Answers are as follows, with individual explanations below:
| Trickster | Answer | |
|---|---|---|
| MAUI | LUST FOR LIFE | |
| ANANSI | AWL | |
| TI MALICE | BAS RELIEFS | |
| COYOTE | OIL DRAIN PLUG | |
| HERMES | RIFLE RANGES | |
| AGADZAGADZA | DOUBLE DRIBBLED | |
| TILL EULENSPIEGEL | ANN ARBOR TOWNSHIP | |
| INARI | YACHT | |
| TIKBALANG | SUBSURFACE LESION | |
| LOKI | ENTRANCE EXAM | |
| ENKI | TRICKLING DOWN |
First letters of tricksters spell MATCH A TITLE; first letters of answers spell LABOR DAY SET. Each of the decorative banners in the puzzle is used as the main header design of a Labor Day set of puzzles here: www.markhalpin.com/puzzles/puzzles.html. Within that set, the puzzle answer for a given trickster matches the enumeration of exactly one puzzle title, and has one letter in the same position. Noting that exactly 11 different banners have been used allows ordering them by year, with the matching letters spelling the answer, BIBLIOKLEPT.
| Answer | Labor Day Puzzle Title | Shared Letter | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| DOUBLE DRIBBLED | TAMING CERBERUS | B | 2006 |
| BAS RELIEFS | THE ARTISAN | I | 2009 |
| SUBSURFACE LESION | GABRIELLA'S PUZZLE | B | 2011 |
| AWL | HEL | L | 2012 |
| LUST FOR LIFE | RAMA AND SITA | I | 2014 |
| ANN ARBOR TOWNSHIP | THE THREE HORSEMEN | O | 2015 |
| TRICKLING DOWN | OMOIKANE'S GIFT | K | 2016 |
| RIFLE RANGES | GULL'S PUZZLE | L | 2017 |
| ENTRANCE EXAM | STEALING EGGS | E | 2018 |
| OIL DRAIN PLUG | THE NORTH POLE | P | 2019 |
| YACHT | SENET | T | 2020 |
Maui is solved as a Nurikabe, or "Islands in the Stream". Island names revealed in the grid are missing letters which form the answer.
| T | U | K | C | TUVALU | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| V | A | O | R | E | E | KOS | |||
| CRETE | |||||||||
| I | J | I | C | T | E | FIJI | |||
| F | U | N | CORFU | ||||||
| S | T | E | ST LUCIA | ||||||
| U | U | I | A | R | TENERIFE |
The Drop-Quote can be filled with various tools as shown below, leaving an extra letter in each column. Reordering columns by those letters reveals the answer.
| E | F | Q | A | L | D | I | C | P | M | B | K | J | O | G | R | N | H |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| D | R | I | L | L | M | A | R | L | I | N | E | S | P | I | K | E | |
| J | I | G | S | A | W | C | H | A | L | K | L | I | N | E | |||
| R | A | S | P | C | - | C | L | A | M | P | F | I | L | E | |||
| I | C | E | A | X | M | I | T | E | R | B | O | X | |||||
| A | D | Z | E | H | O | T | G | L | U | E | G | U | N | ||||
| T | A | P | E | M | E | A | S | U | R | E | S | T | U | D | |||
| F | I | N | D | E | R | P | I | P | E | W | R | E | N | C | H |
| A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| L | I | A | D | R | P | E | M | E | N | L | L | K | S | R | I | I | |
| G | A | A | J | L | E | W | K | L | S | H | N | C | I | I | |||
| S | A | - | R | F | E | C | P | M | P | L | L | C | A | I | |||
| E | T | A | I | B | X | R | E | I | X | M | C | O | |||||
| E | L | T | H | A | D | G | O | E | U | G | N | Z | U | ||||
| E | R | A | M | T | A | T | E | E | U | D | S | S | P | U | |||
| D | E | P | R | F | I | E | H | W | E | P | C | R | I | N | N |
"Cursed" clue answers are the same as "Uncursed", but with PINs stuck inside. Index into longer words and order by the Uncursed column.
| Uncursed Word | Corresponding Cursed Word | |
|---|---|---|
| BURG | BURPING | B |
| ELANDS | PINELANDS | A |
| SALLY | SPINALLY | S |
| CREE | CREEP IN | R |
| SET | SPINET | E |
| A-LIST | ALPINIST | L |
| THETA | THE PINTA | I |
| TERRA | TERRAPIN | E |
| FREES | FREE SPIN | F |
| SUE | SUPINE | S |
Each Anaquote solves to a line from the Black Keys song "Howlin' For You," but with two inserted words. Order by song order, and read acrostics of the first then second added word in each.
| Line | Extracted Letters | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| ALRIGHT [ALREADY] YEAH [DOING] WELL NOW | A | D | |
| I MUST [NOT] ADMIT I CAN'T [REMOTELY] EXPLAIN | N | R | |
| ANY OF THESE [SLY] THOUGHTS RACIN THROUGH MY [ACHIN] BRAIN | S | A | |
| [WHEN] THERES SOMETHING WRONG WITH THIS [INSANE] PLOT | W | I | |
| THE [EXTRA] ACTORS HAVE [NEARLY] NOT GOT A CLUE | E | N | |
| MOCKINGBIRD [REALLY] CANT YOU [PERFECTLY] SEE | R | P | |
| LITTLE [OL'] GIRLS GOT A HOLD ON ME [LATELY] LIKE GLUE | O | L | |
| THROW THE [INK] BALL [UP] TO THE STICK | I | U | |
| SWING [LATE] AND MISS AND A [GOOD] CATCHERS MITT STRIKE TWO | L | G | |
Terrible puns using Olympian gods' names.
- DR. SEUSS
- MY HEAD IS FULL OF COLORS
- APOLOGIZING
- DO I HEAR A WALTZ?
- AREAS OF EXPERTISE
| A | R | E | S | O | F | E | X | P | E | R | T | I | S | E | ||||
| M | Y | H | A | D | E | S | F | U | L | L | O | F | C | O | L | O | R | S |
| D | O | I | H | E | R | A | W | A | L | T | Z | ? | ||||||
| A | P | O | L | L | O | - | G | I | Z | I | N | G | ||||||
| D | R | Z | E | U | S |
Words in some clues must have a letter doubled for the clue to parse correctly.
Across
- Running wild adD, consortium's close to fine (4) [AOK + M]
- Taunted first of debutantes dividing caviar (4) [ROE + D]
- Artist vacuously describing something one might see in a corRal talisman (6) [AT + MULE]
- About activist Hoffman: you might say he's taxiIng? (6) [C + ABBIE]
- Everyone in the south is partial to Woody Allen (4) [container]
- FibBer is necessity when training, on reflection (4) [RAIL reversed]
Down
- A bunch of stars and a one-named rapper I see in gabBle (5) [homophone: DRAKE + OH]
- BelLow, do some quilting with Ms. Ringwald and Iman, perhaps (6) [homophone: SEW + MOLLY]
- Singer Moore meEt Libyan at regular intervals (5) [alternate letters]
- Individual getting nauseous is playwright (6) [ONE + ILL]
- LadDies in the middle buy a contrived presidential nickname (5) [D + BUYA*]
- Engineer allows climbing up stone pillar (5) [E + LETS reversed]
| D | S | A | M | O | K |
| R | O | D | E | N | S |
| A | M | U | L | E | T |
| C | A | B | B | I | E |
| O | L | Y | A | L | L |
| L | I | A | R | L | E |
Each image can have a letter changed to spell part of one of the clued answers. Original letters spell NOTHING TO SEE HERE, new letters spell the answer.
| TE[N/A] | S[O/N]AP | [T/N]INE | RUT[H/A] |
| P[I/R]E | [N/B]AGA | LE[G/O] | [T/R]OAD |
| AUDI[O/T] | MIME[S/O] | SHO[E/W] | MA[E/N]S |
| [H/S]AT | GRAP[E/H]S | [R/I]ON | CU[E/P]S |
PREAUDIT
TEACUPS
RUTABAGA
LEONINE
MANSION
ROADSHOW
MIMEOGRAPHS
SNAPS AT
Each twisted clue reveals an answer which, once twisted by the same rule, can have a letter added to form the name of a fox.
| Clue | Transformation | Answer | Transformed Answer |
|---|---|---|---|
| SHIP JASON CAPTAINED SEEKING THE GOLDEN FLEECE | remove last letter and reverse | ARGO | GRA[Y] |
| PROVIDED FOOD FOR PARTIES OR EVENTS | move first letter one space closer to front of alphabet | CATERED | BATE[A]RED |
| AROMATIC HERB SIMILAR TO ANISE IN TASTE | remove last letter | FENNEL | FENNE[C] |
| ADULTEROUS MADAME CREATED BY NOVELIST GUSTAVE FLAUBERT | remove first letter and any V | BOVARY | [H]OARY |
| PEANUTS CHARACTER WHOS FRIENDS WITH PEPPERMINT PATTY | remove first letter, replace last with antepenultimate | MARCIE | ARC[T]IC |
Each string is, interwoven, a famous rider (forward) and their horse [backward], each missing a letter. Missing letters spell the answer in order.
| Rider | Missing Letter | Horse | Missing Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dale Evans | S | Buttermilk | U |
| Bellerophon | B | Pegasus | S |
| Don Quixote | U | Rocinante | R |
| Gandalf | F | Shadowfax | A |
| Ichabod Crane | C | Gunpowder | E |
| Alexander | L | Bucephalus | E |
| Frank Hopkins | S | Hidalgo | I |
| Odin | O | Sleipnir | N |
Each clue is answered by a nonsensical phrase formed by adding a letter to a color in a more familiar phrase and scrambling. The clues form a loop in which each restored color is the background color of the next clue. Extra letters spell the answer.
| A STUDY IN TREACLES / A STUDY IN SCARLET + E |
| PAYNE'S ANGRY / PAYNE'S GRAY + N |
| MOLTEN LAWS / LEMON LAWS + T |
| MANDARIN GROANER / MANDARIN ORANGE + R |
| APACHE FUZZ / PEACH FUZZ + A |
| THE ALDERMEN ISLE / THE EMERALD ISLE + N |
| A SCORE BY ANY OTHER NAME / A ROSE BY ANY OTHER NAME + C |
| LODGE DIGGER / GOLD DIGGER + E |
| ECHOLOCATE MOUSSE / CHOCOLATE MOUSSE + E |
| LATEX DUCK / TEAL DUCK + X |
| MERCHANT VANYA / MERCHANT NAVY + A |
| PLUMPER RAIN (or HAZE) / PURPLE RAIN + M |
As in a normal Cascade puzzle, answers to one clue fill the blanks of the next. In some cases, a letter must be added to the word in the grid before being added to the next clue.
| I | S | G | S | W |
| N | H | E | T | A |
| S | R | N | A | D |
| E | I | I | G | D |
| C | N | E | E | L |
| T | E | T | O | E |
| K | B | R | D | S |
| E | L | U | D | R |
| Y | E | E | E | I |
| E | A | N | R | O |
| D | C | E | G | T |
| D | H | A | O | D |
| O | F | R | A | R |
| R | A | C | T | E |
| Y | W | A | S | A |
| P | N | T | B | M |
| A | S | W | E | G |
| T | B | O | A | E |
| H | U | M | R | N |
| O | G | A | D | R |
| S | S | N | S | E |
- Map detail
_ _ _ p _ _ _ ed
Hac _ n _ _ _ _
Quality of a sa_ st _ _ _ - Glow like the sun
_ andy s _ o _ el _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ er users
_ l _ _ s i_ program _ - DNA carrier
_ _ _ u _ n _
_ _ _ mp _ t
_ _ wm _ _ role - Very wise person
More _ _ r _ n _ _
Bits of f _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ e e _ , etc. - Moves like a duck
T _ _ _ _ _ _; bo _ h
D _ _ nks like st _ u _
Richar _ of Bre _ th _ _ _ s