The Autofill Project

Default - 325110 Words
New 10L 79S DAALIGSHOW

DOWNLOADABLE PUZZLE: Unthemely #22

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     CORRIGENDA (45)

Members of the National Puzzlers’ League know this word as the section of the Enigma magazine that lists errors in puzzles from earlier issues. I’m so used to the word in this context that I was ready to assign a 70 score, but then remembered that not every solver is in the League.

     COTTONBALL (75)

At a recent staff meeting, my boss mentioned an unpleasant task that needed to be done and asked for volunteers. After a few moments of predictable silence, a coworker, who hails from Nebraska, remarked, “Boy, you can hear a mouse pissin’ on a ball of cotton.” It was the first new regionalism I’ve heard in quite a while. Have any of you encountered any new ones lately?

     CROSSBONES (55)

I was curious if this term has any meaning independent of the phrase SKULL AND CROSSBONES. It is an 11C entry, though the entry basically refers to the SKULL phrase. Wikipedia lists a Marvel Comics supervillain and 2005 horror film. Still, it’s hard to picture crossbones on a pirate flag, medicine bottle, or tattoo without an accompanying skull.

     CYCLOPEDIA (40)

This word reminds me of musty volumes on the neglected shelves of library reference sections — I was fascinated with old reference books as a kid. Because the word is inferable and could be clued in a nostalgic vein, I considered assigning a higher fill score. But then I relented, figuring that solvers wouldn’t find it particularly lively.

Default - 324881 Words
New 10L 79S COOKIECAKE

DOWNLOADABLE PUZZLE: Unthemely #21

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     CATCHFLIES (1)

This entry looks promising, but I can’t find the dictionary evidence to include it as a phrasal verb. I assume that I inherited the entry, but it’s not in CRUCIVERB so I don’t know if it was clued in reference to baseball, spider webs, or something else. The proverbial “honey/vinegar” sense of being socially appealing might work, though the clue would be unwieldy. Any other thoughts on saving this entry?

     CHEAPTRICK (70)

When I came across this entry, I recognized it as the name of a rock band but also felt sure that it had another in-the-language meaning. I recall hearing it used to refer to a trick in a card game that is won with a relatively low card. Google research didn’t bear out that meaning, and it certainly wasn’t the origin of the rock band’s name.

     CHIFFOROBE (60)

President Obama recently hosted a White House screening of To Kill a Mockingbird to celebrate the film’s 50th anniversary. The piece of furniture that is a portmanteau of chiffonier and wardrobe has a significant part in To Kill a Mockingbird. The novel and film are the only places I’ve encountered the word.

     CONFIDANTE (50)

I did a quick double take on this entry before realizing that it was the French feminine version of CONFIDANT.

Added Across Lite files/Notepad
Default - 324760 Words

Transposal: PARCELSOUT / SPECULATOR

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     DISCOFEVER (75)

This was my favorite entry in a recent Trip Payne themeless puzzle. I asked Trip about the entry and he said that it wasn’t the puzzle’s seed but just a happy accident. Per Google, I learned that DISCO FEVER is the title of a film, a former dance club, and a pinball game, but the entry works fine as a reference to disco music fandom. And with respacing, the DISC OF EVER sounds like a magical artifact in a Legend of Zelda game.

     ISLANDOFMISFITTOYS (75)

The ISLAND OF MISFIT TOYS is, of course, a location in the Rankin/Bass television special Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, a holiday favorite since the 1960s. In recent years, I’ve noticed an emergent interest in using the phrase metaphorically in discussions of cultural nonconformity and disenfranchisement. The children who watched Rudolph are now adult social scientists who can analyze the TV special as a Civil Rights era celebration of pluralism. The metaphorical sense of ISLANDOFMISFITTOYS isn’t widespread enough for crossword clue use, but I’m keeping my eye on it.