Try and solve our first ever collaborative puzzle!

SUNDAY PUZZLE — Hello solvers! We are so happy to be bringing you The Michigan Daily’s first ever collaborative puzzle! The two of us came up with the theme entries together, and then Irena created the grid and Madi wrote the clues. We’re really pleased with how it turned out, and we’re excited for you to solve it! If you have any questions or concerns, reach out to crosswords@umich.edu. Happy Thanksgiving!

Tricky Clues:

67A. My brother, dad and I are all massive Star Wars fans. Despite this, I can still be  critical. The clue, “Slightly incestuous Skywalker” refers to LUKE. I think it’s so weird that Luke and Leia kiss, even if it was before they knew they were twins. Yuck.

68A. In honor of the release of The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, I needed to include another Hunger Games reference. The clue, “With ‘The,’ where Katniss and Gale live” refers to SEAM. The Seam is sadly known as the poorest part of the poorest district in Panem.

2D. The clue “Sacha Baron Cohen character” refers to BORAT. I cannot lie, I have never watched Borat and I know nothing about it. I know that it is a thing that exists and people generally know what it is, I just don’t. 

8D. We apologize for this word, but it was the greater of several evils. Irena is still unsure of what this word means, but I (Madi) am wise enough to know (after some Googling) that a BEZEL is the grooved ring or frame that holds the face of a watch in place. It can also mean the part of a ring that holds the gem or flat design. Congrats to those of you that got it!

57D. I am such a big Survivor fan. Some say that part of the reason the show has lasted for so long is the success of its first season. In that infamous finale, Sue Hawk gives the infamous “snakes and rats” speech, in which she calls Richard Hatch a SNAKE. Peak television in my opinion.

Today’s Theme:

We wanted to put out a Thanksgiving themed puzzle in time for the holiday, and we’re glad with how this one turned out. The big reveal lies at 59-Across with TURKEY STUFFING, in keeping with the theme of Thanksgiving foods and alluding to the fact that the other theme words are “stuffed” in longer words. The other theme entries can be found at 20-Across with BATHTUB READING, 34-Across with MASTERPIECE, and (Irena’s personal favorite) 43-Across with POLYAMOROUS. We love “container” crossword themes — where the entries contain a hidden word belonging to the theme category — so we were super excited to have come up with this one. Happy solving!

Answer Key: