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Any Questions #342: Crossword Clues No. 1

Crossword
Crossword

WAMC's Ian Pickus and resident quizzer Mike Nothnagel are back with a show about one of their favorite topics.

Last week's challenge
Start with the phrase DEVIL RAY. Change one letter to an N and you can spell a word for where harvests often take place. What is it?
Answer: If you change the L to an N, you can spell VINEYARD.

THIS WEEK'S CATEGORY: CROSSWORD CLUES #1
On-air questions
: Next weekend, I'll be attending the 41st American Crossword Puzzle Tournament in Stamford, Connecticut. The annual tournament, directed by New York Times crossword editor Will Shortz, runs from March 23rd to 25th and attracts hundreds of solvers. The 2006 documentary Wordplay chronicled Shortz, the Times crossword, and the 2005 tournament. In honor of the ACPT, this week I've brought some crossword clues. I'll give you three clues that have been used in the Times crossword and you tell me what word they've all clued. As a hint, each correct answer will be a six-letter word starting with T, like "trivia."

1. Archer's need / Dartboard, for one / Mega-retailer based in Minneapolis
2. Got rid of / Slept restlessly / Like some coins and salads
3. Glasses part / Forehead part / Philadelphia university
4. Angler's gear / Guard's neighbor / Take on
5. Alternatives to olives / Soft-serve ice cream requests / Features of many spy films

Extra credit
1. Alert / Give insider info / Beginning in basketball
2. Expresses, maybe / Track team? / Drills

This week's challenge
Start with the words TARGET and TOSSED. Change one letter to an M and you can spell two words (four letters and eight letters) that are synonyms of each other. What are the words?

ANSWERS
On-air questions

1. Target
2. Tossed
3. Temple
4. Tackle
5. Twists

Extra credit
1. Tipoff
2. Trains

 

A lifelong resident of the Capital Region, Ian joined WAMC in late 2008 and became news director in 2013. He began working on Morning Edition and has produced The Capitol Connection, Congressional Corner, and several other WAMC programs. Ian can also be heard as the host of the WAMC News Podcast and on The Roundtable and various newscasts. Ian holds a BA in English and journalism and an MA in English, both from the University at Albany, where he has taught journalism since 2013.
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