Grid: untimed; Meta:1o minutes
Patrick Berry’s contest, “Spelling Errors” — Conrad’s writeup
This month we are asked, What three-word phrase is hinted at by this puzzle? There were four long theme entries:
- MAKEAN(ALLUSION)TO: [Reference indirectly, as literature]
- PLEASE(ADVISE): [“I’d welcome your input on this”]
- (BROACH)ATOPIC: [Bring up something perhaps being purposely avoided]
- (STATIONARY)ORBITS: [What communications satellites often remain in]
ALLUSION/ILLUSION occurred to me as I pondered the title, forming the down entry MIST. I had the meta sorted out quickly after that:
- MIST -> ILLUSION
- ACHES -> ADVICE
- WORM -> BROOCH
- AIDE -> STATIONERY
The homophones of the mapped down entries spell our contest solution MISTAKES WERE MADE. Solvers: please share your thoughts.