PUZZLE #43: Sure Things

       





I only recently came across that quote you see in the sign above. I can’t confirm if Robert Burns actually said it, but it’s something to keep in mind while you solve today’s Sunday-sized offering.

I don’t want to give too much away about the puzzle, but I should give a tip of the hat to both Ben Tausig and Andrew Reynolds for previous puzzles that had some similar theme concepts as this one. A second tip of the hat goes to Andy Kravis for a clue that he wrote in a separate e-mail exchange and which I borrowed and reworded here. Crossword writers borrow clues from other publications all the time, but I figured I should give credit where due for this one (previously unpublished) clue. I’ll leave it to your imagination which one it is.

In other news, I’ll be writing a review of Patrick Berry‘s variety meta suite, Vicious Circle, and posting it here in a couple of weeks (tentatively scheduled for April 27, after his contest has concluded). Oh, have you not purchased the suite yet? You can get it for just $10 by clicking here, and if you submit the correct answer before 11:59 pm on April 25, you’ll have a chance at winning a cash prize. The suite has some very challenging puzzles that may take you a few sittings to complete, but lemme tell you, it’s worth it. My jaw hit the floor when I got the final answer. Patrick’s pretty good at making that happen.

Enjoy the puzzle. There will be a new one on April 18.