PUZZLE #17: Super Sixes

PUZZLE #17
SUPER SIXES

I was planning for this to be number sixteen, but then I came up with the idea for next month having a theme, and I didn't want people solving my previous puzzle when the answer is revealed after only a single week. Speaking of which, to kick off my first theme month, next week's puzzle will have a contest attached to it, so stay tuned for that! That said, let's get to the directions!

Enter the answers to the Across clues in the appropriate rows reading from left to right. The answer to each Sixes clue starts in the numbered square and goes either clockwise or counterclockwise around its 3x2 rectangle (the direction is left for you to determine by using the Across answers).

Once you've completely filled in the grid, the letters in the grey squares will spell out the FINAL ANSWER: the name of a TV show that debuted in 1996!

ACROSS

i) Anheuser-_____ InBev

ii) Landmark anime featuring Kaneda and Tetsuo

iii) Indian professor/narrator of NBC's Heroes

iv) Mario Kart 64, for one

v) Actor Christopher who debuted in Gray Lady Down, nine months before Superman / 90s R&B group 702 was named after one

vi) One of Pokémon Trainer's Pokémon in Super Smash Bros. Brawl / The God of War, according to Sony

vii) Musical TV family name with a mom played by Shirley Jones / _____ in Light (Talking Heads album)

viii) Like a faun's hooves / Christmas tree baubles

ix) For free / Disclosure song featuring Sam Smith

x) Fan-led "Operation" that successfully got Xenoblade Chronicles into the US / Singer Lewis who was "Bleeding Love"

xi) Mathematician Benoît who coined the term "fractal" and who has a "set" named after him / Actor Cage, informally

xii) Eradicating

xiii) Don't commit on an issue

xiv) Game engine used in many Lucasarts adventure games

xv) "That squeaking is money to my ears!... _____ music." -Mr. Krabs

SIXES

1) Any one of the Three Graces from Greek mythology

2) Seto Kaiba's younger brother from Yu-Gi-Oh!

3) Filmed another version of, like [Clue #10]'s movie in 2010

4) Reach a destination

5) Birthplace (and deathplace) of Marco Polo

6) Type of "Bull" played by Robert DeNiro

7) Gadget with a viewfinder that Danganronpa 2's Mahiru has

8) Defunct Chrystler car division named after a Spanish explorer

9) One of the goddess of love's loves

10) Nightmarish Freddy who loves his Power Glove

11) "Magical" star of a ridiculously catchy song and Flash cartoon

12) Kitty who likes to snuggle

13) Director of Eat Drink Man Woman

14) _____ Floss (publisher of books filled with Matt Gaffney's meta-crosswords)

15) Golden Quidditch ball that pretty much guarantees a victory

16) Fashion designer Giorgio

17) The Demon Prince-turned-Overlord from Disgaea

18) Alert system that shares its name with a mid-2000s real-time strategy game

19) Type of wedding registry

20) Michael Fay was (in)famously sentenced to this by Singapore in 1994

21) Nixes a NASA mission

22) Japan's largest religion

23) Giraffe from Madagascar

24) Slip-up

Once you think you know what the FINAL ANSWER is, send it to either redhead64@chartermi.net or itsredhead64@gmail.com before April 12th and I'll put your name on a list of solvers once the answers are posted. You can also use those e-mail addresses to give me feedback and comments on my puzzle or send me the FINAL ANSWER to last week's meta-crossword (which you can solve here, with a hint located here). If you want a version of this puzzle you can print out, head below the break for just that!

HINT: Meta-Crossword #3 (Block Letters)

It's been almost a week since I've published my third meta-crossword, and so far, 11 people have managed to solve it. Not a bad total, especially since Matt Gaffney didn't link to my site this time! (for comparison's sake, my first meta had 13 people solve it in the first week, and that was WITH Matt promoting it!) Anyways, if you want a hint for this latest meta, just click on "Read more" for just that!

ANSWERS: Charadagrams

It's been roughly two weeks since I posted my "Charadagrams" puzzle (which you can still solve here, with the easier version located here), so it's time for me to reveal the answers! But first, a list of people who have solved it:

• Grant Fikes **
• Sam Levitin **
• Eric Maddy **
• Adam Weaver **
• Debbie Underwood **
• Tyler Hinman **
• Christian H.P. **
• Walker Anderson **
• Lynn Sweeney *

Now just go below the break for the answers, along with some solver comments, a music video mentioned in my puzzle, and some pretty pictures!

PUZZLE #16: Meta-Crossword #3 (Block Letters)

PUZZLE #16

BLOCK LETTERS 

Considering that my last meta-crossword was such a big hit (over 20 people managed to solve it thanks to Matt Gaffney linking to it on his site), I've decided to make another one! What's more, this puzzle, once solved, will provide a hint to next month's "Theme Month", the first time I've done something like it! However, beware that this is my hardest meta-crossword yet, both in the clues and in the actual meta-puzzle. In other words, if you don't know your video games, music and other random, arcane trivia, remember that Google, Yahoo, and Bing are your friends! If this is your first time solving a meta-crossword... you're better off solving an easier one like this! Oh, and that it's a crossword with a BONUS PUZZLE waiting for you once you fill in the grid.

The answer to this week's BONUS PUZZLE is the name of a puzzle video game... which just so happens to be the theme for next month's worth of puzzles!

Oh, and speaking of next month, the first week of that month will have a contest puzzle, so make sure you come back here for that!


Once you think you know what the FINAL ANSWER is, send it to either redhead64@chartermi.net or itsredhead64@gmail.com before April 5th and I'll put your name on a list of solvers once the answers are posted. You can also use those e-mail addresses to give me feedback and comments on my puzzle or send me the FINAL ANSWER to last week's "Charadagrams" puzzle (which you can solve here, with an easier version here). If you don't have Java and want a version of this puzzle you can print out, head below the break for just that!

EASY VERSION: Charadagrams

It's been almost a week since I published my "Charadagrams" puzzle, and so far, 8 people have managed to correctly solve it. If you want an easier version of that puzzle, just go below the break and print it out! Don't forget to send the FINAL ANSWER to either redhead64@chartermi.net or itsredhead64@gmail.com before next week once you think you've figured it out!

ANSWERS: Zigzagnut

It's been about two weeks since I posted my "Zigzagnut" puzzle (which you can still solve here, or here for the easier version), so it's time for me to reveal the answers! But first, a list of people who have solved it:

• Eric Maddy **
• Grant Fikes **
• Adam Weaver **
• Lynn Sweeney **
• Yossi Fendel **
• Paolo Pasco **
• Sam Levitin *½ (He sent me his answer after I posted the easier version, but didn't use it)
• Christian H.P. *½ (Ditto)

Now head below the break for the answers, along with some solver comments and a couple music videos of songs mentioned in my puzzle!

PUZZLE #15: Charadagrams

PUZZLE #15

CHARADAGRAMS

This next puzzle of mine is directly based off of one of Grant Fikes' puzzles, but I've tweaked it a little to make it easier to solve; in Grant's original puzzle, I pretty much had to solve every single one of the "WHOLES" clues before before I could figure out where the "PARTS" went. So with that out of the way (and to figure out what I'm talking about), read on for the directions!

When the answers to the clues in the REBUSES are anagrammed and then assembled, they form the answers to the WHOLES clues. For example, if one of the REBUSES consists of clues reading "[Forearm bone] + [Holy item associated with a saint] + [Telepathy and such]", and a WHOLES clue is “Event in which the Earth casts a shadow”, then the answers ULNA, RELIC, and ESP can be anagrammed and assembled into LUNA/R ECLI/PSE. Both the REBUSES and the WHOLES clues are in no particular order, and you must determine which answer goes in which row of blanks.

The letters in the shaded squares, reading down, will form two words that can be anagrammed and assembled into the FINAL ANSWER: a fictional character named after a historical figure.

REBUSES

* [Like Bill Gates or Carlos Slim] + [_____ All Odds (Jeff Bridges film)] + [Voice of Dr. Cockroach in Monsters vs. Aliens]

* [Engrave with acid] + [Allison Janney sitcom] + [Cowboy contests]

* [Shrek, for one] + [Weekly earnings] + [Defunct record label founded by Trent Reznor]

* [Colony member who you REALLY don't want to look up on Google Image Search] + [Ultrathin MacBook] + ["Ashes to Ashes" and "Tears Are Falling" music video director David]

* [Salesman who becomes a giant insect] + ["Parting is ____ sweet sorrow" -Plucky Duck] + [Quiz or exam]

* [Pro's foe] + [MAD Magazine artist Torres] + [Best Picture Oscar winner released in 2012] + [Poker token]

* [Cy Young, for one] + [You, in Germany] + [Waist size]

* [Rajah and Shere Khan] + [Recycled tire] + [Edutainment software company whose titles include Sammy's Science House]

* [Pickled hot dog condiment] + [Word preceding "Spaces" or "Nest"] + [Golfer Ernie]

* [Pucker one's lips] + [Achmed Khan's younger brother in Backyard Baseball] + [Knobby, like lymphatic tissue]

* [Wagon wheel's groove] + [Partner in crime] + [Chrysalis and Elsa] + [Monies in Fullmetal Alchemist]

* [Color of Minerva Mink's fur] + [Watermelon covering] + [Winding road shape]

WHOLES

* Oddly-named New Mexico city

* Symbol similar to part of Radioshack's final(?) logo

* Magazine with yellow borders

* Bob Barker game show

* The only female judge to appear in every season of The Voice

* John Adams was his Vice President

* Music genre of KMFDM and Ministry

* Princess Daisy's debut game

* Drinks named after a former child star

* Ylvis' failed follow-up to "(What Does) The Fox (Say?)"

* Hayao Miyazaki's final(?) film

* "Three Times a Lady" band

Once you think you know what this week's FINAL ANSWER is, send it to either redhead64@chartermi.net or itsredhead64@gmail.com within the next two weeks and I'll put your name on a list of solvers once the answers are posted. You can also use those e-mail addresses to give me feedback and comments on my puzzle or send me the FINAL ANSWER to last week's "Zigzagnut" puzzle (which you can solve here, with an easier version here). If you want a version of this puzzle you can print out, head below the break for just that!

EASY VERSION: Zigzagnut

It's been almost a week since I've posted my latest puzzle, and so far, 6 people have correctly solved it. As usual, this is the time when I post an easier version of this puzzle, and you can view that and print it out below the break. Don't forget to send the FINAL ANSWER to either redhead64@chartermi.net or itsredhead64@gmail.com when you figure it out!

ANSWERS: Mini-Marching Bands

It's been about two weeks since I've published my first attempt at a "Marching Bands" puzzle (which you can still solve either here or here), so now it's time to reveal the answers! Before I do that, however, here are a list of people who have solved it:

• Grant Fikes **
• Eric Maddy **
• Tyler Hinman **
• Yossi Fendel **
• Sam Levitin **
• Mom **
• Adam Weaver **
• Lynn Sweeney *

Now just click on "Read more" below for the answers!

PUZZLE #14: Zigzagnut

PUZZLE #14

ZIGZAGNUT

I know Will Shortz's Wordplay calls them "Weasel Words", but I like my title better (It's a mashup of "Zigzag" and "Zagnut", you see...). Anyway, the directions:

The numbered clues are for the zigzags, which work their way down through the diagram in the outlined areas. The "Rows" clues are for the answers, two per row, to be entered straight across each row in the diagram, but for this initial harder version, you don't know which specific rows the answers will go into! (Though the answers in the rows themselves are in the correct order)

The FINAL ANSWER consists of the two numbered answers with no clues (#5 & #16) that combine to make a two-word phrase.

ROWS (in random order; each contains two answers)

* With "The", Spidery villain from Sly 2: Band of Thieves / "Last Stop: This Town" alt-rockers

* Panic _____ (winner of Robot Wars: The Second Wars) / The only female member of Gorillaz

* "Reader's" periodical with "Humor in Uniform" / Not yet, in Latin

* Bob Harras or Axel Alonso / Calico's comment

* With "The", band who wonders "Why Can't I Be You?" / Engine valve

* Gumbo veggie / Megadeth's metal

* Kickback from a firearm / Perfect Dark developers

* Type of kiss or pie / "One-hit wonders" who had a second Top 40 hit with "Lay It Down"

* _____ Rica / Creator of the Gothic alphabet

* Hawaiian hoops / My friend in France

* Endured / When doubled, Imogen Heap's old music group

ZIGZAGS

1) Billiard sticks

2) Punted again

3) The Beatles _____ (2009 box set)

4) "Strong" voice actress of Twilight Sparkle

5) THE FIRST HALF OF THE FINAL ANSWER

6) Home to "Unofficial" Disney Princess Kida

7) Savors the flavors

8) Non-alcoholic beer from Anheuser-Busch

9) League of Legends' pricing model 

10) MAD Magazine #131: "Back to _____ Isue" (answer deliberately misspelled)

11) Grand Theft Auto game starring CJ

12) Marge was against the purchase of this in a classic Simpsons episode 

13) Member of the "Money for Nothing" band?

14) Single image taken from a video

15) Write a book with someone else

16) THE SECOND HALF OF THE FINAL ANSWER

17) The Ren & Stimpy _____

I know quite a few of these clues are rather obtuse (well, more obtuse than usual), so I'd like to remind you that you're free to look up ones that are giving you trouble (I don't think anyone would know that MAD Magazine one otherwise!)

Anyway, once you think you've figured out the FINAL ANSWER, send it to either redhead64@chartermi.net or itsredhead64@gmail.com before March 22nd and I'll place your name on a list of solvers when I post the answers to this puzzle. You can also use those e-mail addresses to give me feedback/comments on my puzzle or send me the FINAL ANSWER to last week's "Mini-Marching Bands" (which you can solve here, with an easier version here). If you want a version of this puzzle you can print out, head below the break for just that!

EASY VERSION: Mini-Marching Bands

It's been roughly a week since I've published my "Mini-Marching Bands" puzzle, and so far, 7 people have managed to solve it. If you want an easier version of said puzzle, just go below the break!

ANSWERS: Pent Words #2

It's been thirteen days since I've published my second "Pent Words" puzzle (you can still solve it here, along with an easier version here). As usual, this is when I publish the answers, but first, here are a list of people who've solved it:

• Adam Weaver **
• Grant Fikes **
• Lynn Sweeney **
• Eric Maddy **
• Sam Levitin **
• Yossi Fendel **
• Lawrence Denes **
• Joseph DeVincentis ** [You can watch him solve this puzzle here!]

Now just head below the break for the answers, along with some solver comments and the unusual circumstances behind making this puzzle!

PUZZLE #13: Mini-Marching Bands

PUZZLE #13

MINI-MARCHING BANDS

This next puzzle of mine is Marching Bands, as made famous by Brendan Emmett Quigley. I know it's smaller than the usual ones, but I've tried making a full 6-band puzzle which didn't quite work out, so I made a smaller one to compensate. Anyway, here are the directions:

The answers in this grid march both across the Rows and around the Bands. Each row contains two answers, clued in order. Their dividing point is for you to determine, except in Row 5, where the two answers are separated by a black square. The answers in each Band will be entered clockwise, staring at a lettered square (A-D) and ending in the space below that square. The dividing points in each band's string of words are also for you to determine. Each square will be used twice; once in a Row's word, and once in a Band's word.

This week's FINAL ANSWER is the answer in Band "D": A two-word video game character who would fit this puzzle's "mini" theme quite nicely.

ROWS
1) Payton or Melrose
    Award-winning graphic novel series by Jeff Smith
2) Spanish frog
    Cache
3) Actress who played the Invisible Woman twice
    Art made up of computer text
4) Paint layer
    Fear & Loathing _____ Vegas
5) One half of an ice cube grabber
    Manga/anime character whose alter ego is the "King of Games"
6) Fred's job in Science Court, for short
    Don't give away
7) _____ the Fourth Wall (comedic web series reviewing comic books)
    "Gimme Some More" rapper
8) "Muffin-top" material
    Group of eight
9) You might get rid of these with Dr. Scholl's Freeze-Away (I didn't get paid for this blatant plug of a product I don't use!)
    Shakespearian commotions

BANDS
A) Sleeping with Ghosts band
     Grape drinks favored by M*A*S*H's Radar (and plenty of crosswords)
     Apple product first released in 2010
     What you need to sip up the second answer in Band "A"
     Tracy Chapman's debut single
B) 1997 Don Bluth animated film
     Irritate
     Metallic blue?
     Jane Goodall saw chimpanzees use one in 1960
C) Sheepish sounds
     You're looking at it right now!
     Writ requiring someone to testify
D) The FINAL ANSWER (see directions for more details)

Once you think you know what the FINAL ANSWER is, send it to either redhead64@chartermi.net or itsredhead64@gmail.com before March 15th and I'll place your name on a list of solvers when I post the answers to this puzzle. You can also use those e-mail addresses to give me feedback/comments on my puzzle or send me the FINAL ANSWER to last week's stumper (which you can solve here with an easier version here). If you want a version of this puzzle you can print out, head below the break for just that!

EASY VERSION: Pent Words #2

It's been almost a week since I've published my second Pent Words puzzle, and so far 7 people have managed to successfully find its FINAL ANSWER (compare that to my previous attempt at this puzzle, where only five people solved it). As usual, I post an easier version of this puzzle around this time, and you can find it below the break!

ANSWERS: Spirals & Arrows

It's been almost two weeks, so it's time for me to reveal the answers to my "Spirals & Arrows" puzzle (here's an easier version for those who find the initial version too tricky)! It's also time for me to reveal who solved this puzzle:

• Grant Fikes **
• Eric Maddy **
• Adam Weaver **
• Ronald Roberts **
• Sam Levitin **
• Peter Abide **

Now with that out of the way, click on "Read more" below for the answers and some comments from my solvers!