Grid: 15 minutes; Meta: 15 more
Mike Shenk’s Wall Street Journal contest crossword, “End Products” — Conrad’s writeup.
This week we’re looking for a four-letter word. There were four long theme entries:
- JUM(P)TH(E)GU(N): [Act prematurely]
- BEAT(S)T(O)(A)PUL(P): [Thrashes severely]
- SE(A)LEVE(L)RIS(E): [It’s estimated to be a foot in the next 25 years]
- KUN(G)F(U)FIL(M): [1972’s “Fist of Fury,” e.g.]
WSJ Contest – 02.28.2025
I spun my wheels for a bit, trying to find a signal from JN or JUUN (the left and right ends of the first themer). Nothing there. Then I noticed that each theme entry was comprised of multiple words, and I focused on the end of each. Bingo: I had the rabbit. The end of each theme word formed a word that mapped to another grid entry. Here they are in mapped order:
- DIA(L) -> SOAP
- EXTR(A) -> GUM
- BAS(S) -> ALE
- PILO(T) -> PEN
Fittingly: the last letter of the mapped entries spell our contest solution LAST. Yet another surgical meta by Mike, with very impressive construction. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Solvers: please share your thoughts.
The A in SEA should be circled rather than the first L in LEVEL.
Fixed, thanks!
There are four X’s in the puzzle and I got stuck in this red herring… Thought that “products” in the title were multiplication products.
Good puzzle, duped me.
100% same.
I like this one! Typical Mike Shenk- surgically precise!!!
Never heard of Extra gum or Pilot pen. Got nowhere.
EXPO is also a pen (dry erase markers)…