PUZZLE #176: Brick By Brick 5

PUZZLE #176

BRICK BY BRICK 5

Place the 2x3 bricks into the grid below so that a crossword puzzle with rotational symmetry is formed. Each of the Across and Down clues hint at answers that appear in that row or column, all of which are in order. Be careful with the rows marked with a 7, 8, and 9, as the bricks that are placed in those rows will be split in half by a blue line, which you can see in the diagram above. Also, the letters that go in the blue line's squares will complete one answer in almost every Down column, though you'll have to figure out what those letters are.

Oh, and as an extra challenge, two of the bricks are completely blank, and you have to figure out what letters go in those as well!

Once you've filled in everything, read the letters in both formerly-blank bricks and combine them to get the FINAL ANSWER: A two-word title

ACROSS
1) Not transparent or translucent
    Whirling and snarling Looney Tunes character
    Frilly fabric
2) Money back to an unsatisfied customer
    What a frat dude calls his frat dude friend
    Style of rock music for Roxy Music
3) Molar hole
    Board game with 98 lettered tiles and two blank ones
4) "_____ the season to be jolly..."
    "Oh, screw you!" (ALTERNATE CLUE: A stupid thing to say to a vampire)
5) Toy soldier who fights Cobra Commander
    How some bonds are bought
    "_____ Kommissar" (After The Fire song)
6) Giant bird that lays blue-green eggs
    Agile
    Not barefoot
7) It may precede a pedi
    Tried to woo over
8) A HINT TO THE FINAL ANSWER
9) Japanese conglomerate whose slogan is "Inspire the Next"
    _____ the Woods (Tony-winning musical)
10) Blackthorn
      Tight, like rope
      Dachshund's doctor
11) Wonderment
      Beer company headquartered in Colorado
      Mausoleum
12) Laundromat machine that isn't a dryer
      "Shine a Little Love" band
13) City that's home to the University of Michigan
      Sleeping spot hiding in what looks like a giant cupboard
14) Posterior
      Bendy and the _____ Machine (episodic indie game)
      Emulate Charles Lindbergh
15) Prefix or suffix meaning "skin"
      As well
      Exclamation from an excited cowboy (or My Little Pony's Applejack)

DOWN
1) One of Sauron's monstrous minions
    Precious stone
    Clio or César, e.g.
2) Black-eyed veggie
    The first Apple computer to have no floppy drive
    "Way down upon the _____ river..."
3) Long-running show currently hosted by Alfonso Ribeiro, for short
    Ancient Rome's version of Hera
    WWE wrestler Brock
4) Ecuador's capital
    "As I see it", in texting
    Injure
5) Loosen laces
    Someone who patches together fabrics to make a quilt
6) Ice cream brand known as Dreyer's in the western US
    Bunny's tail
    Path of Pluto
7) "Oh, hi. So, how are you holding up? Because I'm _____!" (memorable Portal 2 quote)
    She's being kissed by Lennon on the cover of his Double Fantasy
8) Channel that airs Snoop Dogg Presents The Joker's Wild
    AutoTrader.com competitor
    Defunct studio that distributed Disney's early animated films
9) Thrown object's trajectory
    Greek general who lent his name to a type of costly victory
10) _____ the Greek (1964 Best Picture nominee)
      ABC block that airs Grey's Anatomy and other Shondaland shows
      Online bidding site
11) Type of plane rescue over water
      Garlic bulb segment
12) Community that waves a rainbow flag, initially
      Port in many LCD TVs
      Velma's rival in Chicago
13) Reflective power of a planet
      2004 Ben Stiller/Jack Black film named after a Deadly Sin
      "Humbug!"
14) Settled (down)
      Twelve-_____ program
      H, in Ancient Greece
15) Arabian ruler (Var.)
      Mel who was the youngest player to hit 100 home runs
      Condensation on a lawn

Apologies in advance for some of the less-than-optimal entries in this one. This was a hard grid to construct for me, so I kinda had to resort to those just to complete it. Anyways, once you believe you've figured out the FINAL ANSWER, send it to either redhead64@chartermi.net or itsredhead64@gmail.com (though I'm more likely to check the second one) and I'll put your name on a solvers list once I post the answers in about two weeks. You can also use those email addresses to give me some comments and feedback (or get a hint from me in exchange for a "hint star", more details for that are on the sidebar to the right) or send me the answer to last week's puzzle, if you haven't already figured it out. If you have a printer and want to solve this puzzle on paper, just head below the break for a version you can print out!

ANSWERS: Drop Tower 5

It's been almost two weeks since I've posted "Drop Tower 5", and since then, a whopping eleven people have successfully solved it, as you can see in the list below:

• Grant Fikes ****
• Chris Hendricks ****
• Pavel Curtis ****
• Eric Maddy ****
• Dan Simonds **
• Patrick Jordan ****
• Sam Levitin ****
• Mom ****
• Tyler Hinman ****
• Debbie Benford ****
• Lynn Sweeney ****

Now click on "Read more" below for the answers as well as a solver's comment!

PUZZLE #175: Compound Crosswords 2

PUZZLE #175

COMPOUND CROSSWORDS 2

Fit the words hinted at by the clues into the nine grids below so that the two words in each grid combine to create a two-word phrase. There may be multiple possibilities for these phrases, but there's only one way that all the words will fit in all of the grids.

Once each grid is filled out, the pink letters in each grid will spell out the FINAL ANSWER: a compound word.

CLUES
* Alabama birthplace of Hank Aaron
* Bandicoot who made a comeback with The N. Sane Trilogy in 2017
* Comix _____ (Sega Genesis game)
* Daughter of a duke
* Difficult, like a Friday crossword
* Dot at the end of some sentences
* Henry _____ (current Nickelodeon show about a superhero's sidekick)
* Kingfisher or king penguin, e.g.
* Last name of Fred Flintstone's boss
* Los Angeles soccer team
* Peanut butter partner
* Pentagon-shaped baseball plate
* Rear Window actress _____ Kelly
* Shape of the Sega Dreamcast's logo
* Stylish 2011 neo-noir film starring Ryan Gosling
* Throw, like dice
* What a Match Game contestant needs to fill in
* Word following "golf" or "obstacle"

Once you think you know what the FINAL ANSWER is, send it to either redhead64@chartermi.net or itsredhead64@gmail.com (though I'm more likely to check the second one) and I'll put your name on a solvers list once I post the answers in about two weeks. You can also use those email addresses to give me some comments and feedback (or get a hint from me in exchange for a "hint star", more details for that are on the sidebar to the right) or send me the answer to last week's puzzle, if you haven't already figured it out. If you have a printer and want to solve this puzzle on paper, just head below the break for a version you can print out!

ANSWERS: Squeezed in the Middle 11

It's been thirteen days since I've posted my eleventh "Squeezed in the Middle" puzzle, and ten people since then have successfully solved it, as you can see in the list below:

• Grant Fikes ****
• Eric Maddy ****
• Dan Simonds ***
• Sam Levitin ****
• Tyler Hinman ****
• Mom ****
• Pavel Curtis ****
• Chris Hendricks ****
• Debbie Benford ****
• Lynn Sweeney ****

Now head below the break for the answers as well as a couple solver comments and a full episode of the FINAL ANSWER!

PUZZLE #174: Drop Tower 5

PUZZLE #174

DROP TOWER 5

Starting with an 8-letter word on top of the "tower", drop one letter and rearrange the rest to form a 7-letter word. Continue this process until only a 2-letter word remains. Since the tower is completely blank, use the randomly-ordered clues to figure out the words that go in each row.

Once the grid is completely filled in, look inside it for this week's FINAL ANSWER: a five-letter word that can be read going down and in a straight diagonal line.

CLUES
* Beauty and the Beast character who sings "I use antlers in all of my decorating!"
* Elemental symbol for silver
* Film sequences that can be musical
* In the midst of
* It's called "petrol" in Britain
* Teenage turmoil
* Unforeseen complication

Once you believe you've figured out the FINAL ANSWER, send it to either redhead64@chartermi.net or itsredhead64@gmail.com (though I'm more likely to check the second one) and I'll put your name on a solvers list once I post the answers in about two weeks. You can also use those email addresses to give me some comments and feedback (or get a hint from me in exchange for a "hint star", more details for that are on the sidebar to the right) or send me the answer to last week's puzzle, if you haven't already figured it out. If you have a printer and want to solve this puzzle on paper, just head below the break for a version you can print out!

ANSWERS: Mixed Doubles 6

It's been almost two weeks since I've posted "Mixed Doubles 6", and nine people have solved it since then, as you can see in the list below:

• Grant Fikes ****
• Eric Maddy ****
• Sam Levitin ****
• Tyler Hinman ****
• Mom ****
• Lynn Sweeney ***
• Pavel Curtis ****
• Dan Simonds ***
• Debbie Benford ****

Now head below the break for the answers as well as a couple solver comments!

PUZZLE #173: Squeezed in the Middle 11

PUZZLE #173

SQUEEZED IN THE MIDDLE 11

For this puzzle, you're going to sandwich together words (entered in the white rectangles) by surrounding it with a letter on each side, one at the beginning and one at the end, making a new word in the process. Once you're done, the extra letters you've added in the "crust" (the brown squares) will spell out a two-word phrase. In the example above, the words URN, RAT, and OVER become BURNT, IRATE, and GOVERN, and the letters in the brown squares, reading down, spell out BIG TEN. However, to make things trickier, the "Wholes" will be in no particular order, so it's up to you to figure out which one of the "Centers" it matches up with!

Once you've filled out everything, the letters in the brown squares, reading down, will spell out this week's FINAL ANSWER: the title of a game show

CENTERS
1) Oscar-nominated superhero film with an old Wolverine
2) Campus military org. that was mandatory for male students until the '60s
3) Prefix meaning "egg"
4) National sport of Argentina with elements of polo and basketball
5) English philosopher (or Lost character) John
6) Author Ayn whose work influenced much of Rush's early music
7) In the style of certain chefs
8) "I wouldn't go so far _____ say that...": 2 wds.

WHOLES
* Company that created Angry Birds
* "I'm Lovin' It" and "Have It Your Way", for two
* Late '80s/early '90s legal drama that won 15 Emmys: 2 wds.
* Like Twitter users you don't want to argue with anymore
* Male body part often hit in America's Funniest Home Videos clips
* Marlon who played Superman's father
* Sheena who sang the theme song to For Your Eyes Only
* The 40-Year-Old Virgin director Judd

Once you think you know what the FINAL ANSWER is, send it to either redhead64@chartermi.net or itsredhead64@gmail.com (though I'm more likely to check the second one) and I'll put your name on a solvers list once I post the answers in about two weeks. You can also use those email addresses to give me some comments and feedback (or get a hint from me in exchange for a "hint star", more details for that are on the sidebar to the right) or send me the answer to last week's puzzle, if you haven't already figured it out. If you have a printer and want to solve this puzzle on paper, just head below the break for a version you can print out!

ANSWERS: 5-Star Stumper 3

Before I reveal the answers to "5-Star Stumpers 3", I just wanted to give out yet another plug to my Patreon. If you support me there, you'll get bonuses for helping me out such as an exclusive puzzle every month! This month's offering, which will be posted tomorrow, is a Diagramless Crossword, so be sure to check that out if you support me for at least $5 a month! Now then, here are the nine people who have solved my third "5-Star Stumper":

• Grant Fikes ****
• Eric Maddy ****
• Sam Levitin ****
• Dan Simonds *
• Tyler Hinman ****
• Mom ****
• Debbie Benford ****
• Pavel Curtis ****
• Lynn Sweeney ****

Now head below the break for the answers and a solver's comment!

PUZZLE #172: Mixed Doubles 6

PUZZLE #172

MIXED DOUBLES 6

Each answer word in this crossword variation has two clues leading to it, using different meanings of the word. The clues are separated into Across and Down, but are otherwise ordered randomly. When you find two Across clues or two Down clues that seem to have the same answer, add up their clue numbers to determine the place in the grid where the answer should be entered. For example, if the clue for 1-Across and the clue for 16-Across both have the same answer, the answer would go in the box labeled 17 (1+16). To make things harder, tags such as "Hyph." and "2 wds." have been omitted.

There is one extra clue in both lists of Across and Down clues. This week's FINAL ANSWER is the answer to both of the extra clues, which you can get by rearranging the letters in the grid's pink squares.

ACROSS
1) Comprehensive
2) Info-retaining skill needed to play Classic Concentration
3) Completely stun
4) Hunts and pecks, perhaps
5) Collection of family photos
6) Last name of Walter and Peter from Fringe
7) Human soul
8) KISS's Destroyer or Dynasty, for example
9) Wood used for carpentry
10) Guile
11) Glowing blue plot device stolen by Loki in The Avengers (2012)
12) Ilks
13) Computer capacity
14) Uninterrupted string of moves in a fighting video game
15) Diagonally-moving chess piece
16) Recent ABC show about a stage magician working for the FBI
17) Cupid's wife
18) Four-dimensional version of a cube
19) Fast food meal deal
20) Elevator option
21) Clumsily move (along)

DOWN​
1) Value
2) Dwayne Johnson film with a giant gorilla very loosely based on an arcade game
3) Nocturnal male demon
4) Giant stone co-host of Legends of the Hidden Temple
5) Potato product in a bag of Ruffles
6) 40-yard dash, e.g.
7) Food company that owns Hot Pockets and DiGiorno
8) Rock band that did "Pardon Me", "Megalomaniac", and "Drive"
9) Hatfield's foe
10) Snuggle up
11) Red Muppet who visited Grouchland in a 1999 movie
12) Site of the original sin
13) Star Trek character who often says "He's dead, Jim"
14) What Little Jack Horner pulled out
15) Early Mexican resident
16) I Dream of Jeannie star Barbara
17) Annual award given out by the Mystery Writers of America
18) First name of Tarzan's creator
19) Mary from a long-running soap opera strip
20) Purple Professor from Clue
21) Patron saint of sailors
22) Mrs. Potts' son in Beauty and the Beast (1991)
23) Destructive spree
24) Cleaning a chimney, say
25) Phone company that Verizon's "Can you hear me now?" guy switched to, according to their ads

Once you believe you've figured out the FINAL ANSWER, send it to either redhead64@chartermi.net or itsredhead64@gmail.com (though I'm more likely to check the second one) and I'll put your name on a solvers list once I post the answers in about two weeks. You can also use those email addresses to give me some comments and feedback (or get a hint from me in exchange for a "hint star", more details for that are on the sidebar to the right) or send me the answer to last week's puzzle, if you haven't already figured it out. If you have a printer and want to solve this puzzle on paper, just head below the break for a version you can print out!

ANSWERS: Chain Reaction: Branching Out 2

Just a heads-up, but by the time I post this, I'll be out of town visiting my sister, and I won't be back until tomorrow afternoon. Since I'll be busy all weekend, there will be no puzzle tomorrow.

...

APRIL FOOLS!

I'll totally still have tomorrow's puzzle scheduled! It'll just take a while for me to confirm the correctness of the answers you sent me through email until I return home! Anyways, here are the seven people that have solved "Branching Out 2" from roughly two weeks ago:

• Grant Fikes ****
• Eric Maddy ****
• Sam Levitin ****
• Mom ****
• Dan Simonds ****
• Lynn Sweeney ****
• Debbie Benford ****

Now head below the break for the answers and a solver comment!