Author: Anand Sarwate
This is a White Queen Puzzle, so the solvers have the "answer word" from the meta already. For this puzzle the meta-answer is SULLIVAN.
There are three parts to this puzzle: a menu, tasting notes, and checks.
This puzzle relies on associated words to dollar values via the simple mapping a = $0.01, b = $0.02, etc.
At the top of the puzzle the solvers are given a menu with a list of words and prices. Reading down the first letter of the menu items spells MIKADO COMPOSER SURNAME, which is a clue for SULLIVAN.
Each word in the menu is associated with two prices, a "sing." (single) and a "doz." (dozen) price. The single price is the dollar value of the word. The dozen price is equal to 12 * ( VALUE(WORD) - DISCOUNT ), where each discount is in the range $0.01 to $0.26. Here is a list of the clues, the single value, the dozen price, discounts, and a translation of the discount into letters:
The discounts spell down, in clue order, FIND OYSTER AT EACH PRICE.
The next part of the puzzle is a set of "tasting notes," which are in the form of the wordplay part of cryptic clues. The definition for each clues is the name of an oyster, and the clues are given in alphabetical order by oyster name. There are many oyster varieties. All the ones chosen here were taken from The Oyster Guide by Rowan Jacobsen. Here are the solutions to the clues:
An oyster matches a word in the menu if they have the same length, same dollar value, and overlap in a single letter. The matching between words and oysters is:
This will leave a set of 12 oysters which do not match the menu clue words. The last part of the puzzle are 12 "checks" which contain a list of the same clue words, a "service charge" and a total price. Using the mapping above we can extract a single letter per clue word to get an answer word for each check. The value of that answer word is the service charge. The answer words for the checks are all name of United States Navy ships. Here is a list of the checks and their corresponding answer words:
C | MUSTACHIOED | $1.18 |
A | EMPIRICAL | $0.86 |
P | PLANKTON | $1.03 |
E | UNHEALTHY | $1.14 |
A | EMPIRICAL | $0.86 |
N | INDEXING | $0.86 |
N | INDEXING | $0.86 |
service charge | $0.54 | |
TOTAL | $7.33 |
R | OBSCURE | $0.83 |
A | EMPIRICAL | $0.86 |
Y | RANDOMLY | $1.02 |
M | SIMPLIFY | $1.09 |
O | DICHOTOMY | $1.12 |
N | INDEXING | $0.86 |
D | MODERATE | $0.81 |
service charge | $0.90 | |
TOTAL | $7.49 |
U | NUMBLY | $0.87 |
N | INDEXING | $0.86 |
I | MANUMISSION | $1.47 |
O | DICHOTOMY | $1.12 |
N | INDEXING | $0.86 |
service charge | $0.73 | |
TOTAL | $5.91 |
S | KINESCOPE | $0.97 |
E | UNHEALTHY | $1.14 |
A | EMPIRICAL | $0.86 |
W | ATWITTER | $1.16 |
O | DICHOTOMY | $1.12 |
L | AUTOCLAVE | $1.00 |
F | SHAPESHIFTER | $1.34 |
service charge | $0.81 | |
TOTAL | $8.40 |
G | ORTHOGRAPHIC | $1.38 |
R | OBSCURE | $0.83 |
O | DICHOTOMY | $1.12 |
T | EXPERT | $0.88 |
O | DICHOTOMY | $1.12 |
N | INDEXING | $0.86 |
service charge | $0.89 | |
TOTAL | $7.08 |
N | INDEXING | $0.86 |
I | MANUMISSION | $1.47 |
P | PLANKTON | $1.03 |
M | SIMPLIFY | $1.09 |
U | NUMBLY | $0.87 |
C | MUSTACHIOED | $1.18 |
service charge | $0.76 | |
TOTAL | $7.26 |
B | REVERSIBLE | $1.15 |
E | UNHEALTHY | $1.14 |
A | EMPIRICAL | $0.86 |
U | NUMBLY | $0.87 |
F | SHAPESHIFTER | $1.34 |
O | DICHOTOMY | $1.12 |
R | OBSCURE | $0.83 |
T | EXPERT | $0.88 |
service charge | $0.88 | |
TOTAL | $9.07 |
S | KINESCOPE | $0.97 |
T | EXPERT | $0.88 |
L | AUTOCLAVE | $1.00 |
O | DICHOTOMY | $1.12 |
U | NUMBLY | $0.87 |
I | MANUMISSION | $1.47 |
S | KINESCOPE | $0.97 |
service charge | $1.15 | |
TOTAL | $8.43 |
F | SHAPESHIFTER | $1.34 |
O | DICHOTOMY | $1.12 |
R | OBSCURE | $0.83 |
T | EXPERT | $0.88 |
W | ATWITTER | $1.16 |
O | DICHOTOMY | $1.12 |
R | OBSCURE | $0.83 |
T | EXPERT | $0.88 |
H | OFFSHORE | $0.92 |
service charge | $1.43 | |
TOTAL | $10.51 |
D | MODERATE | $0.81 |
E | UNHEALTHY | $1.14 |
T | EXPERT | $0.88 |
R | OBSCURE | $0.83 |
O | DICHOTOMY | $1.12 |
I | MANUMISSION | $1.47 |
T | EXPERT | $0.88 |
service charge | $0.91 | |
TOTAL | $8.04 |
E | UNHEALTHY | $1.14 |
D | MODERATE | $0.81 |
E | UNHEALTHY | $1.14 |
N | INDEXING | $0.86 |
T | EXPERT | $0.88 |
O | DICHOTOMY | $1.12 |
N | INDEXING | $0.86 |
service charge | $0.77 | |
TOTAL | $7.58 |
N | INDEXING | $0.86 |
A | EMPIRICAL | $0.86 |
M | SIMPLIFY | $1.09 |
A | EMPIRICAL | $0.86 |
K | CORNSTALK | $1.13 |
A | EMPIRICAL | $0.86 |
G | ORTHOGRAPHIC | $1.38 |
O | DICHOTOMY | $1.12 |
N | INDEXING | $0.86 |
service charge | $0.77 | |
TOTAL | $9.79 |
The 12 remaining oysters from the cryptic clues match the 12 checks. Here they are with the overlapping letters:
Reading down the overlapping letters gives the title: CONSTITUTION, which is also the name of a US Navy ship.