BLACK BED
by Ken Stern
Solution: YTTRIUM
Each clue is for a word that is part of a pair (a hero and a pirate). The hero and pirate are the same, except the hero has had the letters AR removed.
If either set of words is taken in alphabetical order of the pirate clues, its acrostic spells out BLANK MY DEAR WATSON, which leads to ELEMENTARY. Performing the same transformation-removing AR-produces ELEMENT Y, which indicates the answer to the puzzle, YTTRIUM.
|
Clue (long word) |
Answer |
Letter |
Clue (short word) |
Answer |
|
Ale container holding 31 gallons |
barrel |
B |
"Ne me quitte pas" artist |
Brel |
|
Cartilage makes up most of it |
larynx |
L |
Mercury's 1981 successor to the Bobcat |
Lynx |
|
Deliver a call to arms to |
alarum |
A |
Many a Mystery hunt participant, vis-à-vis MIT |
alum |
|
Former Red Sox infielder Garciaparra |
Nomar |
N |
Henri, par exemple |
nom |
|
Isak's given name |
Karen |
K |
"Jeopardy!" champ Jennings |
Ken |
|
Leatherneck |
marine |
M |
Underground deposit |
mine |
|
Long (for) |
yearn |
Y |
Cash in Chiba |
yen |
|
Mark one's page in a book |
dog-ear |
D |
Italian chief magistrate |
doge |
|
One might be a stud |
earring |
E |
TV show starring Benjamin Bratt |
E-Ring |
|
Shaped like a hoop |
annular |
A |
Legally void |
annul |
|
Strand of beads |
rosary |
R |
Positive, as an outlook |
rosy |
|
Suspiciously or with caution |
warily |
W |
Crafty, like a coyote? |
wily |
|
Turkey's second-largest city |
Ankara |
A |
Writer of "My Way" |
Anka |
|
Type of tax |
tariff |
T |
Tumultuous spat |
tiff |
|
Unhip, to some extent |
squarish |
S |
Flatten, as a bug |
squish |
|
Victor Vasarely's genre |
op art |
O |
Decide |
opt |
|
Went closer to |
neared |
N |
Financial aid decision factor |
need |