Constructor: John Ficarra and Patrick Merrell
Relative difficulty: Easyish (untimed ... see video, below)
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THEME: "No idea!" — seriously, it's just phrases that mean "no idea!" clued as the answers to ridiculously obscure-seeming clues to which one might actually respond "no idea!":
Theme answers:
Not really in the mood for this one, or for April Fools shenanigans in general, as you can see for yourself if you play this video—real-time recording of me solving this puzzle on my computer, minutes after it came out (10pm Tuesday night)
The video is not an April Fool's joke, I assure you. It is me, rather wearily and earnestly solving the puzzle and commenting on it. If I ever do anything like this again, I'm gonna need better lighting and a real microphone, for starters. But whatever. It's different. It's something you haven't seen. And if it's something you'd rather not see again, because reading is better than watching, don't worry. I'll go back to the writing tomorrow.
Here's the tl;dr version of the solving video: no, thanks. The gag works the first time, with the first themer, but with the subsequent themers, I didn't even look at the clues, because I didn't have to. I just got crosses and looked for phrases meaning "no idea!" So I had an early moment of "ah, cute," and then, well, that was pretty much peak experience. After that, it was just a morass of subpar fill to wade through. The end. So watch the video. Or don't. I'll be back tomorrow. Take good care, everyone!
Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld
P.S. I could not find the Village between Krszyna and Jacków in Silesian Voivodeship, Poland (pop. 305) that the puzzle was asking about. Or, rather ... well, I found *something*. Let's zoom in, shall we:
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P.P.S. I am told that the *actual* theme answers are mama, papa, and ... baby ... like the bears ... For. Some. Reason. April ... Fools? I don't think the puzzle knows how April Fools works.
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Relative difficulty: Easyish (untimed ... see video, below)
Theme answers:
- ARE YOU KIDDING ME!? (17A: Historic town in Veszprém county, Hungary, noted for its baroque architecture)
- WHO THE HELL KNOWS!? (40A: Left tributary of the Vitim River in Irkutsk Oblast, Russia)
- I HAVEN'T GOT A CLUE!? (63A: Village between Krszyna and Jacków in Silesian Voivodeship, Poland (pop. 305))
Cara Jocelyn Delevingne (/ˈkɑːrə ˌdɛləˈviːn/ KAH-rə DEL-ə-VEEN; born 12 August 1992) is an English model, actress and singer. She signed with Storm Management after leaving school in 2009. Delevingne won Model of the Year at the British Fashion Awards in 2012 and 2014.Delevingne started her acting career with a minor role in the 2012 film adaptation of Anna Karenina. Her most notable roles include Margo Roth Spiegelman in the romantic mystery film Paper Towns (2015), the Enchantress in the comic book film Suicide Squad (2016), and Laureline in Luc Besson's Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets (2017) (wikipedia)
• • •
Not really in the mood for this one, or for April Fools shenanigans in general, as you can see for yourself if you play this video—real-time recording of me solving this puzzle on my computer, minutes after it came out (10pm Tuesday night)
The video is not an April Fool's joke, I assure you. It is me, rather wearily and earnestly solving the puzzle and commenting on it. If I ever do anything like this again, I'm gonna need better lighting and a real microphone, for starters. But whatever. It's different. It's something you haven't seen. And if it's something you'd rather not see again, because reading is better than watching, don't worry. I'll go back to the writing tomorrow.
["... see you tomorrow ..."]
Here's the tl;dr version of the solving video: no, thanks. The gag works the first time, with the first themer, but with the subsequent themers, I didn't even look at the clues, because I didn't have to. I just got crosses and looked for phrases meaning "no idea!" So I had an early moment of "ah, cute," and then, well, that was pretty much peak experience. After that, it was just a morass of subpar fill to wade through. The end. So watch the video. Or don't. I'll be back tomorrow. Take good care, everyone!
Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld
P.S. I could not find the Village between Krszyna and Jacków in Silesian Voivodeship, Poland (pop. 305) that the puzzle was asking about. Or, rather ... well, I found *something*. Let's zoom in, shall we:
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| "There goes my Baby!" "Hello, Baby!" "Nobody puts Baby in a corner ... of Poland!" (etc.) |
