PUZZLE #133
MIXED DOUBLES 4
If you're one of my Patrons on Patreon, you'd probably know that a Crypticrostic was originally scheduled for this week. However, after making this Mixed Doubles puzzle, I've decided to post that instead, since tomorrow is Independence Day here in America, and one of the clues involves that holiday, so I'd figured it'd be more appropriate. So look for my Crypticrostic next week on this blog, and let's get to the directions for this week's puzzle!
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.
1) Relative range of an instrument
2) 2012 Presidential drama starring Daniel Day-Lewis in his third Oscar-winning role
3) The "R" in MTV's TRL
4) Venomous viper
5) Wanda's husband in The Fairly Oddparents
6) The Treasure State's capital
7) Rambunctious tyke
8) Alt-rock band who did the theme song to The Adventures of Pete & Pete
9) Continental car company
10) Inquiry
11) Furniture spray made by S.C. Johnson
12) Someone who does sums
13) ABC drama featuring Olivia Pope
14) Carnival attraction with warped mirrors
15) Actress Bonham Carter
16) Messy kids' game show hosted by J.D. Roth
17) Cashier's cashbox
18) Solemn promise
19) The brightest star in the Little Dipper
20) Watergate or Whitewater, e.g.
21) Women's magazine, for short
DOWN
1) Unemphasized, like a syllable
2) L.A. basketball team once based in San Diego
3) Popeye's girlfriend
4) So-so
5) Martini garnish
6) PlayStation 3 game where you play as Cole MacGrath and use his electric superpowers for good or evil
7) Tool that makes drawing circles a lot easier
8) Magnetic navigational instrument
9) Bassist for the Red Hot Chili Peppers
10) Small producer of a big bang on July 4th
11) Not under any burden
12) Unpopped popcorn pieces
13) Annual county festival
14) Thousand-year period
15) Shred cheese
16) Small nuggets of truth
17) Backstreet Boys album containing "I Want It That Way"
18) Notorious
19) Aggravate, like an annoying voice
20) Tool for trimming toenails
21) Bulldog's bane
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!
