WSJ (Contest) Grid: untimed; Meta: 30 minutes rate it
Matt Gaffney’s Wall Street Journal contest crossword, “Let’s Change Places” — Conrad’s writeup
This week we’re looking for two answers in this grid, one three letters and one five letters, that would together make a good sixth theme entry. As the puzzle note inferred, there were five theme entries:
- CAVEVERSE: Poetry found hidden in a mountain?
- LASTTIMER: The final kitchen device on a store’s shelves?
- BURKINIFAST: Not eating anything while covered from top to bottom?
- HOSTARICE: Side dish cooked in a garden plant’s leaves?
- SADMARINE: Elite soldier who’s feeling blue?
WSJ Contest – 07.12.2026
I spotted CAPE VERDE (CAPE VERSE) first, because I loved watching Cabo Verde in the World Cup. Switch one letter in each word of the two-word themers to match a country. The rest followed quickly:
- CAPE VERDE -> CAPE VERSE
- EAST TIMOR ->LAST TIMER
- BUKINA FASO -> BURKINI FAST
- COSTA RICA -> HOSTA RICE
- SAN MARINO -> SAD MARINE
The country SRI LANKA maps to the grid entries that form our contest solution SKI LANKY. Solvers: please share your thoughts.
I wish they’d made this an extra contest, for whoever could come up with the best clue for the entry SKI LANKY!