Solution to E Pluribus Unum

by David Speyer and Julian West

Eight of the nine grids can be filled with some canonical set of items in such a way that the highlighted letters spell out some thematic word or phrase, as shown below.

The ninth grid (well, actually the fifth grid) can be filled with the thematic answers to the other eight grids. The highlighted letters in these spell RAINDROP, the answer to this puzzle.

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The completed grids:

Canonical hours (SILENCE):

					V	E	S	P	E	R	S
				M	A	T	I	N	S
							L	A	U	D	S
C	O	M	P	L	I	N	E
					N	O	N	E
				T	E	R	C	E
						S	E	X	T

The seven dwarfs (BEARDED):

		B	A	S	H	F	U	L
S	N	E	E	Z	Y
	H	A	P	P	Y
	G	R	U	M	P	Y
		D	O	C
S	L	E	E	P	Y
		D	O	P	E	Y

Seven Sisters colleges (ALUMNAE):

B

R

Y

N

M

A

W

R

W

E

L

L

E

S

L

E

Y

M

O

U

N

T

H

O

L

Y

O

K

E

S

M

I

T

H

B

A

R

N

A

R

D

V

A

S

S

A

R

R

A

D

C

L

I

F

F

E

Planets (RETURNER):

		M	E	R	C	U	R	Y
			V	E	N	U	S
	N	E	P	T	U	N	E
			J	U	P	I	T	E	R
S	A	T	U	R	N
	U	R	A	N	U	S
				E	A	R	T	H
		M	A	R	S

Answers to the other grids (RAINDROP):

G

I

F

T

R

E

C

E

I

P

T

S

K

N

A

V

I

S

H

T

R

I

C

K

S

S

I

L

E

N

C

E

A

L

U

M

N

A

E

B

E

A

R

D

E

D

R

E

T

U

R

N

E

R

D

E

C

I

S

I

O

N

S

S

U

P

E

R

S

T

I

T

I

O

N

U.S. Supreme Court justices (DECISIONS):

K

E

N

N

E

D

Y

B

R

E

Y

E

R

S

C

A

L

I

A

G

I

N

S

B

U

R

G

T

H

O

M

A

S

A

L

I

T

O

S

O

T

O

M

A

Y

O

R

K

A

G

A

N

R

O

B

E

R

T

S

Signs of the Zodiac (SUPERSTITION):

A

R

I

E

S

A

Q

U

A

R

I

U

S

S

C

O

R

P

I

O

C

A

N

C

E

R

L

I

B

R

A

P

I

S

C

E

S

T

A

U

R

U

S

G

E

M

I

N

I

S

A

G

I

T

T

A

R

I

U

S

V

I

R

G

O

L

E

O

C

A

P

R

I

C

O

R

N

Twelve Days of Christmas (GIFT RECEIPTS):

G

E

E

S

E

G

O

L

D

R

I

N

G

S

F

R

E

N

C

H

H

E

N

S

T

U

R

T

L

E

D

O

V

E

S

L

O

R

D

S

L

A

D

I

E

S

C

A

L

L

I

N

G

B

I

R

D

S

D

R

U

M

M

E

R

S

M

A

I

D

S

P

I

P

E

R

S

P

A

R

T

R

I

D

G

E

S

W

A

N

S

Playing cards (KNAVISH TRICKS):

	J	A	C	K
Q	U	E	E	N
				A	C	E
		F	I	V	E
			E	I	G	H	T
				S	I	X
			T	H	R	E	E
				T	E	N
	F	O	U	R
			N	I	N	E
	D	E	U	C	E
				K	I	N	G
				S	E	V	E	N