WSJ (Contest) Grid: untimed; Meta: 10 minutes 
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Mike Shenk’s Wall Street Journal contest crossword, “Peer Review” — Conrad’s writeup.
This week we’re looking for an a five-letter word. There were five theme entries that became a rank of peerage after changing one letter:
WSJ Contest – 03.22.2026
- 8: DU(D)E ->DU(K)E
- 19: MARQUE(E)S -> MARQUE(S)S
- 34: LO(A)D -> LO(R)D
- 54: (D)ISCOUNT -> (V)ISCOUNT
- 59: EAR(S) -> EAR(L)
I spent some time looking for BARON before realizing that Mike used LORD instead. The before/after changed letters spell DEADS and KSRVL, respectively. DEADS is almost a word: I looked at it for a while (to make sure I had the letters correct), before looking for the next step. I found it by using the changed letter to make a new down entry that mapped to the definition of another grid entry, here they are in theme entry order:
- NIX: Vote down -> KILL (DILL)
- OMITS: Excludes -> BARS (BARE)
- BOOTH: Carnival feature -> RIDE (AIDE)
- LEMMING: Small rodent -> VOLE (DOLE)
- EASTER: ___ eggs -> DEVILED (DEVISED)
The mapped entries spell our contest solution NOBLE. I thought this was a fun multi-step meta. There’s a lot of construction going on in a 15×15 grid. Solvers: please share your thoughts.
Very satisfying solve. Didn’t see the first step at first, then looked at the puzzle hours later and it popped out at me immediately. But didn’t see the second step at first, then looked at it hours later and it popped out right away again. Funny how your brain sees things differently after taking a break!
Having only got the first step at 10.30pm Sunday, never got to the second step but otherwise totally agree. Brains are funny things.
Yet again, the puzzle title has helped me immensely.
I had NO_LE so I knew where we were going, but I still spent way too long looking for an entry a letter off from BARON. Why no BATON or BORON?
Because the B doesn’t come from a name of a rank (just like the NO LE didn’t come from names of ranks).
Right but the issue is that there are five definite male peerage ranks (at least in the UK): DUKE, MARQUESS, EARL, VISCOUNT, and BARON. It seems at least a little odd to use LORD instead of BARON, not least because I think Lord is a title used by some of those peers (like an earl would sometimes be referred to as a lord). So I also spent a while looking for a word that was a letter off of BARON, and then that would lead to another B-starting entry.
That said, there’s a ton of theme material in the grid so it wouldn’t surprise me that BORON or BATON or whatever just wouldn’t fit even if Mike tried.
Well they sit in the House of Lords. Barons are called Lord there. I admit looking for Baron too. I even thought that might be the meta answer. It is 5 letters. But Lord/Load fit the changing letter trick.
Your solution for “BARS” comes from “BARE,” not “EARS.”
Puzzle: WSJ (Contest); Rating: 5 stars
Fixed, thanks!
I did what Conrad did, spent a fair amount of time looking for a ‘BARON’ word. I did eventually realize that the fifth peer was EARL, but never got any further than DEADS, which is a very questionable word. Oh well…
I only got as far as DEADS. I ran out of time, having started late. I did notice however that Mike had very cleverly made sure the changed letters created actual new words, some of which stuck out to me as important (VOLE, for instance) so I think if I had more time I would have finally seen NOBLE. Bravo to all who successfully got it.
Puzzle: WSJ (Contest); Rating: 4 stars
I missed LOAD/LORD (as Evan Birnholz noted, it’s something of a generic term). Focusing on the letters that were unchanged made me think that the answer was DEEDS, which is sort of appropriate.
I found the E I needed in EKING, which was inelegant because it’s a Down answer and it’s an extra letter, not a changed one.
I never made it to the second step.
This is the first WSJ meta in months for which I’ve submitted an answer. I’m disappointed (but not especially surprised) to learn that my answer is wrong.
Puzzle: WSJ (Contest); Rating: 5 stars
Wrangled with the very non-satisfying DEADS for longer than I usually care to invest, and was a whisker from submitting it when the “Aha!” that the replaced letters all formed valid downs whacked me upside the head. I concur with the kudos for a most impressive construction indeed.
Puzzle: WSJ (Contest); Rating: 4.5 stars
Yeah, I’m not up that much on the peerage. I was surprised that Viscount was English, sounds more German. Anyway, my lack of royal rigor made finding Lord unexceptional and had a good time solving this meta. Beautifully conceived and realized, Mike!
Puzzle: WSJ (Contest); Rating: 5 stars
I eventually got to LORD and the meta answer, but I was stumped for a while because I assumed the fifth title was CZAR (from CHAR). “Zula” sounded suspiciously like a word I should know. . .