple-somersault at 18-Across — Words before and after "deal."
My brain went right away to deal OR NO deal, but that's clearly wrong. That would be DEAL is a word before and after "or no." Right? Well, yes, but look at that bolded phrase again, and you'll see OR NO is before the second deal and after the first one. Nobody said the order mattered. That's just plain unfair. Except on Saturday it's not only fair, it's expected, and it's what makes Saturdays fun.
Tricky puzzles benefit from footholds, and several clues seemed obvious to me. The RED SEA has a significant part in the Bible, a FUTURIST always thinks ahead, Arthur's demise was plotted by his illegitimate son (via Arthur's half-sister Morgan), MORDRED. Your gimmes will be different. I struggled with SISTER CITY, but Jeff got it right away because, "What else could it be?" Yeah, whatever.
A great Saturday needs at least a few great clues. "Moving film" for SHRINK WRAP is in clue-of-the-year territory.
| D | C | B | A | S | E | D | K | E | E | P | T | O | ||
| A | L | I | S | T | E | R | S | O | R | L | E | A | N | |
| G | O | T | T | A | C | A | T | C | H | E | M | A | L | L |
| A | V | E | R | Y | G | I | R | L | S | S | K | A | ||
| M | E | M | O | T | I | C | O | S | C | A | I | N | ||
| A | R | E | R | I | N | K | S | C | A | N | E | D | ||
| B | O | O | T | Y | S | H | O | R | T | S | ||||
| K | I | N | G | O | F | B | E | E | R | S | ||||
| M | E | D | I | A | C | I | R | C | U | S | ||||
| G | O | T | O | N | O | N | E | H | R | B | E | T | ||
| O | V | E | N | P | U | G | E | T | M | A | L | E | ||
| O | I | L | B | A | R | E | D | D | A | M | N | S | ||
| G | E | O | C | E | N | T | R | I | C | O | R | B | I | T |
| L | A | N | C | E | D | S | N | O | W | C | O | N | E | |
| E | D | E | S | S | A | G | O | D | H | O | O | D |
| I | M | H | O | T | O | S | S | S | I | T | E | |||
| N | O | O | B | S | A | L | A | D | H | O | O | D | ||
| C | U | T | S | P | R | I | C | E | R | A | N | G | E | |
| A | N | D | C | O | P | R | P | E | R | S | O | N | ||
| S | T | E | E | D | S | O | I | L | U | P | ||||
| S | N | O | T | F | L | O | P | W | H | O | ||||
| J | O | K | E | W | R | I | T | E | R | N | E | A | T | |
| C | H | I | L | D | I | S | H | G | A | M | B | I | N | O |
| T | I | N | Y | K | N | E | E | B | O | A | R | D | S | |
| S | O | G | J | E | T | T | L | O | A | D | ||||
| L | A | S | S | O | E | D | G | E | R | S | ||||
| B | L | U | E | M | O | O | N | S | E | D | A | N | ||
| B | O | C | A | B | U | R | G | E | R | N | O | N | E | |
| O | W | L | S | T | R | U | C | E | T | U | D | E | ||
| Y | E | A | H | Y | E | O | W | S | T | I | R |