Episode #349 Contest: Personal Struggles

[oldjudge]

Really a fun puzzle by Brian Cimmet. Not difficult once you see what is going on, but very well done.

[Schmeel]

Banana's peeled.
Indeed a fun one!

[bcimmet]

I'll keep trying to get my post in here first, but I guess until I delay release of the puzzle until after I wake up, it may be a lost cause ...

--

There's a new contest puzzle from Fill Me In. I'll rate this one 3.4 bananas on a scale of 5 bananas. (Bananas has nothing to do with the puzzle, it's just a 1-to-5 scale we made up.) As always, I have a poor sense of difficulty, but tester feedback was medium (for seasoned pros) and difficult (for newer solvers).

The puzzle is called "Personal Struggles" and was constructed by me (Brian Cimmet). The solution to the puzzle is the name of a fictional character.

The crossword can be downloaded from here. You're welcome to solve and talk about the puzzle -- but if you want to be eligible for a prize, you have to listen to the podcast for this week's password. The podcast can be found on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, our own website, or wherever you collect your podcasts.

Once you've solved the puzzle, submit your answer and this week's password by email to fmi@bemoresmarter.com. You can also contact us with any suggestions, questions, comments, or ideas. Thanks for playing along!

[boharr]

Banana peeled. Clever and fun as always.

[BarbaraK]

Glad to see the podcast is back. A Tuesday without Fill Me In is like .... a Monday.

Banana peeled, but I still need to finish the podcast to get the password.

[Cindy]

Solved

[ChrisKochmanski]

Peeled!

[whimsy]

Banana's split (after being peeled.)

Very fun puzzle!

[MMe]

Clever idea!

[bcimmet]

Hello solvers,

The solution to this contest was SWEENEY TODD.

There were six squares that were rebuses going across (each hiding the word DEMON). Those same six squares were normal going down, and from top to bottom, spelled BARBER.

• 19A Earned a salary: MADE MONEY crossing 11D BABE
• 25A June celebration: PRIDE MONTH crossing 22D RAVIOLI
• 34A Chaos: PANDEMONIUM crossing 24D PURE
• 45A French father of impressionist painting: CLAUDE MONET crossing 31D ONE BEDROOM
• 51A Educational software for kids to learn programming: CODEMONKEY crossing 28D TUTORED
• 63A Othello's wife: DESDEMONA crossing 47D SCARED

There's only one fictional demon barber of any renown, and it is Sweeney Todd of literary, theatrical, musical, and cinematic fame.

Thanks for playing! There's another contest puzzle and another post in the forum for it. I hope you give it a try!