Easter Hunt Solution
Thanks to everyone who attempted our fiendish Easter Puzzle! Here’s the solution.
The first thing to do is fill in the crossword grid. Just using the solution tools in the app will give a completely fake answer: GRASSHOPPER
The real string of letters is: EASBTNRYUEN
This can be anagrammed to give EASTER BUNNY
Full answers and explanations to the clues can be found at the bottom of this post.
Once the grid is complete, a message appears around the border: ADD HOP INTO SIX THEN INDEX
So we need to find six things to put HOP into and then a number to index.
Looking at the across answers, we can find six where HOP can be added to give a new word or phrase, one in each of the seven rows.
PIER + HOP = HOPPIER
WINDOWS + HOP = WINDOWSHOP
ALONG + HOP = HOP-ALONG
SCOTCH + HOP = HOPSCOTCH
STALKER + HOP = SHOPTALKER
LITE + HOP = HOPLITE
These can be placed into the second grid, with the HOPs lining up with the yellow squares (although it’s uncertain which way round HOPPIER and HOPLITE go)
Now we need to get a number for the indexing. The rebus is obviously what we need. Google Image search should help decipher the squares. Reading from top left to bottom right, we get:
BRACKET (wall bracket)
BRACKET
BRACKET
FIFTY-THREE (Logo of playing card company 52 Plus Joker)
TIMES (Times newspaper)
TEN (Number 10 Downing Street)
CARET (The answer to 22d in the crossword)
THREE (Defunct UK telecom company)
BRACKET
MINUS
ONE (BBC TV channel)
BRACKET
TIMES
THREE
BRACKET
Converting this into an expression gives (((53x10³)-1)*3)
Or 52999*3 = 158997
We now use these numbers to index the answers we got before. (And now we see that the HOPPIER / HOPLITE ambiguity is irrelevant because they both have the same first and fifth letters.)
Reading down the indexed letters, we get H I G H E S
On its own this doesn’t mean anything, but in keeping with the theme we can add one more HOP to get the final answer: HIGH HOPES
Thanks to everyone who participated. Prizes will be sent out to wallets soon!
Rik Krieger,
HOPR Co-Founder
Website: https://www.hoprnet.org
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Forum: https://forum.hoprnet.org
Staking: https://stake.hoprnet.org
Bounties: https://bounties.hoprnet.org
Playground: https://playground.hoprnet.org
Clue explanations can be found below. Definitions are underlined, wordplay is explained below each clue.
Across
6 Uproot ripe dock (4) PIER
An anagram (‘uproot’) of RIPE
9 Love a party? Something to have in moderation (9) ADORATION
A + DO (party) + RATION (something to have in moderation)
10 OS with network source contents for those who’ve lost other half (7) WINDOWS
N (‘source’ of ‘network’) inside (contents) WIDOWS (those who’ve lost other half, i.e., husbands)
11 Tempting spirits in copper bins? Not half! (6) INCUBI
IN + CU (copper) + BI (first half of ‘bins’)
12 Os is oversized, minimum boundaries added (6) OSMIUM
OS + MIUM (boundaries of minimum)
14 Software goal: single vote provides source of extra material (8) APPENDIX
APP (software) + END (goal) + I (single) + X (vote)
16 Easter creature who sounds like he’d enjoy 22? (4) HARE
22d (CARET) sounds like “carrot”
17 Lust after adult before moving on (5) ALONG
LONG (lust after) with A (adult) before it
18 Drink back too much in France (4) PORT
Reverals (back) of TROP (French for “too much”)
19 Start seeing, marry, retire, then lay to rest in market town (8) DEWSBURY
S (start of “seeing) + WED (marry) all reversed (retire), followed by BURY (lay to rest)
21 Drink in bed when in school (6) SCOTCH
COT (bed) inside SCH (school)
23 Drinks? Sounds like spirits (6) DJINNS
Homophone of “gins” (drinks)
26 Queen on shoot. Who’s responsible for dog/hound activity? (7) STALKER
ER (queen) after STALK (shoot). A stalker dogs or hounds someone.
29 The same as 1 down is, outside then inside of books? (10) ANTAGONIST
The hardest clue. 1d is “Villain, one from the past” Reading this clue as “Villain, one from the past is, outside then inside of books” gives Villain = ANTAGONIST with wordplay A (one) + AGO (from the past) outside of NT (book, new testament) + IS inside of NT (the second book)
30 A third of semiliterate describing diet drinks (4) LITE
LITE is the middle third of “semiliterate”
Down
1 Villain, one from the past (4) IAGO
I (one) + AGO (from the past)
2 Agrees on backing with even odds (4) NODS
ON reversed (backing) + DS (the even letters of “odds”)
3 Transport returning at eleven (4) TAXI
AT reversed (returning) + XI (eleven)
4 Even socials able to be source of fuel (6) OILCAN
OIL (even letters of socials) + CAN (able)
5 Rib bones evolved, seemingly superior (8) SNOBBIER
Anagram (evolved) of “rib bones”
7 Standard binary options rubbish? Inspires attending American University (4,5) IOWA STATE
I + O (standard binary options) + WASTE (rubbish) around (inspires) AT (attending)
8 Program duration: after quarter of an hour, chaotic minute (7) RUNTIME
R (quarter of “hour) followed by anagram (chaotic) of “minute”
13 One part of the mews? (5) MIAOU
Cryptic definition
14 Pain? Definitely no gain without it returning (5) AGONY
Hidden reversed (returning) in “definitelY NO GAin”
15 Place to go (and go and go) for hop providers (5) POGOS
PO (place to go, i.e., a chamber pot) + GOS (go and go)
18 In favour of expert (3) PRO
Double definition
20 Sounds like a time for something sweet (6) SUNDAE
Homophone for Sunday
22 6, with shift, represents exponential growth (5) CARET
The caret symbol ^ can be typed with shift + 6
24 One from 23? Ten! Say when you get the same answer (4) JINX
JIN (one of DJINNS, answer to 23a) + X (ten)
25 Quiet, with zero dramas at first, as domestic horses might be (4) SHOD
SH (quiet) + O (zero) + D (dramas at first). Domestic horses haves shoes, hence are shod
26 Small family contains flesh and blood (4) SKIN
S (small) + KIN (family)
27 Drink during half-time (4) ASTI
AS (during) + TI (half of time)
28 Kill it at first, fail in the end. Get fired here? (4) KILN
KI (first of “kill it”) + LN (ends of “fail in”). Pots are fired in a kiln
