Well we went back to the puzzles with very lean offerings. From more than 250 minimum for genius to 91 minimum. Crazy.
But first! Yesterday’s misses, which are myriad. I ran out of steam to reduce this number, but at least I got both pangrams.
ACACIA: Oh, right! We’re back to trees, too.
ACAI: Yes. This thing.
ADDICT: When it comes to the Spelling Bee, aren’t we all?
ARCADIA: Isn’t this a proper noun? Annoyed at this one, and I think I’ve missed it before.
CARDIOID: A heart-shaped curve traced by a point on the circumference of a circle as it rolls around another identical circle. Isn’t that cool? Now I know!
CICADA: It would bug me that I missed this one, but I gave up yesterday after more than 200 points, so OK.
CIRRI: I’ve missed this before. Many cirrus clouds.
CRITIC: Yup.
COATI: I’ve missed this adorable animal before.
COCCI: I’ve missed this before, too.
CORRIDA: A bullfight!
CROCI: Oh yeah! The crocus flower.
DIACRITIC: A sign, such as an accent or cedilla, which when written above or below a letter indicates a difference in pronunciation from the same letter when unmarked or differently marked.
DICTA: Many formal pronouncements from an authoritative source
DIDACT: I got didactic but not didact.
ORATORIO: A large-scale, usually narrative musical work for orchestra and voices, typically on a sacred theme, performed without costume, scenery, or action. Well-known examples include Bach’s Christmas Oratorio, Handel’s Messiah, and Haydn’s The Creation.
RADIATOR: I forgot these exist, but the weather should have reminded me.
RAITA: But still no horchata
RICOTTA: Mmmmm. Cheese.
ROTI: And no torta
TORII: Hunter?
TOROID: A donut?
TRICOT: A fine knitted fabric made of a natural or man-made fiber.
Final score today: 16 words for 93 points
Genius minimum: 91 points
Pangram: MAGAZINE
First word: MAZE
Missed opportunity: ZIGGAZIGGAAAA