Authors: James Clark and Aaron Bader
Four columns of clues are given, paired into two and two (by length and by justification). The second column of each pair is alphabetically ordered. Each pair also has a sequence of numbers at the bottom.
The clues in the left column of each pair all clue six-letter words. The clues in the right column of each pair clue words that are meant to be paired with the words from the left column, such that the word on the right has the same letters as the word on the left, but with 1-3 letters inserted in the middle. For instance, "Hollow rocks" clues GEODES and "Finds earthly coordinates" clues GEOCODES, which is GEODES with CO inserted in the middle.
Here are the clued words:
| Hollow rocks | A measure of a single metrical foot |
| GEODES | MONOPODY |
| Trump, often? | Backing |
| CANNER | FINANCING |
| Heavy rain quantity | Boxy |
| SHEETS | SQUARISH |
| Jazz picker of fame? | Church key |
| MALONE | CANOPENER |
| Bread shunner | Connecting |
| CELIAC | LINKING |
| Gather up | Finds earthly coordinates |
| CORRAL | GEOCODES |
| Metal-coated | Hoelite is among them |
| PLATED | QUINONES |
| Three strikes in a row | Icy treats |
| TURKEY | SHERBETS |
| Stopwatches | Isolationist |
| TIMERS | RECLUSE |
| Talking crazy | Kind of punishment |
| RAVING | CORPORAL |
| An ode done solo | Luggage leader |
| MONODY | SAMSONITE |
| They output themselves | Made calm |
| QUINES | PLACATED |
| Disqualify oneself | Mimicing |
| RECUSE | COPYING |
| Providing a punishment, perhaps | More punchy |
| FINING | PITHIER |
| Crush | On the way to work |
| SQUISH | COMMUTING |
| Medieval satin | Pedigreed |
| SAMITE | PUREBRED |
| Managing | Planks |
| COPING | TIMBERS |
| It steals souls, some say | Ready to use |
| CAMERA | TURNKEY |
| On the way | Root vegetable |
| COMING | CELERIAC |
| Aw giver? | She brings your tapas |
| PITIER | CAMARERA |
| Attack parts | Stalls |
| PRONGS | PROLONGS |
| Sounded happy | Stunning |
| PURRED | RAVISHING |
| Lined up | There's one in each cheek |
| RANKED | MALARBONE |
| Sometimes it's silver | Thoroughly searched |
| LINING | RANSACKED |
| Upright | Affect one another |
| DECENT | INTERACT |
| Whole | Altar cloth |
| INTACT | PARAMENT |
| Flour used in some beverages | Anti-government rebels |
| PINOLE | REVOLTERS |
| Lapels that are turned back | Bacchanalian |
| REVERS | DECADENT |
| Like lips prepared to whistle | Ballpark |
| PURSED | ESTIMATE |
| Kind of band | Carillon locations |
| GARAGE | BELFRIES |
| Structural support | Dethrone |
| PILING | DISCROWN |
| Refuse parentage | Distribution type |
| DISOWN | POISSON |
| Rear | Flower shop output |
| PARENT | FRAGRANCE |
| Reverted | Gathered together |
| UNDONE | CONVENED |
| Saved, with away | Gave respect |
| SALTED | SALUTED |
| Shoots the breeze | Ginormous |
| WHILES | HONKING |
| Changing tablecloths, say | Love, sometimes |
| BUSING | NOTHING |
| Contradicts | Misrepresent, as an odometer |
| BELIES | UNDERREAD |
| Not as friendly | Moving about purposefully |
| COLDER | BUSYING |
| Defining the rate? | Newspaper printing |
| PACING | PRESSRUN |
| 80s hair band | Paid-for |
| POISON | PURCHASED |
| Nice country | Protons, e.g. |
| FRANCE | BARYONS |
| Bamboozled | Rail parts |
| CONNED | BALUSTERS |
| Before the starting gun goes off | Rare |
| PRERUN | UNDERDONE |
| Taking names | Small opening |
| NOTING | PINHOLE |
| Tax type | Steering |
| ESTATE | PILOTING |
| Practicing | Stupid Girl artist |
| HONING | GARBAGE |
| Hay machines | Types of bats |
| BALERS | WHIFFLES |
| Zombies, e.g. | Water separator |
| UNDEAD | COLANDER |
| Minor nobles | What peanuts are used for |
| BARONS | PACKING |
Here are the pairings of those words, ordered by left-clue:
| Column 1 | Column 2 | Letters |
|---|---|---|
| GEODES | GEOCODES | CO |
| CANNER | CANOPENER | OPE |
| SHEETS | SHERBETS | RB |
| MALONE | MALARBONE | ARB |
| CELIAC | CELERIAC | ER |
| CORRAL | CORPORAL | PO |
| PLATED | PLACATED | CA |
| TURKEY | TURNKEY | N |
| TIMERS | TIMBERS | B |
| RAVING | RAVISHING | ISH |
| MONODY | MONOPODY | OP |
| QUINES | QUINONES | NO |
| RECUSE | RECLUSE | L |
| FINING | FINANCING | ANC |
| SQUISH | SQUARISH | AR |
| SAMITE | SAMSONITE | SON |
| COPING | COPYING | Y |
| CAMERA | CAMARERA | AR |
| COMING | COMMUTING | MUT |
| PITIER | PITHIER | H |
| PRONGS | PROLONGS | LO |
| PURRED | PUREBRED | EB |
| RANKED | RANSACKED | SAC |
| LINING | LINKING | K |
| Column 3 | Column 4 | Letters |
|---|---|---|
| DECENT | DECADENT | AD |
| INTACT | INTERACT | ER |
| PINOLE | PINHOLE | H |
| REVERS | REVOLTERS | OLT |
| PURSED | PURCHASED | CHA |
| GARAGE | GARBAGE | B |
| PILING | PILOTING | OT |
| DISOWN | DISCROWN | CR |
| PARENT | PARAMENT | AM |
| UNDONE | UNDERDONE | ERD |
| SALTED | SALUTED | U |
| WHILES | WHIFFLES | FF |
| BUSING | BUSYING | Y |
| BELIES | BELFRIES | FR |
| COLDER | COLANDER | AN |
| PACING | PACKING | K |
| POISON | POISSON | S |
| FRANCE | FRAGRANCE | GRA |
| CONNED | CONVENED | VE |
| PRERUN | PRESSRUN | SS |
| NOTING | NOTHING | H |
| ESTATE | ESTIMATE | IM |
| HONING | HONKING | K |
| BALERS | BALUSTERS | UST |
| UNDEAD | UNDERREAD | ERR |
| BARONS | BARYONS | Y |
Ordering the inserted letters by the left clues, one finds two lists of last names. These are last names of congressional representatives. The representatives from the left column-pair are all Democrats, and the representatives from the right column-pair are all Republicans. The Republicans are alphabetically ordered. As confirmation, and in order to resolve some ambiguous names, the district numbers correspond to the numbers below each column pair in the puzzle. For the purpose of matching with those numbers, 1 was used as the "district number" of North Dakota.
Here are the representatives:
| Democrat | District |
|---|---|
| COOPER | TN-5 |
| BARBER | AZ-2 |
| POCAN | WI-2 |
| BISHOP | GA-2 |
| NOLAN | MN-8 |
| CARSON | IN-7 |
| YARMUTH | KY-3 |
| LOEBSACK | IA-2 |
| Republican | District |
|---|---|
| ADERHOLT | AL-4 |
| CHABOT | OH-1 |
| CRAMER | ND |
| DUFFY | WI-7 |
| FRANKS | AZ-8 |
| GRAVES | GA-14 |
| SHIMKUS | IL-15 |
| TERRY | NE-2 |
The representatives can be paired such that there is exactly one district bordering the Democrat- and Republican-represented districts. For instance, TN-4 is the one district that borders the districts of COOPER (D TN-5) and GRAVES (R GA-14).
Taking the district number of those middle districts, indexing into the last names of the representatives from the middle districts, and ordering by the last names of the Democratic bordering-representative, gives the answer. For instance, TN-4 is repersented by Scott DESJARLAIS, so the first letter produced is J. The answer is JINGOIST
Here are the pairings, and the middle districts:
| Democrat | District | Republican | District | Middle | District | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| COOPER | TN-5 | GRAVES | GA-14 | DESJARLAIS | TN-4 | J |
| BARBER | AZ-2 | FRANKS | AZ-8 | GRIJALVA | AZ-3 | I |
| POCAN | WI-2 | DUFFY | WI-7 | KIND | WI-3 | N |
| BISHOP | GA-2 | ADERHOLT | AL-4 | ROGERS | AL-3 | G |
| NOLAN | MN-8 | CRAMER | ND | PETERSON | MN-7 | O |
| CARSON | IN-7 | SHIMKUS | IL-15 | ROKITA | IN-4 | I |
| YARMUTH | KY-3 | CHABOT | OH-1 | MASSIE | KY-4 | S |
| LOEBSACK | IA-2 | TERRY | NE-2 | LATHAM | IA-3 | T |